фамилия
familiya
The Russian phrase for "last name" is фамилия (familiya).
фамилия refers to the family name that a person shares with their relatives.
Which one should you use?
In Russian, it is important to distinguish between names: фамилия refers specifically to the last name or surname, whereas имя refers to the first name.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes its form depending on its role in a sentence. For example, it changes to фамилии when used in the genitive case, such as after the word нет (meaning "there is no") or to indicate possession.
How do you pronounce it?
familiya
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to confuse фамилия with the English word "family." Although it sounds similar, it only means "last name."
Did you know?
- If your фамилия ends in a consonant, it must change its ending based on the gender of the person. For example, a man might have the name Иванов, but his wife or sister would be referred to as Иванова.
- Historically, many Russian peasants did not have a фамилия at all until the 19th century, often being identified only by their father's name.
- Many Russian фамилии were created by adding suffixes to the names of birds, fish or trees, such as Соколов from 'falcon'.
Examples in context
- Моя фамилия – Джонс.My last name is Jones.This sentence is useful for stating your own last name using фамилия.Tatoeba #2005115 by marafon, translation #456431 by lukaszpp
- Фамилия Тома Мэри.Tom's last name is Mary.This sentence is useful for stating someone else's last name using фамилия.Tatoeba #3999394 by odexed, translation #3554669 by Hybrid
- Моя фамилия – Джексон.My last name is Jackson.Tatoeba #4755865 by marafon, translation #4499753 by CK
- 74 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anastasia is checking Dmitry's information at a reception desk.
- Анастасия AnastasiaНазовите, пожалуйста, вашу фамилию.Nazovite, pozhaluysta, vashu familiyu.Please tell me your last name.
- Дмитрий DmitryМоя фамилия Соколов.Moya familiya Sokolov.My last name is Sokolov.
- Анастасия AnastasiaЯ не вижу вашу фамилию в списке.Ya ne vizhu vashu familiyu v spiske.I don't see your last name on the list.
- Дмитрий DmitryВозможно, вы неправильно написали мою фамилию.Vozmozhno, vy nepravil'no napisali moyu familiyu.Perhaps you wrote my last name incorrectly.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
