Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| чёрствый | čórstvyj | [ˈt͡ɕɵrstvɨj] (narrow) |
| несве́жий | nesvéžij | |
| за́тхлый | zátxlyj |
In Russian, the word you choose for "stale" depends on what object is losing its freshness. You use one term for dry bread, another for general food like meat and a third for musty air.
Which one should you use?
Russian uses specific terms to distinguish the type of staleness: • Use чёрствый specifically for bread or baked goods that have become hard and dry. • Use несвежий as a general term for food that is no longer fresh, such as meat, vegetables or milk. • Use за́тхлый to describe stale air or a musty smell in a room or enclosed space.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective чёрствый changes its ending to match the gender and number of the noun it describes. For example, it becomes чёрствая when describing a feminine noun like булка (bun) and it becomes чёрствые when describing plural nouns like сухари (rusks).
How do you pronounce it?
čórstvyj
Did you know?
- While чёрствый describes stale bread, it is also used metaphorically to describe a person who is cold, heartless or lacks empathy.
- The word чёрствый is an ancient relative of the English word 'crust', as both stem from Proto-Indo-European roots describing hardness or brittleness.
- If you are describing a 'stale' joke or idea in Russian, you would likely use different adjectives like избитый (beaten/hackneyed) rather than the food-related чёрствый.
Examples in context
- Они едят чёрствый хлеб.They're eating stale bread.This sentence shows how to use чёрствый with bread.Tatoeba #11836119 by marafon, translation #12284440 by Miktsoanit
- Я не хочу есть этот чёрствый хлеб.I don't want to eat this stale bread.This sentence shows a refusal to eat bread that is чёрствый.Tatoeba #3186280 by odexed, translation #10054876 by AlanF_US
- Собака съела чёрствый хлеб и не умерла.The dog ate the stale bread and didn't die.This sentence uses чёрствый in a context regarding a dog eating bread.Tatoeba #4785559 by odexed, translation #3291443 by mervert1
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Dmitry are in the kitchen looking at the bread.
- Мария MariaЭтот хлеб слишком чёрствый.Etot khleb slishkom chyorstvyy.This bread is too stale.
- Дмитрий DmitryДа, он совсем чёрствый.Da, on sovsem chyorstvyy.Yes, it is completely stale.
- Мария MariaДмитрий, купи нам свежий батон.Dmitriy, kupi nam svezhiy baton.Dmitry, buy us a fresh loaf.
- Дмитрий DmitryХорошо, я сейчас схожу.Khorosho, ya seychas skhozhu.Okay, I will go now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stale” translations and entries чёрствый, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries чёрствый, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
