боже мой
bozhe moy
The Russian phrase for "my God" is боже мой (bozhe moy).
боже мой is a frequently employed phrase in everyday conversations to express surprise or exasperation.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the vocative case of бог (god) and the possessive pronoun мой (my), literally meaning "god my".
How does it change in a sentence?
The word бог changes to the form боже when used as a direct address or exclamation.
How do you pronounce it?
bozhe moy
When do people say it?
While боже мой is a direct translation of "my God", the single-word exclamation Господи (Lord) is often more common in natural Russian speech to express shock or exasperation. Another slightly softer version used to convey surprise or amazement is Ой боже.
Did you know?
- In Russian, the vocative case used in боже is a linguistic relic that has almost entirely disappeared from the modern language, surviving mainly in these set expressions.
- While боже мой is common, some Russians avoid using the name of 'god' in exclamations to avoid blasphemy, opting for minced oaths or nonsensical sounds instead.
- The pronoun мой shares the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root as the English word 'my', meaning they are distant linguistic cousins.
Examples in context
- Боже мой! Это Том!Oh My God! It's Tom!This sentence is useful for expressing surprise upon seeing someone.Tatoeba #4131391 by odexed, translation #4109411 by Hybrid
- Боже мой! Он горит!Oh my God! It's on fire!This sentence is useful for expressing alarm or shock at an emergency.Tatoeba #4654125 by Selena777, translation #2819217 by Hybrid
- Боже мой, вы тоже???Oh my God, you too???This sentence is useful for expressing disbelief or surprise at someone's actions.Tatoeba #4793118 by odexed, translation #2905963 by Hybrid
- Боже мой, я этого не ожидал!My God, I didn't expect this!
- Ой боже, какая красота!Oh my God, what a beauty!
- О Боже, почему это происходит?Oh my God, why is this happening?
- Господи помилуй, я заплутал!Lord, have mercy, I've gotten lost!
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alexander and Anastasia are looking at a very high bill for dinner.
- Александр AleksandrБоже мой, сколько это стоит!Bozhe moy, skolko eto stoit!My god, how much does this cost!
- Анастасия AnastasiaДа, это слишком дорого.Da, eto slishkom dorogo.Yes, this is too expensive.
- Александр AleksandrЯ в шоке от этой цены.Ya v shoke ot etoy tseny.I am shocked by this price.
- Анастасия AnastasiaНам нужно уходить отсюда.Nam nuzhno ukhodit otsuda.We need to leave this place.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries мой, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
