мальчик
mal'chik
The Russian phrase for baby boy is мальчик (mal'chik).
мальчик is used to refer to a very young male human being. While it can specifically describe a baby boy in the context of a birth, it is also the general word used for a boy of any young age.
Meaning: very young male human being (noun)
Which one should you use?
мальчик is the general term for 'boy', whereas more specific terms like Младенец мужского пола may be used in highly formal contexts to specify an infant of the male gender.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form мальчик changes to мальчика when it serves as the direct object of a verb. For example, in the sentence 'She gave birth to a boy' (Она родила мальчика), the word appears as мальчика.
How do you pronounce it?
mal'chik
Did you know?
- The Russian phrase for announcing a birth, У нас мальчик!, literally translates to 'We have a boy!', whereas English speakers say 'It is a boy!'
- To express deep affection for a baby boy, Russians frequently use сыночек, which means 'little son', rather than the general word for 'boy'.
- The word мальчик is built upon the ancient root мале́ц, which was used to describe a young man or a lad in Old Russian.
Examples in context
- У них родился мальчик.A baby boy was born to them.This sentence is useful for describing a birth using мальчик.Tatoeba #1913801 by marafon, translation #276831 by CM
- У Вас здоровый мальчик.You have a healthy baby boy.This sentence is useful for describing a healthy baby boy using мальчик.Tatoeba #4074596 by marafon, translation #2745924 by CK
- Она родила здорового мальчика.She gave birth to a healthy baby boy.This sentence shows the accusative form мальчика after a verb.Tatoeba #9443648 by marafon, translation #11742163 by ddnktr
- Мой сынок – самый лучший малыш на свете.My son is the best baby boy in the world.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anastasia and Dmitry are talking about a new neighbor's child.
- Анастасия AnastasiaТам в колыбели спит маленький мальчик.Tam v kolýbeli spit málen'kiy mal'chik.There is a little boy sleeping in the crib.
- Дмитрий DmitryКакой милый мальчик!Kakóy mílyy mal'chik!What a cute boy!
- Анастасия AnastasiaДмитрий, ты видел его родителей?Dmitriy, ty vídel yevó rodítel'ey?Dmitry, did you see his parents?
- Дмитрий DmitryДа, они очень добрые люди.Da, oní óchen' dóbryye lyudi.Yes, they are very kind people.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries мальчик, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
