Is a dog masculine or feminine in Russian? - briefly
In Russian, the word for "dog" is "собака," which is grammatically feminine. However, if you are referring to a male dog, the term "пёс" is used and is masculine.
Is a dog masculine or feminine in Russian? - in detail
In Russian, the word for "dog" is "собака" (sobaka), which is grammatically feminine. This is determined by its ending, "-а," which is typical of feminine nouns in Russian. Despite this grammatical gender, it's important to note that the term does not carry any specific connotations related to sex or biological gender. The choice of grammatical gender for many animals and objects in Russian often follows historical and linguistic conventions rather than reflecting their actual biological characteristics.
To illustrate, consider the following examples:
- When referring to a female dog, you might say "сука" (suka), which is also grammatically feminine.
- For a male dog, the term "пёс" (pyos) is used, and this noun is masculine.
These distinctions highlight that while the general term for a dog ("собака") is feminine, specific terms for male and female dogs align with their biological sexes. This nuanced approach to grammatical gender is common in many languages, including Russian.