Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'sweep'

English Word: sweep

Key Russian Translations:

• подметать [pədˈmʲetətʲ] - [Informal, Verb; Used in everyday contexts like household cleaning]
• замести [zəˈmʲesʲtʲi] - [Formal or Literary; Used when implying a more thorough or metaphorical sweeping, e.g., in narratives]

Frequency: Medium (Common in daily conversations about cleaning but not as frequent as basic verbs like 'to eat' or 'to go')

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; Requires understanding of verb conjugation in present, past, and future tenses, per CEFR standards)

Pronunciation (Russian):

подметать: [pədˈmʲetətʲ]

замести: [zəˈmʲesʲtʲi]

Note on подметать: The stress falls on the second syllable, and the 'т' sound can be softened in casual speech. Pay attention to the palatalized 'т' which is a common challenge for English speakers.

Note on замести: This word has a harder 'з' sound; variations in regional accents may alter vowel length slightly.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: To clean a floor or surface by brushing away dirt (Primary verb form)

Translation(s) & Context:

• подметать - Used in informal, domestic settings, such as household chores; contrasts with more formal cleaning verbs.
• замести - Applied in broader or metaphorical contexts, like sweeping away problems, but less common for literal floor cleaning.

Usage Examples:

• Каждое утро я подметаю кухню, чтобы поддерживать чистоту. (Kazhdoe utro ya podmetayu kukhnyu, chtoby podderzhivat' chistotu.)

  Every morning I sweep the kitchen to keep it clean. (Shows routine, present tense usage.)

• Вчера соседи замели улицу после дождя. (Vchera sosedi zamesli ulitsu posle dozhdya.)

  Yesterday the neighbors swept the street after the rain. (Illustrates past tense and a slightly more formal context.)

• Если ты подметёшь двор, мы сможем поиграть. (Yesli ty podmetyosh' dvor, my smozhem poigrat'.)

  If you sweep the yard, we can play. (Demonstrates future tense and conditional structure.)

• Подметать нужно осторожно, чтобы не поднять пыль. (Podmetat' nuzhno ostorozhno, chtoby ne podnyat' pyl'.)

  You need to sweep carefully so as not to raise dust. (Emphasizes adverbial modification and practical advice.)

Meaning 2: To win all games or contests in a series (e.g., in sports)

Translation(s) & Context:

• замести (in a metaphorical sense) - Used in sports or competitive contexts; less direct than English, often paired with other words like 'серию' (series).
• выиграть всё (vыйgrat' vsyo) - A phrase-based translation for emphasis on total victory.

Usage Examples:

• Команда замела серию матчей и вышла в финал. (Komanda zamesla seriyu matchey i vyshla v final.)

  The team swept the series of matches and advanced to the finals. (Shows metaphorical use in sports.)

• В этом сезоне они подметут конкурентов. (V etom sezone oni podmetut konkurentov.)

  In this season, they will sweep their competitors. (Future tense, competitive context.)

• Мы замели все призы на фестивале. (My zamesli vse prizy na festivale.)

  We swept all the prizes at the festival. (Past tense, celebratory usage.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

For 'подметать' (a first-conjugation verb), it follows regular patterns with infinitive, present, past, and future forms. 'Замести' is irregular in some aspects due to its root.

Note: These verbs do not change for number in the infinitive but conjugate fully in tenses. If unchanging in certain forms, like some adverbs, it's not applicable here.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms: убирать (ubirat' - general cleaning), чистить (chistit' - to clean thoroughly)
• Antonyms: загрязнять (zagryaznyat' - to dirty), оставлять в беспорядке (ostavlyat' v besporiadke - to leave in disorder; note the difference in formality)

Related Phrases:

• Подметать пол - To sweep the floor; Meaning: A common household action, often used in daily routines.
• Замести следы - To sweep away traces; Meaning: Figurative, as in covering up evidence in stories or investigations.
• Подмести всё под ковёр - To sweep everything under the rug; Meaning: An idiom for ignoring problems, similar to English usage.

Usage Notes:

'Подметать' directly corresponds to the English 'to sweep' in cleaning contexts but is more specific to brushing actions. Use it in informal settings; for formal writing, 'убирать' might be preferable. Be cautious with conjugation: English speakers often mix up past tense forms. When 'sweep' means victory, opt for 'замести' in sports, but always pair it with context words like 'серию' for clarity.

• Grammar tip: Verbs like these require agreement with the subject in person and number.
• Choice guide: If the context is literal cleaning, use 'подметать'; for metaphors, 'замести' is better.

Common Errors:

English learners often misuse the past tense, e.g., saying 'я подметал' incorrectly for feminine subjects (correct: 'я подметала' if speaker is female). Error example: 'Я подметал кухню' (wrong if speaker is female); Correct: 'Я подметала кухню'. This stems from not accounting for gender in Russian verbs. Another error is overusing 'замести' for literal sweeping, which can sound awkward; instead, stick to 'подметать' for everyday use.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, sweeping (подметать) is often associated with traditional household roles and is a common chore in rural or family settings. Phrases like 'замести под ковёр' reflect a cultural tendency to avoid confrontation, similar to English idioms, highlighting values of harmony and indirectness in social interactions.

Related Concepts:

• убирать
• чистота
• соревнование