Russian Vocabulary (and Wisdom)

How to say "wife" in Russian

This Russian word is one of the top 1000 words in Russian. The complete list of most common Russian words is available here.

жена

Meaning: wife, woman (old-fashioned)

Pronunciation: [zhi-NAH]

Part of speech: noun (feminine noun)

Rank: #200 (see frequency list)

My wife cooks well.

Example sentences:

Моя́ женá хорошó готóвит.
My wife cooks well.
Недáвно мы с женóй бы́ли в Áнглии.
I've recenlty been to Britain with my wife.
Его жену́ все óчень уважáют.
Everybody respects his wife.
Поздрáвьте свою жену́ с Днëм рождéния.
Congratulate your wife on her birthday.
Они всегдá говоря́т о своих жëнах.
They always talk about their wives.
Их жëн нé было на прáзднике.
Their wives weren't present at the party.
У моéй бы́вшей жены́ тепéрь нóвая семья́.
My ex-wife has a new family now.
Прошу́ Вас, бу́дьте моéй женóй!
Please, be my wife! (formal, old-fashioned)
Тех, кто сражáлся на Войнé, мóжно назвáть слáвными жëнами Росси́и.
The women who participated in the War, can be called glorious Russian women.

Idioms and set expressions:

женá декабри́ста = a woman who does everything for her husband
literal a decembrist's wife
взя́ть в жëны = to marry
literal to take into wives

Related words:

жëнушка = a wife (diminutive form)
моей жены = my wife's
жени́ться = to marry (used to say that a male marries)
жéнщина = a woman
супру́га = a spouse

Proverbs and sayings:

Муж и женá - однá cатанá.
Husband and wife have the same interests and views.
literal Husband and wife is the same Satan.
Где муж, там и женá.
Where there is the husband, there is the wife.
Женá не рукави́ца, с руки́ не сбрócишь.
A wife is not a mitten, you can't take her off.
Одному́ с женóю гóре, другóму вдвóе.
One can be happy or not happy with his wife.
literal One is unhappy with his wife, the other is even unhappier.
Без жены́ как без шáпки.
One feels unprotected without his wife.
literal Being without wife is like being without a hat.

Other forms of the word (declensions):

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	жена́	жёны
Genitive	жены́	жён
Dative	жене́	жёнам
Accusative	жену́	жён
Instrumental	жено́й	жёнами
Prepositional	жене́	жёнах

Vocabulary lesson: By Russificate blog exclusively for MasterRussian

Phrase recordings: Copyright(c) 2011 MasterRussian.com. All rights reserved.
Word recordings: Copyright(c) 2006 Streit Goulnara, Streit Eric, Vion Nicolas. Copyright(c) 2007 S. Sakhno, N. Vion. Distributed under CC-BY.

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