Russian common gender nouns

As we mentioned in the previous post, common gender nouns are masculine if they refer to males, or feminine if they refer to females. They are always animate nouns that end in -а/-я. These words often describe the qualities of people, particularly negative ones.

• непоседа = fidget
• плакса = crybaby
• обжора = glutton
• жадина = miser
• ябеда = complainer, tattletale
• тихоня = introvert, demure
  
• зануда = nerd, bore
• пьяница = drunkard
• соня = sleepyhead
• умница = smart boy/girl

Attention! All of the above words carry strong emotional connotations and should be used with caution (some may even sound childish).

The words ‘сирота‘ (orphan) and ‘коллега‘ (colleague) are exceptions, as they do not describe a person’s character, and their meanings do not involve evaluation or judgment.

Remember that adjectives and pronouns used with common gender nouns may be masculine or feminine, depending on the gender of the person being described.

• Мой начальник – ужасный зануда! = My boss is a terrible bore!
• Маша, ты моя умница! = Masha, you are my clever girl!