Bedeutung
A minor progress.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The phrase is forever linked to the translation of Neil Armstrong's words. Even though he was American, the phrase is iconic in Russia because of the shared history of space exploration. Classical Russian authors often used the 'step' metaphor to discuss moral choices. A 'small step' in a story often leads to a massive character transformation. In the post-Soviet business world, 'small steps' are often contrasted with the 'oligarch' style of making millions overnight. It represents a new value of steady, honest work. Parents use the diminutive 'шажок' to celebrate a baby's first movements, creating a very emotional and positive association with the word from childhood.
Use with 'к' (to/toward)
Always pair it with the preposition 'к' + dative case to show what the progress is for (e.g., к успеху, к цели).
Devoicing
Bedeutung
A minor progress.
Use with 'к' (to/toward)
Always pair it with the preposition 'к' + dative case to show what the progress is for (e.g., к успеху, к цели).
Devoicing
The Diminutive Power
Use 'шажок' when talking to children or about very personal, emotional victories to sound more like a native speaker.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the correct form of 'маленький шаг'.
Каждый день я делаю ________ к своей мечте.
The verb 'делаю' requires the accusative case. For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative is the same as the nominative.
Which sentence uses the phrase figuratively?
Выберите предложение с переносным значением:
In this sentence, 'step' refers to business progress, not physical walking.
Complete the dialogue.
— Я выучил только 5 слов сегодня. — Не волнуйся, это...
This is the most natural way to encourage someone making slow progress.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Ситуация: Вы начали заниматься спортом и сделали первую зарядку.
It fits the context of personal health progress.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenКаждый день я делаю ________ к своей мечте.
The verb 'делаю' requires the accusative case. For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative is the same as the nominative.
Выберите предложение с переносным значением:
In this sentence, 'step' refers to business progress, not physical walking.
— Я выучил только 5 слов сегодня. — Не волнуйся, это...
This is the most natural way to encourage someone making slow progress.
Ситуация: Вы начали заниматься спортом и сделали первую зарядку.
It fits the context of personal health progress.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
5 FragenNo, 'маленький шаг' almost always implies moving forward or toward a goal. For negative things, we use 'ухудшение' or 'откат'.
Yes! It shows that you are realistic and value consistent effort. 'Я сделал маленький шаг в изучении новых технологий' sounds very professional.
The plural is 'маленькие шаги'. You can use it to describe a series of actions.
It can be, especially in motivational speaking. To avoid this, be specific about what the step was.
In Russian, voiced consonants at the end of a word become voiceless. 'G' becomes 'K'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
Шаг за шагом
builds onStep by step; gradually.
Первый шаг
similarThe first step; the beginning.
Гигантский скачок
contrastA giant leap.
Ни шагу назад
relatedNot a step back.
