стреля́ть
streljátʹimperfective
To shoot in Russian is стреля́ть (streljátʹ). Wiktionary also lists вы́стрелить (výstrelitʹ).
Meaning: to fire a shot (verb)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| стреля́ть | streljátʹ | imperfective |
| вы́стрелить | výstrelitʹ | perfective |
The verb refers to the act of firing a shot.
Which one should you use?
The form стреля́ть is imperfective and is used for the ongoing process of shooting or for repeated actions. In contrast, the form вы́стрелить is perfective and is used to describe the single, completed act of firing a shot.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The perfective verb 'to fire a shot' changes in the past tense based on gender: вы́стрелил is the masculine past tense and вы́стрелила is the feminine past tense.
How do you pronounce it?
streljátʹ
Did you know?
- In certain Russian contexts, стреля́ть can be used as slang for 'to borrow' or 'to scrounge', such as 'to shoot a cigarette' from a stranger.
- You should be careful with the phrase стреля́ть глазами, which means 'to shoot with one's eyes' and actually refers to flirting or looking at someone suggestively.
- The root of вы́стрелить is related to the word 'стрела', which means 'arrow', hinting at the ancient connection between firing projectiles and modern firearms.
Examples in context
- Полиция вынуждена стрелять, чтобы защитить общественную безопасность.Police are forced to shoot to protect public safety.
- Полиция получила приказ стрелять только в крайних случаях.The police have been ordered to shoot only in extreme cases.
- Он просил своего друга пальнуть ему в ногу, чтобы проверить, насколько это больно.He asked his friend to shoot him in the leg to see how painful it would be.
- Она не хотела стреля́ть.Ona ne khotela strelyat'She did not want to shoot.
- Солдаты продолжали стреля́ть по цели.Soldaty prodolzhali strelyat' po tseli.The soldiers continued to shoot at the target.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shoot” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
