родители
roditeli
The Russian phrase for 'parents' is родители (roditeli).
родители is the most common and neutral way to refer to a person's father and mother in Russian.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is derived from the root род, which means 'kin', 'lineage' or 'birth'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word changes depending on its role in a sentence: use родителей (genitive case) to express possession or an 'of' relationship, such as 'of the parents'. Use родителям (dative case) when giving something to parents or expressing a relation to them. Use родителями (instrumental case) after prepositions like 'с' to mean 'with parents'. And use родителях (prepositional case) after prepositions like 'о' (about) or 'в' (in) when referring to parents.
How do you pronounce it?
roditeli
Did you know?
- The root род is shared with the word родина, which means 'homeland'. In the Russian mindset, the place of one's birth is viewed as a parental figure or a source of origin.
- In very formal bureaucratic Russian, instead of saying 'parents', one might see the phrase законные представители, which translates to 'legal representatives'.
- The Russian word родители shares a deep linguistic root with the English word 'birth', as both derive from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to give birth'.
Examples in context
- Вы не мои родители.You're not my parents.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of родители in a negative statement.Tatoeba #13309944 by marafon, translation #13109203 by rul
- Мы не твои родители.We're not your parents.This sentence shows how to use родители when addressing someone directly.Tatoeba #5449035 by odexed, translation #5448876 by CK
- Они не мои родители.They aren't my parents.This sentence demonstrates how to use родители when referring to a third party.Tatoeba #5988695 by odexed, translation #306709 by CK
- Привет, мама и папа! Как ваши дела?Hi, mom and dad! How are you doing?
- 1125 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ekaterina and Sergey are talking about a family visit.
- Екатерина EkaterinaКогда приедут твои родители?Kogda priyedut tvoi roditeli?When are your parents arriving?
- Сергей SergeyМои родители приедут в субботу.Moi roditeli priyedut v subbotu.My parents are coming on Saturday.
- Екатерина EkaterinaЭто очень здорово, Сергей!Eto ochen zdorovo, Sergey!That is great, Sergey!
- Сергей SergeyДа, я очень жду их встречи.Da, ya ochen zhdu ikh vstrechi.Yes, I am really looking forward to seeing them.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
