Bedeutung
The beginning of a process.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The proverb 'Первый блин комом' (The first pancake is a lump) is often used alongside 'первый шаг' to comfort someone whose first attempt failed. It suggests that the first step is hard and mistakes are expected. The 'first step' is a phrase often associated with Yuri Gagarin and the Soviet space program. It represents the national pride in being the first to take a 'step' into the cosmos. In classic literature (like Tolstoy), the 'first step' often refers to a moral awakening or the beginning of a character's spiritual journey. In the post-Soviet era, 'первый шаг' became a buzzword in entrepreneurship, symbolizing the transition from a planned economy to individual initiative.
Use with 'Сделать'
90% of the time, you will use this phrase with the verb 'сделать'. Memorize them as a single unit: 'сделать первый шаг'.
Gender Agreement
Don't forget that 'шаг' is masculine. Even if you are a woman, you say 'Я сделала первый шаг' (the verb is feminine, but the 'step' remains masculine).
Bedeutung
The beginning of a process.
Use with 'Сделать'
90% of the time, you will use this phrase with the verb 'сделать'. Memorize them as a single unit: 'сделать первый шаг'.
Gender Agreement
Don't forget that 'шаг' is masculine. Even if you are a woman, you say 'Я сделала первый шаг' (the verb is feminine, but the 'step' remains masculine).
Plural for Progress
Use the plural 'первые шаги' when talking about the early stages of a child's life or a beginner's progress in a hobby.
Dating Nuance
In Russia, there is still a traditional expectation that men make the 'первый шаг' in dating, though this is changing in urban areas.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the missing word in the correct form.
Тебе нужно сделать ______ шаг.
'Шаг' is masculine, so the adjective must be 'первый'.
Which sentence is correct for a romantic situation?
How do you tell a friend to ask someone out?
'Сделать первый шаг' is the standard idiom for taking initiative.
Match the Russian phrase with its English meaning.
Match the following:
These are the most common variations of the phrase.
Complete the dialogue.
А: Я хочу выучить русский. Б: Купить учебник — это ______.
Buying a book is the initial action (step) in the process of learning.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Шаг vs. Раз
Common Verbs
Action
- • Сделать
- • Предпринять
- • Совершить
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenТебе нужно сделать ______ шаг.
'Шаг' is masculine, so the adjective must be 'первый'.
How do you tell a friend to ask someone out?
'Сделать первый шаг' is the standard idiom for taking initiative.
Ordne jedem Element links seinen Partner rechts zu:
These are the most common variations of the phrase.
А: Я хочу выучить русский. Б: Купить учебник — это ______.
Buying a book is the initial action (step) in the process of learning.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
12 FragenNo. 'Походка' means 'gait' or 'manner of walking.' It doesn't work in this idiom.
It is neutral. You can use it with your boss or your best friend.
You say 'предпринять шаги' or 'делать шаги'.
The opposite is 'последний шаг' (the last step) or 'завершение' (completion).
For physical stairs, 'ступенька' is more common, but 'шаг' can be used in a literal sense of walking.
Usually, yes. It implies progress. However, it can be used for a 'first step toward disaster' too.
In Russian, voiced consonants at the end of a word become voiceless. 'Г' becomes 'К'.
Yes, if you mean your first action or the start of your journey in the city.
'Сделать шаг' is just 'to take a step.' Adding 'первый' makes it the specific idiom for starting.
Шаг вперёд.
Yes, to describe the start of a season or a young player's debut.
Absolutely. It's very common in texting.
Verwandte Redewendungen
С чистого листа
similarFrom a clean slate
Начало пути
synonymThe beginning of the path
Последний шаг
contrastThe last step
Шаг за шагом
builds onStep by step
Предпринять меры
specialized formTo take measures
