Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'swindle'

English Word: swindle

Key Russian Translations:

• обман [ɐbˈman] - [Informal, Common in everyday speech]
• мошенничество [məʂɨˈnʲit͡ɕɪstvə] - [Formal, Legal contexts]
• надувательство [nədʊˈvastvə] - [Informal, Colloquial, Often humorous or ironic]

Frequency: Medium (Common in crime-related discussions, literature, and media, but not everyday casual talk)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of Russian noun declensions and context-specific vocabulary; for "мошенничество," it may lean towards B2-C1 due to its formal usage)

Pronunciation (Russian):

обман: [ɐbˈman]

Note on обман: The stress is on the second syllable; be careful with the soft "б" sound, which can be tricky for English speakers.

мошенничество: [məʂɨˈnʲit͡ɕɪstvə]

Note on мошенничество: This word has a rolled "ш" sound; practice with native audio for accuracy.

надувательство: [nədʊˈvastvə]

Note on надувательство: The "у" is pronounced like the "oo" in "book"; it's less formal and often used in lighter contexts.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Primary Meaning: A fraudulent scheme to cheat someone out of money or property

Translation(s) & Context:

• обман - Used in informal settings, such as personal stories or casual conversations about deception.
• мошенничество - Applied in formal or legal contexts, like reports of financial fraud.

Usage Examples:

• Он организовал хитрый обман, чтобы выманить деньги у инвесторов.

  He organized a clever swindle to extract money from investors.

• Это классическое мошенничество, где жертвы обманываются через фальшивые сайты.

  This is a classic swindle where victims are deceived through fake websites.

• Её надувательство с поддельными документами едва не сработало.

  Her swindle with fake documents almost worked.

• В романе описывается грандиозный обман, который разорил целую семью.

  The novel describes a grand swindle that bankrupted an entire family.

Secondary Meaning: To deceive or trick someone in a clever way

Translation(s) & Context:

• надувательство - Often used in playful or ironic contexts, not as serious as "мошенничество."
• обман - General deception in everyday life.

Usage Examples:

• Друзья устроили ему безобидное надувательство на день рождения.

  Friends pulled a harmless swindle on him for his birthday.

• Этот продавец всегда пытается обмануть клиентов с ценами.

  This seller always tries to swindle customers with prices.

• Мошенничество в интернете стало повседневной проблемой.

  Online swindles have become an everyday issue.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

These translations are primarily nouns. Russian nouns change based on case, number, and gender. "Обман" is a masculine noun, while "мошенничество" and "надувательство" are neuter nouns. They follow standard declension patterns.

Note: These are regular declensions; no irregular forms for these words.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • обман (similar to "обман", but more general)
  • кидалово (slang for a quick swindle, often informal)
  • афера (implies a larger scheme, with a connotation of sophistication)
• Antonyms:
  • честность (honesty)
  • справедливость (fairness)
  • доверие (trust)

Related Phrases:

• Финансовый обман - Financial swindle; refers to monetary fraud in business contexts.
• Организовать мошенничество - To organize a swindle; used for planning deceptive acts.
• Быть жертвой надувательства - To be a victim of a swindle; common in personal anecdotes.

Usage Notes:

"Swindle" corresponds most closely to "обман" in informal English-Russian exchanges, but choose "мошенничество" for legal or official contexts to match the formality. Be mindful of gender and case agreements in sentences; for example, use the genitive case after prepositions like "из-за" (because of). If multiple translations apply, opt for "надувательство" in lighter, conversational settings to avoid sounding overly serious.

• Always consider the context: "Обман" can be playful, while "мошенничество" implies criminal intent.
• In Russian, these words often require accompanying verbs like "совершить" (to commit) for full sentences.

Common Errors:

English learners often confuse "обман" with "обещание" (promise), leading to sentences like "Он сделал обман" (meaning "He made a promise" instead of "He made a swindle"). Correct usage: "Он совершил обман" (He committed a swindle). Another error is improper declension, e.g., using nominative in all cases: "Я видел мошенничество" instead of "Я видел мошенничество" in accusative, which is correct here, but mistakes occur in other cases like "Я думаю о мошенничестве" (correct) vs. incorrectly saying "Я думаю о мошенничество."

• Error: Using "обман" without context, e.g., "Это обман" for a minor lie. Correction: Specify with adjectives like "грубое обман" for clarity.
• Error: Mixing with synonyms, e.g., using "афера" interchangeably, which might overstate the scale. Explanation: "Афера" implies a more elaborate scheme, so reserve it for bigger swindles.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like "мошенничество" often appear in literature and media reflecting historical events, such as the scams during the post-Soviet economic transitions. This reflects a broader cultural wariness of deceit in business and politics, stemming from experiences with corruption in the 1990s.

Related Concepts:

• Воровство (theft)
• Лжец (liar)
• Коррупция (corruption)