мой парень
moy paren'
The English phrase "my boyfriend" is translated into Russian as мой парень (moy paren').
The phrase мой парень is used to refer to a male partner in a romantic relationship.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of мой (my) and парень (guy, young man or boyfriend).
Which one should you use?
While мой парень is the standard way to say "my boyfriend", using мой муж would imply a formal legal marriage and мой спутник would be much more formal and less romantic.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
мой молодой человек is a more polite or slightly more formal way to refer to a boyfriend in social settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes its endings depending on its grammatical role in a sentence. For example, you would use моего парня when the phrase is used as a direct object or after certain prepositions.
How do you pronounce it?
moy paren'
Did you know?
- While мой парень is common, using мой молодой человек literally translates to 'my young person' and is used to sound more sophisticated or respectful when introduced to elders.
- In a traditional Russian village setting, the term парень historically referred to a young man who had reached a certain age of maturity but was not yet a married man.
- The word мой shares a common linguistic ancestor with the English word 'my' and the Latin 'meus'. This makes the first word of the phrase surprisingly easy for an English speaker to recognize through its Indo-European roots.
Examples in context
- Он не мой парень.He's not my boyfriend.This sentence is useful for clarifying a relationship status.Tatoeba #2287021 by marafon, translation #1935032 by Spamster
- Он не мой парень!He's not my boyfriend!Tatoeba #12648196 by marafon, translation #2292462 by Hybrid
- Том не мой парень.Tom isn't my boyfriend.This sentence is useful for identifying someone who is not a boyfriend.Tatoeba #4004758 by odexed, translation #2645845 by CK
- Здравствуйте, это мой парень.Hello, this is my boyfriend.
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria is introducing her partner to Andrey at a party.
- Андрей AndreyКто этот молодой человек?Kto etot molodoy chelovek?Who is this young man?
- Мария MariaЭто мой парень, Максим.Eto moy paren', Maksim.This is my boyfriend, Maksim.
- Андрей AndreyПриятно познакомиться, Максим!Priyatno poznakomitsya, Maksim!Nice to meet you, Maksim!
- Мария MariaОн очень добрый человек.On ochen' dobryy chelovek.He is a very kind person.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries мой, парень, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
