лайм
lajm[ɫajm]masculine
The English word "lime" (the green citrus fruit) is translated into Russian as лайм (lajm). Wiktionary also lists ла́йма (lájma) and зелёный лимо́н (zeljónyj limón).
Meaning: green citrus fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| лайм | lajm | [ɫajm] (narrow) | masculine |
| ла́йма | lájma | feminine | |
| зелёный лимо́н | zeljónyj limón | masculine |
The primary way to refer to the fruit is лайм. When you want to describe something as being made of or containing lime, such as lime juice or lime flavor, you use the adjective ла́ймовый.
Which one should you use?
While лайм is the standard name for the fruit, you may also see the descriptive phrase зелёный лимо́н, which literally means "green lemon." This is often used to distinguish the lime from a traditional yellow lemon.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe things like juice or flavor, use the adjective ла́ймовый.
How do you pronounce it?
lajm
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use лайм when referring to the chemical substance "lime" (calcium oxide). In Russian, that substance is called известь.
Did you know?
- The Russian word зелёный for 'green' shares a common ancient ancestor with the English words 'yellow' and 'gold'.
- Using the phrase зелёный лимо́н can occasionally cause confusion because, in some contexts, it might be interpreted as an unripe yellow lemon rather than a specific species of lime.
- While лайм is a loanword from English, it has been fully integrated into Russian grammar, allowing it to take standard Slavic endings for case and number.
Examples in context
- Лимон и лайм цитрусы.Lemon and lime are citrus fruits.This sentence uses лайм to identify the fruit as a type of citrus.Tatoeba #11878471 by Wezel, translation #10130316 by tatoebashrek
- Дети играют под лаймовым деревом.The children are playing under the lime tree.This sentence uses лайм to refer to the lime tree.Tatoeba #4307947 by whatnot, translation #4306295 by jshholland
- Где можно купить лайм?Where can I buy lime?
- У вас есть лаймы?Do you have limes?
- Этот лайм очень кислый.Etot laym ochen' kislyy.This lime is very sour.
Example conversation
Ekaterina and Sergey are preparing drinks in the kitchen.
- Екатерина EkaterinaСергей, нам нужен лайм для коктейля.Sergey, nam nuzhen laym dlya koktelya.Sergey, we need a lime for the cocktail.
- Сергей SergeyЯ куплю лайм в магазине.Ya kuplyu laym v magazine.I will buy a lime at the store.
- Екатерина EkaterinaВозьми ещё немного мяты.Voz'mi yeshchyo nemnogo myaty.Take some more mint as well.
- Сергей SergeyХорошо, я всё куплю.Khorosho, ya vsyo kuplyu.Okay, I will buy everything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lime” translations and entries лайм, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries зелёный, лайм, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
