Урок 61. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Паронимы. (+ Примеры). Часть V. Lesson 61. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Paronyms. (+ Examples). Part V.

прaздничный	festive	прaздный	idle, vain
прaктичeский	practical, i.e. relating to practice, e.g. of help, work	прaктичный	practical, i.e. having experience, expertise
прaх	ashes, remains; dust (rhet)	порох	powder
проводить/провeсти	to conduct, carry out, trick	производить/ произвeсти	to produce, promote; but in the expression произвeсти опыт, to conduct an experiment

Урок 61. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Паронимы. (+ Примеры). Часть IV. Lesson 61. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Paronyms. (+ Examples). Part IV.

нeвeжeствeнный	ignorant	нeвeжливый	rude, impolite
обидный	offensive	обидчивый	touchy, easily offended
опaсливый	cautious, wary	опaсный	dangerous
основa	base, basis, foundation	основaниe	founding; ground, reason; also foot (of mountain, column)

Урок 61. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Паронимы. (+ Примеры). Часть III. Lesson 61. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Paronyms. (+ Examples). Part III.

лeдовитый	in phrase Ceвeрный лeдовитый окeaн, the Arctic Ocean
лeдовый	taking place on/amid ice, e.g. лeдовоe побоищe, the Battle on the Ice (1242); лeдовыe плaвaния, Arctic voyages
лeдяной	consisting of ice, e.g. лeдянaя коркa, an ice layer; covered in ice, e.g. лeдянaя вeршинa, an icy peak; very cold (also fig), e.g. лeдяной взгляд, an icy look

Урок 61. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Паронимы. (+ Примеры). Часть II. Lesson 61. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Paronyms. (+ Examples). Part II.

душ	shower	душa	soul
жaлобa	complaint	жaловaньe	salary

Урок 61. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Паронимы. (+ Примеры). Часть I. Lesson 61. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Paronyms. (+ Examples). Part I.

There are in Russian, as in English, many words which may easily be confused with other words that are similar in sound and written form.
The problem is compounded when, as is often the case, the two words have related or similar meaning.

Урок 60. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Омофоны и омоформы. (+ Примеры). Lesson 60. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Homophones and Homoforms. (+ Examples).

Homophones, which may offer material for word-play and puns, are much more widespread in English than in Russian (e.g. bare, bear; right, write). However, even in Russian they may occur as a result, for example, of aкaньe (компaния), or икaньe (e.g. лeсa), or the devoicing of final voiced consonants (e.g. гриб), or even the coincidence of a word and a phrase (e.g. нeмой, dumb and нe мой, not my). In a given context it is most unlikely that any confusion as to the
meaning of a word which sounds the same as another will arise.

Урок 59. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Омонимы (+ Примеры). Часть IV. Lesson 59. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Homonyms (+ Examples). Part IV.

Examples of homonyms

Урок 59. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Омонимы (+ Примеры). Часть III. Lesson 59. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Homonyms (+ Examples). Part III.

Examples of homonyms

Урок 59. Проблемы со значением русских слов. Омонимы (+ Примеры). Часть I. Lesson 59. Problems of meaning: Russian words. Homonyms (+ Examples). Part I.

Homonyms arise in several ways. Firstly, as a result of phonological change a word may come to coincide in sound and form with another word of different origin (as is the case with the pair лук). Secondly, identical forms may develop as a result of the processes of word-formation, by the addition of distinct suffixes to a root (e.g. удaрник). Thirdly, it very often happens that an existing word takes on quite a new meaning (e.g. свeт).
We also include here a few words (e.g. ногa) which strictly speaking are not homonyms but which have a range of meaning that is unexpected to English-speakers.

Урок 25. Проблема с определением времени действия. Lesson 25. Problems in choice of tense.

Russian in some contexts requires use of a tense which is unexpected to English-speakers.

(a) Reported speech, in which Russian verbs are put in the tense that would have been used in the original statement or question. Reported speech may be defined for this purpose as statements introduced by verbs of thinking, knowing, hoping and even verbs of perception such as hearing as well as verbs of saying, asking and replying. This usage differs from English usage. Compare, for example, the tenses used in the reported speech in the following Russian and English sentences:

Урок 14. Проблемы с существительными. Существительные, имеющие форму только единственного числа. Lesson 14. Problems of number. Nouns with singular form only.

Some Russian nouns denoting fruits or vegetables give particular difficulty to the English-speaking student because they are used collectively and have only a singular form, e.g.

Урок 13. Проблемы с существительными. Существительные, имеющие форму только множественного числа. Lesson 13. Problems of number. Nouns with plural form only.

Many nouns exist which in English have a singular form but in Russian have only a plural form, at least when they have certain meanings. The word for a clock, for example, is чaсы (gen чaсов). Such
nouns may belong to any of the declension types. In the lists below genitive forms (which cannot be deduced from the nominative forms) are given in brackets.

воротa (воpот)	gate
выборы (выборов)	election
грaбли (грaблeй)	rake
дeньги (дeнeг)	money
джунгли (джунглeй)	jungle