Russian Vocabulary (and Wisdom)

How to say "to exist" in Russian

This Russian word is one of the top 1000 words in Russian. The complete list of most common Russian words is available here.

существовать

Meaning: to exist, to be

Pronunciation: [soo-shees-tvuh-VAHT']

Part of speech: verb (imperfective aspect, no pair)

Rank: #568 (see frequency list)

You don't live, you exist!
Photo by quinn.anya CC-BY-SA-2.0

Example sentences:

Для э́того слóва существу́ет перевóд?
Is there a translation for this word?
literal Does the translation of this word exist?
Cуществу́ют лю́ди, у котóрых есть порази́тельные спосóбности.
There're people who have astounding abilities.
literal People exist who have extraordinal faculties.
В э́том райóне существу́ет реáльная опácность землетрясéния.
There's a real danger of earthquake in this region.
literal In this region exist a real danger of earthquake.
Существу́ют рáзные мнéния об э́том заболевáнии.
There're different opinions about this illness.
literal Different opinions exist about this illness.
Любви́ для негó не существует.
Love doesn't exist for him.
Вдруг джин исчéз, как бу́дто егó и не существовáло вóвсе.
Suddenly the genie disappeared, as if he didn't exist at all.
Почему́ ты не мóжешь прócто ей позвони́ть? Для чегó же cуществу́ет телефóн?
Why can't you simply call her? What does the phone exist for?
Без теáтра онá прócто не моглá cуществовáть.
She simply couldn't live without theatre.
literal She simply couldn't exist without theatre.
Онá cуществовáла тóлько на роди́тельские дéньги.
She was living only on her parents' money.
literal She existed only on her parents' money.
Ты же не живëшь, ты существу́ешь!
You don't have a nice life!
literal You don't live, you exist!

Idioms and set expressions:

существу́ет мнéние, что... = there's an opinion that...
literal there exists an opinion that...
он не живëт, а существу́ет = he doesn't have a nice life
literal he doesn't live, he exists
перестáть существовáть = be closed
literal stop to exist
cуществовáть безбéдно = to live without economic problems
literal exist without poverty

Related words:

существó = creature
сущécтвенный = essential, important
cущécтвенно = considerably
cу́щность = essence
быть = to be, exist

Proverbs and sayings:

Мы́слю, слéдовательно я существу́ю. (Р.Декарт)
I think, therefore I am. (R.Descartes)

Vocabulary lesson: By Russificate blog exclusively for MasterRussian

Phrase recordings: Copyright(c) 2011 MasterRussian.com. All rights reserved.
Word recordings: Copyright(c) 2006 Streit Goulnara, Streit Eric, Vion Nicolas. Copyright(c) 2007 S. Sakhno, N. Vion. Distributed under CC-BY.

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