Family and Possessive Pronouns
Family vocabulary and possessive agreement
⚡Key points
Family vocabulary
Russian has rich family vocabulary, with distinct terms for each relationship. The affectionate forms (ма́ма, па́па) are most common in daily use — the neutral forms (мать, оте́ц) feel more formal.
Family members
| Mother (affectionate / formal) | ма́ма / мать | feminine |
| Father (affectionate / formal) | па́па / оте́ц | masculine (па́па exception in -а) |
| Brother | брат | masculine |
| Sister | сестра́ | feminine |
| Son | сын | masculine |
| Daughter | дочь | feminine (-ь) |
| Grandfather | де́душка / дед | masculine (exception in -а) |
| Grandmother | ба́бушка | feminine |
| Husband | муж | masculine |
| Wife | жена́ | feminine |
Introducing your family
With "У меня́ есть…"
У меня́ есть брат и сестра́. (I have a brother and a sister.)
У меня́ есть сын. (I have a son.)
У нас есть соба́ка. (We have a dog.)
With "Э́то…"
Э́то моя́ ма́ма. (This is my mother.)
Э́то мой брат, его́ зову́т Ива́н. (This is my brother, his name is Ivan.)
Э́то на́ши роди́тели. (These are our parents.)
Dialogue: introducing your family
John: Do you have a big family? — Lena: Yes! I have mom, dad, two sisters, and a brother. — John: And grandparents? — Lena: Grandma lives with us. Grandpa died a long time ago. — John: I only have my mother and my younger brother.
Possessive pronouns: мой / твой / Ваш…
The possessives мой (my), твой (your, informal), наш (our), ваш (your, formal) agree in gender and number with the object owned. The 3rd-person forms (его́, её, их) are invariable.
The possessive "мой" (my)
| Masculine | мой | мой брат (my brother) |
| Feminine | моя́ | моя́ сестра́ (my sister) |
| Neuter | моё | моё окно́ (my window) |
| Plural (all genders) | мои́ | мои́ роди́тели (my parents) |
Other possessives
| Your (informal) | твой / твоя́ / твоё / твои́ | твой брат, твоя́ сестра́… |
| His | его́ | Invariable: его́ кни́га, его́ сестра́ |
| Her | её | Invariable: её брат, её кни́га |
| Our | наш / на́ша / на́ше / на́ши | agrees like мой |
| Your (formal / plural) | ваш / ва́ша / ва́ше / ва́ши | agrees like мой |
| Their | их | Invariable: их дом, их маши́на |
💡⚠️ его́ / её / их are invariable
Dialogue: objects and owners
Liza: This is my book. And this is your phone? — Denis: Yes, it is mine. And whose window is that? — Liza: It is our window. Over there — that is his car. — Denis: Whose bag is this? — Liza: That is her bag. Masha’s.