2
Mother, father, brothers and sisters
Russian A1 · Unit 7
GoalSay brother, sister, son, daughter, uncle, aunt and children.
New words
брат (brat) · brotherсестра́ (sestrá) · sisterсын (syn) · sonдочь (dochʹ) · daughterдя́дя (dyádya) · uncleтётя (tyótya) · auntде́ти (déti) · children
Explanation
Брат is brother and сестра́ is sister. Your own boy is a сын (son) and your own girl is a дочь (daughter). A brother of your mother or father is a дя́дя, and a sister is a тётя. The plural of брат is бра́тья and the plural of сестра́ is сёстры: these two are irregular, so learn them as they are. Де́ти means “children”; it is always plural.
| One | Many |
|---|---|
| брат | бра́тья |
| сестра́ | сёстры |
| (a child) | де́ти |
Worked examples
Brother and sister, son and daughter. Listen.
Two children: a boy and a girl. They are де́ти.
Али́
Э́то брат?
Мади́на
Да, брат. А э́то сестра́.
Али́
Э́то де́ти?
Мади́на
Да, э́то мои́ де́ти.
Class activity
Make a picture dictionary. Draw a small picture for each word: брат, сестра́, сын, дочь, дя́дя, тётя. Write the Russian word under it. Then write the phrase бра́тья и сёстры (brothers and sisters) and say it five times fast.
Practice
1
Press Listen. Which word do you hear: mum, dad or grandmother?
…
Mum: ма́ма (máma).
2
Say “brothers” and “sisters” in Russian.
бра́тья, сёстры.
3
The picture shows a boy and a girl. Say “children” in Russian.
де́ти (déti).
4
Which word is for your own girl: дочь or сын?
дочь (dochʹ), daughter.
5
Read the word aloud. What does it mean?
Aunt: тётя (tyótya). The ё is always stressed.