Signification
Describes intense precipitation.
Contexte culturel
Rain is often seen as a 'cleansing' element in Russian culture. There is a common belief that if it rains during a funeral, the soul of the deceased is being washed clean. Residents of St. Petersburg have dozens of words for rain, but 'сильный дождь' remains the most common for the frequent, heavy autumn storms that blow in from the Gulf of Finland. In old Slavic myths, rain was controlled by the god Perun. A 'strong rain' was seen as Perun's blessing or his anger, depending on the season. In big cities like Moscow, 'сильный дождь' is synonymous with '10-point traffic jams' (10-балльные пробки). It's a common topic of complaint in taxi apps and social media.
The 'Go' Verb
Always remember that rain 'goes' (идёт) in Russian. You don't 'have' rain, it 'goes'.
No 'Heavy'
Avoid 'тяжёлый' at all costs when talking about rain intensity.
Signification
Describes intense precipitation.
The 'Go' Verb
Always remember that rain 'goes' (идёт) in Russian. You don't 'have' rain, it 'goes'.
No 'Heavy'
Avoid 'тяжёлый' at all costs when talking about rain intensity.
Case Check
If you use 'из-за' (because of), change the ending to 'сильного дождя'.
Small Talk
Complaining about 'сильный дождь' is the safest way to start a conversation with a Russian stranger.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of the adjective 'сильный'.
Мы не пошли в парк из-за _______ дождя.
After 'из-за' (because of), we use the Genitive case. The Genitive masculine form of 'сильный' is 'сильного'.
Which sentence is the most natural way to say 'It's raining hard'?
Выберите правильное предложение:
In Russian, rain is 'strong' (сильный), not heavy, hard, or big.
Match the weather description with its meaning.
Сопоставьте пары:
These are the standard translations for different rain intensities.
Complete the dialogue.
Анна: Ты взял зонт? Борис: Нет, а что? Анна: Посмотри в окно, там _______.
We use the Nominative case here because we are stating that the rain exists ('there is heavy rain').
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Rain Intensity in Russian
Light
- • моросит
- • мелкий дождь
- • небольшой дождь
Medium
- • идёт дождь
- • обычный дождь
Heavy
- • сильный дождь
- • ливень
- • проливной дождь
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesМы не пошли в парк из-за _______ дождя.
After 'из-за' (because of), we use the Genitive case. The Genitive masculine form of 'сильный' is 'сильного'.
Выберите правильное предложение:
In Russian, rain is 'strong' (сильный), not heavy, hard, or big.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These are the standard translations for different rain intensities.
Анна: Ты взял зонт? Борис: Нет, а что? Анна: Посмотри в окно, там _______.
We use the Nominative case here because we are stating that the rain exists ('there is heavy rain').
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt's grammatically correct but sounds unnatural. Stick to 'сильный дождь'.
'Сильный дождь' is a general description of intensity. 'Ливень' is a specific word for a heavy, often sudden downpour.
You can say 'Льёт как из ведра' or simply 'Льёт!'.
No, it's neutral. It's used in both news reports and casual chats.
Only if the sentence requires one, like 'под сильным дождём' (under the heavy rain).
Yes, but 'сильный снегопад' is more common than 'сильный снег'.
Сильный дождь закончился.
Genitive: 'после сильного дождя'.
People might say 'жесть на улице' (it's crazy outside) to refer to the rain.
No, 'дождик' is a diminutive (light/nice rain), so 'сильный' contradicts it.
Expressions liées
Проливной дождь
synonymTorrential rain
Мелкий дождь
contrastFine/light rain
Идёт дождь
builds onIt is raining
Ливень
similarDownpour
