пустошь
The English word 'wasteland' is translated into Russian as пустошь.
пустошь is used to describe a devastated area.
Meaning: devastated area (noun)
Which one should you use?
пустошь refers to natural, unpopulated terrain. This distinguishes it from свалка, which refers to a man-made landfill or junk heap.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of пустошь is пустоши.
Did you know?
- Russian has a specific phrase пустое место, meaning 'an empty place', which is used idiomatically to describe a person who is completely insignificant or has no influence.
- In Russian literature, the concept of a wasteland is often linked to тоска, a word with no single English equivalent that describes a deep, spiritual longing or melancholy.
- While пустошь is a wasteland, the word пустыня is used specifically for a desert. A Russian speaker would never call a sandy Sahara-style desert a пустошь.
Examples in context
- Фильм показывает послевоенную пустошь.The movie depicts a post-war wasteland.
- Мы отправились в безлюдье, чтобы отыскать заброшенный город.We ventured into the wasteland to find an abandoned city.
- Эта пустошь кажется бесконечной.Eta pustosh' kazhetsya beskonechnoy.This wasteland seems endless.
- Мы пересекли холодную пустошь.My peresekli kholodnuyu pustosh'.We crossed the cold wasteland.
Example conversation
Two people are looking at a map of a post-apocalyptic world.
- Сергей SergeyСмотри, здесь начинается большая пустошь.Smotri, zdes' nachinayetsya bol'shaya pustosh'.Look, a big wasteland starts here.
- Ольга OlgaТам можно найти какие-нибудь ресурсы?Tam mozhno nayti kakiye-nibud' resursy?Can we find any resources there?
- Сергей SergeyВряд ли, это настоящая пустошь.Vryad li, eto nastoyashchaya pustosh'.Hardly, it is a real wasteland.
- Ольга OlgaТогда нам нужно искать другой путь.Togda nam nuzhno iskat' drugoy put'.Then we need to look for another way.
