Okay, so today I wanted to learn how to talk about “family” in Russian. It’s something I’ve been meaning to get around to, and I finally took the plunge.
First, I did what everyone does – I hit up Google. Just typed in “family in Russian” and see what came up. I found a bunch of different websites and translation services. Some of them had audio pronunciations, which was super helpful. I mean, who wants to sound like a robot, right?
Basic Words
I started with the basics, like “mother,” “father,” “brother,” and “sister.” I learned that “mother” is “мать” (mat’), but you mostly say “мама” (mama), just like in English! “Father” is “отец” (otets), but it is usually “папа” (papa). I practiced saying them out loud a few times, and they actually felt pretty natural after a while.
- Mother: мать (mat’) / мама (mama)
- Father: отец (otets) / папа (papa)
- Brother: брат (brat)
- Sister: сестра (sestra)
Then, I moved on to “son” and “daughter.” “Son” is “сын” (syn), and “daughter” is “дочь” (doch’). I wrote them down in my notebook and repeated them a bunch of times, also tried to use them in simple sentences.
Sentences and Phrases
After I felt comfortable with the basic words, I wanted to learn some simple phrases. Like, how to say “I have a big family” or “My family is from Russia.” So I searched for some examples online and found some pretty useful stuff. For example, I learned that “I have a big family” is “У меня большая семья” (U menya bol’shaya sem’ya). It’s a bit of a mouthful, but I kept practicing, I think I started to get the hang of it.
Then, during the holidays, I searched about gatherings with family and found that in Russian it is “воссоединение с семьей” (vossoyedineniye s sem’yey).
I also stumbled upon a phrase that’s more like an idiom, “В семье не без урода” (V sem’ye ne bez uroda), which means “every family has a black sheep.” That one made me chuckle. It is interesting to know.
Putting It All Together
Finally, I tried to put everything I learned into practice. I imagined having a conversation with someone about my family in Russian. I started by introducing my parents, then my siblings, and then talked a little bit about where we’re from. It was definitely challenging, but also really fun. I even managed to throw in that idiom about the black sheep, just for kicks. I will continue to practice and expand my Russian vocabulary. This is just the beginning, but I’m excited to keep learning and improving.
So, that was my little adventure in learning about “family” in Russian. I’m no expert, but I definitely feel like I made some progress today. I hope this inspires some of you to pick up a new language or learn something new. It is never too late to start!