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Please forgive that this is in reverse order, but if you are looking for a particular word, just do a
search of the text to find it. Hope this helps some people. If you find something you believe to
be an error, I welcome all comments.
*Notice how the word не [not] is pronounced in this sentence as if it is connected to the next
word, в, to create something sounding like niv, as if it were all one word.
At 3 o'clock or at 4?
*Notice how the word или [or] sounds like it is connected to the following word, в, in this
sentence, to produce something sounding like illiv, as if it were all one word.
divyuht chas-sov
nine o'clock
восемь часов
Vosyem chas-sov
eight o'clock
пять
pee-yet
five
kah-torrry chahs
конечно нет
con-yesh-nah nyet
certainly not
of course not
конечно
con-yesh-nah
certainly
of course
три
thrrree
three
четыре часа
chye-tearrr-yeh chas-sah
four o'clock
часов
chas-sov
hours/o'clock
chas-sah
hours/o'clock
четыре
chye-tearrr-yeh
four
в один час
vah-din chas
at one o'clock
один
ah-din
one
В котором часу?
At what time/hour?
в sound at the beginning, but the narrator says it is there and means 'at'.
это хорошо.
etuh huh-rrrah-shaw
сo мной
sah-muh-noy
with me
вместе с вами
vmyist-tyuh svahm-me
с кем?
ssskyem
with whom?
вместе
vmyist-tyuh
together,
along with,
cooh-pete
в гостинице
vuh gah-steen-yit-suh
in the hotel
remember, the в at the beginning, and the е at the end are what mean 'in the'
или
illy
or
два
duh-vah
two
ресторан интурист.
rrris-tor-rrran in-tour-reast
Intourist Restaurant
Intourist is a large state-run agency serving the needs of foreign travelers in Russia.
пиво
pee-vuh
beer
вино
vee-no
wine
не хочу.
nee ha-chu
что
schto
what
Tuh-ver-skoy
(normally Тверцкая)
в ресторанe
vrrr-isterrrran-ye
in the restaurant
ресторан
rrr-isterrrran
Restaurant
пообедать
pie-be-yeah-duhht
to have lunch
С удовольствием.
sue-dah-volst-vee-yem
with pleasure.
На Пушкинской Улица
On Pushkin Street?
(Notice the ending of Pushkin Street changes when you say 'On Pushkin Street.' from Pushkin-
skaya)
На
On
Где у вас?
позже
po-zhuh
later
сейчас
see-chess
now
может бутъ
mo-zhut bweet
maybe
When addressing a foreigner, Russians will sometimes use whatever title applies in the person's
native language. For example, 'Mister' or 'sir'. An American may be addressed as either Mr. or
Mrs., but it's just as common for a Russian to use the Russian titles.
когда?
cog-dah
when?
Russians usually ask 'and you? ' when they don't know what the answer will be. When they
expect the person to agree with them. They ask 'you too?'
Я тоже
yeah toe-zhuh
me too
(I too)
у вас
ooh vos
at your place
у меня
ooh men-yah
at my place
literally: at me
ooh
At
Но без меня.
no biz men-yuh
Count me out.
не хочо пить.
пить
pete
to drink
поесть
puh-yest
to eat
кое-что
coy-schto
something
что-нибудь
schto-nee-boot
anything
Вы хотите
vih ha-t'itye
you want
Я хочу
yeh ha-chu
I want
In Russian, when you are giving a one or two word answer to a simple question, you can drop
the words for I and you. But you can keep these words when you want to give emphasis to
them.
(Я) не знаю
I don't know
(Я) знаю
yeh zny-you
I know
Вы знаете
vi zny-itcha
nee-chee-vo
never mind
там
tom
не здесь
n'izdis
not here
здесь
izdis
here
examples:
Красная Площадь
kross-naya plo-shut
red square
Площадь
plo-shut
city square
Где
guh-dia
"Where?" or "Where is..."
Скажите
skah-zheetye
Tell me
Улица
ooh-lets-suh
Street
улица
(just like how we use the first 2 letters of the word street.)
examples:
a and b
When you want to list things without making a comparison, you use И.
*****
Notice the different placement of 'a little' versus 'only a little' in the following two examples:
I speak a little.
*****
Я говорю
Yeah guhv-ar-you
I speak
Вы говорите
Voo/vih govahreetye
You speak
Да нет
guhv-vuh-ree-tcheh
Я понимаю,
не очень хорошо.
p | a | zha | a | l | oo | ooh-ih | s | t | a
Usually pronounced [pa-zhal-sta], without the уй (source: The New Penguin Russian Course)
please
you're welcome.
certainly.
А вы?
ah vwe
And you?
Я русский
yeh roo-skee
I am Russian. (male)
Я русская
yeah rrroo-skuh
I am Russian. (Female)
но
no
but
до свидания
d | o : s | v | ee | d | a | n | ee | ya
dahs vuh-don-yuh
хорошо
gutteral hah-rah-shaw
well;
Господин
guhs-pah-deen
Mister
Госпожа
guhs-pah-zyah
In business and social circles, you usually refer to a woman you don't know well as misses.
there isnt a separate word for miss, miss and mrs are the same because all these words were
banned and/or not used during communist times so some words didnt survive. but before 1917
and to a lesser extent up until 1950s the words "baryshnya" (bAhryshnia) and "sudarynya"
(soodAhrynia) were used which would be the equivalents to miss or young lady (you would still
hear them but they are used very rarely and usually by old people). in the 19th century upper
middle class and upper class would use french words monsieur for mister, mademoiselle for
miss and madame for mrs.
literally 'how are you living?', the equivalent of 'how are you?' in English
Добрый день
doe-bree dyen
Вы американец?
Vou uh-mare-ruh-kon-yitz
Вы американка?
Vou uh-mare-ruh-kon-kuh
Я немного понимаю.
I understand a little.
только
toll-kuh
(once again, the o at the end is unstressed and sounds like ah)
only
немного
nee-muh-no-guh
a little
извините
ease-vuh-nee-tye
excuse me
по-английски
pahn-glee-ski
in English
по-русски
pah roos-ski
in Russian
Вы понимаете
vou poon-yuh-my-itch-uh
you understand
(Я) понимаю
yeh poon-you-my-you
I understand
Да
dah
yes
нет
nyet
(nyet) = no
Не
nye
(nye) = not