Kaufman A., Gettys S., Wieda N. - Russian For Dummies / Русский для чайников [2006, PDF, ENG]

Contents at a Glance

Introduction .................................................................1

Part I: Getting Started ..................................................7

Chapter 1: You Already Know a Little Russian ...............................................................9
Chapter 2: The Nitty Gritty: Basic Russian Grammar and Numbers .........................31
Chapter 3: Zdravstvujtye! Privyet! Greetings and Introductions................................67

Part II: Russian in Action............................................79

Chapter 4: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk....................................................81
Chapter 5: Making a Fuss about Food............................................................................97
Chapter 6: Shopping Made Easy...................................................................................119
Chapter 7: Going Out on the Town, Russian-Style .....................................................141
Chapter 8: Enjoying Yourself: Recreation and Sports................................................163
Chapter 9: Talking on the Phone and Sending Mail ...................................................181
Chapter 10: Around the House and at the Office .......................................................195

Part III: Russian on the Go ........................................211

Chapter 11: Planning a Trip...........................................................................................213
Chapter 12: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, and More .............................................227
Chapter 13: Staying at a Hotel.......................................................................................245
Chapter 14: Money, Money, Money ..............................................................................259
Chapter 15: Where Is Red Square? Asking Directions................................................271
Chapter 16: Handling Emergencies ..............................................................................285

Part IV: The Part of Tens ...........................................303

Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Pick Up Russian Quickly.....................................................305
Chapter 18: Ten Favorite Russian Expressions ..........................................................309
Chapter 19: Ten Russian Holidays to Remember .......................................................313
Chapter 20: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Russian..........................................317
Chapter 21: Ten Things Never to Say or Do in Russia ...............................................321

Part V: Appendixes ...................................................325

Appendix A: Verb Tables ...............................................................................................327
Appendix B: Mini-Dictionary.........................................................................................331
Appendix C: Answer Key ...............................................................................................343
Appendix D: On the CD..................................................................................................349

Index .......................................................................351

Table of Contents

Introduction..................................................................1
About This Book...............................................................................................1
Conventions Used in This Book .....................................................................2
Foolish Assumptions .......................................................................................3
How This Book Is Organized...........................................................................3
Icons Used in This Book..................................................................................4
Where to Go from Here....................................................................................5

Part I: Getting Started...................................................7

Chapter 1: You Already Know a Little Russian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Scoping Out Similarities between English and Russian ..............................9
Identifying Russian words in English.................................................10
Recognizing English words in Russian ..............................................11
Watching out for words that may seem similar but aren’t..............13
Looking at the Russian Alphabet (It’s Easier than You Think).................15
From A to Ya: Making sense of Cyrillic ..............................................15
I know you! Familiar-looking, same-sounding letters.......................18
Playing tricks: Familiar-looking, different-sounding letters ............18
How bizarre: Weird-looking letters.....................................................19
Sounding Like a Real Russian with Proper Pronunciation........................20
Understanding the one-letter-one-sound principle..........................20
Giving voice to vowels.........................................................................20
Enunciating consonants correctly .....................................................23
Surveying sticky sounds......................................................................24
Using Popular Expressions ...........................................................................26
Speaking courteously...........................................................................27
Excusing yourself .................................................................................27
Arming yourself with other handy phrases ......................................27
Reading Russian with Ease ...........................................................................28

Chapter 2: The Nitty Gritty: Basic Russian Grammar and Numbers . . . .31

Making the Russian Cases.............................................................................32
Nominative case ...................................................................................32
Genitive case.........................................................................................32
Accusative case ....................................................................................33
Dative case ............................................................................................33
Instrumental case.................................................................................34
Prepositional case ................................................................................34
Building Your Grammar Base with Nouns and Pronouns .........................34
Getting the lowdown on the gender of nouns ..................................35
Checking out cases for nouns.............................................................36
Putting plurals into their cases ..........................................................38
Picking out pronouns...........................................................................42
Decorating Your Speech with Adjectives....................................................46
Always consenting: Adjective-noun agreement................................47
A lot in common: Putting adjectives into other cases.....................49
Nowhere to be found: The lack of articles in Russian .....................50
Adding Action with Verbs .............................................................................50
Spotting infinitives ...............................................................................50
Living in the present tense..................................................................51
Talking about the past tense...............................................................52
Planning for the future tense ..............................................................55
Using the unusual verb byt’ (to be) ...................................................56
Providing Extra Details with Adverbs .........................................................57
Describing how.....................................................................................57
Describing when and how often.........................................................57
Constructing Sentences Like a Pro ..............................................................58
Enjoying the freedom of word order..................................................58
Selecting the noun (or pronoun) and adjective ...............................58
Choosing the verb ................................................................................59
Connecting with conjunctions............................................................59
Forming questions................................................................................59
Counting in Russian .......................................................................................60
Numbers 0–9 .........................................................................................60
Numbers 10–19 .....................................................................................62
Numbers 20–99 .....................................................................................62
Numbers 100–999 .................................................................................63
Numbers 1,000–1,000,000 ....................................................................64
Ordinal numbers...................................................................................65

Chapter 3: Zdravstvujtye! Privyet! Greetings and Introductions . . . .67

To Whom Am I Speaking? Being Informal or Formal .................................67
Comings and Goings: Saying Hello and Goodbye ......................................69
Saying hello to different people..........................................................69
Greeting folks at any time of day........................................................69
Handling “How are you?”.....................................................................70
Taking your leave .................................................................................71
Not So Simple: Deciphering Russian Names...............................................72
Break the Ice: Making Introductions............................................................74
Getting acquainted...............................................................................74
Asking for people’s names and introducing yourself ......................75
Introducing your friends, colleagues, and family.............................75

Part II: Russian in Action ............................................79

Chapter 4: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Let Me Tell You Something: Talking about Yourself...................................82
Stating where you’re from...................................................................82
Talking about your nationality and ethnic background ..................83
Telling your age ....................................................................................88
Discussing your family.........................................................................89
Describing your job..............................................................................92
Let’s Get Together: Giving and Receiving Contact Information ...............94
I’m Sorry! Explaining that You Don’t Understand Something...................95

Chapter 5: Making a Fuss about Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Focusing on Food Basics...............................................................................97
Eating up................................................................................................97
Drinking up............................................................................................99
Using utensils and tableware............................................................100
Minding basic Russian table manners .............................................101
Enjoying Different Meals in Russia.............................................................101
What’s for breakfast? Almost anything! ...........................................102
Let’s do dinner (not lunch) ...............................................................103
A simple supper..................................................................................105
Going Out for Groceries ..............................................................................108
Picking out produce ...........................................................................108
Surveying other grocery items .........................................................109
Eating Out with Ease....................................................................................110
Deciding on a place to eat .................................................................110
Making reservations on the phone ..................................................111
The art of ordering a meal.................................................................112
Having handy phrases for the wait staff..........................................113
Receiving and paying the bill ............................................................114

Chapter 6: Shopping Made Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Shop ’Til You Drop: Where and How to Buy Things
the Russian Way........................................................................................119
Looking at different types of stores and departments ..................120
Calling for store hours .......................................................................121
Navigating a department store .........................................................122
Asking for (or declining) assistance ................................................123
You Wear It Well: Shopping for Clothes.....................................................126
Seeking specific items of clothing ....................................................126
Describing items in color ..................................................................128
Finding the right size .........................................................................129
Trying on clothing..............................................................................130
This or That? Deciding What You Want.....................................................131
Using demonstrative pronouns ........................................................131
Expressing likes and dislikes ............................................................131
Comparing two items.........................................................................132
Talking about what you like most (or least) ...................................133
You Gotta Pay to Play: Buying Items..........................................................134
How much does it cost? ....................................................................134
I’ll take it! .............................................................................................135
Where and how do I pay? ..................................................................136
Something Special: Cool Things to Buy in Russia....................................138

Chapter 7: Going Out on the Town, Russian-Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

The Clock’s Ticking: Telling Time ..............................................................141
Counting the hours ............................................................................142
Marking the minutes ..........................................................................143
Asking for the time .............................................................................145
Knowing the times of the day ...........................................................147
Distinguishing the days of the week ................................................148
Talking about time relative to the present ......................................149
Together Wherever We Go: Making Plans to Go Out ...............................150
Do you want to go with me?..............................................................150
What time does it start? ....................................................................152
On the Big Screen: Going to the Movies....................................................152
Picking a particular type of movie ...................................................153
Buying tickets .....................................................................................153
Choosing a place to sit and watch ...................................................154
It’s Classic: Taking in the Russian Ballet and Theater .............................156
Handy tips for ordering tickets.........................................................156
Things to do during the intermission..............................................157
Culture Club: Visiting a Museum................................................................158
How Was It? Talking about Entertainment ................................................160

Chapter 8: Enjoying Yourself: Recreation and Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

Shootin’ the Breeze about Hobbies ...........................................................163
What did you do last night? ..............................................................164
What are you doing this weekend? ..................................................165
What do you like to do?.....................................................................166
Reading All About It .....................................................................................167
Have you read it?................................................................................168
What do you like to read?..................................................................169
Where do you find reading materials?.............................................171
Rejoicing in the Lap of Nature ....................................................................171
Enjoying the country house..............................................................172
Picking foods in the forest.................................................................172
Skiing in the Caucasus .......................................................................173
Lying around at Lake Baikal ..............................................................174
Taking a cruise ship down the Volga River .....................................174
Doing Things with Your Hands...................................................................175
Being crafty .........................................................................................175
Playing music......................................................................................176
Collecting Cool Stuff ....................................................................................177
Scoring with Sports......................................................................................177

Chapter 9: Talking on the Phone and Sending Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

Ringing Up Telephone Basics .....................................................................181
Brushing up on phone vocabulary...................................................181
Distinguishing different types of phones ........................................182
Knowing different kinds of phone calls ...........................................183
Dialing It In and Making the Call.................................................................183
Arming Yourself with Basic Telephone Etiquette ....................................185
Saving time by not introducing yourself .........................................185
Asking for the person you want to speak to ...................................186
Anticipating different responses ......................................................186
Leaving a message with a person.....................................................189
Talking to an answering machine.....................................................191
Sending a Letter, a Fax, or an E-mail ..........................................................192

Chapter 10: Around the House and at the Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195

Hunting for an Apartment or a House .......................................................195
Talking about an apartment ..............................................................195
Discussing a house.............................................................................197
Asking the right questions ................................................................197
Sealing the deal...................................................................................198
Settling into Your New Digs ........................................................................200
Knowing the names of different rooms ...........................................200
Buying furniture..................................................................................201
Searching for a Job.......................................................................................203
Discovering where to look.................................................................203
Contacting employers........................................................................204
Clarifying job responsibilities...........................................................205
Succeeding in the Workplace......................................................................206
Making your way around the office..................................................206
Communicating in the workplace ....................................................208

Part III: Russian on the Go.........................................211

Chapter 11: Planning a Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213

When Can We Go? Choosing the Date for Your Trip................................213
Recognizing the names of the months.............................................213
Talking about specific dates .............................................................214
Saying the year ...................................................................................215
Surveying the seasons .......................................................................216
Where Do You Want to Go? Picking a Place for Your Trip ......................216
Checking out different countries......................................................217
Visiting Russia.....................................................................................218
How Do We Get There? Booking a Trip with a Travel Agency................219
Don’t Leave Home without Them: Dealing with Passports
and Visas....................................................................................................221
Your passport .....................................................................................221
Your visa..............................................................................................222
Take It with You: Packing Tips....................................................................224

Chapter 12: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, and More . . . . . . . . . . . .227

Understanding Verbs of Motion .................................................................227
Going by foot or vehicle habitually..................................................228
Going by foot or vehicle at the present time ..................................230
Explaining where you’re going..........................................................231
Navigating the Airport.................................................................................233
Using the verb “to fly”........................................................................233
Checking in and boarding your flight ..............................................233
Handling passport control and customs.........................................234
Leaving the airport.............................................................................236
Conquering Public Transportation............................................................237
Taking a taxi ........................................................................................237
Using minivans....................................................................................238
Catching buses, trolley buses, and trams .......................................238
Hopping onto the subway .................................................................239
Embarking on a Railway Adventure...........................................................240
Making sense of a train schedule .....................................................240
Surveying types of trains and cars...................................................240
Buying tickets .....................................................................................241
Stocking up on essentials for your ride...........................................242
Boarding the train ..............................................................................242
Discovering the joys of a train trip ..................................................243

Chapter 13: Staying at a Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245

Booking the Hotel That’s Right for You.....................................................245
Distinguishing different types of hotels ..........................................245
Making a reservation .........................................................................246
Checking In....................................................................................................251
Enduring the registration process ...................................................251
Taking a tour of your room ...............................................................254
Familiarizing yourself with the facilities .........................................254
Meeting the staff .................................................................................255
Resolving Service Problems Successfully.................................................255
Reporting a broken item....................................................................255
Requesting missing items..................................................................256
Asking to change rooms ....................................................................256
Checking Out and Paying Your Bill ............................................................256

Chapter 14: Money, Money, Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259

Paying Attention to Currency.....................................................................259
Rubles and kopecks ...........................................................................259
Dollars, euros, and other international currencies........................260
Changing Money...........................................................................................261
Using Banks...................................................................................................263
Opening an account at the bank of your choice ............................263
Making deposits and withdrawals....................................................265
Heading to the ATM............................................................................266
Spending Money...........................................................................................267
Finding great deals .............................................................................267
Using cash ...........................................................................................268
Paying with credit cards....................................................................269

Chapter 15: Where Is Red Square? Asking Directions . . . . . . . . . . . .271

Asking “Where” and “How” Questions ......................................................271
Where is it?..........................................................................................271
How do I get there? ............................................................................273
Understanding Specific Directions ............................................................274
Recognizing prepositions ..................................................................274
Keeping “right” and “left” straight ...................................................275
Making sense of commands ..............................................................277
Describing Distances ...................................................................................281
Marking distances by time ................................................................281
Using actual measurements ..............................................................283

Chapter 16: Handling Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285

Finding Help in Case of Accidents and Other Emergencies....................285
Asking for help....................................................................................286
Calling the right number ...................................................................286
Reporting a problem..........................................................................287
Requesting English-speaking help....................................................289
Receiving Medical Care ...............................................................................290
Knowing your own anatomy .............................................................291
Describing your symptoms to a doctor...........................................292
Announcing allergies or special conditions....................................295
Seeing a specialist ..............................................................................295
Undergoing an examination and getting a diagnosis .....................296
Visiting a pharmacy ...........................................................................298
Calling the Police When You’re the Victim of a Crime.............................299
Talking to the police...........................................................................300
Answering questions from the police..............................................300

Part IV: The Part of Tens ............................................303

Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Pick Up Russian Quickly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305
Chapter 18: Ten Favorite Russian Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309
Chapter 19: Ten Russian Holidays to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313
Chapter 20: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Russian . . . . . . . . . .317
Chapter 21: Ten Things Never to Say or Do in Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . .321

Part V: Appendixes ....................................................325

Appendix A: Verb Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327
Appendix B: Mini-Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331
Appendix C: Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343
Appendix D: On the CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349

Index........................................................................351