Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| терпе́ть | terpétʹ | imperfective |
| выде́рживать | vydérživatʹ | imperfective |
| вы́держать | výderžatʹ | perfective |
| вы́терпеть | výterpetʹ | perfective |
| выноси́ть | vynosítʹ | imperfective |
| вы́нести | výnesti | perfective |
Russian uses different verbs to express the concept of enduring based on whether you are discussing physical or emotional capacity, or whether the endurance is a continuous process or a completed action. терпе́ть is the most common way to express enduring pain or suffering in a general sense. выноси́ть and its perfective counterpart вы́нести are often used for the emotional or psychological capacity to bear a situation or a person's behavior. выде́рживать and вы́держать are used when the focus is on withstanding specific physical pressures, weights or tests.
Which one should you use?
The choice between forms depends on the nuance of the endurance. Use the imperfective терпе́ть for the ongoing process of enduring or a general ability to tolerate. For a completed action, use the perfective вы́терпеть to describe having successfully endured a specific period of hardship or pain. To emphasize the successful completion of enduring a specific pressure or test, use the perfective вы́держать, which corresponds to the imperfective выде́рживать. For emotional or psychological burdens, use the imperfective выноси́ть to describe the capacity to bear something or the perfective вы́нести to describe having successfully borne a specific burden.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verbs are divided into imperfective and perfective pairs. терпе́ть is imperfective, while its perfective partner is вы́терпеть. Similarly, выноси́ть is imperfective and its perfective form is вы́нести. Finally, выде́рживать is imperfective and вы́держать is perfective.
How do you pronounce it?
terpétʹ
Did you know?
- In Russian, you can use терпе́ть to express a strong dislike by saying не выно́сю or терпе́ть не мо́гу. This translates literally to 'I cannot endure' but means 'I hate'.
- In a social context, if someone asks you to потерпе́ть a moment, they are not asking you to endure suffering, but simply to 'wait a little bit'.
- The word вы́держать is used not only for enduring pain but also for 'aging' alcohol or cheese. To 'endure' the time in a cellar is what gives these foods their flavor.
Examples in context
- Он выдерживал тяжелые испытания на пути к успеху.He endured difficult trials on his path to success.
- Ученые выдерживают длительные периоды без сна, изучая данную проблему.Scientists endure long periods without sleep, studying this issue.
- Она терпит некомфортные условия ради своей работы.She endures uncomfortable conditions for the sake of her job.
- Я не могу больше терпеть его эгоистическое поведение.I can no longer tolerate his selfish behavior.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “endure” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
