Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'unhappy'

English Word: unhappy

Key Russian Translations:

• несчастный /nʲɪsˈt͡ɕastnɨj/ - [Adjective, Formal or Informal, used to describe emotional state or misfortune]
• неудовлетворенный /nʲɪʊdəʊvˈlʲɛtvɐrʲɪnɨj/ - [Adjective, Formal, typically for dissatisfaction rather than sadness]

Frequency: Medium (commonly used in everyday conversation, literature, and media, but not as basic as simple emotions like "happy").

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of adjective inflections and nuanced emotional vocabulary; for "несчастный", it's straightforward, but "неудовлетворенный" may vary by context).

Pronunciation (Russian):

несчастный: /nʲɪsˈt͡ɕastnɨj/ (The "щ" sound is a soft, palatalized "sh", which can be challenging for beginners.)

неудовлетворенный: /nʲɪʊdəʊvˈlʲɛtvɐrʲɪnɨj/ (Note on неудовлетворенный: Pay attention to the stress on the third syllable; common variations in rapid speech may soften the vowels.)

Audio: []

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. Feeling sad, depressed, or emotionally distressed.

Translation(s) & Context:

• несчастный - Used in personal or emotional contexts, such as describing someone's mood in conversations or stories.
• неудовлетворенный - Applied in contexts involving dissatisfaction, like with work or relationships, often in formal settings.

Usage Examples:

• Он чувствует себя несчастным после потери работы.

  He feels unhappy after losing his job.

• Дети были несчастны, когда их родители уехали.

  The children were unhappy when their parents left.

• Она выглядит неудовлетворенной своим новым домом.

  She looks unhappy with her new home.

• Несчастный человек часто избегает социальных контактов.

  An unhappy person often avoids social contacts.

• В романе главный герой остается неудовлетворенным своей жизнью.

  In the novel, the main character remains unhappy with his life.

2. Unfortunate or unlucky in circumstances.

Translation(s) & Context:

• несчастный - Used for describing bad luck or mishaps, often in narratives or everyday speech.

Usage Examples:

• Несчастный случай на дороге вызвал пробки.

  An unhappy accident on the road caused traffic jams.

• Его несчастная судьба тронула всех в семье.

  His unhappy fate touched everyone in the family.

• Несчастный ребенок потерялся в толпе.

  The unhappy child got lost in the crowd.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both translations are adjectives, which inflect based on gender, number, and case in Russian. "Несчастный" follows standard first-declension adjective patterns, while "неудовлетворенный" is similar but may have slight irregularities in some forms.

Note: These adjectives do not change for verbs but must agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • грустный (more specific to sadness, often used in casual contexts)
  • печальный (implies deeper sorrow, common in literary or emotional descriptions)
• Antonyms:
  • счастливый (direct opposite, meaning happy or fortunate)
  • довольный (meaning satisfied, especially for "неудовлетворенный")

Related Phrases:

• Несчастный случай - A common phrase meaning "an accident" or "misfortune," often used in news or daily conversations.
• Несчастная любовь - Refers to "unhappy love" or a tragic romance, with connotations in literature and songs.
• Неудовлетворенный потребитель - Means "unhappy customer," used in business contexts to describe dissatisfaction with products or services.

Usage Notes:

"Несчастный" is the most direct translation for "unhappy" in emotional contexts and is versatile across formal and informal settings, but it can also imply misfortune. Use "неудовлетворенный" when emphasizing dissatisfaction rather than pure sadness, such as in professional or evaluative scenarios. Be mindful of adjective agreement with nouns in Russian sentences. For English speakers, note that Russian adjectives change based on case, so "unhappy" might require adjustments like in "в несчастном мире" (in an unhappy world).

• Choose "несчастный" for personal emotions and "неудовлетворенный" for abstract or situational discontent.
• In spoken Russian, these words are common in narratives but less so in very formal documents.

Common Errors:

English learners often forget to inflect adjectives correctly. For example, they might say "несчастный дом" incorrectly in the wrong case, like using nominative when genitive is needed (e.g., "в несчастном доме" should be genitive). Error: Saying "Я видел несчастный" instead of "Я видел несчастного" for an animate noun. Correct: Use the proper case, as in "Я видел несчастного человека" (I saw the unhappy person). This error stems from English's lack of cases, so always check noun agreement.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like "несчастный" often carry a sense of fatalism or destiny, influenced by literary traditions (e.g., in works by Tolstoy or Dostoevsky). It can evoke themes of suffering and resilience, reflecting historical contexts like the Soviet era, where personal unhappiness was sometimes tied to societal hardships.

Related Concepts:

• счастье (happiness)
• грусть (sadness)
• несчастье (misfortune)