подво́дная ло́дка
podvódnaja lódkafeminine
The English word submarine is подво́дная ло́дка (podvódnaja lódka) in Russian. Wiktionary also lists подло́дка (podlódka) and субмари́на (submarína).
Meaning: undersea boat (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| подво́дная ло́дка | podvódnaja lódka | feminine |
| подло́дка | podlódka | feminine |
| субмари́на | submarína | feminine |
The term refers to an undersea boat. You may also encounter the adjective подво́дный (underwater) or подмо́рский (undersea/under the sea) when describing related concepts.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase подво́дная ло́дка is a compound construction where подво́дная means underwater and ло́дка means boat.
Which one should you use?
While подво́дная ло́дка is the full term, подло́дка is a common shortened form used in everyday speech. In contrast, субмари́на is a more technical or specialized term often used in scientific or specific naval contexts, whereas подло́дка is the standard term for the vessel itself.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of the shortened word подло́дка is подло́дки.
How do you pronounce it?
podvódnaja lódka
Did you know?
- The word подло́дка shares a root with подло́сть, which means 'meanness' or 'baseness', though the two words are not etymologically related.
- The word ло́дка (boat) is used for everything from a tiny rowboat to a massive naval vessel, whereas English distinguishes more strictly between 'boat' and 'ship'.
- Submariners in Russia possess a distinct subculture with its own unique traditions and specific slang, treating the подло́дка as a much more isolated and secretive entity than surface ships.
Examples in context
- Эта подво́дная ло́дка очень большая.Eta podvodnaya lodka ochen' bol'shaya.This submarine is very large.
- Подво́дная ло́дка скрылась под водой.Podvodnaya lodka skrylas' pod vodoy.The submarine disappeared under the water.
- Где находится эта подво́дная ло́дка?Gde nakhoditsya eta podvodnaya lodka?Where is this submarine located?
Example conversation
Sergey and Anastasia are watching a documentary about the ocean.
- Сергей SergeyСмотри, какая интересная подво́дная ло́дка!Smotri, kakaya interesnaya podvodnaya lodka!Look, what an interesting submarine!
- Анастасия AnastasiaДа, она выглядит очень мощно.Da, ona vyglyadit ochen' moshchno.Yes, it looks very powerful.
- Сергей SergeyАнастасия, ты хочешь посмотреть ещё?Anastasiya, ty khochesh' posmotret' yeshchyo?Anastasia, do you want to watch more?
- Анастасия AnastasiaДа, Сергей, давай посмотрим.Da, Sergey, davay posmotrim.Yes, Sergey, let's watch.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “submarine” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
