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Учить русский | Russian Learning

Russian Alphabet

m

Basic Russian

To LoveLet's start with the Russian verb "to love":

( , ) Любить Люблю Любишь

Remember that a noun after “I love” should be in the accusative case as it is the object of the sentence. Here are some uses of the word:

- I love sportЯ люблю спорт - I love music.Я люблюмузыку - I don't like music.Яне люблюмузыку

? - Do you love music?Ты любишь музыку - I love Moscow.Я люблюМоскву

- He loves Moscow.Он любитМоскву - Ivan loves tea.Иван любит чай - Nadya loves wine.Надя любит вино - Nadya doesn't like wine.Надя не любит вино

- I love you.Я тебя люблю - I love him.Я его люблю - I love her.Я её люблю

- She loves meОна любит меня

- to watch.Смотреть - to read.Читать

- to listenСлушать - to studyИзучать

- to thinkДумать - to workРаботать

- to wantХотеть


- I am watching television.Я смотрю телевизор - I am listening to the radio.Я слушаю радио - I am listening to music.Я слушаюмузыку - I am reading a magazine.Ячитаюжурнал - I am reading the newspaperЯчитаю газету - I am reading a book.Ячитаю книгу - I study Russian. (lit: I study the Russian language).Яизучаю русский язык - I think so!Я так думаю

? - What do you think? (lit: How do you think?)Как вы думаете - I want tea.Я хочу чай

? - What do you want?Что вы хотите

Sometime you will want to talk about an action. For example "I like to read" or "I want to read". In such cases you are using 2 verbs in a row. In Russian you should leave the 2nd verb in the infinitive form. For example:

- I love to read.Я люблю читать - I love to travel.Я люблю путешествовать - I want to buy a magazine.Я хочу купитьжурнал

Very - very. (or really)Очень

- I really love sport.Я очень люблю спорт - I really love Moscow.Я очень люблюМоскву

Question Words? - Where?Где? - Who?Кто? - What?Что? - How?Как

? - Why?Почему

Please and Thank-You

("spa-see-ba") - Thank-YouСпасибо ("pa-zhal-sta") - Please (and You're Welcome)Пожалуйста

The word is also used to mean "You're Welcome", after somebody says thank-Пожалуйстаyou. You should always say this after someone thanks you. is pronounced a littleПожалуйста different than it is written, you can basically forget the " ".уй

Yes and No

("da") - YesДа ("nyet") - NoНет

Saying HelloWhen you are in Russia and you meet somebody, the first thing you will want to do is to say "hello". There are two forms of this word.

("zdra-stvooy-tye") - Hello (Formal)Здравствуйте ("pree-vyet") - Hi (Informal)Привет


may be a little difficult for you to pronounce at first, but it is the most commonЗдравствуйте Russian greeting so you should try to practice it. is also commonly used with friends.Привет However, keep in mind that is informal (much like "hi" in English), and should only beПривет used with friends. If somebody says to you, then it is normally safe to proceed in theПривет friendly tone.

Introducing Yourself. ... ("min-ya za-voot") - My name is ...Меня зовут

? ("kak vas za-voot") - What is your name?Как вас зовут ("och-en pree-yat-na") - Pleased to meet you.Очень приятно

Note: The above 3 phrases are gramatically unusual. You should just learn the whole phrase, not the individual words.

How are you? ? - How are things?Как дела

- Good/Well thank-youХорошо спасибо - BadПлохо

Saying Good-Bye. ("da-svee-da-nee-ye") - Good-bye. (The is pronounced as if it is part of theДо свидания до

next word) ("pa-ka") - Bye (Informal, slang)Пока

You should generally use , which is appropriate in formal or informal situations.до свидания You may also hear people say , but we suggest you only use it as a response when it is saidПока to you.

Asking about languagesWhen you are asking a yes/no question in Russian, there is no difference between the question and the statement, except for the question mark. When you are speaking Russian you should ask questions in a different tone. The tone of your voice should rise if you are asking a question. If you are making a statement your tone will naturally fall. You may find that you actually do this in English without meaning to. If all else fails, put a real questioning expression on your face.

- ? - Do you (formal) speak English?Вы говорите по английски - ? - Do you (formal) speak Russian?Вы говорите по русски

- - I speak EnglishЯ говорю по английски - - I speak RussianЯ говорю по русски - I understandЯпонимаю - I don't understandЯне понимаю

? - Where is she?Где она - at the stationна вокзале - at the post officeна почте

- in the gardenв саду - in the forestв лесу

- on the streetна улице

? - What is on the table?Что на столе - On the table is a book and a pencil.На столе книга и карандаш


Other Places

- cinemaкино - theatreтеатр

- pharmacyаптека - parkпарк

- stadiumстадион - schoolшкола

- libraryбиблиотека - cafeкафе

- squareплощадь - restaurantресторан

- bankбанк - hotelгостиница

- museumмузей – hospitalбольница


Location and Direction

Sometimes, prepositions have more than one meaning, you can tell this by the case. When answering questions asked with the word " " (Where is (location)), your answer will involveГде the prepositional case. However, when you answer questions asked with " " (Where to),Куда you would use the accusative case. Here are some examples for you to compare.

- Where are you going (to)? (Indicates direction)Куда вы идёте - I am going to school.Яиду вшколу

? - Where do you work? (Indicates a location)Где вы работаете - I work at (in) a school.Я работаю вшколе

Here are some useful words and phrases for finding your way around Russia.

- Straight ahead.прямо - To the left.налево

- To the right.направо - Straight ahead then to the right.прямо потом направо

Going Places in Russian - To go on foot, in one direction.Идти

( , , , , , )Яиду Ты идёшь Он идёт Мы идём Вы идёте Они идут - I am going to school.Яиду вшколу - I am going to the cinema.Яиду в кино

? - Are you going to the cinema?Ты идёшь в кино - He is going to the hotel.Он идёт в гостиницу - We are going to the cafe.Мыидём в кафе

- I am going to the universityя иду в университет - To go on foot, in more than one direction, or repetitively.Ходить

( , , , , , )Я хожу Ты ходишь Он ходит Мы ходим Вы ходите Они ходят - I go to school.Я хожу вшколу - I often go to the cinemaЯчасто хожу в кино

- We go to the cafe every day.Мыходим в кафе каждый день - To go by transport, in one direction.Ехать

( , , , , , )Я еду Ты едешь Он едет Мы едем Вы едете Они едут - I am going to school. (by transport)Я еду вшколу - I am going to the cinema on the metro.Я еду в кино на метро

- He is going to the hotel by taxi.Он едет в гостиницу на такси - We are going to the cafe. (by transport)Мыедем в кафе

- He is going to LondonОн едет в Лондон - To go by transport, in more than one direction, or repetitivelyЕздить

( , , , , , )Я езжу Ты ездишь Он ездит Мы ездим Вы ездите Они ездят


Russian Numbers

0 - ноль1 - один2 - два3 - три4 - четыре5 - пять6 - шесть7 - семь8 - восемь9 - девять10 - десять11 - одиннадцать12 - двенадцать13 - тринадцать14 - четырнадцать15 - пятнадцать16 - шестнадцать17 - семнадцать18 - восемнадцать19 - девятнадцать20 - двадцать21 - двадцать один

22 - двадцать два23 - двадцать три24 - двадцать четыре30 - тридцать40 - сорок50 - пятьдесят60 - шестьдесят70 - семьдесят80 - восемьдесят90 - девяносто100 - сто200 - двести300 - триста400 - четыреста500 - пятьсот600 - шестьсот700 - семьсот800 - восемьсот900 - девятьсот1,000 - тысяча1,000,000 - миллион1,000,000,000 - миллиард

For example: 131 - сто тридцать один

Gender of Russian Nouns

In Russian, as with many other languages, each noun is assigned a gender. Russian has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter (neutral). In the cases of words like “father” these relate to physical gender. In the case of other objects like “pen”, “cup”, “house”, there is no physical meaning attached to the gender. However you will still need to know the gender because it affects how words are formed. Luckily, unlike many languages, in Russian it is almost always possible to tell what the gender of a noun by it’s spelling. This is not true in some other languages where you just have to memorise them.

1. Look at the last letter of the word:2. If it is a consonant, or “ ”, the word is masculine.й3. If it is “ ” or “ ” it is feminine.а я4. If it is “ ” or “ ” it is neuter.о е5. If it is a soft sign “ ” then it could be either masculine or feminine.ь

There are very few exceptions to these rules. But there are five notable exceptions, this occurs mainly because of physical gender.

- (Daddy, Papa) - Is MasculineПапа - (Uncle) - Is MasculineДядя

- (Grandfather) - Is MasculineДедушка - (Man) - Is MasculineМужчина

Some examples:

Masculine : (passport), (document), (brother), (bread).паспорт документ брат ХлебFeminine : (newspaper), (Russia), (daughter)газета Россия ДочьNeuter : (building), (radio), (letter)здание радио письмо


The Nominative Case (The subject of a sentence)

The Russian nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence. In the sentence “I love her”, the word “I” is the subject. The nominative case is the dictionary form for nouns, so there is nothing special to learn here.

The Nominative Plural

The only time you need to change the ending is to form the plural. In English we make a plural by adding “s”. In Russian, in the nominative case, you make a plural by using the letters “ ”, “ ”,и ы “ ” or “ ”.я а

For masculine nouns: If the word ends in a consonant, add “ ”.ыReplace “ ” with “ ”й иReplace “ ” with “ ”ь и

For feminine nouns:Replace “ ” with “ ”я иReplace “ ” with “ ”ь иReplace “ ” with “ ” (unless previous consonant is , , , , , , then replace with " "а ы Г К Х Ж Ч Ш Щ и as per the spelling rules.)

For neuter nouns:Replace “ ” with “ ”о аReplace “ ” with “ ” (don't forget the spelling rules)е я

Some examples: (student) becomes: (students)студент студенты

(newspaper) becomes: (newspapers)газета газеты (building) becomes: (buildings)здание здания

Я - I Ты - You (informal) Он - He, It (m)

Она - She, It (f) Оно - It (n)

Мы - We Вы - You (formal, or plural)

Они - They


The Accusative Case (The object of a sentence)

To form simple sentences like “I want a dog”, you need to use the accusative case. The Russian accusative case is used for the object of a sentence, in this case the word “dog”. The only time we use the accusative case in English is with pronouns. We use “me” instead of “I” and “him” instead of “he”. The Russian language uses the case for all nouns.

The accusitive case is also used after the prepositions “ ” (to, into) and “ ” (on, to) when theyв на indicate motion towards somthing.

Definition: An “animate” noun is something that is alive (person or animal). An “inanimate” noun is a non-living object.

Here are the rules for forming the accusative case from the dictionary (nominative) form.

Masculine Nouns:1. If the noun in inanimate, there is no change.2. If noun is animate and ends in a consonant, add “ ”.а3. If noun is animate, replace “ ”, with “ ”.й я4. If noun is animate, replace “ ”, add “ ”.ь я

Feminine Nouns:1. Replace “ ” with “ ”.а у2. Replace “ ” with “ ”.я ю3. Does not change if a soft sign.

Neuter Nouns:1. Inanimate nouns do not change (almost all neuter nouns are inanimate).Forming Plurals.

For plural nouns the accusative case just 'borrows' from the other cases, depending on weather the object is animate or not.

- MeМеня - You (informal)Тебя

- ("yevo") - HimЕго - HerЕё

- UsНас - You (formal, or plural)Вас

- ThemИх


Russian Dative Case (The indirect object)

The dative case is used in Russian for the indirect object of a sentence. In the sentence "Adam gave flowers to Anna", the word "Anna" should be in the dative case. The indirect object is normally the person who receives the direct object.

Masculine Nouns:1. If the noun ends in a consonant, add “ ”.у2. Replace “ ”, with “ ”.й ю3. Replace “ ”, add “ ”.ь ю

Feminine Nouns:1. Replace “ ” with “ ”.а е2. Replace “ ” with “ ”.я е3. Replace “ ” with “ ”.ь и4. Replace “ ” with “ ”.ия ии

Neuter Nouns:1. Replace “ ” with “ ”о у2. Replace “ ” with “ ”е ю

Plurals - Russian Dative Case

Look at the last letter nomitive singular form (dictionary form) and...1. Replace " ", " " or a consonant with " ".а о ам2. Replace the last letter with " "ям

Other Uses of the Dative Case.

In addition to simply using the dative case as the indirect object. There are some additional times when you will need to use the dative case.

1. It is used after the Russian verbs " " ("to help") and " " ("to advise").Помогать Советоват (ie. instead of using the accusative case, as you may have expected).

2. With " " ("to like"). Example : " " ("Adam likesНравиться Адаму нравится Москва Moscow").

3. It is also used in conjuction with some other reflexive verbs (- ).ся

4. When using the word " " (to need). (the word you would expect as the subject, is usedНужен in the dative).

5. To represent the concept of sending or communicating something. Like the English word "to". (example: write to, bring to, call (by telephone) to).Pronouns of the dative case.

- me.Мне - you (informal).Тебе

(m), (n), (f) - him, it, her.Ему Ему Ей - us.Нам - you (formal, or plural).Вам

- them.Им


The Genitive Case (Possession)

The primary use of the Russian genitive case is to show possession. In English we often indicate this with an apostrophe (‘s), or the word “of”. Grammatically, the definition of possession may be larger than we are used to thinking of in English. In Russian the possessor always follows the object it possess. (This is the reverse of the normal English ‘s).

For example in the sentence “this is Adam’s dog”, the word “Adam” is in the genitive case. But to convert it to Russian you should think of it like “the dog of Adam’s”, placing the possessor after the object.

Forming the Genitive CaseMasculine Nouns: 1. If the noun ends in a consonant, add “ ”.а 2. Replace “ ”, with “ ”.й я 3. Replace “ ”, add “ ”.ь я

Feminine Nouns: 1. Replace “ ” with “ ”.а ы 2. Replace “ ” with “ ”.я и 3. Replace “ ” with “ ”.ь и

Neuter Nouns: 1. Replace “ ” with “ ”о а 2. Replace “ ” with “ ”е я

Forming PluralsMasculine Nouns: If ends in " , , , , " then add " "жчшщь ей If ends in " , " (stressed) add " "й ц ев All other masuline nouns end in " "ов

Feminine Nouns: If ends in " " then drop " " (no ending)а а If ends in [consonant] " " then " "я ь If ends in [vowel] " " then " "я й If ends in " " then add " "ь ей Note: If a feminine word ends in a double consonant it is quite common for a vowel ( , ) toо е be inserted for easy pronunciation. ( - , - ,марка марок англичанка англичанок

- )девушка девушек

Neuter Nouns: If ends in " " then drop " " (no ending)о о If ends in " " becomes " "е ей If ends in " " becomes " "ие ий

Personal Pronouns Of The Genitive Case - MeМеня

- You (informal)Тебя - ("yevo") - HimЕго

- HerЕё - UsНас - You (formal, or plural)Вас


- ThemИхRussian Prepositional Case (In, At and About)

In Russian, the prepositional case is used after the prepositions “ ” (about), “ ” (in), “ ” (at).о в на

Note: Sometimes these prepositions are used with other cases, this gives them a different meaning.

Forming the Prepositional Case

Masculine Nouns:1. Add : “ ”.е2: Some nouns (mostly single syllable) take “ ” (but not after preposition “ ”)у о

Feminine Nouns:1. Replace “ ” with “ ”.а е2. Replace “ ” with “ ”.я е3. Replace “ ” with “ ”.ь и

Neuter Nouns:1. Replace “ ” with “ ”о е2. “ ” remains unchanged.е

Plurals - Russian Prepositional Case

Look at the last letter nomitive singular form (dictionary form) and...1. Replace " ", " " or a consonant with " ".а о ах2. Replace the last letter with " "ях

Pronouns - Russian Prepositional Case

- MeМне - YouТебе - HimНём - HerНей - ItНём - UsНас - You (Plural)Вас – ThemНих


Russian Verbs - Present Tense

First conjunction

To form the verb for each person you need to drop the last two letters of the infinative (normally " "), and add the appropriate ending (" ", " ", " ", " ", " " or " "). Forть ю ешь ет ем ете ют example the verb: (to work).работать

- To work. (infinative, dictionary form)работать - I workЯ работаю

- You workТы работаешь, , - He, She, It works.Он Она Оно работает - We workМыработаем

- You work.Вы работаете - They work.Они работают

Second conjunction

Verbs where the infinative ends in " " use the second conjunction. There are also other verbsить that use this conjunction. The second conjunction uses the endings " " (or " ") " " " "ю у ишь ит " " " " " " (or " "), which replace " ".им ите ят ат ить

Reminder: Spelling Rule 1: "Never write , , or after the letters ' , , , , , , 'Ы Ю Я Г К Ж Х Ч Ш Щ instead use , , ".И У А

When using the second conjunction, sometimes the last letter of the stem (infinitive without " ") for the first person singular ( ) chages. Change this letter acording to the followingить Я table:

becomes д ж becomes з ж

c becomes шct becomes щ

becomes т ч, , , , add the letter б в м п ф л

Remember, this only applies to the first-person singular ( ).Я

- To speak. (infinative, dictionary form)говорить - I speak.Я говорю

- You speak.Ты говоришь, , - He, She, It Speaks.Он Она Оно говорит - We speak.Мы говорим

- You speak.Вы говорите - They speak.Они говорят

Irregular Verbs

There are a number of irregular verbs in Russian. (Verbs that don't exactly follow the above rules). However, often once you know the stem of the verb, you can often predict the endings. Even irregular verbs normally follow a similar pattern to those above.

Some examples:

- To go (by transport).Ехать - I go (by transport).Я еду


- You go (by transport).Ты едешь, , - He, She, It goes (by transport).Он Она Оно едет - We go (by transport).Мыедем

- You go (by transport).Вы едете - They go (by transport).Они едут

Notice that once you know the stem " " it almost follows the first conjuction, except that " "Ед у replaces " ".ю

- To live.Жить - I live.Яживу

- You live.Тыживёшь, , - He, She, It lives.Он Она Оноживёт - We live.Мыживём

- You live.Выживёте - They live.Ониживут

Notice that " " is used instead of " " when the stress falls on the ending.ё е


Russian Past Tense - Russian Verbs

The past tense in Russian, like any language, is one of the most important things to learn. The past tense allows you tell stories, and discuss events that have already happened. Forming the past tense verbs in Russian is actually quite easy. In fact it is one of the simplest conjugations to remember in Russian.

Forming the Russian Past Tense

In Russian, the past tense is formed quite differently than the present tense. In the present tense we are concerned about the person who is talking (ie 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person). In the past tense however we are concerned about the gender of the subject.

To do this we use the grammatical gender of the subject. (This is the word that is in the nominative case.) Often the subject is a pronoun, especially when you are talking about yourself. If the subject is a real person then you would use select the masculine or feminine gender as appropriate. If the subject is plural you select the plural form.

Here are the verb endings you can use for each situation:

Masculine: -лFeminine: -лаNeuter: -лоPlural: -ли

And here is a sample conjugation for the word (to know):Знать

Masculine: ЗналFeminine: ЗналаNeuter: ЗналоPlural: ЗналиExamples of the Russian past tense.

- I knew (man speaking)Я знал - I knew (woman speaking)Я знала

- He knewОн знал - She knewОна знала

- It knewОно знало - They knewОни знали

- He didn’t knowОн не знал - She didn’t knowОна не знала . - Everyone dreamed to shake his handВсе мечтали пожать ему руку

Was - ‘Be’ in the Past Tense

From previous lessons you will remember that there is no word in Russian that corresponds to the English word ‘is’. It is simply omitted. In the Russian Past Tense however there is a word, and it corresponds to the English word ‘was’. It comes from (to be). (Note the irregularБыть stress pattern in the feminine when using this verb.)

- I was (man speaking)Я был - I was (woman speaking)Я была


- He wasОн был - She wasОна была - It wasОно было - They wereОни были

Note the unsual stress patterns when used in the negative. The stress moves to the word ' 'не except in the feminine.

- I was not (man speaking).Яне был - I was not (woman speaking).Яне была

- It was not.Оно не было - They were not.Они не были

The Perfective Aspect

If you have read the previous grammar lesson about aspects in Russian you will realise that they are important when using the past tense, and that you need to select the appropriate aspect. Remember that the perfective is used for actions that are completed only once, and are not ongoing. In almost all other cases the imperfective is used. Refer to the page on aspects for more detailed information.

The perfective aspect conjugates in the same was as the imperfective aspect, so the endings are the same. Here are some examples.

- I bought a coffee (man speaking)Я купил кофе - I bought a coffee (woman speaking)Я купила кофе - I went home.Япошла домой

- We went home.Мыпошли домойReflexive Verbs in the Past Tense

Reflexive verbs are conjugated in almost exactly the same way as above, except that they still maintain the reflexive endings. Refer to the sections on reflexive verbs for more information.Masculine: -лсяFeminine: -ласьNeuter: -лосьPlural: -лись

Examples - (to dress):Одевать - I dressed myself (man speaking)Я одевался - I dressed myself (woman speaking)Я одевалась

- They dressed themselves.Они одевались

Notable Irregular Verbs

The Russian verb (to go on foot) has a very irregular past tense.Идти

Masculine: ШёлFeminine: ШлаNeuter: ШлоPlural: Шли

(can, to be able) is also irregular.МочьMasculine: МогFeminine: МоглаNeuter: Могло


Plural: Могли

Family

Immediate Family

- fatherОтец - motherМать - dadПапа - mumМама

- brotherБрат - sisterСестра

- sonСын - daughterДочь - wifeЖена

- husbandМуж - parentsРодители

- childrenДети – childребенок

Extended Family

- grandmotherБабушка - grandfatherДедушка

- granddaughterВнучка - grandsonВнук - uncleДядя

- auntieТётя - nephewплемянник

- nieceплемянница ( ) – cousinдвоюродный брат двоюродная сестра

Related Words

- familyсемья - relativesродственники

- twinsблизнецы - childhoodдетство

, - babyмалыш грудной ребенок - young boyмальчик

- young girlдевочка - young womanдевушка - young manмолодой человек - manмужчина – womanженщина

- personчеловек - adultвзрослый

- brideневеста - groomжених

- honey moonмедовый месяц - marriageбрак

, - marriedзамужем женатый, - marryжениться выходить замуж

- singleхолостой - widowвдова

– widowerвдовец


Days, Weeks and Month

Days

- MondayПонедельник - TuesdayВторник

- WednesdayСреда - ThursdayЧетверг - FridayПятница

- SaturdayСуббота - SundayВоскресенье

Months

- JanuaryЯнварь - FebruaryФевраль

- MarchМарт - AprilАпрель

- MayМай - JuneИюнь - JulyИюль

- AugustАвгуст - SeptemberСентябрь

- OctoberОктябрь - NovemberНоябрь

- DecemberДекабрь

Related words

- Today (pronounced "sivodnya")Сегодня - TomorrowЗавтра

- YesterdayВчера - DayДень

- WeekНеделя - MonthМесяц

- YearГод

Notes:1. The preposition " " is used to mean "on". (" " - on Monday). If the last letterв в понедельник is " " it becomes "y".а2. The days always start with a lowercase letter unless at the start of a sentence.

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