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November 22, 2015

As you learn Russian, one of the most important things you will learn is how to ask for something you want. The aim of lesson 4 is to enable you to buy things when you are in Russia. With just a few phrases you should be able to manage in Russian bars or cafes. In this lesson we will not introduce any grammar concepts. The lesson will focus on helping you to learn some new basic Russian phrases.

Finding a cafe

After a busy day in Russia, you might be looking for somewhere to have a drink. You could ask people with the following phrases.

PlayСкажите, пожалуйста.... - Tell me please....

PlayСкажите, пожалуйста, где кафе? - Tell me please, where is a cafe?

PlayСкажите, пожалуйста, где бар? - Tell me please, where is a bar?

Russian does not use the articles "a" or "the", so the phrase "Где кафе?" means both "where is a cafe?" and "where is the cafe?". It will probably sound more natural to ask where the nearest café is.

Скажите, пожалуйста, где ближайшее кафе? - Tell me please, where is the nearest cafe?

On the Menu

If you were in a Russian bar or café, here are some words you might see on the menu:

PlayМеню - Menu

PlayКофе - Coffee

PlayЧай - Tea

PlayМолоко - Milk

PlayКока-Кола - Coca-Cola

PlayЛимонад - Lemonade

PlayСок - Juice

PlayБорщ - Russian beetroot soup

PlayСуп - Soup

PlayТорт - Cake

PlayВодка - Vodka

PlayПиво - Beer

PlayВино - Wine

PlayВода - Water

минералка с газом - Mineral water (with gas)

минералка без газа - Mineral water (without gas)

When you ask for water is a bar it's best to ask for mineral water (минералка). If you simply ask for water (вода), it will sound like you are asking for tap water, which is not normal in Russia. When you ask for mineral water you should specify if you want it still or sparkling (с газом/без газа).Be careful, when you order vodka in russia, you will generally get straight vodka.

Do you have...?

If you want to ask someone if they have something, you can use the following phrase. (Just learn the whole phrase, it is gramatically unusual).

PlayУ вас есть ....? - Do you have ....? (formal)

For example:

PlayУ вас есть кофе? - Do you have coffee?

PlayУ вас есть чай? - Do you have tea?

PlayУ вас есть водка? - Do you have vodka?


Please give me

When you decide what you will have you will need to order. Here are some Russian phrases you might need, or be asked:

PlayЧто? ("shto?") - What?

PlayЧто вы хотите? - What do you want?

PlayЯ хочу ... - I want...

PlayДайте, пожалуйста .... - Give me please...

PlayСколько стоит? - How much is it?.

Я буду - I will have...

Examples:

Я буду кофе с молоком и сахаром. - I will have coffee with milk and sugar.

Я буду чай. - I will have tea.

Я буду минералку без газа. - I will have mineral water (without gas).

PlayДайте, пожалуйста, чай. - Please give me tea.

PlayДайте, пожалуйста, кофе - Please give me coffee.

PlayДайте, пожалуйста, кофе с молоком - Please give me coffee with milk.

PlayДайте, пожалуйста, кофе с молоком и с сахаром - Please give me coffee with milk and sugar.


What is it?

Some short but useful Russian phrases to ask what things are...

Что это? - What is it?

Это кофе. - It is coffee.

Простите, это кофе. - Excuse me, is it coffee?

Нет, это чай. - No, it is tea.


How Much?

The word "Сколько?" means "how much?" or "how many" in Russian. You can use it to ask the price of something.

Сколько? - How much? / How many?

Сколько стоит? - How much does it cost?

двадцать один рубль - 21 rubles.


How do you say?

Another very useful phrase is "how do you say?". It will allow you to learn more Russian words by actually speaking Russian. Here are some useful phrases...

Как сказать "...." по-русски? - How do you say "...." in Russian?

Что значит "...." на английском? - What does "...." mean in English?


Where is the toilet...?

To finish up this lesson here is a Russian phrase to help you find out where a toilet is.

PlayСкажите, Пожалуйста , Где Туалет - Tell me please, where is the toilet?

The mens toilets are normally labeled with an "M".
The ladies toilets are normally labeled with a "Ж". 


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November 22, 2015

1. Read out-loud then translate the following Russian phrases:
Как дела?
Хорошо Спасибо.
Я говорю по-английски 
Я не понимаю
Здравствуйте
Нет
Да
Пожалуйста
Очень приятно


2. Translate the following phrases into Russian. Also practice saying them out-loud in Russian
Thank-You.
Hi (Informal).
What is your name?
My name is....
Nice to meet you.
Bad.
Do you speak Russian? 
I speak Russian
Please.
I understand. 


Answers
1. How's things?, Good thank-you, I speak English, I don't understand, Hello, No, Yes, Please, Nice to meet you.
2. Спасибо, Привет, Как вас зовут?, Меня зовут ..., Очень преятно, Плохо, Вы говорите по-русски?, Я говорю по-русски, Пожалуйста, Я понимаю. 

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November 22, 2015

Here is a summary of all the Russian words we covered in this lesson.

Спасибо   ("spa-see-ba")   -   Thank-You
Пожалуйста   ("pa-zhal-sta")   -   Please (and You're Welcome)

Да   ("da")   -   Yes
Нет   ("nyet")   -   No

Здравствуйте   ("zdra-stvooy-tye")   -   Hello (Formal)
Привет   ("pree-vyet")   -   Hi (Informal)

Меня зовут ...   ("min-ya za-voot")   -   My name is ...
Как вас зовут?   ("kak vas za-voot")   -   What is your name?
Очень приятно   ("och-en pree-yat-na")   -   Pleased to meet you.

Как дела?   -   How are things?
Хорошо   -   Good
Плохо   -   Bad

до свидания   ("da-svee-da-nee-ye")   -   Good-bye. 
Пока   ("pa-ka")   -   Bye (Informal, slang)

Вы   -   You (formal)
Я   -   I
говорите / говорю   -   To Speak
Не   -   Not
по-русски   -   (On/In) Russian
по-английски   -   (On/In) English

Вы говорите по-английски   -   Do you (formal) speak English?
Вы говорите по-русски   -   Do you (formal) speak Russian? 
Я говорю по-английски   -   I speak English
Я говорю по-русски   -   I speak Russian

Я понимаю   -   I understand
Я не понимаю   -   I don't understand

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November 22, 2015
Now that you understand the Russian letters and numbers, we will begin to learn some basic Russian phrases that you will commonly use as part of everyday communication. We will not attempt to introduce any grammar in this lesson. It is more important to learn some basic communication skills in Russian. Once you have a 'feel' for the language, you will find it easier to understand how the grammar works. When you were young, you learnt to speak before you learnt the grammar. We feel it is easier to learn Russian the same way, however don't worry, we will cover grammar in later lessons. In this lesson you will learn the Russian language basics.
When you are in Russia it is important to realise that Russians have two manners of speaking, formal or friendly. It would be considered slightly rude to use the wrong form in the wrong situation. Use the friendly (or familiar) form when you are speaking to someone you consider a friend. In situations where you have never met the person before you would use the formal form, for example in shops or with taxi drivers. You would also use the formal form as a sign of respect to teachers, or in places like business meetings. Keep this in mind as you work through these Russian lessons. This is much easier than it sounds, as there are only a couple of words that change. (Mainly the Russian word for "you".)

Please and Thank-You.

The two most important words you will learn in Russian are please and thank-you. You can just add these to any sentence to make it more polite.
PlayСпасибо ("spa-see-ba") - Thank-You
PlayПожалуйста ("pa-zhal-sta") - Please (and You're Welcome)
The word Пожалуйста is also used to mean "You're Welcome", after somebody says thank-you. You should always say this after someone thanks you. Пожалуйста is pronounced a little different than it is written, you can basically forget the "уй".

Yes and No.

Two other very important Russian words are "Yes" and "No".
PlayДа ("da") - Yes
PlayНет ("nyet") - No

Saying Hello.

When you are in Russia and you meet somebody, the first thing you will want to do is to say "hello". There are two forms of this word.
PlayЗдравствуйте ("zdra-stvooy-tye") - Hello (Formal)
PlayПривет ("pree-vyet") - Hi (Informal)
Здравствуйте may be a little difficult for you to pronounce at first, but it is the most common Russian greeting so you should try to practice it. Привет is also commonly used with friends. However, keep in mind that Привет is informal (much like "hi" in English), and should only be used with friends. If somebody says Привет to you, then it is normally safe to proceed in the friendly tone.

Introducing Yourself.

In order to introduce yourself, you may need the following phrases.
PlayМеня зовут ... ("men-ya za-voot") - My name is ...
PlayКак вас зовут? ("kak vas za-voot") - What is your name?
PlayОчень приятно ("och-en pree-yat-na") - Pleased to meet you.
Note: The above 3 phrases are gramatically unusual. You should just learn the whole phrase, not the individual words.

How are you?

The most natural way to ask someone how they are in Russian is to ask: "how are things?"
PlayКак дела? - How are things?
PlayХорошо спасибо - Good/Well thank-you
PlayПлохо - Bad

Saying Good-Bye.

There are also two words for saying good-bye.
PlayДо свидания ("da-svee-da-nee-ye") - Good-bye. (The до is pronounced as if it is part of the next word)
PlayПока ("pa-ka") - Bye (Informal, slang)
You should generally use до свидания, which is appropriate in formal or informal situations. You may also hear people say Пока, but we suggest you only use it with friends.

Asking about languages

When you are asking a yes/no question in Russian, there is no difference between the question and the statement, except for the question mark. When you are speaking Russian you should ask questions in a different tone. The tone of your voice should rise if you are asking a question. If you are making a statement your tone will naturally fall. You may find that you actually do this in English without meaning to. If all else fails, put a real questioning expression on your face.
PlayВы говорите по-английски? - Do you (formal) speak English?
PlayВы говорите по-русски? - Do you (formal) speak Russian?
PlayЯ говорю по-английски - I speak English
PlayЯ говорю по-русски - I speak Russian

PlayЯ понимаю - I understand
PlayЯ не понимаю - I don't understand
You may have noticed that the ending of the verb говорю (speak) changes depending on who the subject is. Don't worry too much about this yet. It will be covered in another lesson very soon. (lesson 5).

Conclusion

You have now reached the end of your first lesson that involves useful Russian phrases. After some practice you should be comfortable introducing yourself.

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