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Russian Phrases For Dummies
Published:
September 4, 2007
Overview
Traveling in a foreign country such as Russia suddenly becomes a lot more exciting when you can engage in elegant small talk with the locals. Russian Phrases For Dummies is your handy guide to everyday words and phrases you can start using immediately to make your visit more rewarding and a whole lot easier.
This user-friendly phrasebook will jump-start your comprehension and have you speaking basic Russian in no time. Its quick-and-easy approach gives you language fundamentals up front, the Words to Know section helps you find the right word fast, and the easy-to-use pronunciation key helps other people understand what you're trying to say. You'll learn how to:
- Get directions, shop, and eat out
- Talk numbers, dates, and time
- Chat
about family and work
Don't have time to study the language before you get to Russia? No worries. Just flip through Russian Phrases For Dummies, find the section that fits your needs, and start talking!
About The Author
Andrew Kaufman, PhD, is a published scholar and an award-winning teacher of Russian language, literature, and culture at some of the country's top universities.
Serafima Gettys, PhD, is a Coordinator of the Foreign Language Program at Lewis University, where she also teaches Russian.
Articles From The Book
3 results
Russian
Articles
When making plans, appointments, and travel arrangements in Russian-speaking countries, you need to be able to state dates and other calendar terms in Russian. Understanding the days of the week and the months of the year in Russian can help you to avoid confusion.
Days of the week
To ask what day of the week it is, says Kakoj syegodnya dyen'?
Russian
Articles
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.
Russian
Articles
Every culture has a way of taking familiar words and turning them into something else. Russia is no exception. These uniquely Russian expressions don't translate literally to English and aren't essential to everyday conversation, but recognizing these expressions in speech and using them with ease can make you sound like a real Russian!
Russian
Articles
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.
Russian
Articles
How do you ask basic questions in Russian? Well, Russian interrogative words mean the same as they do for English: who, what, when, where, why, and how. By knowing basic Russian interrogatives, you'll be able to express your questions, even without an extensive vocabulary.
Kogo? (kah-VOH) (Whom?)
chto (shtoh) (What?
Russian
Articles
When traveling, most emergencies are medical — whether you're in a Russian-speaking country or not. Know how to ask for medical help in Russian before you have an actual emergency.
The simplest way to ask for assistance is to say Pomogitye! (puh-mah-GEE-tee), which means Help! You can also use the phrases:
Izvinitye, mnye nuzhna pomosh'!
Russian
Articles
Exploring Russian-speaking countries can be quite an adventure, but if you want to be sure to see everything on your list, you need to know how to ask for directions and how to understand the directions you are given. After all, if you don't understand what you're told, you might miss the very things you hoped to see.
Russian
Articles
Using Russian for numbers and counting can be tricky if you need to work extensively with numbers, such as in mathematics and accounting. Each Russian number has six forms depending on how it's used! The good news is that most of the time, you'll only need to use the nominative case.
Cases are sets of endings that words take to indicate their function and relationship to other words in the sentence.
Russian
Articles
Making small talk in Russian is just the same as in English. Touch on familiar topics like jobs, sports, children — just say it in Russian! Small talk describes the brief conversations that you have with people you don't know well. Small talk is where relationships begin.
Small talk generally consists of greetings and introductions and descriptions of personal information and interests.
Russian
Articles
Russians are famous for their bountiful cuisine. Whether you're on a short visit or planning to live there, knowing how to talk about Russian food is essential. Eating out at Russian restaurants and cafes can be a lot of fun, especially if you know some basic restaurants vocabulary.
Rasschitajtye (ruh-shee-tahy-t'eh) [m] (check)
platit' (pluh-teet'; to pay) (to pay)
myenyu (mee-n'u; menu)
ofitsiant (uh-fee-tsih-ahnt; waiter) or ofitsiantka (uh-fee-tsih-ahnt-kuh; waitress)
myetrdotyel' (mehtr-dah-tehl; maitre d')
kryeditnyye kartochki (kree-deet-nih-eh kahr-tuhch-kee) credit card
Choosing the right place
You can find lots of different places to eat out, Russian-style, depending on your mood and budget.
Russian
Articles
To get the most out of your vryemya (VR'EH-m'uh) (time) in a Russian-speaking country, know how to state and ask for time and specify times of the day. In Russian, there are many different ways to talk about time depending on how it is used.
The time of day can be described in general terms or specific times. You can use the following words to describe the general time of day.
Russian
Articles
Traveling is expensive, so it's crucial to have a good understanding of Russian phrases for money and banking. While in a Russian -speaking country, the best way to ensure that you get the most for your money is to be familiar with these common financial terms.
Exchanging money
Each country has a different monetary system.
Russian
Articles
Traveling in Russian-speaking countries can be confusing if you can't read the signs or understand the instructions you're given. Learning a few useful travel-related words and phrases in Russian before you begin traveling can save you time and reduce your frustration level.
Here are a few general travel-related terms that everyone should know before making the big trip.
Russian
Articles
Develop a Russian shopping vocabulary to gain a new cultural experience when traveling. Whether you're shopping for clothes, food, or souvenirs, you can use the following phrases in any Russian speaking country to help you find just the right thing.
The following words can be used in a variety of shopping situations.