просить

Russian

Etymology

From Old East Slavic просити (prositi), from Proto-Slavic *prositi, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *práśīˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ-. Distantly related to English pray and precarious.

Indo-European cognates include Persian پرسیدن, Northern Kurdish pirsîn, Sanskrit पृच्छति (pṛccháti), Armenian հարց (harcʻ), Latin posco and Old English frignan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

проси́ть • (prosítʹ) impf (perfective попроси́ть)

1. to ask for, to request, to pray, to beg (see usage notes)

   Бу́ду продолжа́ть проси́ть у люде́й де́нег. ― Búdu prodolžátʹ prosítʹ u ljudéj déneg. ― I'm going to keep asking people for money.

   Я не бу́ду проси́ть рабо́ту у него́. ― Ja ne búdu prosítʹ rabótu u nevó. ― I won't be asking him for a job.

   Мы не мо́жем проси́ть его́ о но́вой пе́чи. ― My ne móžem prosítʹ jevó o nóvoj péči. ― We can't ask him for a new oven.

   Мне не хоте́лось бы проси́ть вас вы́йти. ― Mne ne xotélosʹ by prosítʹ vas výjti. ― I don't want to have to ask you to leave.

2. (intransitive, colloquial) to be a beggar
3. to invite, to call (to)
   • 1912, Andrey Zarin, Diarchy:

     Воево́да встал, ни́зко поклони́лся гостя́м и проси́л отку́шать.

     Vojevóda vstal, nízko poklonílsja gostjám i prosíl otkúšatʹ.

     The voivode stood up, bowed low to the guests and invited them to eat.

4. to make a fuss (for), to stand up (for), to speak up (for), to petition (for), to plead (for) (+ за (za) + object in accusative case)

   Я бою́сь проси́ть за себя́ на рабо́те. ― Ja bojúsʹ prosítʹ za sebjá na rabóte. ― I'm afraid to speak up for myself at work.

   Он здесь, что́бы проси́ть за бра́та. ― On zdesʹ, štóby prosítʹ za bráta. ― He's here to plead for his brother.

Usage notes

In the sense "to ask for", the direct object (the person being asked) can be constructed as "у (u) + person in genitive case" or "person in accusative case", and the indirect object (the thing being asked for), if a noun, can be constructed as "noun in genitive case", "noun in accusative case" or "о (o) + noun in prepositional case".

When "у (u) + person in genitive case" is used, the indirect object (the thing being asked for) is more often a noun in genitive case or accusative case, whereas when "person in accusative case" is used, the indirect object (the thing being asked for) is more often a verb or a noun in prepositional case preceded by "о (o)".

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

• про́сьба (prósʹba)
• проше́ние (prošénije)
• запро́с (zaprós)
• вопро́с (voprós)
• проси́тель (prosítelʹ)
• расспро́сы (rassprósy)
• спрос (spros)