Thread: Как ваш ру́сский партнёр (жена́, муж, и т.д.) помога́ет с твое́й ру́сским языко́м?

По-русски жена, муж и т.д. называется супруг(супруга), супруги.

Originally Posted by Dmitry Khomitchuk

По-русски жена, муж и т.д. называется супруг(супруга), супруги.

But "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" (i.e., not a legal spouse, even if it's a serious long-term relationship) wouldn't be супруг or супруга, right? I assume that's why Valda used партнёр, because "partner" in English can cover various types of romantic relationship, married or not.

P.S. Valda, one way to express "boyfriend" in Russian is мой парень (lit., "my guy"), and you can likewise say моя подружка for "girlfriend" in the romantic sense. When you want a unisex term to cover both genders, партнёры might indeed be the best option, but I'd ask native Russians for their recommendations on that.

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

But "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" (i.e., not a legal spouse, even if it's a serious long-term relationship) wouldn't be супруг or супруга, right? I assume that's why Valda used партнёр, because "partner" in English can cover various types of romantic relationship, married or not.

P.S. Valda, one way to express "boyfriend" in Russian is мой парень (lit., "my guy"), and you can likewise say моя подружка for "girlfriend" in the romantic sense. When you want a unisex term to cover both genders, партнёры might indeed be the best option, but I'd ask native Russians for their recommendations on that.

We have a universal term "вторая половинка" (the second part) which is used for both a boyfriend and a girlfirend.

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

P.S. Valda, one way to express "boyfriend" in Russian is мой парень (lit., "my guy"), and you can likewise say моя подружка for "girlfriend" in the romantic sense. When you want a unisex term to cover both genders, партнёры might indeed be the best option, but I'd ask native Russians for their recommendations on that.

Сожители is a general term for extramarital relationships when people have common household. Yet, it has somewhat negative connotations since time immemorial. Partners avoid the word like the plague, whereas other people use it extensively when they want to call a spade a spade.

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

one way to express "boyfriend" in Russian is мой парень (lit., "my guy"), and you can likewise say моя подружка for "girlfriend" in the romantic sense.

+ мой молодой человек и моя девушка
Часто, не слишком образованные люди говорят просто мой или моя. "Мой уехал на рыбалку" или "Моя пошла в гости к подруге".

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

When you want a unisex term to cover both genders, партнёры might indeed be the best option, but I'd ask native Russians for their recommendations on that.

Не могу себе представить ситуацию, когда кто-то говорит "мой партнер ...", кроме как на приеме у врача

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

P.S. Valda, one way to express "boyfriend" in Russian is мой парень (lit., "my guy"), and you can likewise say моя подружка for "girlfriend" in the romantic sense. When you want a unisex term to cover both genders, партнёры might indeed be the best option, but I'd ask native Russians for their recommendations on that.

a girl can also say мой друг in the same meaning (e.g. мой парень sounds awkward when a man and a woman both about 50 years of age are dating, because парень is a young guy)...
моя подруга would be used more often for 'my girlfriend', моя подружка is a diminutive form...
we don't seem to have a universal unisex term, партнёры might fit, but this sounds quite formal, that's why people rarely use it in casual conversation...
so the neutral terms are друг (парень if younger than 40, perhaps) and подруга.