индиец
indiyets
The English phrase 'indian' refers to the Russian word индиец (indiyets).
While English speakers often use 'Indian' to describe both people from India and Native Americans, Russian uses distinct words for these two groups. When you want to describe things related to the country, such as food or culture, you should use the adjective индийский instead of the noun.
Meaning: of India (adj)
Which one should you use?
Russian makes a clear distinction between people from India and the aboriginal people of the Americas. Use индиец for someone from India, but use индеец to refer to a Native American. Additionally, do not confuse the person with the adjective. индиец refers to the individual, whereas индийский is the adjective used for things related to India.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun индиец refers to the person. The feminine form for an Indian woman is индийка, and the plural form for Indians is индийцы.
How do you pronounce it?
indiyets
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the word индус to describe a person from India. English speakers often mistakenly use 'индус' to mean a person from India, but индус specifically refers to a follower of Hinduism.
Did you know?
- The words индиец for an Indian person and индеец for a Native American are doublets, meaning they share the same linguistic root.
- While индиец is the correct term for a person from India, many Russians mistakenly use индус to refer to all Indians regardless of their religion.
- The suffix -ец in индиец is a common way in Russian to form nouns that denote a person belonging to a certain group or place.
Examples in context
- Мой друг – индиец.My friend is Indian.This sentence is useful for identifying a person's nationality.Tatoeba #1450951 by Biga, translation #791250 by CN
- Я индиец, и я из Индии.I am an Indian and I come from India.This sentence is useful for stating one's nationality and origin.Tatoeba #12931239 by marafon, translation #12630059 by Adelpa
- Этот симпатичный мужчина араб или индиец?Is the good-looking man Arab or Indian?This sentence is useful for asking a question about someone's background.Tatoeba #4560530 by Selena777, translation #2289921 by AlanF_US
- На встрече с профессорами я познакомился с очаровательным индийцемAt the meeting with the professors, I met a charming Indian.
- Я очень близок с парнем из Индии – он настоящий индусI am very close to an Indian guy – he's a true Indian.
- Вчера в кинотеатре я встретился с моим индийским парнемYesterday, I met up with my Indian boyfriend at the cinema.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andrey and Maria are talking about a new colleague at work.
- Андрей AndreyКто этот новый сотрудник в нашем офисе?Kto etot novyy sotrudnik v nashem ofise?Who is this new employee in our office?
- Мария MariaОн индиец, его зовут Радж.On indiyets, yego zovut Radzh.He is an Indian, his name is Raj.
- Андрей AndreyОн приехал из Индии недавно?On priyekhal iz Indii nedavno?Did he come from India recently?
- Мария MariaДа, он очень талантливый индиец.Da, on ochen' talantlivyy indiyets.Yes, he is a very talented Indian.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries индиец, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
