Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| бе́дный | bédnyj |
| ни́щий | níščij |
The adjective бе́дный is the standard way to describe someone with few or no possessions or money. It can also be used to express pity for someone, such as saying a 'poor guy.' Because of this, the phrase бе́дный человек is ambiguous. Depending on the context, it can mean either a person with no money or a person who is unfortunate or pitiful. If you are referring to poverty as a social condition or economic state, use the noun бедность. To refer to the state of being poor as a general concept, use the noun нищета. Additionally, note that голод means 'hunger.'
Which one should you use?
While бе́дный is the standard adjective for financial status or expressing pity, ни́щий is much stronger. The word ни́щий implies extreme poverty and carries a connotation of being a beggar or living in absolute destitution.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe a female subject or a feminine noun, use the feminine singular form бе́дная. The form бе́дных is the genitive plural of бе́дный and is used after prepositions like 'для' (for) or to indicate possession/quantity, such as in the phrase 'for the poor.' The related noun бе́дные refers to the poor people of a society or the world collectively, or the poor class of a society.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for бе́дный is bédnyj.
Did you know?
- The concept of 'poor' is closely tied to the word ску́дный, which describes a 'poor' or meager quality of something, such as a 'poor' harvest or a 'poor' selection of food.
- In Russian, the word бе́дный can be used as an exclamation of pity or frustration, similar to how an English speaker might say 'poor thing' or 'dear me' when something goes wrong.
- The word ни́щий is so intense that it carries a heavy religious or biblical connotation, often implying a person who has lost everything and is begging for mercy.
Examples in context
- Многие люди в этой стране живут в бедности.Many people in this country live in poverty.
- Он рассказал историю своего бедного детства.He recounted the story of his poor childhood.
- Бедолага не имел возможности купить нормальную одежду.The poor person didn't have the opportunity to buy decent clothes.
- В некоторых странах существует высокий уровень нищеты.Some countries experience a high level of poverty.
- Результаты экономической политики видны в уровне бедности населения.The results of economic policies are evident in the level of poverty among the population.
- Он был очень бе́дный в детстве.On byl ochen' bednyy v detstve.He was very poor in childhood.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “poor” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
