WELCOME - ДОБРО ПОЖАЛОВАТЬ (dobro pozhalovat')
RUSSIAN RESOURCES
RUSSIAN RESOURCES
Please, watch Awesome Video Lesson: The Travel Linguist - Russian 101
INTRODUCTION
Usefulness: Most Russians don't except you to speak their language, but "gifted" as they might be other languages, speaking Russian will help you greatly if you travel in Russia or through ex Soviet countries.
Speakers: At least about 170 millions speak Russian as their mother tongue, and a further 120 millions use it as a communication language.
Countries: Most of the ex-soviet union countries use Russian as a communication language or at least understand it.
Travel: You can travel in dozens of countries with Russian, be it sea or snow that you're looking for. Siberia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, etc...
Culture: A wealth of books and movies wait for you, and many are accessible from the internet or at local shops if you live close to a Russian expatriate destination.
10 Reasons to learn Russian
1. It's easier than it looks like.
2. You can talk to about 170 million people in the biggest country of the world
3. You can travel in dozens of ex-soviet countries where it's the vernacular language.
4. It's spoken from Vladivostok to Jerusalem.
5. A must for arms dealers.
6. The best language known to man for giving orders.
7. Ideal for the nostalgic.
8. Huge material to read or listen to on the internet.
9. Incredible literature and cinema.
10. It's the royal way to Polish, Serb, Bulgarian, Ukrainian and the other Slavic languages.
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Why Learn The Alphabet?
The Russian alphabet is derived from the Cyrillic alphabet (pronounced si-'ri-lik). In turn, the Cyrillic alphabet was developed at the Preslav Literary School in the First Bulgarian Empire in the 9th century. It was later formalized by a Greek monk St. Cyril. The contemporary Russian alphabet consists of 33 letters, some of which were borrowed from Greek and Hebrew.
Probably the easiest thing you can do to make a visit to Russia more pleasant is to learn the alphabet. You'll feel much more comfortable if you can read street signs and advertisements; you won't have that absoutely helpless feeling that comes with being illiterate.
Russian is a very phonetic language, which means that, in general, things are pronounced exactly as written.
Group 1: Same look and sound as in English
There are six Russian letters that match their English counterparts by both pronunciation and form -- A, E, K, M, O and T.
А а sounds like "a" in after, ask. In pronouncing this sound, the mouth is open a bit wider as compared to English
Е е sounds either like "ye" in yes or like "e" as in ebony . It is pronounced with preceding y in the beginning of a word or after a vowel.
К к sounds like "k" in kite, making, like. Try to avoid the puff of air after the sound typical for the English language.
М м sounds like "m" in mobile, dome.
О о sounds like "au" in audible, Auckland. Try protruding and rounding your lips a bit more than you do in English.
In unstressed positions, this letter sounds like "u" in under, but more lax.
Т т sounds like "t" in task, tardy. The tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, as opposed the upper gum ridge in English.
Group 2: Sound-alike but different look
There are sixteen Russian letters that do not exist in English but have familiar pronunciation. The include Б, Г, Д, ё, Ж, П, Ф, И, й, Л, Ц, Ш, Щ, Э, Ю and Я.
Б б sounds like "b" in buy, blue. Try to avoid a puff of air after the sound typical in the English language.
Г г sounds like "g" in get, guard.
Д д sounds like d in double, did. In pronouncing this letter, the tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth.
Ё ё sounds like "yo" in York or like "o" in copy, obvious depending on the position in a word.
Ж ж sounds like "s" in usual, pleasure.
П п sounds like "p" in compassion. Try to avoid a puff of unvoiced air after the sound as typical for the English language.
Ф ф sounds like "f" in fasten, fact.
И и sounds like "ee" in free, meet.
Й й sounds like "y" in oyster, soy.
Л л sounds like "l" in lock, chill.
Ц ц sounds like "ts" in that’s.
Ш ш sounds like "sh" in ship, crush but with the tongue farther back in the mouth
Щ щ sounds like "shsh" in rush-ship. When pronouncing it, try to place your tongue higher and more forward in the mouth than in English.
Э э sounds like "e" in ebony, edit. When pronouncing this sound, try opening the mouth a bit wider than you do in English.
Ю ю sounds like the word "you" but faster. In some cases it sounds like "oo" in oodles
Я я sounds like "yu" in yummy. In some cases it sounds like "a" in after, ask.
Group 3: Look-alike but different sound
The following eight Russian letters look like their English counterparts (or even digits) but have different pronunciation--В, З, Н, Р, С, У, Ч, Х.
В в sounds like "v" in voice, visit
З з sounds like "z" in zodiac. This letter might look like the number three (3) but it only conveys a sound and has nothing to do with digits.
Н н sounds like "n" in noon, nose. Like with the Russian letter T, the tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth when pronouncing this letter.
Р р sounds like "r" in "rest" but rolled.
С с sounds like "s" in sun, sale. Unlike in English, the tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth.
У у sounds like "oo" in oodles. This sound is pronounced shorter than in English, with lips more rounded and protruded.
Ч ч sounds like "ch" in church, cheek. Do not confuse this letter with the number four (4).
Х х sounds like "ch" in loch when pronounced in Scottish manner. It remotely reminds "h" in hoopla.
Group 4: New look and sound (or no sound)
The last group includes letters that do not exist in English and either represent unfamiliar sounds or have no sound value (Ы, Ъ, Ь).
-- Ы ы No English equivalent. To produce "Ы" sound, notice the positions of the tongue when pronouncing English sounds i as in kit and u as in sugar. Then place your tongue in between and emit a voiced sound.
-- Ь This letter is called the “soft sign” and has no sound value. It is used to modify the pronunciation of the preceding consonant by making it soft (palatalized). A consonant becomes soft when it is pronounced with the middle of the tongue raised towards the roof of the mouth.
-- Ъ The “hard sign” has no sound value. It occurs only between a consonant and a vowel as in the word "въезд" (entry). It is used to show that the consonant should not be palatalized and that the consequent vowel is preceded by the the "y" sound as in yes.
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Basic Phrases
ENGLISH RUSSIAN PRONOUNCED
yes Да da
no Нет net
hi Привет pri`vet
hello Здравствуйте zd`rravstvuite
bye Пока po`ka
goodbye До свидания dosvi`daniya
good morning доброе утро 'dobroye 'ootro
good afternoon добрый день 'dobry 'den'
good evening добрый вечер 'dobry 'vecher
good night спокойной ночи spo'koinoi 'nochi
I don't understand Я не понимаю ya ne poni`mayu
do you understand? вы понимаете? vy poni'maete?
please, write this напишите, пожалуйста napi'shite po'zhaluista
excuse me Извините izvi`nite
sorry Простите pros`tite
please Пожалуйста po`zhaluista
thank you Спасибо spa`sibo
no, thank you Нет, спасибо net, spa`sibo
what Что ch`to
this Это ` eto
what's this? Что это? ch`to `eto?
i don't speak russian Я не говорю по-русски ya ne govo'ryu po russki
do you speak English? Вы говорите по-английски? vy govo'rite po ang'liiski?
I'm from England Я из Англии ya iz 'anglii
I'm from America Я из Америки ya iz a'meriki I'm studying Я учусь ya u'chus
I work Я работаю ya ra'botayu
and where are you from? А вы откуда? a vy ot'kuda ?
I'm 21 years old Мне двадцать один mne dvadtsat odin god
I don't hear it well Мне плохо слышно mne p'lokho s'lyshno
please, repeat Повторите, пожалуйста povto'rite po'zhaluista
I feel bad (health) мне плохо mne ploho
I don't feel good (health) я себя нехорошо чувствую ya sebya nekhorosho chuvstvuyu
please, help помогите, пожалуйста pomogite pozhaluista
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GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS IN RUSSIAN
Properly greeting people and making introductions in Russian can help you get off to the right start. After all, first impressions are important — they can start a friendship or set the tone for your interaction with someone.
The Russian language is more formal than American English. Likewise, introductions in Russian follow more of a pattern than they sometimes do in the United States. There is a right way to greet people and a wrong way. In fact, if you botch your greeting, you may get a funny look or even offend the person you're addressing.
Start with a greeting
To greet a person you know well, say zdravstvuj (ZDRAH-stvooy) (hello) or privyet! (pree-V'EHT) (Hi!). To greet people you don't know well (or a group of people), say zdravstvujtye (ZDRAH-stvooy-t'eh) (hello).
Note that the first letter v in zdravstvujtye is silent. Otherwise, it would be hard even for Russians to pronounce!
Here are some other ways to greet people, depending on what time of day it is:
• Dobroye utro! (DOHB-ruh-eh OO-truh!) (Good morning!)
• Dobryj dyen'! (DOHB-rihy d'ehn'!) (Good afternoon!)
• Dobryj vyechyer! (DOHB–rihy V'EH-ch'ehr!) (Good evening!)
Making introductions
Making a good first impression is important for the beginning of any relationship. In English, introducing yourself is the best way to start a conversation with somebody you don't know. Not so in Russian. Russians like to begin with first suggesting to get acquainted. They have two ways to say this:
• Davajtye poznakomimsya! (duh-vahy-t'eh puhz-nuh- koh-meem-suh!) (Let's get acquainted! [formal/plural])
• Davaj poznakomimsya! (duh-vahy puhz-nuh koh-meem-suh!) (Let's get acquainted! [informal])
If somebody says one of these phrases to you, you should politely accept the suggestion by saying:
• Davajtye! (duh-vahy-t'eh!) (Okay! [literally: Let's!] [formal/plural])
• Davaj! (duh-vahy!) (Okay! [literally: Let's!] [informal])
Once you've agreed to become acquainted, it's time to exchange names. The following phrases will help keep the introductions rolling.
• Myenya zovut . . . (Mee-N'AH zah-VOOT . . .) (My name is . . .).
• Kak vas zovut? (kahk vahz zah-VOOT?) (“What is your name?”) (literally: What do they call you? [formal])
• Kak tyebya zovut? (kahk tee-B'AH zah-VOOT?) (“What is your name?”) (literally: What do they call you? [informal]).
• Eto moj znakomyj (EH-tuh mohy znuh-KOH-mihy) (This is my acquaintance [m])
• Eto moya znakomaya (EH-tuh mah-YA znuh-KOH-muh-yuh) (This is my acquaintance [f])
After you're introduced to someone, you may want to say, “Nice to meet you” which is ochyen' priyatno (OH-cheen' pree-YAT-nuh) (literally: very pleasant) in Russian. The person you've been introduced to may then reply mnye tozhye (mnye TOH-zheh) (same here).
How are you?
Greetings and introductions are usually accompanied by a "How are you?" The most common ways to ask how someone is doing are:
• Kak dyela? (kahk dee-LAH?) (How are you? [informal])
• Kak vy pozhivayetye? (kahk vih puh-zhih-VAH-eh-t'eh?) (How are you? [formal])
As you'd expect, when someone asks you how you're doing, there are many possible responses.
• Khorosho (khuh-rah-shoh) (good)
• Normal'no (nahr-mahl'-nuh) (normal or okay)
• Nichyego (nee-chee-voh) (so-so [literally: nothing])
• Nyeplokho (nee-ploh-khuh) (not bad)
The common response for this is to ask the person how he or she's doing. Simply say A u vas? (ah oo vahs?) (And you? [formal]) or A u tyebya? (ah oo tee-B'AH?) (And you?)
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COMMON CONVERSATIONAL WORDS AND PHRASES IN RUSSIAN
By mastering the basics of polite conversation in Russian, you put yourself and the person you're talking to at ease. Everyone should learn essential Russian conversational words and phrases before traveling to a Russian -speaking country. These words and expressions are sure to come up in most everyday conversations.
Basic courtesies
Being polite is just as important in Russian-speaking countries as they are in the United States. The following words and phrases cover most of the pleasantries required for polite conversation. After all, learning to say the expressions of common courtesy in Russian before traveling is just good manners.
da! (dah) (yes)
nyet! (n’eht) (no)
Da, pozhalujsta (dah, pah-ZHAH-luh-stuh) (Yes, please.)
pozhalujsta (pah-ZHAH-luh-stuh) (please)
Spasibo (spuh-SEE-buh) (thank you)
Bol’shoye spasibo. (bahl’-SHOH-eh spuh-SEE-buh) (Thank you very much.)
Personal pronouns
Once you've mastered the common pleasantries, the next important thing to learn is how to refer to people using personal pronouns. In Russian, you'll use slightly different variations of the pronoun you depending on the number of people you are referring to and how well you know them.
ya (ya) (I)
on (ohn) (he)
ona (ah-nah) (she)
my (mih) (we)
oni (ah-nee) (they)
ty (tih) (you [informal singular])
vy (vih) (you [formal singular and plural])
Nouns and gender
So what about it? In English, inanimate objects are usually referred to with the pronoun it, but in Russian, an inanimate object is always referred to with the pronoun corresponding to its grammatical gender.
• on (ohn), if the noun it refers to is masculine
• ona (ah-NAH), if the noun it refers to is feminine
• ono (ah-NOH), if the noun it refers to is neuter
• oni (ah-NEE), if the noun it refers to is plural
Phrases for travelers
There are some phrases that are particularly helpful to international travelers. Below are several phrases that might be particularly helpful during your stay in a Russian-speaking country.
• Izvinitye, ya nye ponyal. (eez-vee-NEE-t’eh ya nee POHH-n’uhl) (Sorry, I didn’t understand. [m])
• Izvinitye, ya nye ponyala. (eez-vee-NEE-t’eh ya nee puh-nee-LAH))Sorry, I didn’t understand. [f])
• Izvinitye, ya plokho ponimayu po-russki. (eez-vee-NEE-t’eh ya PLOH-khuh puh-nee-MAH-yu pah-ROOS-kee) (Sorry, I don’t understand Russian very well.)
• Govoritye, pozhalujsta, myedlyennyeye! (guh-vah-REE-t’eh pah-ZHAHL-stuh M’EHD-lee-nee-eh!) (Speak more slowly, please!)
• Kak vy skazali? (kahk vih skuh-ZAH-lee?) (What did you say?)
• Povtoritye, pozhalujsta. (puhf-tah-ree-t’eh pah-ZHAH-luh-stuh) (Could you please repeat that?)
• Vy govoritye po-anglijski? (vih guh-vah-REE-t’eh puh uhn-GLEEY-skee?) (Do you speak English?)
