врезаться
vrezat'sya
The Russian phrase for "bump into" is врезаться (vrezat'sya).
The form врезаться is primarily used for physical collisions involving vehicles or high-speed impacts, rather than the idiomatic English sense of 'meeting someone by chance'.
Meaning: Translations (verb)
Which one should you use?
While врезаться implies a forceful crash or driving into something, столкнуться is the more common way to describe a casual physical bump or a chance encounter. For the specific English sense of an unexpected encounter with a person, you might use the formal phrase Случайно столкнуться (to accidentally collide) or the common word Наткнуться (bump into).
How does it change in a sentence?
In the past tense, the form of врезаться changes based on the gender and number of the subject: use врезался for masculine, врезалась for feminine and врезались for plural.
How do you pronounce it?
vrezat'sya
Did you know?
- The root of врезаться is the word рез (rez), which means 'cut'. While we think of 'bumping', the Russian word carries the hidden imagery of 'cutting oneself into' an object.
- The word for a chance encounter, столкнуться, shares a root with the Russian word for 'conflict' or 'clash'.
- The word наткнуться is often used to describe bumping into a person, but it literally means 'to stumble upon' an obstacle. It treats the person you met like a physical object or a piece of terrain that blocked your path.
Examples in context
- Наткнулась на директора в неожиданном месте.I ran into the director in an unexpected place.
- Я наткнулся на своего соседа на улице.I ran into my neighbor on the street.
Example conversation
Anastasia and Alexander are talking about a car accident.
- Анастасия AnastasiaАлександр, что случилось с твоей машиной?Aleksandr, chto sluchilos' s tvoyey mashinoy?Alexander, what happened to your car?
- Александр AleksandrЯ увлёкся телефоном и успел врезаться в столб.Ya uvlyoksya telefonom i uspel vrezat'sya v stolb.I got distracted by my phone and bumped into a pole.
- Анастасия AnastasiaО боже! Ты не пострадал?O bozhe! Ty ne postradal?Oh my god! Are you okay?
- Александр AleksandrСо мной всё в порядке, спасибо.So mnoy vsyo v poryadke, spasibo.I am fine, thank you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries врезаться, CC BY-SA 4.0.
