by Andrew Kaufman,PhD,and Serafima Gettys,PhD,with Nina Wieda Russian FOR DUMmIES ‰ 01_780014 ffirs.qxp 3/23/06 3:27 PM Page i Russian For Dummies® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006920617 ISBN-13: 978-0-471-78001-4 ISBN-10: 0-471-78001-4 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1B/RS/QU/QW/IN 01_780014 ffirs.qxp 3/23/06 3:27 PM Page ii About the Authors 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 rec- ognized 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. Dr. Kaufman has worked as a Russian language and literature expert for “Oprah’s Book Club,” he has discussed Russian literature and cul- ture on the national television show Democracy Now!, and he has been heard as a featured guest on Talk America Radio and on Silver Rain Radio in Russia. A fluent speaker of Russian, Dr. Kaufman has lived extensively in Russia, where he studied at Moscow State University and also worked as an interpreter, translator, and management consultant. 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. She is committed to bringing Russian language and culture into the lives of her readers and students, because, as the Latin proverb goes, “With each new language, you live a new life.” 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. 01_780014 ffirs.qxp 3/23/06 3:27 PM Page iii Authors’ Acknowledgments Andrew Kaufman: First and foremost, I would like to thank my colleague, former Stanford professor, and co-author, Serafima Gettys, one of the most original and inspired Russian language teachers I know. Her grace, infectious love of Russian, and professionalism were instrumental in making this book happen — and a joy to write. A sincere thanks, too, to Nina Wieda, who stepped up to the plate when we needed her and who performed marvelously. A hearty thanks to Georgette Beatty at Wiley for her expert guidance and her constant encouragement throughout the writing process, and to Tracy Boggier at Wiley for her supervision and coordination, and for making this book pos- sible. I’d also like to thank Sarah Faulkner, the copy editor, and Thomas Garza, the technical reviewer, for helping to make sure that every sentence in the book is both accurate and readable. An immediate and heartfelt thanks to my agent, Margot Maley-Hutchison of Waterside Productions, for trusting me with this book, and for her expert representation and skillful problem resolution throughout. Thanks to all my colleagues and students in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Virginia for helping to create a supportive and stimulating environment in which to share our common passion for Russian language and culture. I also owe a tremendous debt to my former professors at Stanford University (especially Professors Lazar Fleishman, Gregory Freidin, Joseph Frank, Monika Greenleaf, and Stephen Moeller-Sally) and at Amherst College (especially Professors Stanley Rabinowitz and Stephanie Sandler) for their mentorship and their faith in me, and for igniting my early passion for all things Russian. And a very special and warm thank you to Professor Aida Borisovna Lominadze, whom I first met as a student at Moscow State University, and whose compas- sion, humanism, and extraordinary creativity have remained an inspiration to me throughout the years. And finally, a loving thanks to my wonderful parents and to my family for their unwavering love and support, for their wisdom, and for their always impressive, behind-the-scenes marketing efforts on my behalf. Serafima Gettys: Many thanks to Andy Kaufman for bringing this project to my attention and for taking on the responsibility of organizing and managing the project. 01_780014 ffirs.qxp 3/23/06 3:27 PM Page iv Many thanks go to Stanford University for bringing Andy and me together at an earlier point in our lives, first as a teacher and student, later as colleagues, and now finally as co-authors. Warm thanks also to my past and current stu- dents of Russian at various schools, both in Russia and the United States, who constantly challenge and inspire me and without whom this book would not have been written. A loving thanks also to my family, husband Steve and daughter Anna. Their love has been an inspiration throughout. Nina Wieda: Great thanks to Andy Kaufman and Serafima Gettys for making this project happen, and for being wonderful co-authors. Many thanks to the Northwestern University Slavic Department for creating an excellent educational environment. Special thanks to Andrew Wachtel for inspiring me to enter the field of Slavic Languages and Literatures, and to Elizabeth Elliott for awakening my peda- gogical talents. Great thanks to my mother, Alla, and my husband, John, for being a great team, and to my two-month-old daughter, Nadia, for being my muse. 01_780014 ffirs.qxp 3/23/06 3:27 PM Page v Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editor: Georgette Beatty Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier Copy Editor: Sarah Faulkner Editorial Program Coordinator: Hanna K. Scott Technical Editor: Thomas J. Garza Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Editorial Assistants: Erin Calligan, Nadine Bell Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees Layout and Graphics: Joyce Haughey, Stephanie D. Jumper, Julie Trippetti Proofreader: Mildred Rosenzweig Indexer: Joan Griffitts Special Help Jennifer Bingham, Josh Dials, Her Voice Unlimited, LLC Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 01_780014 ffirs.qxp 3/23/06 3:27 PM Page vi 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 02_780014 ftoc.qxp 3/23/06 3:28 PM Page vii 02_780014 ftoc.qxp 3/23/06 3:28 PM Page viii 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 02_780014 ftoc.qxp 3/23/06 3:28 PM Page ix 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 Russian For Dummies x 02_780014 ftoc.qxp 3/23/06 3:28 PM Page x 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 xi Table of Contents 02_780014 ftoc.qxp 3/23/06 3:28 PM Page xi 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 Russian For Dummies xii 02_780014 ftoc.qxp 3/23/06 3:28 PM Page xii 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 xiii Table of Contents 02_780014 ftoc.qxp 3/23/06 3:28 PM Page xiii 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 Russian For Dummies xiv 02_780014 ftoc.qxp 3/23/06 3:28 PM Page xiv