Making Sense of Russian Names Русские имена When you get acquainted with Russians, you will hear Russian names which sound confusing and complicated for foreigners. It’s because Russian has many different forms to address one and the same person in different situations. amazingrussian.com
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Making Sense of Russian Names
Русские именаWhen you get acquainted with Russians, you will hear
Russian names which sound confusing and complicated for
foreigners. It’s because Russian has many different forms to
address one and the same person in different situations.
amazingrussian.com
Мари ́я Ма́ша
Мару ́ся Ма́шенька
Ма́ня Мари ́я Ива ́новна
Ма́шка Мару ́сенька
Is this the name of just one person?
Every Russian has three names:• the first name мяи́• the patronymic (father’s name) тчествоо́• the last name фам лияи́
These three names are used together for any official documents including a passport.
First Name мяи́ • The first name is a given name. • Russians are extremely inventive in creating new forms
of names. For example, there are more than twenty forms of Maria in Russian!
• The full form Мари ́я is used in official papers, in formal relationships and with unfamiliar people.
• The short form Ма́ша is neutral and used in relationships with friends.
• Ма ́шенька is a form of affection (a diminutive). • The unceremonious form Ма ́шка is quite impolite but OK
within the family or between kids or adult friends.
Patronymic о́тчество • The patronymic is used with the full version of the name,
never with a nickname. Мари ́я Петро́вна NOT Ма́ша Петро́вна
• The patronymic usually has the ending -ович or -евич for males, and -овна or -евна for females.
Examples:If the father’s name is Ив на́ ,
his son’s patronymic will be Ив новича́ , and his daughter’s patronymic will be Ив новнаа́ .
Last Name фами ́лия • The last name is the family name. • Most male last names and female last names have
different endings:
• male last names end in -ов, -ев, -ин, -ский. И в а н во́ М е д в де́ е в П ту́ и н
Ч а й к во́ с к и й
• female last names end in -ова, -ева, -ина, -ская. И в а н в ао́ М е д в де́ е в а П т иу́ н а Ч а й к во́ с ка я
Last name фами ́лия
R u s s i a n s d o n ’ t u s e l a s t n a m e s a s f o r m s o f a d d r e s s .
Он... Она…Каре́нин Каре́нинаПу ́шкин Пу ́шкинаЛе ́нский Ле ́нская
TitlesTitles in Russian are used ONLY in official circumstances.