Signification
Talking about family.
Contexte culturel
The term 'сестра' is often used for cousins as well. To specify a biological sister, Russians say 'родная сестра'. In many Russian-speaking families, siblings are expected to help each other financially and emotionally throughout their lives. Chekhov's 'Three Sisters' is a foundational text where the bond between sisters represents hope and shared destiny. Diminutives like 'сестрёнка' are very common in social media captions and texting to show affection.
The 'Есть' Rule
Use 'есть' when you are introducing the fact that the sister exists. If you are describing her (e.g., 'My sister is smart'), you can often drop it.
Case Alert
Remember: 'меня' is Genitive, but 'сестра' is Nominative. Don't put 'сестра' into the Accusative 'сестру'!
Signification
Talking about family.
The 'Есть' Rule
Use 'есть' when you are introducing the fact that the sister exists. If you are describing her (e.g., 'My sister is smart'), you can often drop it.
Case Alert
Remember: 'меня' is Genitive, but 'сестра' is Nominative. Don't put 'сестра' into the Accusative 'сестру'!
Cousins are Sisters
If someone says 'У меня есть сестра', don't be surprised if it turns out to be a cousin. Ask 'Родная?' to be sure.
Teste-toi
Fill in the missing pronoun in the correct case.
У ____ есть сестра. (Я)
The preposition 'у' requires the Genitive case of 'я', which is 'меня'.
Which sentence is the most natural way to say 'I have a sister'?
Choose the correct Russian sentence:
'У меня есть сестра' is the standard existential construction.
Match the Russian phrase to its English meaning.
Match the following:
These are the basic variations of the possessive construction.
Complete the dialogue.
— Кто это на фото? — Это моя сестра. — А, понятно. Значит, ...
When confirming a fact, 'у тебя есть сестра' is the most logical conclusion.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
English vs Russian Possession
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesУ ____ есть сестра. (Я)
The preposition 'у' requires the Genitive case of 'я', which is 'меня'.
Choose the correct Russian sentence:
'У меня есть сестра' is the standard existential construction.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These are the basic variations of the possessive construction.
— Кто это на фото? — Это моя сестра. — А, понятно. Значит, ...
When confirming a fact, 'у тебя есть сестра' is the most logical conclusion.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsYes, in casual speech, especially if you follow it with a description like 'У меня сестра — врач'. But 'есть' is better for the first mention.
Because the preposition 'у' always takes the Genitive case. 'Меня' is the Genitive of 'я'.
You say 'У меня есть две сестры'. Note that 'сестра' changes to 'сестры'.
Almost never in speech. It sounds like a bad translation from English.
Add the adjective 'старшая': 'У меня есть старшая сестра'.
Use 'нет': 'У меня нет сестры'.
No, in the present tense, 'есть' stays the same for one sister or ten sisters.
It is neutral and can be used in any situation.
Change 'меня' to 'тебя' (informal) or 'вас' (formal): 'У тебя есть сестра?'
It's a cute, affectionate way to say 'sister', often used for younger sisters.
Expressions liées
У меня есть брат
similarI have a brother
У меня нет сестры
contrastI don't have a sister
У меня есть сестрёнка
specialized formI have a little/dear sister
У меня есть двоюродная сестра
specialized formI have a female cousin
