мій друг
miy druh[mʲii̯ druɦ]word by word
The Ukrainian phrase for "my friend" is мій друг (miy druh).
мій друг is a common and straightforward way to refer to a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection in casual conversations.
Which one should you use?
Use мій друг for a male friend and моя подруга for a female friend. To refer to multiple friends, use the plural form мої друзі.
How does it change in a sentence?
For the plural "my friends", use мої друзі. The phrase also changes its endings depending on its grammatical role in a sentence, such as the instrumental case моїм другом used after certain prepositions.
How do you pronounce it?
miy druh
Did you know?
- The word друг in the phrase друг за другом has nothing to do with friendship and instead means 'one after another'.
- To avoid any romantic confusion when using моя подруга, Ukrainians frequently insert the word просто to mean 'simply'. This ensures the listener knows you mean a 'just a friend' rather than a 'girlfriend'.
- The word друг shares a common ancestor with the English word 'truth' through the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to be firm' or 'reliable'. This connects the idea of a friend to the concept of being steadfast.
Examples in context
- Боб – мій друг.Bob is my friend.This sentence is useful for showing how to identify someone as a friend using мій друг.Tatoeba #511120 by deniko, translation #33182 by CN
- Ти не мій друг.You're not my friend.This sentence is useful for showing how to deny a friendship using мій друг.Tatoeba #6586050 by deniko, translation #2547434 by CK
- Ви не мій друг.You are not my friend.Tatoeba #6586051 by deniko, translation #6022845 by mailohilohi
- Мій товариш займає важливу посаду в уряді.My friend holds an important position in the government.
- Мій друг завжди підтримує мене.My friend always supports me.
- 47 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are meeting at a cafe and being introduced.
- Марія MariiaАндрію, це мій друг Олег.Andrii, tse miy druh Oleh.Andriy, this is my friend Oleh.
- Андрій AndriiПриємно познайомитися, Олегу.Pryiemno poznayomytysia, Olehu.Nice to meet you, Oleh.
- Марія MariiaВін теж дуже радий.Vin tezh duzhe radyi.He is also very glad.
- Андрій AndriiБудемо дружити!Budemo druzhyty!Let's be friends!
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (мій, друг) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries друг, мій, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
