01
russisch
Russian
Relates to Russia, its inhabitants, its culture, or its language.
example
Wir haben gestern ein traditionelles russisches Gericht gekocht.
Yesterday we cooked a traditional Russian dish.
russisch
Russian
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
01 / 02
Usage tips
Capitalization
A common mistake: the adjective 'russisch' (Russian) is written in lowercase in German. But if you mean the language, it is a noun and is capitalized: 'das Russische' or simply 'Russisch'.
EXAMPLE
Er liest gerne russische Autoren im Original.
He likes reading Russian authors in the original.
Typical collocations
The adjective is often connected with culture, language, food, or mentality. Typical combinations are 'die russische Seele' (the Russian soul), 'russische Spezialitäten' (Russian specialties), or 'die russische Geschichte' (Russian history).
EXAMPLE
Zum Frühstück gab es Blini, eine russische Spezialität.
For breakfast there were blini, a Russian specialty.
Metaphorical meaning
The expression 'Russisch Roulette' (Russian roulette) is almost always used metaphorically. It describes an extremely risky action with an unpredictable, potentially catastrophic outcome.
EXAMPLE
Eine Firma ohne Geschäftsplan zu gründen, ist wie Russisch Roulette.
Starting a company without a business plan is like Russian roulette.
Compare with
russisch vs sowjetisch
Soviet
'russisch' and 'sowjetisch' can be confused because Russia was an important part of the Soviet Union. However, 'russisch' refers to Russia, the Russian language, people, or culture. 'sowjetisch' refers to the former Soviet Union, that is, a historical state with several republics. Not everything Soviet was Russian, and not everything Russian is Soviet. For present-day language, culture, or things from Russia, you normally say 'russisch'. For history, politics, or things from the time of the USSR, 'sowjetisch' fits.
russisch
In dem Kurs lernen die Teilnehmer russische Wörter für den Alltag.
In the course, the participants learn Russian words for everyday life.
sowjetisch
Im Museum sieht man alte sowjetische Plakate aus dem 20. Jahrhundert.
In the museum, you can see old Soviet posters from the 20th century.
In real life
Loading video examples...