Learning Russian
Russian Lessons
If you are really serious about learning the language then it is worth finding yourself a good Russian teacher and having classes once a week or more. You may even want to take a one or two week intensive course to get you started when you arrive. Beginners should look for a teacher who knows English, while those of intermediate level or above will benefit more from classes held solely in Russian.
1. Moscow State University run very good Russian language programmes.
2. There are also a number of specialist language schools offering Russian classes, such as Language Link , LSI and RUSLANGUAGE .
Learning Russian is also a great way to meet new expats in a similar situation as you and to make Russian friends!
Mastering the Basics!
In the meantime, here is a short list of basic Russian words, phrases and numbers which will be useful to get you started. For those of you who have yet to master the Cyrillic alphabet we have included the phonetic pronunciation as well!
Greetings:
| Hello |
| Zdrastvooeetye |
| Hi! |
| Preevyet! |
| Good morning |
| Dobroye ootra |
| Good afternoon |
| Dobriy dyen |
| Good evening | Dobriy vyecher | |
| What's your name? |
| Kak vas zavoot? |
| I’m called... |
| Menya zavoot... |
| Where are you from? |
| Vy at'kooda? |
| How are you? |
| Kak dela? |
| OK, thanks! |
| Spaseeba, kharasho! |
| Not bad! |
| Nyeeplokha! |
Saying Thanks:
| Thank you! |
| Spaseeba! |
| Thank you very much |
| Spaseeba bal'shoye |
| Don ‘t mention it |
| Nyezashtoa |
| You're welcome |
| Pazhal’sta |
Apologies:
| Sorry |
| Eezveeneetye |
| Excuse me |
| Prasteetye |
| It’s nothing |
| Neechyevo |
| No harm done |
| Neechyevo strashnava |
Saying Goodbye:
| Goodbye |
| Da sveedaneeya |
| Bye! |
| Paka! |
| See you later! |
| Ooveedeemsya! |
Understanding…or not!
| Do you speak English? |
| Vygavareetyepaangleeskee? |
| I don’t speak Russian |
| Ya nye gavaryoo pa rooskee |
| I don’t speak Russian very well |
| Ya nye ochen kharasho gavaryoo pa rooskee |
| Could you speak more slowly please? |
| Gavareetye pazhalooysta myedlyenye |
| I do not understand | Ya nye paneemayoo | |
| I understand | Ya paneemayoo |
At a restaurant or cafe:
| Could I have the menu, please? | Daytye pazhal’sta menu | |
| Do you have an English menu? |
| Oo vas yest menu na angleeskum? |
| Please, can I have…? |
| Daytye mnye pazhal’sta |
| Bon appetit! |
| Preeyatnava apeteeta ! |
| Bring the bill, please |
| Schyot pazhal’sta |
Shopping:
| Do you have any...? |
| Yest lee oo vas…? |
| I'll take it | Ya vaz'moo eta | |
| Where's the cashdesk? |
| Gdye kassa? |
| How much is this? |
| Skol'ka eta stoeet? |
Useful words:
| Who? |
| Kto? |
| What? |
| Shto? |
| When? |
| Kagda? |
| Where? |
| Gdye? |
| Why? |
| Pachemoo? |
| How much? |
| Skol’ka? |
Numbers:
| Zero |
| Nol' |
| One |
| Adeen |
| Two |
| Dva |
| Three |
| Tree |
| Four |
| Cheteerye |
| Five |
| Pyat' |
| Six |
| Shest' |
| Seven |
| Syem' |
| Eight |
| Vosyem' |
| Nine |
| Deyvyat' |
| Ten |
| Dyesat' |
| Twenty |
| Dvadsat' |
| Thirty | Tridsat' | |
| Forty |
| Sorok |
| Fifty |
| Peet'dyesat |
| Sixty |
| Shest'dyesat |
| Seventy | Sem'dyesat | |
| Eighty |
| Vosem'dyesat |
| Ninety |
| Devyanosta |
| Hundred |
| Sto |
| Thousand |
| Tysyacha |
| Million |
| Miliyon |