Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| пода́рок | podárok | masculine | |
| дар | dar | [dar] (narrow) | masculine |
| презе́нт | prezént | masculine | |
| гости́нец | gostínec | masculine |
In Russian, the word for a gift varies depending on whether you are referring to a physical object, an abstract talent or a small treat. Use пода́рок for standard situations, such as when you want to say I bought a gift.
Which one should you use?
пода́рок is the most common, everyday word for a physical gift or present. In contrast, дар is used for abstract concepts such as a talent, a divine blessing or a metaphorical gift, rather than a wrapped object. гости́нец specifically refers to a small gift, often food or treats, brought by a visitor to a host or a child. Finally, презе́нт is a direct loanword from French and English used in more modern or commercial contexts, though it is less common than пода́рок.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the action of giving a gift, you can use the verbs дари́ть or подари́ть. The verb дари́ть is imperfective and is used to describe the process of giving or the habitual act of giving gifts. The verb подари́ть is perfective and is used when focusing on the completed act of giving a gift.
How do you pronounce it?
podárok
Did you know?
- In Russia, giving a bouquet of flowers as a пода́рок must always include an odd number of stems. Even numbers are strictly reserved for funerals and mourning.
- In Russian culture, it is often considered polite to refuse a пода́рок once or twice before finally accepting it, showing that the receiver is not greedy.
- The word гости́нец contains the root гость, which means 'guest'. This makes the word literally a 'guest-thing', reflecting the tradition of bringing treats when visiting.
Examples in context
- У Тома дар слова.Tom has the gift of gab.This example uses дар to show how it can describe a talent.Tatoeba #5140576 by Wezel, translation #1093605 by CK
- Каждый день – дар.Every day is a gift.This example uses дар to illustrate an abstract or metaphorical gift.Tatoeba #5305949 by marafon, translation #1872689 by CM
- Египет – дар Нила.Egypt is a gift of the Nile.This example uses дар to describe a metaphorical gift from a source.Tatoeba #13229962 by Ooneykcall, translation #13229815 by Adelpa
- Я хотел бы купить подарок своей сестре на ее день рождения.I would like to buy a gift for my sister on her birthday.
- Я принес тебе небольшой подарочек.I brought you a small gift.
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andrey and Maria are meeting at a cafe.
- Андрей AndreyМария, это тебе маленький пода́рок.Mariya, eto tebe malen'kiy podarok.Maria, this is a small gift for you.
- Мария MariaОй, спасибо большое, Андрей!Oy, spasibo bol'shoye, Andrey!Oh, thank you very much, Andrey!
- Андрей AndreyТебе нравится?Tebe nravitsya?Do you like it?
- Мария MariaДа, он просто чудесный!Da, on prosto chudesnyy!Yes, it is simply wonderful!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gift” translations and entries дар, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
