Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| рабо́та | rabóta | feminine | |
| труд | trud | [trut] (narrow) | masculine |
The word "work" is expressed through several nouns depending on the context. Use рабо́та when referring to a specific job, a particular task or the general concept of employment. Use труд when discussing work in a more abstract, heavy or philosophical sense, often implying significant effort or labor. Additionally, the concept of work as a general occupation or activity can be conveyed by the formal term деятельность.
Which one should you use?
рабо́та is the common term for a job, work or a specific task. In contrast, труд is a formal or literary term that refers to labor, toil or hard work, often emphasizing the productive activity or the effort involved.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
рабо́та is a feminine noun. труд is a masculine noun. To express the action of working, the most common verb is рабо́тать, which is used much more frequently in daily speech than the more formal труди́ться. рабо́тать can also mean to behave or function in a certain way, such as a machine or a system.
How do you pronounce it?
rabóta
What mistakes should you avoid?
When you want to say you are "at work" (at your place of employment), do not say в рабо́те. The correct prepositional phrase is на рабо́те.
Did you know?
- While рабо́та means 'work', its root is also found in the word ра́б, which means 'slave'.
- The Russian word труд shares an ancient Indo-European root with the English word 'threat', as both stem from a concept of difficulty or strain.
- Calling someone a трудя́га is a way to call them a 'hard worker' or a 'workhorse', often used as a term of endearment or respect for their persistence.
Examples in context
- С вами трудно работать.It's difficult to work with you.The first sentence shows how to use the related form труд to describe difficulty in working with someone.Tatoeba #4474607 by Selena777, translation #4239879 by Arsal
- С Томом трудно работать.Tom is difficult to work with.The second sentence uses труд to say Tom is difficult to work with.Tatoeba #4223927 by sharptoothed, translation #3360476 by CK
- С тобой трудно работать.You're difficult to work with.The third sentence uses труд to express that someone is difficult to work with.Tatoeba #4416689 by sharptoothed, translation #3360484 by CK
- Я иду на работу.I am going to work.
- Он ценит труд и усилия.He appreciates labor and effort.
- Их деятельность связана с исследованиями.Their work is related to research.
- Как идут работы?How's work going?
- Девушка серьезно трудится.The girl is working seriously.
- Моя работа требует много усилий и времени.My work requires a lot of effort and time.
- 121 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Sergey are discussing their careers.
- Мария MariaСергей, тебе нравится твоя рабо́та?Sergey, tebe nravitsya tvoya rabota?Sergey, do you like your job?
- Сергей SergeyДа, это очень интересная рабо́та.Da, eto ochen' interesnaya rabota.Yes, it is a very interesting job.
- Мария MariaА когда у тебя начинается рабо́та?A kogda u tebya nachinayetsya rabota?And when does your work start?
- Сергей SergeyОбычно моя рабо́та начинается в девять.Obychno moya rabota nachinayetsya v devyat.Usually my work starts at nine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “work” translations and entries труд, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries труд, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
