Love in Siberia - photo by SRAS Graduate Andrew William.

Russian MiniLessons: Love and Relationships

Published: October 5, 2019

The following bilingual Russian MiniLesson is meant to build your vocabulary by providing Russian phrases within English text. Hover over the bold Russian to reveal its English translation.

If a man likes a woman, he can ask of her โ€œะ”ะฐะฒะฐะน ะฒัั‚ั€ะตั‚ะธะผััโ€ or, if he is more bashful, โ€œะฏ ั…ะพั‚ะตะป ะฑั‹ ั ั‚ะพะฑะพะน ะฒัั‚ั€ะตั‚ะธั‚ัŒััโ€ and she will understand that he is asking her on a date. She can agree ะฟั€ะธะนั‚ะธ ะฝะฐ ัะฒะธะดะฐะฝะธะต. When they meet, he might pay her compliments by saying โ€œะขั‹ ะพั‡ะฐั€ะพะฒะฐั‚ะตะปัŒะฝะฐโ€ or, if he wanted to seem more โ€œhipโ€ and modern, he could say โ€œะขั‹ ะบะปะฐััะฝะฐัโ€. If, over time, he develops stronger feelings, he might tell her that โ€œะขั‹ ะผะฝะต ะพั‡ะตะฝัŒ ัะธะปัŒะฝะพ ะฟะพะฝั€ะฐะฒะธะปะฐััŒโ€ or, if he wanted to use another common but less direct phrase he might say that, โ€œะœะฝะต ั ั‚ะพะฑะพะน ั…ะพั€ะพัˆะพโ€. Of course, if he wants to get right to the point, he would say โ€œะฏ ะฒ ั‚ะตะฑั ะฒะปัŽะฑะธะปััโ€.

To describe his feelings to his friends using slang, he might say โ€œะฏ ะฟะพ ัƒัˆะธ ะฒะปัŽะฑะธะปััโ€ or he might use the more commonly accepted phrase โ€œะฏ ะฒะปัŽะฑะธะปัั ั ะฟะตั€ะฒะพะณะพ ะฒะทะณะปัะดะฐโ€. If the woman likes him as well, she might begin โ€œัั‚ั€ะพะธั‚ัŒ ะณะปะฐะทะบะธโ€, and say โ€œะฏ ัะบัƒั‡ะฐัŽ ะฟะพ ั‚ะตะฑะตโ€ when he calls her. He might respond with and say โ€œะฏ ะดัƒะผะฐัŽ ะพ ั‚ะตะฑะตโ€ or even โ€œะฏ ั‚ะตะฑั ะพะฑะพะถะฐัŽโ€.

The two might begin to refer to each other with pet names such as โ€œัะพะปะฝั‹ัˆะบะพโ€, and โ€œะผะธะปะฐัโ€ or โ€œะผะธะปั‹ะนโ€.

Russian lovers donโ€™t call each other โ€œhoneyโ€ and often think it amusing when English speakers do. They most often use the words ะดะพั€ะพะณะฐั, and ะผะธะปะฐั, and very often some derivation of the word ะทะฐัั† (ะทะฐะนั‡ะธะบ, ะทะฐะนั‡ะธัˆะบะฐ). More creative titles include โ€œั€ะพะดะฝะฐัโ€, which comes from the same stem as โ€œั€ะพะดะธะฝะฐโ€ and โ€œั€ะพะดัั‚ะฒะตะฝะฝะธะบโ€, two of the highest valued elements in traditional Russian culture. Other terms are โ€œัะพะปะฝั‹ัˆะบะพโ€, โ€œะทะพะปะพั‚ะบะพโ€, and even โ€œั€ั‹ะฑะบะฐโ€ (not commonly used).

Probably no one is more famous for sweet nothings in Russian than A.C. Pushkin. His best known diatribe on love starts as follows: โ€œะฏ ะฟะพะผะฝัŽ ั‡ัƒะดะฝะพะต ะผะณะฝะพะฒะตะฝะธะต: / ะŸะตั€ะตะดะพ ะผะฝะพะน ัะฒะธะปะฐััŒ ั‚ั‹, / ะšะฐะบ ะผะธะผะพะปะตั‚ะฝะพะต ะฒะธะดะตะฝะธะต, / ะšะฐะบ ะณะตะฝะธะน ั‡ะธัั‚ะพะน ะบั€ะฐัะพั‚ั‹.โ€. Most of Pushkinโ€™s poems on the subject juxtapose love and sorrow. Take, for example, โ€œะฃะฝั‹ะฝัŒั ะผะพะตะณะพ / ะะธั‡ั‚ะพ ะฝะต ะผัƒั‡ะธั‚, ะฝะต ั‚ั€ะตะฒะพะถะธั‚, / ะ˜ ัะตั€ะดั†ะต ะฒะฝะพะฒัŒ ะณะพั€ะธั‚ ะธ ะปัŽะฑะธั‚ โ€“ ะพั‚ั‚ะพะณะพ, / ะงั‚ะพ ะฝะต ะปัŽะฑะธั‚ัŒ ะพะฝะพ ะฝะต ะผะพะถะตั‚โ€.

The man might decide one day to tell the woman โ€œะ–ะธั‚ัŒ ะฑะตะท ั‚ะตะฑั ะฝะต ะผะพะณัƒโ€ or โ€œะฏ ะปัŽะฑะปัŽ ั‚ะตะฑั ะฑะพะปัŒัˆะต ะฒัะตะณะพ ะฝะฐ ัะฒะตั‚ะตโ€. He might simply say โ€œะขั‹ ะผะฝะต ะฝัƒะถะฝะฐโ€ and she will understand that he feels that he needs her in his life always.

At this time, the man might decide that it is time to โ€œัะดะตะปะฐั‚ัŒ ะฟั€ะตะดะปะพะถะตะฝะธะตโ€. He might say, after repeating much of the above phrases, โ€œะ’ั‹ั…ะพะดะธ ะทะฐ ะผะตะฝั ะทะฐะผัƒะถโ€ or he might use โ€œะ‘ัƒะดัŒ ะผะพะตะน ะถะตะฝะพะนโ€, which is more common and pithier.

Later on, if their family is happy, people can say about them โ€œะžะฝะธ ะถะธะฒัƒั‚ ะดัƒัˆะฐ ะฒ ะดัƒัˆัƒโ€, meaning that they live in perfect harmony, that they are soul mates. People may also say simply โ€œะฃ ะฝะธั… ัั‡ะฐัั‚ะปะธะฒะฐั ัะตะผัŒัโ€. He might call he by more mature terms of endearment such as โ€œะผะพั ะฟะพะปะพะฒะธะฝะบะฐโ€ or โ€œั€ะพะดะฝะฐัโ€, which means โ€œdarlingโ€ but also implies โ€œmy homeโ€ or โ€œmy own place, where I am meant to beโ€. She can call him โ€œะผะพั ะพะฟะพั€ะฐโ€, meaning that she can rely on him for anything.

Although many Russians are beginning to adopted more western-oriented values in this regard, most Russians believe that ideal home is one in which the wife โ€œะพะฑะตัะฟะตั‡ะธะฒะฐะตั‚ ั…ะพั€ะพัˆะธะน ั‚ั‹ะปโ€, to which the man will always โ€œะปะตั‚ะธั‚ ะดะพะผะพะน ะบะฐะบ ะฝะฐ ะบั€ั‹ะปัŒัั…โ€.

About the author

Andrei Nesterov

Andrei Nesterov

Andrei Nesterov leads SRAS' Research Services, performing remote archive research and consultations for researchers around the globe. Andrei graduated from Ural State University (journalism) and Irkutsk State Linguistic University (English). He also studied public policy and journalism at Duke University on a Muskie Fellowship and taught Russian at West Virginia University. As a journalist, he has reported in both Russian and English language outlets and has years of archival research experience. He has travelled Russia extensively and penned many stories on the โ€œreal Russiaโ€ which lies beyond the capital and major cities. Andrei also contributes news, feature stories, and language resources to the SRAS Family of Sites.

Program attended: SRAS Staff Member

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Josh Wilson

Josh Wilson

Josh lived in Moscow from 2003, when he first arrived to study Russian with SRAS, until 2022. He holds an M.A. in Theatre and a B.A. in History from Idaho State University, where his masters thesis was written on the political economy of Soviet-era censorship organs affecting the stage. At SRAS, Josh assists in program development and leads our Internship Programs. He is also the editor-in-chief for the SRAS newsletter, the SRAS Family of Sites, and Vestnik. He has previously served as Communications Director to Bellerage Alinga and has served as a consultant or translator to several businesses and organizations with interests in Russia.

Program attended: SRAS Staff Member

View all posts by: Josh Wilson