# To send (послать vs. отправить)



## xxatti

Are the verbs *послать* and *отправить* completely interchangeable when saying "to send"?


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## Maroseika

More or less interchangeable when applied to the subjects (письмо, телеграмму, смс, сообщение). But with people they sound different, отправил being more mandatory, I think.


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## xxatti

Can they also be used figuratively? Example: The director wanted to send a message with this film.


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## morzh

No, in the figurative sense "to send a message" (as a warning) is not used in Russian.

However there's another figurative meaning:"послать" means "to tell to go to hell".


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## Tazzler

xxatti said:


> Can they also be used figuratively? Example: The director wanted to send a message with this film.



In this case I would use "передать."


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## morzh

Tazzler said:


> In this case I would use "передать."



No you cannot. As I've already said, the phrase "send the message" in its figurative sense does not have a Russian counterpart with close verbal content.

As for the direct, both "послать" and "передать" can be used for "to send a message".


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## xxatti

morzh said:


> No you cannot. As I've already said, the phrase "send the message" in its figurative sense does not have a Russian counterpart with close verbal content.
> 
> As for the direct, both "послать" and "передать" can be used for "to send a message".


So how would you say "to send a message" figuratively? Is there another expression that has a similar meaning in Russian?


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## Maroseika

Своим фильмом режиссер предупреждает о...


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## gvozd

Фильм режиссера предостерегает об опасности...


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## cyanista

xxatti said:


> Can they also be used figuratively? Example: The director wanted to send a message with this film.


In this case you could use донести: Режиссер хотел донести до зрителя _+ the gist of the message._


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## Tazzler

morzh said:


> No you cannot. As I've already said, the phrase "send the message" in its figurative sense does not have a Russian counterpart with close verbal content.
> 
> As for the direct, both "послать" and "передать" can be used for "to send a message".



Never? Maybe not a literal translation but something that could translate back to English as "send a message." Depends on the sentence I think. But since you're a well-read native I yield to you.


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## Maroseika

Tazzler said:


> Never? Maybe not a literal translation but something that could translate back to English as "send a message."


Этот фильм - послание режиссера человечеству. Grandiloquently, but contains the word "send".


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## Natalisha

Maroseika said:


> Этот фильм - послание режиссера человечеству.


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## morzh

Tazzler said:


> Never? Maybe not a literal translation but something that could translate back to English as "send a message." Depends on the sentence I think. But since you're a well-read native I yield to you.



Again, pay attention, please. I am saying "There is no Russian counterpart with close verbal content". That is there is no Russian saying / idiom that also has Russian words "послать сообщение " ("send message"), and means the same as the English idiom.
You are not restricted from translating what has been listed here by others  (предупреждать) as "to send a message". I intentionally am not considering the case with literal meaning of the English saying.

But in the figurative sense Russian "send the message" will mean exactly that, and not "to warn".


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## Andrew1980

I think yes, 'послать' is just informal variant


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## sagittaire

For "The director wanted to send a message with this film" I'd suggest smth. like "Основной посыл фильма состоит в том-то".


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## Andrew1980

No, they would rather say: "Своим фильмом режиссер хотел дать понять, то что..." or "Главный смысл, идея произведения - ..." "Посыл" is a good word and quite literary one but it is met very rarely. I would not translate that way


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## sagittaire

Believe me, it's not rare at all. Could be a bit informal though.
So I'd prefer your version with идея, to be on the safe side.


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## Andrew1980

It is rare actually because it is not used in everyday speech. It is for the first time that I've met this word here for several months, I might say, though I read Russian newspapers everyday as well as books.


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## Andrew1980

Also you cannot say that I give a 'посыл' instead of 'give a message' when saying that someone wants to show something to others. Usually, 'посыл' is used in respect of inanimate notions, phenomena like: "Его визит в этот регион дал посыл местным политическим движениям, о том, что борьба за власть будет серьезной'.


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## sagittaire

Why don't you google it? "посыл фильма" - 639 000 results. 
You and I probably live in different regions or in different cultural environments, but for me this is not a rare thing.
Newspapers and books do not necessarily give you the right idea about the contemporary language, especially colloquial.

Also, one could say "Режиссер вложил в фильм (определенный, следующий, etc.) посыл".


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## galactoz

Послать и отправить - одно и тоже по смыслу, и я даже не могу точно сформулировать, чем эти слова отличаются.

- Отправить смс, e-mail, файл, отчет и т.д.
Или даже:
- Нужно отправить сына в магазин за хлебом.

 - Послать весточку.
Я обычно употребляю "отправить", мне это кажется более правильным.

Эти слова - синонимы, их можно заменять друг на друга.
"Послать" - иногда используется в нецензурной лексике, а слово "посыл" - имеет другой смысл, "идея, намек, начальная точка в рассуждениях".
Извините, если где то ошибся, я не лингвист, и даже в школе не любил уроки русского языка, они были скучными))))


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## morzh

"Послал" и "отправил" are indeed synonyms, and are interchangeable 99% of the time, but they are not exactly the same.

"Отправить" stresses the fact of the act of sending out smth./smb.  having taken place, whereas "послать" means that "it was sent".

Я отправил письмо - I put the letter in the mailbox/took it to the post office, I committed the act of sending it.
Я послал письмо - I sent the letter. Does not matter, how I did it - I might've asked another person to take it to the post office, what matters - it was sent.

But this apart, they are indeed used interchangeably and the general meaning will not change due to using one or another.


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## Andrew1980

Actually, I am Russian so I read and speak contemporary Russian language. I just recommend you the usage that I told you, but if you prefer going other ways good luck to you!


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