Opisyvat

Opisyvat is a Russian verb meaning to describe, to give an account of something in words, or to depict in detail. It is used to present the characteristics of people, objects, events, or phenomena in writing or speech. The imperfective form is opisivat’ (описывать) and the perfective form is opisat’ (описать). In usage, opisyvat often signals a description that is ongoing, repeated, or general, while opisat conveys a completed description.

Etymology and related forms: the verb is formed from the root pisat’ (to write) with the prefix o-, yielding a sense of “to write about.” Related nouns include opisanie (a description) and the process-oriented verb forms are commonly used in academic, journalistic, and literary contexts.

Usage and nuance: opisyvat typically governs a direct object in the accusative, as in opisivat’ situatsiyu (to describe the situation) or opisivat’ personazh (to describe a character). In many contexts, opisyvat is used for detailed or characteristic descriptions, whereas opisat emphasizes the completion of describing something. In contrast to verbs such as rasskazat’ (to tell a story) or izlozhit’ (to set forth), opisanie focuses specifically on the act of describing.

Examples: Он описывает ситуацию подробно. (He describes the situation in detail.) Я опишу план на завтра. (I will describe the plan for tomorrow.) В статье автор описывает основные характеристики метода. (In the article, the author describes the main characteristics of the method.) The noun opisanie means “a description,” and the related perfective verb opisat’ denotes a single, completed description.