Russian Phrases For Dummies

Andrew Kaufman, PhD, is currently a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Virginia. He holds a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures from Stanford University, and he has recognized success as both a published scholar and an innovative, award-winning teacher of Russian language, literature, and culture at some of the country’s top universities. To learn more about Dr. Kaufman, please visit his website at www.professorandy.com. Serafima Gettys, PhD, earned her doctorate degree in Foreign Language Education from Gertzen State Pedagogical University, Leningrad, USSR. She is currently a Coordinator of the Foreign Language Program at Lewis University, where she also teaches Russian. Prior to coming to Lewis University, she taught Russian at Stanford University. Gettys is also a member of a number of professional language associations.Nina Wieda is a doctoral student in Slavic Languages and Literatures at Northwestern University in Chicago. A trained linguist with an MA in Social Sciences, Nina also has a book of poetry published in Russian, and a number of scholarly articles on Chekhov and contemporary drama published in English.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Conventions Used in This Book 2Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Chapter 1: I Say It How? Speaking Russian 5Looking at the Russian Alphabet 5From A to Ya: Making sense of Cyrillic 5I know you! Familiar-looking, same-sounding letters 10Playing tricks: Familiar-looking, different-sounding letters 10How bizarre: Weird-looking letters 11Sounding Like a Real Russian with Proper Pronunciation 12Understanding the one-letter/one-sound principle 12Giving voice to vowels 12Enunciating consonants correctly 15Surveying sticky sounds 17Chapter 2: Grammar on a Diet: Just the Basics 21Making the Russian Cases 22Nominative case 22Genitive case 22Accusative case 22Dative case 23Instrumental case 23Prepositional case 23Building Your Grammar Base with Nouns and Pronouns 24Getting the lowdown on the gender of nouns 24Checking out cases for nouns 24Putting plurals into their cases 27Picking out pronouns 34Decorating Your Speech with Adjectives 39Always consenting: Adjective-noun agreement 39A lot in common: Putting adjectives into other cases 41Nowhere to be found: The lack of articles in Russian 43Adding Action with Verbs 43Spotting infinitives 43Living in the present tense 43Keep it simple: Forming the past tense 44Past again: Perfective or imperfective? 45Planning for the future tense 46Using the unusual verb byt’ (to be) 47Chapter 3: Numerical Gumbo: Counting of All Kinds 49Counting in Russian 49Numbers 0 through 9 50Numbers 10 through 19 51First, Second: Ordinal Numbers 51The Clock’s Ticking: Telling Time 52Counting the hours 52Marking the minutes 54Asking for the time 56Knowing the times of the day 56Monday, Tuesday: Weekdays 57Talking about time relative to the present 58Checking Your Calendar 59Recognizing the names of the months 59Saying the year 60Surveying the seasons 61Money, Money, Money 62Changing money 62Heading to the ATM 62Spending money 63Paying with credit cards 64Chapter 4: Making New Friends and Enjoying Small Talk 65To Whom Am I Speaking? Being Informal or Formal 65Comings and Goings: Saying Hello and Goodbye 66Saying hello to different people 66Handling “How are you?” 67Taking your leave 68Break the Ice: Making Introductions 68Getting acquainted 68Asking for people’s names and introducing yourself 69Introducing your friends and family 70Let Me Tell You Something: Talking about Yourself 71Stating where you’re from 71Telling your age 72Talking about Family 73Beginning with basic terms for family members 73Talking about family members with the verb “to have” 74Where Do You Work? 75Let’s Get Together: Giving and Receiving Contact Information 78I’m Sorry! I Don’t Understand 79Chapter 5: Enjoying a Drink and a Snack (or a Meal!) 81Focusing on Food Basics 81Eating up 81Drinking up 83Using utensils and tableware 85Enjoying Different Meals 86What’s for breakfast? Almost anything! 86Let’s do dinner (not lunch) 87A simple supper 90Going Out for Groceries 90Picking out produce 90Surveying other grocery items 92Eating Out with Ease 93Deciding on a place to eat 94The art of ordering a meal 95Receiving and paying the bill 96Chapter 6: Shop ’Til You Drop 97Where and How to Buy Things the Russian Way 97You Wear It Well: Shopping for Clothes 99Seeking specific items of clothing 99Describing items in color 102Finding the right size 103Trying on clothing 103This or That? Deciding What You Want 104Expressing likes and dislikes 105Comparing two items 106Talking about what you like most (or least) 107You Gotta Pay to Play 108Chapter 7: Making Leisure a Top Priority 109Together Wherever We Go: Making Plans to Go Out 109Going Out on the Town 111On the big screen: Going to the movies 111It’s classic: Taking in the Russian ballet and theater 112Culture club: Visiting a museum 114Shootin’ the Breeze about Hobbies 115Reading All About It 116Have you read it? 117What do you like to read? 117Rejoicing in the Lap of Nature 119Enjoying the country house 119Skiing in the Caucasus 120Lying around at Lake Baikal 120Doing Things with Your Hands 121Being crafty 121Playing music 122Scoring with Sports 123Chapter 8: When You Gotta Work 125Searching for a Job 125Discovering where to look 125Contacting employers 126Clarifying job responsibilities 127Communicating in the Workplace 128Making an appointment 128Sticking to workplace etiquette 129Ringing Up Telephone Basics 130Brushing up on phone vocabulary 130Basic telephone etiquette 132Anticipating different responses 133Leaving a message with a person 134Talking to an answering machine 135Sending a Letter, a Fax, or an E-Mail 136Chapter 9: I Get Around: Transportation 139Understanding Verbs of Motion 139Going by foot or vehicle habitually 140Going by foot or vehicle at the present time 142Explaining where you’re going 143Navigating the Airport 144Checking in and boarding your flight 144Handling passport control and Customs 145Conquering Public Transportation 146Taking a taxi 146Using minivans 147Catching buses, trolley buses, and trams 148Hopping onto the subway 148Hopping on a train 149Asking “Where” and “How” Questions 150Where is it? 150How do I get there? 151Understanding Specific Directions 151Recognizing prepositions 152Keeping “right” and “left” straight 153Making sense of commands 154Describing Distances 156Chapter 10: Laying Down Your Weary Head: House or Hotel 157Hunting for an Apartment or a House 157Talking about an apartment or a house 158Asking the right questions 160Sealing the deal 161Settling Into Your New Digs 161Knowing the names of different rooms 161Buying furniture 162Booking the Hotel That’s Right for You 163Making a reservation 164Checking In and Out 166Enduring the registration process 166Taking a tour of your room 167Familiarizing yourself with the facilities 168Meeting the staff 169Reporting a broken item 169Requesting missing items 170Asking to change rooms 171Checking out and paying your bill 171Chapter 11: Dealing with Emergencies 173Finding Help in Case of Accidents 173Asking for help 174Calling the right number 175Reporting a problem 175Requesting English-speaking help 176Receiving Medical Care 176Knowing your own anatomy 177Describing your symptoms to a doctor 178Announcing allergies or special conditions 180Undergoing an examination and getting a diagnosis 181Visiting a pharmacy 182Calling the Police When You’re the Victim of a Crime 183Chapter 12: Ten Favorite Russian Expressions 185Oj! 185Davaj 185Pryedstav’tye Syebye 186Poslushajtye! 186Pir Goroj 186Ya Tryebuyu Prodolzhyeniya Bankyeta 187Slovo — Syeryebro, A Molchaniye — Zoloto 187Odna Golova Khorosho, A Dvye — Luchshye 187Drug Poznayotsya V Byedye 188Staryj Drug Luchshye Novykh Dvukh 188Chapter 13: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Russian 189Tol’ko Poslye Vas! 189Vy Syegodnya Pryekrasno Vyglyaditye! 189Zakhoditye Na Chaj! 190Ugosh’ajtyes’! 190Priyatnogo Appetita! 191Syadyem Na Dorozhku! 191Sadis’, V Nogakh Pravdy Nyet 191Ni Pukha, Ni Pyera! 192Tseluyu 192S Lyogkim Parom! 192Index 193

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