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Наш круг общения постепенно расширяется.

Наш круг общения постепенно расширяется.
Our circle of communication is gradually expanding.

Breakdown of Наш круг общения постепенно расширяется.

наш
our
постепенно
gradually
круг
the circle
общение
the communication
расширяться
to expand
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Questions & Answers about Наш круг общения постепенно расширяется.

What does круг общения literally mean, and how is it best translated?

Literally, круг общения is “circle of communication” or “circle of social interaction.”

Idiomatic equivalents in English are:

  • social circle
  • circle of friends / acquaintances
  • the people we (regularly) interact with

So Наш круг общения постепенно расширяется is about the group of people we regularly communicate with getting larger, not about the physical “circle” and not about abstract “communication” in general.

Why is it наш круг общения and not something like у нас круг общения?

Two different structures are involved:

  1. наш круг общения

    • Literally: “our circle of social interaction.”
    • наш is a possessive pronoun: our.
    • Focus: on the circle itself as an object that belongs to us.

  2. у нас

    • Means “we have / at our place / with us.”
    • Used to express possession in sentences like У нас большая квартира – “We have a big apartment.”

In your sentence, we’re not simply saying “we have a social circle,” but talking about a specific, already existing thing (“our circle”) that is changing. So the natural structure is with the possessive:

  • Наш круг общения постепенно расширяется.
    Our social circle is gradually expanding.

If you tried У нас круг общения расширяется, it would sound awkward and non‑idiomatic; Russians don’t use у нас that way here.

What case are круг and общения in, and why are they different?
  • круг is in the nominative singular (круг). It is the subject of the sentence.
  • общения is in the genitive singular (from общение).

The pattern is: [noun in nominative] + [noun in genitive] to mean “X of Y”:

  • круг общения – “circle of communication / of social contacts”
  • стакан воды – “glass of water”
  • кусок хлеба – “piece of bread”

So общения is in the genitive because it answers the question “круг чего?” – “circle of what?”

Why does the verb end in -ся: расширяется instead of just расширяет?

Расширяется comes from the verb расширяться, which is the reflexive / middle voice form of расширять(ся).

  • расширять (non‑reflexive, imperfective):

    • “to widen / to expand (something)”
    • e.g. Он расширяет дорогу. – “He is widening the road.”

  • расширяться (reflexive/middle, imperfective):

    • “to widen / to expand (itself), to get wider”
    • e.g. Дорога расширяется. – “The road is widening.”

In Наш круг общения постепенно расширяется, the social circle is expanding by itself (or as a result of life events), not being actively “expanded” by someone as a direct object. So the reflexive/middle form расширяется is used.

If you said Наш круг общения постепенно расширяет…, you would need to add a direct object (expands what?), which doesn’t fit the meaning here.

What tense and aspect is расширяется, and what nuance does that give?

Расширяется is:

  • Present tense
  • Imperfective aspect
  • 3rd person singular (it/he/she)

Imperfective aspect in the present focuses on an ongoing process or repeated action, not on a completed result.

So постепенно расширяется implies:

  • The expansion is in progress.
  • It is happening gradually over time, not suddenly.

If you used a perfective form like расширится, it would focus more on the result in the future (“will get wider / will have expanded (at some point)”), not on the ongoing, gradual change.

Can I say Наш круг общения постепенно увеличивается instead? What’s the difference between расширяется and увеличивается?

You can say:

  • Наш круг общения постепенно увеличивается.

It is grammatically correct and understandable. The nuance:

  • расширяется – literally “expands, widens”

    • Slightly more metaphorical, often used for things like:
      • кругозор (horizon, outlook)
      • влияние (influence)
      • зона (zone)
      • круг общения (social circle)
    • Common, very natural collocation here.

  • увеличивается – “increases, gets larger”

    • More neutral, quantitative: number, size, amount.

Both work, but расширяется is the most idiomatic verb with круг общения. It paints a mental image of your social circle “widening,” not just the number going up.

What exactly does общение mean here? I learned it as “communication.”

Общение does literally mean “communication” / “interaction”, but in Russian it often carries a social nuance:

  • общение = social interaction, contact, spending time together, talking with others.

So круг общения is:

  • the set of people with whom you have regular social interaction / communication.

It’s not:

  • “a circle where communication happens” as an abstract idea,
  • nor is it simply “talking” as an activity.

Context fixes the meaning: with круг, it’s almost always social circle, not “circle of communication” in the academic sense.

Why is it наш круг общения постепенно расширяется and not наш круг общения расширяется постепенно? Is the word order flexible?

Word order in Russian is fairly flexible, especially with adverbs like постепенно. All of these are grammatically correct:

  1. Наш круг общения постепенно расширяется.
  2. Наш круг общения расширяется постепенно.
  3. Постепенно расширяется наш круг общения.

Differences are mainly in rhythm and emphasis:

  • Version 1 (your sentence) is the most neutral, very natural.
  • Version 2 places a bit more emphasis on постепенно at the end.
  • Version 3 makes постепенно more prominent right at the start – stylistically a little more literary/expressive.

In everyday speech, version 1 is the default.

Why is it наш and not наше круг общения? I thought общение is neuter.

Agreement happens with the main noun of the phrase, not with the noun in the genitive.

  • круг – masculine singular noun
  • общения – genitive of общение (neuter), but it’s just specifying what kind of circle.

The structure is:

  • наш (masc. sg.) + круг (masc. sg.) + общения (gen. sg.)

So наш must match круг, not общение. That’s why it’s наш круг общения, not наше круг общения.

Compare:

  • наша чашка кофе – “our cup of coffee”
    • чашка (cup – fem.) is the main noun → наша (feminine)
    • кофе (coffee) doesn’t affect the gender of наша
What is the nuance of постепенно compared to медленно?

Both can relate to “not fast,” but they’re different:

  • постепенно – gradually, step by step, in stages, over time.

    • Focus on the process of change, where each step builds on the previous one.
    • Very natural with verbs of development or change:
      • постепенно улучшаться – to gradually improve
      • постепенно привыкать – to gradually get used to

  • медленно – slowly, referring more to speed.

    • Could be used about movement or any slow action.

In Наш круг общения постепенно расширяется, the idea is that over time, with life events, the social circle is gradually getting wider. Медленно would sound odd or too literal here; it would suggest “slowly” like a speed, instead of natural, step-by-step growth.

Is Наш круг общения постепенно расширяется formal, informal, or neutral? Where would this sentence sound natural?

The sentence is neutral in style. It’s suitable for:

  • spoken conversation (everyday speech)
  • writing (essays, blog posts, messages)
  • semi‑formal contexts (presentations, reports about social adaptation, networking, etc.)

It is not slangy and not overly formal. You could say it:

  • when talking to friends about how you’re meeting more people,
  • in a work context about professional contacts,
  • in a psychological / sociological text about someone’s social environment.