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I sent the following simple SMS to a girl friend in Moscow and although initially impressed she stated it should be corrected somewhat.
эй любимица, нравится ваше смс. что новый?
I understood I was saying:
"Hey, Sweetie, I liked your SMS. What's new?"
Where was I incorrect?
любимица (fem.) is a well liked person or a favourite pet. It's usually used to describe someone, and never as a form of address. For example: "Эта кошка - любимица всей семьи" ~ all family members like this (female)cat very much.
"Ваше смс" is too formal after Sweetie (it's better to use "ты" instead). "Что новый" is grammatically incorrect (wrong case). "Нравится" is ok, but I think a perfective verb would be better.
Overall it's understandable, but a more natural way to say it is:
Эй, любимая (or any other endearment of your choice), мне понравился твой смс*. Что нового?
* or "мне понравилась твоя смска"
When I hear or read "Эй" referred to me the first thought I have I do something wrong. In English it seems to be ok to draw somebody's attention with "Hey" or "Oi". In Russian I feel negativity coming from this exclamation.
It's better to write "Привет, любимая. Я получил твою SMS и она мне понравилась. Что у тебя нового?". "SMS" has feminine gender in Russian ("СМСка") regardless of that thing it is "message" (сообщение).
"Любимица учителя (учительницы)" is the equivalent of "teacher's pet," if I'm not mistaken.
You are not mistaken as such, the only thing is that it can be used in a positive way, too. The same goes for masculine version: любимец учителя. If you want a definitely derogative (in this context) form you use "любимчик", no matter is it a boy or a girl.Quote:
Originally Posted by Throbert McGee
Thanks for the replies!