Language/Russian/Vocabulary/Family-Members
As a Russian language teacher for 20 years, I know that one of the most important aspects of learning a new language is acquiring the vocabulary related to family and relationships. In this lesson, we will learn the Russian words for family members, such as "mother", "father", "sister", and "brother".
Basic Family Members
Let's start with the basic family members:
Russian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
Мать | Mat' | Mother |
Отец | Otets | Father |
Сестра | Sestra | Sister |
Брат | Brat | Brother |
- Мать (Mother) - pronounced as "Mat'". This is a noun in the feminine gender, and its plural form is "матери" (matery).
- Отец (Father) - pronounced as "Otets". This is a noun in the masculine gender, and its plural form is "отцы" (ottsy).
- Сестра (Sister) - pronounced as "Sestra". This is a noun in the feminine gender, and its plural form is "сестры" (sestry).
- Брат (Brother) - pronounced as "Brat". This is a noun in the masculine gender, and its plural form is "братья" (brat'ya).
Now, let's take a look at some other family members.
Grandparents
Family ties are very important to Russians, and it's common to have close relationships with grandparents. Here are the Russian words for grandparents:
Russian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
Бабушка | Babushka | Grandmother (maternal) |
Дедушка | Dedushka | Grandfather (maternal) |
Бабушка | Babushka | Grandmother (paternal) |
Дедушка | Dedushka | Grandfather (paternal) |
Note that in Russian, the words for grandmother and grandfather are different depending on if they are maternal or paternal.
- Бабушка (Grandmother) - pronounced as "Babushka". This is a noun in the feminine gender, and its plural form is "бабушки" (babushki).
- Дедушка (Grandfather) - pronounced as "Dedushka". This is a noun in the masculine gender, and its plural form is "дедушки" (dedushki).
Aunts and Uncles
The Russian language has specific words for different types of aunts and uncles:
Russian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
Тётя | Tyotya | Aunt (father's sister) |
Дядя | Dyadya | Uncle (father's brother) |
Тётя | Tyotya | Aunt (mother's sister) |
Дядя | Dyadya | Uncle (mother's brother) |
- Тётя (Aunt) - pronounced as "Tyotya". This is a noun in the feminine gender, and its plural form is "тёти" (tyoti).
- Дядя (Uncle) - pronounced as "Dyadya". This is a noun in the masculine gender, and its plural form is "дяди" (dyadi).
Cousins
In the Russian language, there is no separate word that distinguishes cousins from other family members. Instead, the same words for "brother" and "sister" are used.
Russian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
Кузен | Kuzen | Cousin (male) |
Кузина | Kuzina | Cousin (female) |
Note that the English words "cousin" and "cousins" are often used in Russia as well, but they are pronounced and spelled in a way that is similar to English.
Conclusion
In this lesson, we learned vocabulary related to different family members in the Russian language. I hope this lesson was helpful. Family ties are important to Russians, and it's essential to know the words that relate to them to communicate effectively with native speakers. In the next lesson, we will learn vocabulary related to relationships and marital status.
Videos
Family members in Russian. Learn Russian easily. - YouTube
How to Talk about Your Family in Russian? - YouTube
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