Expert: Liliya - 11/5/2009

Question
I have tried asking another expert on this;
What is the Russian equivalent of a woman saying, "Darling" ?
Also, what would be the pronunciation/spelling with english letters
rather than in actual Russian? (as I will be using it in literature)
The context of it would be a mother figure saying it to children or others that she's come to be close to.

Answer
Hi Lily,

I guess what you are looking for is the word “дорогая” (dorogaya), which would sound as “da-ra-GA-ya.” The emphasis is on the third syllable [ga].

“Дорогая” is a singular feminine adjective in the Nominative case.

In the context you’ve mentioned, if the mother is saying this word to her children, it must be a daughter, because it’s a singular feminine form of the adjective. If she is saying it to a son, then the adjective “дорогой” (dorogoy/ da-ra-GOY ) is to be used. However, if she is saying it to a few children (the gender doesn’t matter), the plural form of the adjective has to be used – “дорогие” (dorogiye), which is [da-ra-GEE-ye].

I hope this helps. Let me know if something is unclear.

Regards,

Liliya.