хорошая девочка
khoroshaya devochka
The English phrase "good girl" is translated into Russian as хорошая девочка (khoroshaya devochka).
хорошая девочка is used to praise a female child or a female pet for behaving well. Much like in English, it is a common way to compliment female animals such as dogs.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective хорошая (good, feminine form) and the noun девочка (girl).
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective хорошая must be in the feminine singular form to agree with the feminine noun девочка.
How do you pronounce it?
khoroshaya devochka
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the masculine adjective form хороший instead of the feminine хорошая when referring to a girl.
When do people say it?
While хорошая девочка is a direct way to praise a child or pet, you can also use the term Молодец to effectively compliment a girl with the meaning of "well done" or "bravo".
Did you know?
- In Russian, if you call a woman хорошая девочка in an adult context, it can sound patronizing or even flirtatious, rather than just being a compliment.
- When praising a female pet, many Russians will skip the adjective and simply use the word Умница to mean 'clever girl' or 'smart one'.
- Russian has no single word for 'girl' that covers both a toddler and a teenager, often requiring speakers to switch between девочка and девушка.
Examples in context
- Эми хорошая девочка.Emi is a good girl.This sentence shows how to identify Emi as a хорошая девочка.Tatoeba #412425 by Hellerick, translation #65291 by CN
- Юлия – хорошая девочка.Julia is a good girl.This sentence shows how to identify Julia as a хорошая девочка.Tatoeba #3597683 by soweli_Elepanto, translation #3669380 by Seael
- Мэри – хорошая девочка.Mary is a good girl.This sentence shows how to identify Mary as a хорошая девочка.Tatoeba #5184270 by marafon, translation #1532849 by Spamster
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Dmitry is praising his puppy while Anastasia watches.
- Дмитрий DmitryТы моя хорошая девочка!Ty moya khoroshaya devochka!You are my good girl!
- Анастасия AnastasiaОна действительно очень послушная.Ona deystvitel'no ochen' poslushnaya.She really is very obedient.
- Дмитрий DmitryДа, хорошая девочка.Da, khoroshaya devochka.Yes, good girl.
- Анастасия AnastasiaОна заслужила вкусное лакомство.Ona zasluzhila vkusnoye lakomstvo.She deserves a tasty treat.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
