Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| гото́вить | gotóvitʹ | imperfective |
| пригото́вить | prigotóvitʹ | perfective |
| вари́ть | varítʹ | imperfective |
| свари́ть | svarítʹ | perfective |
| стря́пать | strjápatʹ | imperfective |
| состря́пать | sostrjápatʹ | perfective |
The primary meaning is to prepare food for eating. However, гото́вить is a versatile verb that can also mean to prepare or train someone for something, such as a student preparing for an exam.
Which one should you use?
Russian uses different verb forms depending on whether you are focusing on the process, the result or the specific method. Use the imperfective гото́вить to describe the ongoing process of cooking or habitual cooking. Use the perfective пригото́вить when focusing on the completed result of a cooked meal. If you are specifically cooking something in boiling water or liquid, use the verb вари́ть (imperfective) or its perfective counterpart свари́ть. For a more casual sense of whipping up or throwing together a quick, improvised or somewhat messy meal, use the colloquial стря́пать (imperfective) or состря́пать (perfective).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The verb стря́пать and its perfective form состря́пать are colloquial. For the noun referring to a person who cooks, по́вар is the standard noun for a person whose profession is cooking. The term кок is a loanword from English used specifically in professional kitchen contexts or maritime settings.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb гото́вить is imperfective, while its counterpart пригото́вить is perfective. Similarly, вари́ть is imperfective and свари́ть is perfective and стря́пать is imperfective while состря́пать is perfective.
How do you pronounce it?
gotóvitʹ
When do people say it?
When referring to a person who prepares food, по́вар is the standard noun. If you need to specifically identify a female chef, you can use повар женского пола.
Did you know?
- While гото́вить means 'to cook', the word for 'ready' is гото́в. This creates a linguistic link between the act of preparing food and the state of being finished.
- The word свари́ть can be used figuratively to mean 'to brew' or 'to concoct' a plan, much like one would brew coffee or a liquid.
- The verb вари́ть is used for everything from boiling eggs to brewing beer and making coffee. In English, these are three different verbs, but in Russian, they all use the same word.
Examples in context
- Я люблю готовить.I love to cook.
- Я буду варить суп на обед.I will cook soup for lunch.
- Я люблю гото́вить по вечерам.Ya lyublyu gotovit' po vecheram.I love to cook in the evenings.
- Ты помогаешь гото́вить ужин?Ty pomogayesh' gotovit' uzhin?Are you helping to cook dinner?
Example conversation
A husband and wife are talking in their kitchen.
- Анастасия AnastasiaАндрей, ты можешь помочь мне гото́вить?Andrey, ty mozhesh' pomoch' mne gotovit'?Andrey, can you help me cook?
- Андрей AndreyДа, Анастасия, что именно нужно сделать?Da, Anastasiya, chto imenno nuzhno sdelat'?Yes, Anastasia, what exactly needs to be done?
- Анастасия AnastasiaПожалуйста, нарежь овощи для супа.Pozhaluysta, narez' ovoshchi dlya supa.Please, chop the vegetables for the soup.
- Андрей AndreyХорошо, я сейчас всё сделаю.Khorosho, ya seychas vsyo sdelayu.Okay, I will do it right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cook” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
