опасный
opásnyj[ɐˈpasnɨj]
The English word "dangerous" is опасный (opásnyj) in Russian.
опасный is an adjective used to describe someone or something that is causing danger, ready to do harm or injury.
Meaning: causing danger, ready to do harm or injury (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes its ending depending on the gender and number of the noun it describes: use опасная for feminine nouns, опасное for neuter nouns and опасные for plural nouns. In the genitive case, such as when saying "of a dangerous person", the form becomes опасного. Additionally, Опасно functions as an adverb meaning "dangerously".
Did you know?
- The word опасный can be used ironically in Russian slang to describe someone who is 'cool' or 'tough', much like 'badass' in English.
- The Proto-Slavic root of опасный implies 'to surround' or 'to guard', suggesting that danger is something that hems you in.
- While опасный describes the quality of being dangerous, Russian uses the word рискованный to describe something 'risky'. The two are not interchangeable when talking about a gamble or a business move.
Examples in context
- Том опасный парень.Tom is a dangerous guy.This sentence illustrates the use of опасный to describe a person.Tatoeba #4254103 by odexed, translation #3824285 by CK
- Бостон опасный город.Boston is a dangerous city.This sentence shows how to use опасный when describing a city.Tatoeba #5509178 by odexed, translation #2423470 by _undertoad
- Детройт – опасный город.Detroit is a dangerous city.This sentence provides another example of using опасный to describe a city.Tatoeba #2780635 by marafon, translation #1676714 by Spamster
- Пожалуйста, будьте осторожны, это опасное место.Please be careful, it's a dangerous place.
- 39 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sergey and Ekaterina are discussing a hiking trail.
- Сергей SergeyЭтот путь очень опасный.Etot put' ochen' opasnyy.This path is very dangerous.
- Екатерина EkaterinaТы правда так думаешь?Ty pravda tak dumayesh'?Do you really think so?
- Сергей SergeyДа, там могут быть обрывы.Da, tam mogut byt' obryvy.Yes, there might be cliffs there.
- Екатерина EkaterinaТогда нам лучше не идти туда.Togda nam luchshe ne idti tuda.Then we had better not go there.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry опасный, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries опасный, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
