Hello again! Do you like animals? Do you have any pets? If so, you probably love talking about them. In this lesson we’re gonna learn some words and phrases, so you can easily talk about you favourite pets.
Pets in Russian
кошка [koshka] – a female cat
кот [kot] – a male cat
котёнок [katyonak] – a kitten
собака [sabaka] – a dog (it is a feminine noun but can be used for any dog, both male and female).
пёс [pyos] – a male dog (rarely used)
щенок [shchenok] – a puppy
рыбка [rybka] – a fish (рыбки – plural).
хомяк (хомячок) [hamyak (hamyachok)] – a hamster
черепаха (черепашка) [cherepakha (cherepashka)] – a turtle
Note that in case with words like хомяк and черепаха we have second versions – хомячок and черепашка. The latter are diminutive forms. Same with the word рыбка, which is used when reffering to a pet fish. When speaking about wild fish, we usually say рыба.
Of course we have terms of endearment for cats and dogs as well. For example:
кошка – кошечка (more popular – киса or кисуля)
кот – котик
собака – собачка
пёс – пёсик
How to say you have a pet
У меня есть… – I have / I’ve got…
У меня есть собака. – I have a dog.
У меня есть кот. – I have a cat.
У меня (есть) два котёнка. – I have two kittens.
У меня три хомячка. – I have three hamsters.
Questions about pets
У тебя/вас есть домашние животные? – Do you have any pets?
Сколько лет твоей/вашей кошке? – How old is your cat?
Какой породы твоя/ваша собака? – What sort of dog do you have?
Ты/вы любишь/любите животных? – Do you like animals?
Describing a pet
Моя собака очень большая и злая. – My dog is very big and mean.
Кошки обычно очень ленивые. – Cats are usually very lazy.
Мои хомяки очень много едят. – My hamsters eat a lot.
Котята такие милые. – Kittens are so adorable.
А щенки активные и игривые. – And puppies are active and playful.
This is how we usually talk about our pets in Russian. Do you love pets? Tell me about your pets in comments section. In Russian, of course. I’ll be glad to talk.