Pavement, Sidewalk, Бруківка [brukivka]: One Word, Many Meanings

Author’s Column by Tymur Levitin — Founder of Levitin Language School (Start Language School by Tymur Levitin)

❓Why one word can mean two different things

Sometimes, the problem isn’t the grammar. It’s the words that pretend to be clear — but aren’t.

Take the word “pavement.” If you’ve ever walked through London and then landed in New York, you may have found yourself on completely different “pavements.”

Let’s break it down.

What does “pavement” mean?

English variant	Meaning of “pavement”
British English	Sidewalk (for pedestrians)
American English	Road surface (cars drive here)

So if a British person says:

“Mind the pavement — it’s slippery!”
They mean: Watch your step on the sidewalk.

But an American might say:

“The pavement is cracked — my tires are ruined.”
And they mean: The road is damaged.

One word. Two continents. Two meanings.

Different languages — different logic

Let’s look at how the idea of “road,” “sidewalk,” and “paved surface” is expressed in other languages.

Language	Word for “road”	Word for “sidewalk”	Word for “paved stone” / cobblestone
Russian	дорога [doroga]	тротуар [trotuar]	брусчатка [bruschatka], мостовая [mostovaya]
Ukrainian	дорога [doroga]	тротуар [trotuar]	бруківка [brukivka]
German	Straße	Gehweg / Bürgersteig	Pflaster / Straßenpflaster
English (UK)	road	pavement	cobblestone
English (US)	pavement	sidewalk	cobblestone

What is брусчатка / бруківка?

Both refer to stone-paved surfaces — often cobblestones, especially in older city centers.

You’ll see them in:

Lviv, Kraków, Heidelberg, Kamianets-Podilskyi
Old parts of London or Paris
Any historic European city

But learners often confuse:

брусчатка or бруківка with тротуар — they’re not the same.
pavement with тротуар — depends on British or American usage.
мостовая [mostovaya] — an older Russian term for a stone-paved street (not just the sidewalk).

Words you should never translate blindly

Just memorizing vocabulary is not enough.
At Levitin Language School, we teach how to think across languages, not just replace words.

Context is everything. Material matters. Cultural logic matters.

Ask yourself:

Who is speaking — a Brit or an American?
What is the material — stone, asphalt, tiles?
Who uses it — people or cars?

Real-life examples

Sentence	Language / Region	Meaning
I slipped on the pavement.	British English	I fell on the sidewalk
The pavement is full of potholes.	American English	The road is damaged
Улица вымощена брусчаткой.	Russian [bruschatka]	The street is stone-paved
Це центр з бруківкою та вузькими тротуарами.	Ukrainian [brukivka]	Stone center with narrow sidewalks
Ich gehe auf dem Gehweg.	German	I’m walking on the sidewalk

Final thoughts

One word — pavement — teaches us how dangerous assumptions are.

Learning languages isn’t just about words. It’s about meanings, cultures, and perspectives.
At Levitin Language School, we teach people — not just words.

✍️ Author’s Note

This post is part of the “One Word — Two Worlds” series by Tymur Levitin, founder, translator, and senior educator at Start Language School by Tymur Levitin (Levitin Language School).

We teach real language, real people, and real thinking.

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© Tymur Levitin — Founder, Director & Senior Instructor
Start Language School by Tymur Levitin (Levitin Language School)
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