сильнее
sil'neye
The English phrase harder is translated into Russian as сильнее (sil'neye).
сильнее is used to describe an action performed with more force or intensity.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is the comparative form of the adverb сильно (strongly/hard) and literally means more strongly.
Which one should you use?
Use сильнее for intensity or force, but use твёрже when you mean harder in terms of texture or physical solidity. Additionally, do not use сильнее to describe difficulty. Use труднее for tasks that are harder to complete.
How do you pronounce it?
sil'neye
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using сильнее to mean 'more difficult'. If you are talking about a task that is hard to do, you should use труднее instead.
Did you know?
- The word сильнее can be used to describe the volume of a sound, meaning 'louder', which is a way of saying the sound is being produced with more force.
- In emotional contexts, сильнее can describe feelings. To love someone сильнее means to love them 'more intensely', whereas in English 'harder' is rarely used for love unless in a specific slang context.
- Russian has a word for 'hard' as in 'hard-headed' or 'stubborn' упрямый, which is entirely unrelated to сильнее or твёрже. This means 'hard' personality traits use a completely different root.
Examples in context
- Дождь пошёл ещё сильнее.The rain fell even harder.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe the intensity of rain using сильнее.Tatoeba #13342529 by marafon, translation #26714 by Luornu
- Том сказал Мэри стараться сильнее.Tom told Mary to try harder.This sentence demonstrates how to use сильнее when advising someone to apply more effort.Tatoeba #5773468 by sharptoothed, translation #1027884 by CK
- Дуй сильнее!Blow harder!This sentence shows the use of сильнее as an instruction to increase physical force.Tatoeba #8405025 by marafon, translation #9950154 by ddnktr
- Надо упражняться потяжелее, чтобы улучшить свои навыки.You need to exercise harder to improve your skills.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Alexander are moving a heavy piece of furniture.
- Мария MariaАлександр, эта коробка очень тяжёлая!Aleksandr, eta korobka ochen' tyazholaya!Alexander, this box is very heavy!
- Александр AleksandrМария, давай толкать сильнее.Mariya, davay tolkat' sil'neye.Maria, let's push harder.
- Мария MariaЯ стараюсь, но она не двигается.Ya starayus', no ona ne dvigayetsya.I am trying, but it is not moving.
- Александр AleksandrХорошо, я надавлю сильнее.Khorosho, ya nadavlyu sil'neye.Okay, I will press harder.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
