Russian Vocabulary (and Wisdom)

How to say "earth" 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.

земля

Meaning: earth, the Earth, land, soil, ground

Pronunciation: [zee-MLYAH]

Part of speech: noun (feminine noun (Just like in English, this word is spelled with the capital letter when it means the Earth as a planet. Otherwise it's not capitalized unless it is in the beginning of a sentence.))

Rank: #144 (see frequency list)

A collage showing soil and the planet Earth. These two words are pronounced the same in Russian.

Example sentences:

В горшке́ суха́я земля́.
There is dry soil in the pot.
Земля́ враща́ется вокру́г Со́лнца.
The Earth revolves around the sun.
Мой сэ́ндвич упа́л на зе́млю.
My sandwich fell to the ground.
Земля́ потре́скалась от тепла́.
The earth has cracked from the heat.
Моряки́ уви́дели зе́млю на горизо́нте.
The sailors saw land on the horizon.
Родни́к бьёт из под земли́.
The spring gushes up out of the ground.
Я роди́лся и вы́рос на ру́сской земле́.
I was born and grew up on Russian soil.
Де́вушка поста́вила чемода́н на зе́млю.
A girl put the suitcase on the ground.
Диноза́вры исче́зли с лица́ земли́.
Dinosaurs disappeared from the face of the earth.
Во́здух па́хнет землёй и молодо́й траво́й.
The air smells like soil and new grass.

Idioms and set expressions:

упасть на землю = to fall to the ground
между небом и землёй = between heaven and earth
зарыть талант в землю = to bury one's talent
literal to dig talent into earth
земля горит под ногами = the ground is slipping from under one's feet
literal earth burns under feet
достать из-под земли = to leave no stone unturned
literal to get from under then ground
как из-под земли = suddenly; out of the blue
literal like from below the earth
как небо и земля. = as distant as the planets
literal as the heavens and the earth
сровнять с землей = to even with the soil
между небом и землей = between heaven and earth; in mid air
спустить с облаков на землю = to kill enthusiasm; to come back to earth
пуп земли = toy Napoleon; the pivot of the universe
стоять двумя ногами на земле = to have one's feet firmly planted on the ground
хоть земля тресни = at any circumstances; to stop at nothing

Related words:

почва = soil
грунт = soil; ground
суша = land, dry land
пол = floor, ground
земляной = earthy
земляк = countryman, fellow countryman
приземлиться = to land

Proverbs and sayings:

Не земля плоха, а сеятель плох.
Bad is sower, not the land.
Земля не клином сошлась.
The world is large enough.; There are plenty of fish in the sea.
Как сквозь землю провалился.
Not a trace of smb.
Слухом земля полнится.
News flies quickly.
literal The earth gets filled with rumor.

Other forms of the word (declensions):

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	земля́	зе́мли
Genitive	земли́	земе́ль
Dative	земле́	зе́млям
Accusative	зе́млю	зе́мли
Instrumental	землёй (землёю)	зе́млями
Prepositional	земле́	зе́млях

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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