Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| о́тпуск | ótpusk | masculine |
| отгу́л | otgúl | masculine |
О́тпуск refers to a period of one or more days taken off work for leisure and often travel. If you want to say you are taking a vacation, you can use the phrase брать о́тпуск or if you are talking about how you are spending that time, you can use проводи́ть о́тпуск.
Which one should you use?
While о́тпуск is the standard term for professional or work-related leave, there are other terms for specific types of breaks. Use каникулы specifically when referring to school or university holidays. Additionally, do not use о́тпуск when referring to a public holiday or a specific celebration like Christmas. In those cases, the word праздник is used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone is currently 'on holiday', use the preposition в followed by the prepositional case of the word, resulting in the phrase в отпуске.
How do you pronounce it?
ótpusk
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use праздник to mean a vacation period. Remember that праздник refers to a specific calendar holiday or celebration, whereas о́тпуск is the actual time you take away from your work.
When do people say it?
When someone is celebrating a specific holiday, you might say С праздником!, which means 'Happy holiday!'
Did you know?
- The word каникулы for school holidays is thought by some linguists to come from the Latin word 'canis', meaning 'dog'. This suggests a connection to the idea of 'dog days' or a period of rest after a period of work.
- There is a strong cultural tradition of the санато́рий holiday, where Russians visit specialized health resorts for a mix of о́тпуск and medical rehabilitation.
- The word о́тпуск shares a root with the verb отпуска́ть, which means 'to let go' or 'to release'. In a literal sense, taking a holiday is described as being released from the grip of work duties.
Examples in context
- Я с нетерпением жду летние каникулы. Буду путешествовать по России.I'm looking forward to summer vacation. I'm going to travel around Russia.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are chatting in the office.
- Ольга OlgaАлександр, ты уже взял о́тпуск?Aleksandr, ty uzhe vzyal otpusk?Aleksandr, have you already taken your holiday?
- Александр AleksandrНет, я жду августа.Net, ya zhdu avgusta.No, I'm waiting for August.
- Ольга OlgaКуда ты поедешь в этот раз?Kuda ty poyedesh v etot raz?Where are you going this time?
- Александр AleksandrЯ хочу поехать к морю.Ya khochu poyekhat k moryu.I want to go to the seaside.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “holiday” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
