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Main Contents

• Introduction
• Lesson 1
• Lesson 2
• Lesson 3
• Lesson 4
• Lesson 5
• Grammar
• Vocabulary
• Names
• Useful Words and Expressions
• Numbers
• Declensions
• Adjectives
• Conjugations
• Prepositions
• Verbal Aspect
• Interrogative Pronouns
• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns
• Appendix
• Alphabet
• Internet Resources

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Introduction

The Russian Wikibook is designed to present lesson material through intellectually conducive methods. The lessons are designed to give maximum immersion, and will only provide Cyrillic text. It might be frustrating initially, but learning the alphabet quickly is the first step to facilitating quicker progress.

The lessons aim to provide the student with a good knowledge of reading and writing. As with any language, to learn Russian it is best to find a language partner: a native speaker who is patient and willing to help correct your mistakes. A book can only take even the most self-motivated student so far. This book is highly integrated with Wiktionary and Wikipedia, giving a stronger foundation in vocabulary and culture. It is highly suggested to read the Wikipedia articles about Russia, Russian language, and Cyrillic alphabet.

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Alphabet >>

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Lesson 1

Lesson 1 — Как тебя зовут?

Dialogue

Саша: Привет! Меня зовут Саша. Как тебя зовут?

Катя: Привет, Саша. Меня зовут Катя. Как дела?

Саша: Хорошо. А у тебя?

Катя: Очень хорошо.

Саша: Я студент. А ты студентка?

Катя: Да, я студентка.

Саша: Ну, пока.

Translation (wait until the end of the lesson).

Hello!

Russian Vocabulary • Print version Привет! Hello!
English	Русский	Listen	Notes
Hello	здрáвствуйте	·
	здрáвствуй	·
Hi	привéт	·	X
Good morning!	дóброе ýтро
Good day!	дóбрый день
Good evening!	дóбрый вéчер
Good night!	спокóйной нóчи
See you later!	покá	·	X
Goodbye	до свидáния	·	O

• The first "в" in "здравствуйте" is silent.
• The adjective добрый means "kind".
• Привет can also be used as a farewell.

Formal and Informal

Russian distinguishes between formal and informal modes of address (register). Friends and family address each other using the informal register with the second person singular pronoun "ты" (you), while employees and students use the formal register with bosses and professors with the second person plural pronoun "вы" (you, referring to more than one person). In the vocabulary tables "Notes" column, the "X" denotes an exclusively informal term, and the "O" indicates an exclusively formal term.

Examples

—Доброе утро, студенты!

—До свидания, профессор.

—Катя, пока!

What's your name?

Russian Vocabulary • Print version Как тебя зовут? What is your name?
English	Русский	Notes
What is your name?	как тебя́ зову́т?	X
	как вас зову́т?	O
My name is..	меня́ зову́т..
Your name is..	тебя́ зову́т..	X
	вас зову́т..	O
Nice to meet you.	óчень прия́тно

• "Как тебя зовут?", the phrase used to ask someone's name, translates to "How do they call you?"
• "Очень приятно", means "very pleasant."

Examples

• Как тебя зовут?

  What is your name?

• Меня зовут Пётр.

  My name is Pyotr.

• Очень приятно.

  Nice to meet you.

Grammar

• It should now be obvious that тебя and вас are interchangeable, the former used in casual / familiar settings and the latter in formal settings; вас is also the plural form of "you". An example may be у вас есть хлеб? meaning, "do you have bread?" - being the plural and formal both.

• With the first phrase comes an interesting note. Because the function of words is mostly determined by declension, word order is mostly free. "Меня зовут Пётр" and "Пётр меня зовут" mean the same thing. "Mostly" is highlighted, however, because some combinations do not work, so avoid straying too far from the word order of the examples until later.

Go to the exercise.

Russian names

Russian names for people are composed of a given name, a patronymic, and a family name. The given name is a person's first name, and is usually chosen by the parents at birth. The patronymic is a derivation of the father's name, modified by gender. The family name is the name shared by the immediate family and passed down by the male descendants, but also modified by gender.

• Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Влади́мир Влади́мирович Пу́тин) is Russia's second president.
  • Vladimir is his given name.
  • Vladimirovich is his patronymic. His father was also named Vladimir. If he had a sister, her patronymic would be Vladimirovna (Владимировна).
  • Putin is his family name. His wife, Lyudmila Putina has the feminine version of the name, Putina.
• Maria Yuryevna Sharápova (Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова) is a famous tennis player.
  • Maria is her given name.
  • Yuryevna is her patronymic. Her father was named Yuri. If she had a brother, his patronymic would be Yuryevich (Юрьевич).
  • Sharapova is her family name. Her father's family name is Sharapov.

How are you?

Russian Vocabulary • Print version Как дела? How are you?
English	Русский	Listen	Notes
How are you?	Как дела́?
Well ("goodly")	хорошо́	·
Badly	пло́хо
Not badly	непло́хо
And you?	А у тебя́?		X
	А у вас?		O
Thank you	спаси́бо	·

• The three answers to "как дела" are adverbs.
• You can append "очень" (very) to the front of any adverb.

Example

• Иван: Привет, Юлия. Как дела?

  Hello, Yuliya. How are you?

• Юлия: Очень хорошо, спасибо. А у тебя, Иван?

  Very well, thanks. And you, Ivan?

• Иван: Неплохо. Пока!

  Not bad. See you later!

Go to the exercise.

Who is this?

Russian Vocabulary • Print version Кто это? Who is this?
English	Русский	Listen	Notes
I am..	Я..	·
You are..	Ты..		X
	Вы..		O
He is..	Он..		M
She is..	Она..		F
Student	студе́нт	·	M
	студе́нтка		F
Who is..	кто	·
This	э́то	·

Examples

• Сергей: Доброе утро, Наташа. Как дела?

  Good morning, Natasha. How are you?

• Наташа: Хорошо, спасибо. Кто это?

  Well, thanks. Who is this?

• Сергей: Это Иван. Он студент.

  This is Ivan. He is a student.

• Иван: Очень приятно. Вы студентка?

  Nice to meet you. Are you a student?

• Наташа: Да, я студентка.

  Yes, I am a student.

Grammar

• Russian lacks "to be" and articles: Russian lacks the existence verb "to be", and articles such as "a", "an", or "the." Simply following "я" (I, me) with a noun suffices to say "I am a.." However, when the subject is a noun (not a pronoun), an em dash (—) functions as the verb. The proper sentence to say "Ivan is a student" is "Иван — студент."
• Gender: The noun "студент" is the first instance of grammatical gender. "Студент" is used when the speaker is referring to himself or another male. "Студентка" is used when the speaker is referring to herself or another female.

Go to the exercise.

Summary

In this lesson, you have learned

• How to greet people (Привет, доброе утро).
• How to introduce yourself (Меня зовут Иван).
• How to introduce others (Это Сергей).
• How to say how you are (Хорошо, неплохо).

Finish the exercises and translate the introductory dialogue before moving on.

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Lesson 2 >>

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Lesson 2

Произно́шение Pronunciation

Russian letters do not always sound the same. The pronunciation depends on their position in the word and on the stress of the letter. Reduced О (when not stressed) sounds like А, as in the A in about. Reduced Е (when not stressed) sounds like И, as in the E in piglet. However, this reduction is not so strong as in the case of O. If you pronounce these letters without reducing them you will be understandable, but sound strange. Voiced consonants at the end of the word become unvoiced. Таз sounds like tas, взвод sounds like vzvot. The same thing happens if a voiced consonant is followed by an unvoiced one. For example, Под́скок sounds like patskók.

Диа́логи Dialogs

Comment: If you talk to one person and would like to make it respectful, use "Вы" and not "Tы". You need to use "вы" with a small first letter character only if you need to talk to more than one person. You can also listen (help·info) to the audio version of this dialog.

´Здравствуйте, я рад (´рада) Вас ´видеть!

Zdrastvuyti, ya rat (rada) Vas vidjet

Hello, I am glad to see you!

Note: ´рада(rada) is what a female speaker would say, while рад(rat) is what a male speaker would say. This means glad.

´Добрый день, и я ´тоже.

Dobry denj, i ya tozhi

Good afternoon, me too.

Меня' зовут' ´Джоан, а Вас?

Minya zavut Joanne, ah Vas?

My name is Joanne, and yours? (Literally, "[they] call me Joanne, and [how do they call] you").

´Очень прия́тно!

Ochin' priyatna

Pleased to meet you. (Literally, "[it is] very pleasant").

А меня' — ´Марья Сте́пановна, ´можно ´просто ´Маша.

A minya – Maryah Stipanavna, mozhna prosta Masha

And mine is Marya Stepanovna, one may call me just Masha. (Literally, "and [they call] me Marya Stepanovna, [one] may [call me] just Masha").

Спаси́бо, до ´встречи!

Spasiba, da fstrechi

Thank you, see you again! (Literally, "thank you, till another meeting").

До свида́ния.

Da svidanya

Good bye. (Literally, "till another seeing").

...

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Lesson 3 >>

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Lesson 3

Я студeнт.

This means "I am a student" in Russian.

• "Я" means "I".
• "студе́нт", as you may remember from Lesson 1, means "student".
• Russian does not distinguish "a student" from "the student"; that is, it does not use articles ("a", "an", "the"). So the above sentence could also be translated as "I am the student."
• Russian does not use the verb to be in the present tense. Instead, a dash separates the subject of the sentence from the predicate (but the dash is not put between a pronoun and a verb).

Examples

You	not	student.	("You are not a student.")
Ты	не	студeнт.

This	boy –	student.	("This boy is a student.")
Этот	мальчик –	студeнт.

Russian has eight personal pronouns altogether:

я (I)	мы (we)
ты (you, singular)	вы (you, plural)
он (he), она́ (she), оно́ (it)	они́ (they)

Verb conjugation, past tense

Past tense verbs are somewhat simpler. They conjugate with the gender (or number) of the pronoun. Thus, "I understood" changes depending on whether the speaker is a man or a woman. But the verb is the same for "he understood" or for "I understood," where the speaker is a man. "We understood" and "they understood" are the same.

To form a past tense verb, drop the ть and add л (pronounced "l") for masculine pronouns ("I," "you," "he"), ла (pronounced "la") for feminine pronouns ("I," "you," "she"), and ли (pronounced "lee") for plural pronouns (мы, они, "we," "they"). (Neuter subjects can't talk.)

Masculine pronoun	"л"	понимал ("understood," pronounced "poneemal")
Feminine pronoun	"ла"	понимала ("understood," pronounced "poneemala")
Neutral pronoun	"ло"	понимало ("understood," pronounced "poneemalå")
Plural pronoun	"ли"	понимали ("understood," pronounced "poneemalee")

Verb conjugation, future tense

Russian future tense is incredibly more complex in meaning than English future tense. Russian future tense also contains information pertaining to the aspect of the verb.

Imperfective Aspect

The simplest, and imperfective aspect of a verb can be attained by the use of the verb "быть." By placing the correct form of "быть," in front of a Russian infinitive, you can create a verb in imperfective future tense.

быть roughly means "will"

я буду	мы будем
ты будешь	вы будете
он/она́/оно́ будет	они́ будут

Can you decipher these?

• Я буду играть.
• Ты будешь говорить.

As an FYI, the imperfective aspect in Russian refers to a habitual action that we would not go out of our way to delineate. While "Я играю в игру" (I am playing the game) shows current action in a way not unlike English, "Я играла в игру" (I played-feminine the game) relates a habitual action to the playing of the game in the past. This is not unlike the imperfect past tense in French. English leaves this ambiguous. In Russian, the pronoun is often omitted in both the present and future tenses as it is clear from context. This is not the case in dealing with the past tense, as it has been already dealt with.

Prepositional case possessive pronouns

If the object possessed is masculine or neuter, use the following possessive pronouns: моём ("my"), твоём ("your" informal), нашем ("our'), вашем ("your" formal), чьём ("whose?"), этом ("this").

If the object possessed is feminine, use the following possessive pronouns: моей ("my"), твоей ("your" informal), нашей ("our'), вашей ("your" formal), чьей ("whose?"), этой ("this").

If the objects possessed are plural, use the following possessive pronouns: моих ("my"), твоих ("your" informal), наших ("our'), ваших ("your" formal), чьих ("whose?"), этих ("this").

Prepositional case question words

Some question words change in the prepositional case. Что ("what," pronounced "shto") changes to о чём (pronounced "o chyom"). Кто ("who," pronounced "kto") changes to о ком.

Conjunctions: "and," "yes but," and "but"

Let's do something simpler.

И (pronounced "ee") means "and."

А (pronounced "ah") means "yes, but."

Но (pronounced "no") means "but."

Reflexive verbs

In English we add "self" to a pronoun to indicate reflexive action. E.g., "I wash myself" is different from "I wash my dog." In Russian, reflexive action is in the verb, not in the pronoun. E.g., a Russian would say something like "I washself."

This reflexive action is indicated by the suffix ся added to the verb, if the verb ends in a consonant. But if the verb ends in a vowel you instead add сь. Note that the former adds a syllable but the latter doesn't!

The verb учиться means "study" (pronounced "oo-cheet-syah"). The verb conjugates:

я	"I"	учусь (pronounced "oochoos")
ты	"you" (informal)	учишься (pronounced "oocheesh-syah")
он/она	"he," "she"	учится (pronounced "oocheet-syah")
мы	"we"	учимся (pronounced "oocheem-syah")
вы	"you" (formal)	учитесь (pronounced "oocheetyes")
они	"they"	учатся (pronounced "oochat-syah")

Three words for "study"

Russia has three words that translate to "study." (You can imagine that Russians must study three times harder than English-speakers to learn language skills!)

Учиться (pronounced "oo-cheet-syah") usually refers to where you go to school, e.g., "I go to the University of Colorado." As a memory aid, picture that Russians students go to school to learn to cheat.

Изучать (pronounced "ee-zoo-chat") usually refers to the subject you study, e.g., "I study physics." As a memory aid, picture that the zoo is where you study subjects such as monkeys, elephants, etc.

заниматься (pronounced "zan-ee-mat-syah") usually refers to doing homework, e.g., "I'm studying at the library." As a memory aid, picture that your "zany mother makes you do your homework."

Two words for "also"

Russian has two words that translate to "also."

Тоже (pronounced "to-zheh") means that two people are doing the same thing (e.g., "I'm a student and my sister is also a student").

Также (pronounced "takzhe") means that one person does two different things (e.g., "I'm a student and I also work part-time").

As a memory aid, picture that Emperor Tojo of Japan is also the emperor of Russia. He has a reclusive brother Takzhe who only does things by himself.

Going on foot, by car, and going regularly

Russian has several verbs which mean "to go."

Идти (pronounced "eed-tee") means to go on foot. As a memory aid, think the conjugation он идёт ("he walks," pronounced "on eed-dyot") which sounds like "he's an idiot to walk (with the traffic so dangerous)."

Ехать (pronounced "yeh-hot") means to go by vehicle (car, bus, etc.). Note that conjugations are еду, едешь, едет, едем, едете, едут—none have the х!

Ходить (pronounced "hod-deet") means to go back and forth habitually on foot, e.g., "I go (walk) to school every day." As a memory aid, think of hod carriers going back and forth up and down ladders (a hod carrier carries mortar to a bricklayer).

Ездить (pronounced "yez-deet) means to go back and forth habitually by vehicle, e.g., "I go (drive or ride) to work every day."

Necessity and freedom

"I have to" translates to я должен (pronounced "dol-zhen," sort of like "dolphin")—if the subject is masculine! If the subject is feminine, it's должна. If the subject is neuter, it's должно. If the subject is plural, it's должны.

Remember that "have to" is an adverb, not a verb! Don't try to conjugate it as a verb.

The opposite of "have to" is freedom. E.g., "I'm free this evening" means there's nothing you have to do. The adjectives are свободен (masculine, pronounced "sva-bod-den"), свободна (feminine, pronounced "sva-bod-na"), свободно (neuter, pronounced "sva-bod-no"), and свободны (plural, pronounced "sva-bod-nih").

Note that вы ("you" formal, and "y'all") uses the plural forms, regardless of the gender of the person you're addressing.

Note that кто ("who") uses the masculine form, regardless of the gender of the person you're asking about

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Lesson 4 >>

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Lesson 4

Russian Mental Picture Dictionary

These memory aids aren't true! They're nonsense made up to help you remember the meanings of Russian words.

Russian word	Part of speech	English meaning	Pronunciation

А

А		Yes but…	Ah
Saying "Yes but" is Russians' favorite phrase so they put it first place in the alphabet.
Авиа	noun	Air	Aveea
Avia aerobics shoes have air soles.
Авиабилет	noun	Airplane ticket	Aveea beelyet
Автор	noun	Author	Avtor
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Актер	noun	Actor	Aktyehr
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Алфавит	noun	Alphabet	Alfaveet
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Америка	noun	America	Amyehreeka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Американец	noun	American man	Amyehreekanyets
American men are nuts.
Американка	noun	American woman	Amyehreekanka
When a Russian girl names Anya misbehaves, her mother calls her "Anka."
Англия	noun	England	Angleea
"East Anglia" is a county in England. Russians think the entire country is Anglia.
Английский	noun	English (language)	Angleeskee
English people use angled skis. That's why they're such bad skiers.
Англичанин	noun	Englishman	Angleechaneen
"Channing" is one of those names that only an Englishman would name his son. An eccentric English angler (fisherman) named his son "Angle Channing."
Англичанка	noun	Englishwoman	Angleechanka
Russians think that Englishwoman are angled and chunky—not too attractive!
Анкета	noun	Questionnaire	Ankyehta
Russian questionnaires come with an answer kit.

Б

Балерина	noun	Ballerina	Ballyehreena
A cognate (same word in Russian and English)
Банан	noun	Banana	Banan
Russians prefer shorter bananas.
Банджо	noun	Banjo	Bandzho
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
белый	adjective	White	Byehlee
Russia is always too cold to take off your shirt, so Russians have white bellies.
Билет	noun	Ticket	Beelyeht
A billet is a short letter or ticket ordering a private home to provide lodging and food to a soldier.
Бизнесмен	noun	Businessman	Beezneesmyehn
Бизнесменка	noun	Businesswoman	Beezneesmyehnka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Блузка	noun	Blouse	Bloozka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Ботинки	noun (plural)	Men's shoes	Boteenkee
Russian men remember their moms calling their cute little boots "booteenkees."
Брюки	noun (plural)	Pants	Bryoukee
Britches.

В

В, Во		In	Veh, Vo
"Во" is used for words beginning with two consonants if the first consonant is В or Ф.
Варежки	noun (plural)	Mittens	Varyehzhkee
Russian mittens make you sing far off key.
Вы	pronoun	You (formal or plural)	Vee
Ваша		Your (formal or plural, feminine)	Vasha
Ваша машина means "your car" is a washing machine. Think of a car with a washing machine where the engine should be.
Введение		Introduction	Vvehd dyehneeyeh
Don't confuse with До свидания (good-bye, dos veedaneeyah).
Велосипед	noun	Bicycle	Veloseepyehd
A cognate (same word in Russian and French).
Версия	noun	Version	Verseeyah
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Виза	noun	Visa	Veeza
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Волосы	noun	Hair	Volosih
Russians like big shiny hair, so they use shampoo that gives volume and polish.
Вот		Here, here is	Vot
To shove something in someone's face.
Всё		All, everything, that's all	Vsyo
That's all, the show's over.

Г

Галстук	noun	Necktie	Galstook
To impress gals, Russian men wear a tie and smoke a big stogie.
Газета	noun	Newspaper	Gazyehta
Don't confuse with журнал (magazine, zhoornal). A person who writes a newspapers and a person who writes a magazine are both a журналист (zhoornalist). In other words, "journalist" is a more prestigious job title because magazines are more prestigious, so newspaper writers want to be called "journalist" even though they should be called a "gazettist."
Где		Where	G'dyeh
Australians are always late. The Australian greeting "G'day" doesn't mean "Good day," it means "Where were you?"
Гитара	noun	Guitar	Geetara
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Голова	noun	Head	Gollova
In A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess changed this to "gulliver," as in Gulliver's Travels, as in "we kicked him in the gulliver." Think of a picture of Gulliver tied down by the Lilliputians, with the little people dancing around his head.
Голос	noun	Voice	Golloss
Russians have glossy voices. That's why they can make those sliding R's.
Город	noun	City	Gorod
Novgorod is a city between Moscow and St. Petersburg. It means "new city."
Грамматика	noun	Grammar	Grammateeka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Грязь	noun	Dirt	Gryahz
Grass grows in dirt.
Грязный	adjective	Dirty	Gryahznee
Don't confuse Грязный with Грузин (Georgian man, groozeen). Georgia (Грузия) is next to Chechnya. If you mistakenly ask a Georgian man if he is a Грязнец (gryahzyehts) you're asking if he's a dirty man, and might beat you up.

Д

Да		Yes	Da
Давайте		Let's	Davityeh
It's divine to do this together!
Декларация	noun	Declaration	Deklaratseeyah
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Для		For	Dlyah
Ask the dealer for anything you want.
Джинсы	noun	Jeans	Dzeensih
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Диалог	noun	Dialogue	Deealog
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Дипломат	noun	Diplomat	Deeplomat
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Доброе утро		Good morning	Dobroyeh otro
Добрый день		Good afternoon	Dobree dyehn
Добрый вечер		Good evening	Dobree vyehchyehr
"Dobra don" is Russian for "hello."
Note that "good morning" rhymes, ending in o's. The other "good's" end in "ee."
Документ	noun	Document	Dokoomyehnt
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Дом	noun	House	Dom
You know how Russian churches have onion domes? Russian houses have the same domes.
Дома	adverb	At home	Doma
До свидaния		Good-bye	Dos veedahneeyah
"Sweet on ya"
Драма	noun	Drama	Dramah
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Е

Есть	verb	To eat; is; there is, there are	Yehst
Russians eat yeast. That eat and is are homonyms suggests that "to be" and "to eat" are the same to a Russian. Or perhaps "you are what you eat"?
Ещё		Still; yet; else; also; more; another	Yehschyo
Ешё looks like "ewe." Picture a female sheep, standing still. Also picture another female sheep. And picture more female sheep—a whole flock of ewes.

Ж

Жаба	noun	Toad (Bufo sp.)	Zhaba
Жена	noun	Wife	Zhena
All Russian husbands call their wives "Jeanna."
Женщина	noun	Woman	Zhen sheen a
Russian women use hair color that gives them sheen. The brand they all use has a picture of a woman name Jenny on the package. Also note that жен and жить are the start of many words about women and living, so think of Old World gender roles where a woman's place was in the home.
Живой	adjective	Alive, lively, active	zhee voi
Picture a lively boy, who lives in cottage in the French countryside.
Жить	verb	Live (e.g. where you live)	Zheet
A cognate with the French word "gîte," pronounced "zheet," which is a country cottage you rent by the week. When asking where a Russian lives, picture that he or she rents a cottage in the French countryside. Remember that Жить conjugates by changing the т to в, then the next vowel is ё: я живу, ты живёшь, он/она живёт, мы живём, вы живёте, они живут.
Жук	noun	Bug, beetle	Zhook
Журнал	noun	Magazine	Zhoornal
Cognate with "journal." Don't confuse with Газета (newspaper).

З

Задание	noun	Task, assignment	Zadaneeyeh
"Is done yet?"
Запись	noun	Recording	Zapees
Russian audio equipment zaps users, so a Russians call stereos "zap pieces."
Здесь		Here	Zdyes
Russians are always at their desks, so “here” is always “the desk.”
Здравствуйте		Greetings (formal)	Zdrast vooy te
Russians greet each other by offering a draft beer. They say, "Draft beer to you," or just "Draft to yeh."
Здравствуй		Greetings (informal)	Zdrast voo
Informally you can just say "Draft voo."
Значит	particle	So, then	Znacheet
"So, didja cheat?"
Значить	v.impfv.	To mean, signify	Znacheet
"No, I didn't mean to cheat." "So" and "meaning" are homonyms.
зовут	noun	Name	Zovoot
All Russians have their names written on their boots by their moms, so they don't lose their boots. When you want to know a Russian's name you ask to see his or her boot. Actually it's not "zoboot," it's "zovoot." Some moms write their kids' names on their foot. So you could ask "What is your name written on your boot or foot?" but for short you slur "boot" and "foot" together and say "voot."
Зуб	noun	Tooth	Zoob

И

И		And	Ee
Игра	noun	Game, acting	Egra
Russians' favorite game is throwing eggs at each other. They also throw eggs at actors they like.
Имя	noun	First name	Eemyah
Eemyah is a famous Russian new age female vocalist who uses only her first name.
Институт	noun	Institute	Eennsteetoot
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Л

лесной	adjective	Forest	Lesnoy
Russians walk silently in forests. They make less noise than Americans.

С

(Russian chairs are Стул, stool)

Стол	noun	Table	Stol
Russian Share with each other' tables. Russian tables are Shared.
Скрипка	noun	Violin	Scripka
When Russians play violin it screeps or screeches.

Т

Твой		Your (informal)	Tvoy
Товарищ	n.	Comrade	Tovarishch

---

Lesson 5

Словарь (Vocabulary)

слова́рь - vocabulary; dictionary :

	словарь словарь
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

текст - text

э́то - this; this is / these are

он - he

Ва́ся Петро́в - Vasya Petrov (short for Васи́лий - Vasily)

ру́сский - Russian (male) (noun and adjective)

живёт - lives; жить to live

Москва́ - (Moskva) Moscow

ему́ - to him (dative case)

ему 12 (двенадцать) лет - he is 12 years old

лет - years (genitive plural); год - year

у́чится - (he, she) studies; учи́ться to study

шко́ла - school

в - in, at

в шко́ле - at school (prepositional case)

в шко́лу - to school (accusative case)

хоте́ть - to want, хо́чет - wants

стать - to become (+ instrumental case)

лётчик - pilot, flyer

хорошо́ - well

есть - is, have

па́па - dad, оте́ц - father

ма́ма - mum, мать - mother

ста́рший - elder, older

сестра́ - sister

мла́дший - younger

брат - brother

Ви́тя - Vitya (short for Ви́ктор - Victor)

Ле́на - Lena (short for Еле́на - Yelena)

их - their, theirs

дом - house

недалеко́ - not far, near

от - from

ходи́ть - to walk, to go, ходи́т - walks, goes

пешко́м - on foot

люби́ть - love, like, лю́бит - loves, likes

игра́ть - to play

футбо́л - football, soccer

ры́ба - fish

лови́ть ры́бу - to fish, (literally: to catch fish)

мно́го - many, much, a lot (of) (+ genitive)

друг - friend, друзья friends

ва́син (m), ва́сина (f) - Vasya's

программи́ст - programmer

рабо́́тать - to work, рабо́́тает - (he/she) works

большо́й - big; large

о́фис - office

иностра́нный - foreign

фи́рма - firm

учи́тель (m), учи́тельница (f) - teacher

учи́тельница англи́йского языка́ (genitive case) - English teacher (f)

англи́йский - English (adjective)

язы́к - language; tongue

сейча́с - now

университе́т - University

реши́ть (to decide)

реши́л (decided - male singular), реши́ла (decided - female singular), реши́ли (decided - plural)

журнали́ст (m), журнали́стка (f) - journalist

ещё - still

ма́ленький - little, small

но - but

о́чень - very

рисова́ть (to draw), рису́ет (he/she draws)

Текст (Text)

Э́то Ва́ся Петро́в. Он ру́сский. Он живёт в Москве́. Ему́ 12 лет. Он у́чится в шко́ле. Он хо́чет стать лётчиком. Он у́чится хорошо́. У Ва́си есть па́па и ма́ма, ста́ршая сестра́ Ле́на и мла́дший брат Ви́тя. Их дом недалеко́ от шко́лы и Ва́ся хо́дит в шко́лу пешко́м.

Ва́ся лю́бит игра́ть в футбо́л и лови́ть ры́бу. У Ва́си мно́го друзе́й.

Ва́син па́па - программи́ст. Он рабо́тает в большо́м о́фисе иностра́нной фи́рмы. Ва́сина ма́ма - учи́тельница англи́йского языка́ в шко́ле.

Ле́на сейча́с у́чится в университе́те. Она́ реши́ла стать журнали́сткой.

Ви́тя ещё ма́ленький, но он о́чень хорошо́ рису́ет.

Counting years:

1 год (nominative), 2 года, 3 года 4 года (genitive singular)

5 лет, 6 лет ... 20 лет (genitive plural)

21 года, 22 года, 23 года 24 года

25 лет, 26 лет ... 30 лет (genitive plural)

...

Saying: I have, you have, etc.

У меня есть...

У тебя есть...

У него есть...

У неё есть...

У нас есть...

У вас есть...

У них есть...