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 or, if he is more bashful, and she will understand that he is asking her on a date. She can agree . When they meet, he might pay her compliments by saying or, if he wanted to seem more “hip” and modern, he could say . If, over time, he develops stronger feelings, he might tell her that or, if he wanted to use another common but less direct phrase he might say that, . Of course, if he wants to get right to the point, he would say .
To describe his feelings to his friends using slang, he might say or he might use the more commonly accepted phrase . If the woman likes him as well, she might begin , and say when he calls her. He might respond with and say or even .
The two might begin to refer to each other with pet names such as , and .
Russian lovers don’t call each other “honey” and often think it amusing when English speakers do. They most often use the words , and , and very often some derivation of the word . More creative titles include “родная”, which comes from the same stem as and , two of the highest valued elements in traditional Russian culture. Other terms are , , and even (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: . Most of Pushkin’s poems on the subject juxtapose love and sorrow. Take, for example, “
The man might decide one day to tell the woman or . He might simply say 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 . He might say, after repeating much of the above phrases, or he might use , which is more common and pithier.
Later on, if their family is happy, people can say about them , meaning that they live in perfect harmony, that they are soul mates. People may also say simply . He might call he by more mature terms of endearment such as or “родная”, which means “darling” but also implies “my home” or “my own place, where I am meant to be”. She can call him , 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 , to which the man will always .
