боже мой
bozhe moy
The Russian phrase for "oh my" is боже мой (bozhe moy).
Depending on the tone of voice, it can sound slightly dramatic.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal translation of "my god". боже is the vocative or calling form of бог (god) and мой means "my".
Which one should you use?
A common shorter alternative used in casual speech is боже.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
боже мой is an informal expression.
How do you pronounce it?
bozhe moy
Did you know?
- The word боже uses the vocative case, a grammatical form used specifically for addressing someone. This case has mostly disappeared from modern Russian but survives in phrases like this.
- In very casual settings, you might hear people say божечки instead of боже мой, which sounds much more 'cute' or diminutive, almost like saying 'oh my goodnesses'.
- The word мой shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'me', both stemming from the same Proto-Indo-European root for the first person.
Examples in context
- Боже мой! Это Том!Oh My God! It's Tom!This sentence is useful for seeing боже мой used to express surprise at 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 seeing боже мой used to express 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 seeing боже мой used to express disbelief or shock at someone's actions.Tatoeba #4793118 by odexed, translation #2905963 by Hybrid
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andrey and Anastasia are looking at a very expensive bill.
- Андрей AndreyБоже мой, сколько это стоит!Bozhe moy, skol'ko eto stoit!Oh my, how much does this cost!
- Анастасия AnastasiaЯ не знаю, это слишком дорого.Ya ne znayu, eto slishkom dorogo.I don't know, it's too expensive.
- Андрей AndreyМы не можем это купить.My ne mozhem eto kupit'.We cannot buy this.
- Анастасия AnastasiaСогласна, пойдём отсюда.Soglasna, poydyom otsyuda.I agree, let's get out of here.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries мой, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
