Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'tractable'

English Word: tractable

Key Russian Translations:

• Послушный (/pɐˈsɫoʂnɨj/) - [Formal, used for people or animals that are obedient or easily managed]
• Укротимый (/ʊkˈrotʲimɨj/) - [Informal, used in contexts involving taming or controlling, e.g., wild animals or situations]
• Легкоуправляемый (/lʲɪɡkəʊʊˈpravlʲæmɨj/) - [Formal, technical contexts like machinery or abstract concepts, implying ease of control]

Frequency: Medium (commonly used in everyday language, literature, and educational contexts, but not as ubiquitous as basic adjectives)

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of Russian adjective inflections and nuanced vocabulary; for multiple translations, 'Послушный' is B1, while 'Укротимый' may be B2 due to less common usage)

Pronunciation (Russian):

Послушный: /pɐˈsɫoʂnɨj/

Укротимый: /ʊkˈrotʲimɨj/

Легкоуправляемый: /lʲɪɡkəʊʊˈpravlʲæmɨj/

Note on Послушный: The stress falls on the second syllable; be careful with the 'ш' sound, which is a soft fricative, often challenging for English speakers.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: Easily managed or controlled (referring to people, animals, or situations)

Translation(s) & Context:

• Послушный - Used in formal or educational contexts, such as describing a child's behavior or an obedient pet.
• Укротимый - Applied in informal or adventurous scenarios, like taming wild animals or managing difficult situations.

Usage Examples:

• Дети в этом классе очень послушные и быстро выполняют задания.

  The children in this class are very tractable and quickly complete their tasks.

• Эта лошадь укротимая, но требует терпения при дрессировке.

  This horse is tractable, but it requires patience during training.

• В управлении проектом важно, чтобы команда была легкоуправляемой.

  In project management, it's important for the team to be tractable.

• Послушный ребенок всегда следует инструкциям родителей без споров.

  A tractable child always follows parents' instructions without arguments.

• Укротимый ветер сделал путешествие по морю спокойным.

  The tractable wind made the sea voyage calm.

Meaning 2: Easily worked or molded (referring to materials or abstract concepts)

Translation(s) & Context:

• Легкоуправляемый - Used in technical or scientific contexts, such as describing flexible materials or systems.

Usage Examples:

• Этот пластик легкоуправляемый и идеален для моделирования.

  This plastic is tractable and ideal for modeling.

• Легкоуправляемый металл позволяет создавать сложные формы без деформаций.

  Tractable metal allows for creating complex shapes without deformations.

• В программном обеспечении легкоуправляемый код упрощает отладку.

  In software, tractable code simplifies debugging.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

These translations are primarily adjectives, which inflect based on gender, number, and case in Russian. 'Послушный' and 'Укротимый' follow standard adjective patterns, while 'Легкоуправляемый' is less common and may vary slightly due to its compound nature.

For 'Легкоуправляемый', it follows a similar pattern but is invariant in some technical uses. These adjectives do not change for verb conjugations as they are not verbs.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • Мягкий (myagkiy) - Softer connotation, often used for materials or temperament.
  • Гибкий (gibkiy) - Implies flexibility, especially in non-physical contexts.
• Antonyms:
  • Непослушный (neposlushnyy) - Directly opposite, meaning disobedient.
  • Невозмутимый (nevozmutimyy) - Unyielding or unmanageable.

Related Phrases:

• Послушный как lamb (Послушный как ламб) - A phrase implying extreme obedience, similar to English idioms; used to describe very tractable behavior.
• Укротить ситуацию (Ukrotit' situatsiyu) - To tame or make a situation tractable; common in problem-solving contexts.
• Легкоуправляемый механизм (Legkoupravlyaemyy mekhanizm) - A tractable mechanism; refers to easily adjustable systems in engineering.

Usage Notes:

'Tractable' corresponds most closely to 'Послушный' in interpersonal contexts, but English speakers should note that Russian adjectives like this inflect for gender, number, and case, which affects sentence structure. For formal writing, prefer 'Послушный' over 'Укротимый' due to its neutrality. In technical fields, 'Легкоуправляемый' is ideal but may sound awkward in casual speech. Always consider the context: use with animate subjects for people/animals and inanimate for objects.

Common Errors:

• English learners often misuse 'Послушный' by not inflecting it correctly, e.g., saying "Послушный ребенок" in all cases instead of "Послушного ребенка" in genitive. Correct: Use the proper case, as in "Я видел послушного ребенка" (I saw a tractable child).

• Confusing it with synonyms: Learners might use 'Гибкий' interchangeably, but it implies physical flexibility, not obedience. Error example: "Гибкий ребенок" (meaning flexible child, not tractable); Correct: "Послушный ребенок".

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like 'Послушный' often carry connotations from literature and folklore, such as in fairy tales where characters must be obedient to authority figures. This reflects historical emphasis on hierarchy and discipline in Russian society, which can make the term feel more loaded than its English counterpart.

Related Concepts:

• Дисциплина (Distsiplina)
• Контроль (Kontrol')
• Гибкость (Gibkost')