# Собака vs пёс



## Encolpius

Hello, I know the standard translation of dog is *соба́ка*, but when is *пëc* used? Is that latter word formal or maybe old-fashioned? thank you.


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## Maroseika

Both names are widely and equally used, however пес sense is a bit narrower. Собака is more general name and means both bitch and male dog, while пес usually - only male.
Besides, пес in modern Russian is more intimate so to say.


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## Saluton

By saying "bitch", Maroseika meant "she-dog". That's correct, пёс means a male dog. Both words can be used as curses.


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## anurocyon

The word *пёс* is rather colloquial and its derivatives *пёсик* and *псина* even more so. In any formal writing, *собака* is preffered. The usage of *сука* (female dog) and *кобель* (male dog) should be limited to cynology and veterinary medicine. These words are too rude in other contexts.


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## Encolpius

Maroseika said:


> ...Besides, пес in modern Russian is more intimate so to say.



What do you mean it is more *intimate*?


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## Maroseika

Encolpius said:


> What do you mean it is more *intimate*?


Less formal.


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## Rosett

Encolpius said:


> Hello, I know the standard translation of dog is *соба́ка*, but when is *пëc* used? Is that latter word formal or maybe old-fashioned? thank you.


For example, we don’t say, «фашистские собаки», it’s rather «фашистские псы».

Фашистские псы - троцкисты и бухаринцы, - следуя за Гильфердингом, эклектически сочетают обрывки разных буржуазных «теорий». (_Большая Советская Энциклопедия_).


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## Encolpius

Maroseika said:


> Less formal.



Interesting, I had the feeling, пес was more formal.


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## Awwal12

Rosett said:


> For example, we don’t say, «фашистские собаки», it’s rather «фашистские псы».


We perfectly can. The only thing here is that "собака" in the figurative sense will be a pure derogatory word, while "пёс" also retains the semantics of "somebody's dog" (which is the case: followers of Trotskiy and Bukharin aren't Nazis themselves, they're merely "Nazis' dogs").


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## kwak22

Encolpius said:


> Interesting, I had the feeling, пес was more formal.


Hi. Informal, imaginative words sometimes acquire a literary shade in them, because writers make good use of them.


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## cakypax

Пёсик - is a gentle name
Псина - is a rude name.


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## marco_2

cakypax said:


> Пёсик - is a gentle name
> Псина - is a rude name.



That's interesting, because in Polish both *piesek *and *psina *sound gentle and hypocoristic. *Psina *can also mean _dog's meat_, though not used in our cuisine.


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## Rosett

marco_2 said:


> That's interesting, because in Polish both *piesek *an *Psina *can also mean _dog's meat_, though not used in our cuisine.


In Russian, it’s *собача́тина/собачи́на,* traditionally eaten in some parts of the Great Russia.
We also have an expression: «собаку съесть (на/в чём-то)»:


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## cakypax

marco_2 said:


> That's interesting, because in Polish both *piesek *and *psina *sound gentle and hypocoristic. *Psina *can also mean _dog's meat_, though not used in our cuisine.


Well, here in Russia "псина" wouldn't be considered rude if it was said by a very uneducated person (for e.g. villager)...it's a vernacular word. You can call your dog this way as a joke, but I wouldn't recommend you to call other people's dogs this way. Ah, yes, it also usually refers to *big* dogs.

Our dictionaries say that psina is also dog's meat, but I've never heard it was used in that meaning. Usually people say "собачатина".


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## rusita preciosa

Псина also means dog smell (e.g. пахнет/воняет псиной).


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## Rosett

rusita preciosa said:


> Псина also means dog smell (e.g. пахнет/воняет псиной).


It means «пахнет/воняет собакой». «Псина» by itself conveys no smell.


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## marco_2

cakypax said:


> Well, here in Russia "псина" wouldn't be considered rude if it was said by a very uneducated person (for e.g. villager)...it's a vernacular word. You can call your dog this way as a joke, but I wouldn't recommend you to call other people's dogs this way. Ah, yes, it also usually refers to *big* dogs.



So it's completely different than in Polish: we mostly use the noun *psina *when we feel compassion for it, e.g. when it's wounded or hungry. A typical collocation is *biedna psina *(poor doggy).


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## Rosett

marco_2 said:


> we mostly use the noun *psina *when we feel compassion for it, e.g. when it's wounded or hungry. A typical collocation is *biedna psina *(poor doggy).


In Russian, it corresponds to «*бедная собачка*».


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## rusita preciosa

Rosett said:


> «Псина» by itself conveys no smell.


Yes it does


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## Rosett

rusita preciosa said:


> Yes it does


Without «пахнет», there’s no smell implied.
Ex.:
Содержание:

*Почему собака пахнет*

Тухлятиной и гнилью
Мочой
Рыбой
Псиной
Грязными носками

Что делать?
Гигиена
Чем мыть, чтобы не воняла?

Питание
Посещение ветеринара


Полезное видео

Итог


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## Vovan

Rosett said:


> Without «пахнет», there’s no smell implied.


True. On the other hand, no particular dog is implied, either!
"Псина" is used here as a mass noun with an abstract meaning (not "dogs"!).
Cf.:
_Морковью пахнет. --> Морковками пахнет.
Огурцом пахнет. --> Огурцами пахнет.

_​The closest suffix that I've managed to find in Wiktionary is "-ятин-" (sadly, it combines only with adjectives):


> *-ятин-*
> ◆ Под ударением при добавлении к именам прилагательным образует имена существительные женского рода со значением вещественного или собирательного понятия, которое характеризуется признаком, названным качественными именами прилагательными:
> _дохлый → дохлятина, кислый → кислятина, пошлый → пошлятина, тухлый → тухлятина_​


As for "-ин-", only the senses "meat" and "a hulk of a" are mentioned in relation to nouns:


> *-ин-(а/я)*
> ◆ При добавлении к основе существительных, обозначающих названия животных, образует существительные со значением «мясо этих животных»:
> _баран → бара́нина, лосось → лососи́на_​◆ Под ударением при добавлении к основе существительных образует существительные со значением увеличенности:
> _волк → волчи́на_​


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