Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Russian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Моя фамилия Петрова.
Why doesn't фамилия mean 'family'?
Фамилия is what language learners call a 'false friend'—a word that sounds like an English word but means something different. It specifically means 'surname' or 'last name'. The actual Russian word for 'family' is семья.
Why is it Моя and not Мой?
Моя is the feminine form of 'my'. You must use it here because the word it describes, фамилия, is a feminine noun (which you can usually tell because it ends in -я). If you were talking about a masculine noun, you would use Мой.
Why does the surname end in an 'a' (Петрова)?
In Russian, most surnames change to match the gender of the person. Because this surname belongs to a woman, it takes the feminine ending -а to become Петрова. If it were a man's surname, it would be Петров.
Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb 'to be' (like 'am', 'is', or 'are') is almost always skipped. You just put the subject and the fact right next to each other. Literally, this sentence just says 'My surname Petrova'.