Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
What You’re Not to Read 3
Foolish Assumptions 3
How This Book Is Organized 4
Part 1: Getting Started 4
Part 2: Russian in Action 4
Part 3: Russian on the Go 4
Part 4: The Part of Tens 4
Appendixes 5
Icons Used in This Book 5
Beyond the Book 6
Where to Go from Here 6
Part 1: Getting Started 7
Chapter 1: Russian in a Nutshell 9
Discovering How Easy the Russian Alphabet Really Is 9
Tackling Basic Grammar 10
Easing into Common Expressions 11
Counting on Numbers, Times, and Measurements 11
Speaking Russian around the House 12
Using Russian in Social Scenarios 13
Starting conversations 13
Finding your way around 13
Eating out and buying food 14
Going shopping 14
Exploring entertainment opportunities 14
Doing business and communicating 15
Enjoying sports, hobbies, recreation, and more 15
Getting a Handle on Travel Topics 15
Chapter 2: Checking Out the Russian Alphabet 17
Recognizing Russian Letters (It’s Easier Than You Think) 18
Introducing the entire alphabet 18
I know you!: Familiar-looking, same-sounding letters 22
Playing tricks: Familiar-looking, different-sounding letters 22
How bizarre: Weird-looking letters 23
Sounding Like a Real Russian with Proper Pronunciation 25
Understanding the one-letter-one-sound principle 25
Giving voice to vowels 26
Enunciating consonants correctly 28
Surveying sticky sounds 30
Chapter 3: Warming Up with Russian Grammar Basics 33
Beginning with Nouns and Pronouns 34
Defining a noun’s gender 34
Making a noun plural 35
Replacing nouns with pronouns 36
The Case of Russian Cases: What Are They For? 37
The nominative case 39
The genitive case 39
The accusative case 40
The dative case 41
The instrumental case 41
The prepositional case 42
Putting Nouns and Pronouns in the Correct Cases 42
Checking out cases for singular nouns 42
Trying your hand at changing the case of a singular noun 44
Putting plurals in proper cases 45
Trying your hand at putting nouns into plural cases 47
Perusing the correct cases of pronouns 48
Decorating Your Speech with Adjectives 49
Making sure that adjectives and nouns agree 49
Adding Action with Verbs 54
Spotting infinitives 54
Living in the present tense 55
Describing action in the present tense 55
Talking about the past tense 56
Planning for the future tense 57
Using the unusual verb “to be” 58
Expressing possession with a special phrase 60
Helping yourself with modal verbs 60
Providing Extra Details with Adverbs 61
Describing how 61
Describing when and how often 62
Constructing Sentences Like a Pro 62
Enjoying the freedom of word order 62
Creating a Russian sentence step by step 63
Connecting with conjunctions 64
Forming questions 64
Chapter 4: Getting Started with Basic Expressions 67
To Whom Am I Speaking?: Being Informal or Formal 67
Comings and Goings: Saying Hello and Goodbye 68
Saying hello to different people 68
Greeting folks at any time of day 69
Handling “How are you?” 69
Taking your leave 70
The Name Game: Deciphering Russian Names 71
Breaking the Ice: Making Introductions 72
Getting acquainted 73
Introducing yourself 73
Introducing your friends, family, and colleagues 74
You Can Say That Again: Using Popular Expressions 76
Speaking courteously 76
Excusing yourself 77
Arming yourself with other handy phrases 77
Talking about Talking: The Verb “To Speak” 78
Chapter 5: Getting Your Numbers, Times, and Measurements Straight 81
One by One: Counting in Russian 81
From zero to ten 82
From 11 to 19 82
From 20 to 99 83
From 100 to 999 84
From 1,000 to beyond 84
Special rules for counting things and people 85
Ordinal numbers 86
The Clock’s Ticking: Telling (and Asking About) Time 87
Counting the hours 88
Marking the minutes 88
Distinguishing day and night 89
Understanding the 24-hour clock 90
Asking for the time 90
It’s a Date!: Checking Out the Calendar 92
Naming the days of the week 92
Talking about time relative to the present 93
Mentioning months and seasons 94
Delving into dates 95
Saying years 95
The Long and Short of It: Familiarizing Yourself with Metric Measurements 98
Chapter 6: Speaking Russian at Home 101
Taking a Tour of Your Home 101
The kitchen 102
The dining room 103
The living room 104
The bedroom 105
The bathroom 105
The laundry room 106
The garage 106
Home Is Where the Food Is 109
Get cookin’: The verb “to cook” 109
Eat up: The verb “to eat” 110
Drink up: The verb “to drink” 110
Enjoying different meals 111
Describing your food and drink preferences with the verb “to like” 112
Engaging in Daily Activities 115
Discussing your household chores 115
Talking about all the places you go 115
Bantering about bedtime activities 116
Part 2: Russian in Action 119
Chapter 7: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 121
Let Me Tell You Something: Talking about Yourself 122
Stating where you’re from 122
Talking about your nationality and ethnicity 123
Giving your age 127
Discussing your family 127
Telling what you do for a living 129
I’m Sorry!: Explaining that You Don’t Understand Something 132
Let’s Get Together: Giving and Receiving Contact Information 132
Chapter 8: Asking for Directions 137
Using “Where” and “How” Questions 137
Asking where a place is 138
Inquiring how to get to a place 139
The Next Step: Understanding Specific Directions 140
Making sense of commands in the imperative mood 140
Listening for prepositions 141
Keeping “right” and “left” straight 141
Going here and there 144
Traveling near and far 146
Chapter 9: Dining Out and Going to the Market 149
Eating Out in Russia 149
Finding a place to eat 149
Making reservations on the phone 150
Ordering a meal 151
Having handy phrases for the wait staff 152
Receiving and paying the bill 153
Going Out for Groceries 155
Meats and fish 155
Fruits and vegetables 156
Dairy products and eggs 157
Baked goods 157
A Russian tradition: Hot cereal 158
Beverages 158
Chapter 10: Shopping Made Easy 163
Shopping with Confidence: The Verb “To Buy” 164
So Many Stores, So Little Time: The Shopping Scene in Russia 165
Looking at different types of stores and merchandise 165
Finding out when a store is open 167
Navigating a department store 168
You Are What You Wear: Shopping for Clothes 170
Seeking specific items of clothing and accessories 170
Describing items in color 172
Finding the right size 172
Trying on clothing 173
This or That? Deciding What You Want 174
Using demonstrative pronouns 174
Comparing two items 175
Talking about what you like most (or least) 176
You Gotta Pay to Play: Buying Items 176
How much does it cost? 176
I’ll take it! How do I pay? 177
Chapter 11: Going Out on the Town 181
Together Wherever We Go: Making Plans to Go Out 181
On the Big Screen: Going to the Movies 183
Picking a particular type of movie 184
Buying tickets 184
Choosing a place to sit and watch 185
It’s Classic: Taking in the Russian Ballet and Theater 188
Culture Club: Visiting a Museum 190
How Was It?: Talking about Entertainment 191
Chapter 12: Taking Care of Business and Telecommunications 195
Looking Around Your Office 195
Indispensable office supplies 196
Rooms around the office 197
Simple office etiquette 197
Ringing Up Telephone Basics 198
Brushing up on phone vocabulary 198
Distinguishing different types of phones 199
Knowing different kinds of phone calls 199
Dialing the Number and Making the Call 200
Arming Yourself with Basic Telephone Etiquette 201
Saving time by not introducing yourself 201
Asking for the person you want to speak to 202
Anticipating different responses 202
Leaving a message with a person 206
Talking to an answering machine 209
Using a Computer 209
Familiarizing yourself with computer terms 210
Sending email 211
Sending Correspondence 211
Chapter 13: Recreation and the Great Outdoors 215
Shootin’ the Breeze about Recreational Plans 215
What did you do last night? 216
What are you doing this weekend? 217
What do you like to do? 218
Surveying the World of Sports 219
Listing a few popular sports 220
Using the verb “to play” 220
Talking about other athletic activities 221
Reading All about It 223
Talking about what you’re reading 223
Discussing genres 224
Sounding Off about Music 227
Taking note of a few popular instruments 227
Asking about instruments that others play 228
Wondering what kinds of music others like 228
Being Crafty 229
Rejoicing in the Lap of Nature 230
Part 3: Russian on the Go 233
Chapter 14: Planning a Trip 235
Where Do You Want to Go?: Picking a Place for Your Trip 235
Checking out continents and countries 236
Visiting Russia 237
How Do We Get There?: Booking a Trip 238
Don’t Leave Home without Them: Dealing with Passports and Visas 241
Taking It with You: Packing Tips 244
Chapter 15: Dealing with Money in a Foreign Land 247
Paying Attention to Currency 247
Rubles and kopecks 247
Dollars, euros, and other international currencies 248
Changing Money 249
Using Banks 250
Opening an account at the bank of your choice 251
Making deposits and withdrawals 252
Heading to the ATM 253
Spending Money 254
Using cash 254
Paying with credit cards 256
Chapter 16: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and More 259
Understanding Verbs of Motion 259
Going by foot or vehicle habitually 260
Going by foot or vehicle at the present time 261
Explaining where you’re going 262
Navigating the Airport 263
Using the verb “to fly” 263
Checking in and boarding your flight 263
Handling customs and passport control 264
Conquering Public Transportation 266
Taking a taxi 266
Using minivans 266
Catching buses, trolley buses, and trams 267
Hopping on the subway 267
Embarking on a Railway Adventure 268
Making sense of a train schedule 268
Surveying types of trains and cars 269
Buying tickets 269
Stocking up on essentials for your ride 270
Boarding the train and enjoying your trip 270
Chapter 17: Finding a Place to Stay 273
Finding a Hotel That’s Right for You 273
Types of hotels 273
Making a reservation 274
Checking In 279
Enduring the registration process 279
Taking a tour of your room 283
Familiarizing yourself with the facilities 283
Meeting the staff 284
Resolving Service Problems 284
Reporting a broken item 285
Requesting missing items 285
Asking to change rooms 286
Checking Out and Paying Your Bill 286
Chapter 18: Handling Emergencies 289
Finding Help in Case of Accidents and Other Emergencies 289
Hollering for help 290
Making an emergency phone call 290
Reporting a problem 291
Requesting English-speaking help 293
Receiving Medical Care 294
Knowing parts of the body 295
Describing your symptoms 297
Understanding questions a doctor asks 298
Communicating allergies or special conditions 300
Seeing a specialist 300
Undergoing an examination and getting a diagnosis 301
Visiting a pharmacy 303
Calling the Police When You’re the Victim of a Crime 304
Talking to the police 304
Answering questions from the police 305
Part 4: The Part of Tens 307
Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Pick Up Russian Quickly 309
Check Out Russian TV, Movies, and Music 309
Listen to Russian Radio Programs 310
Read Russian Publications 310
Surf the Internet 311
Visit a Russian Restaurant 311
Find a Russian Pen Pal 312
Teach English to a Russian Immigrant 313
Visit a Jewish Community Center 313
Travel to Russia 313
Date or Marry a Russian 314
Chapter 20: Ten Things Never to Say in Russian 315
Use the Right Form of “You” 315
Don’t Rush to Say “Hi!” 316
Don’t Switch to First Names Prematurely 316
Use “How Are You?” with Caution 317
Respond to “How Are You?” in a Culturally Appropriate Manner 317
Choose the Right Form of “Happy” 318
Watch Out When You Talk about Studying 318
Accent a Certain Verb Carefully 318
Know the Difference between a Bathroom and a Restroom 319
Don’t Toast with the Wrong Phrase 319
Chapter 21: Ten Favorite Russian Expressions 321
Showing Strong Feelings 321
Using “Give” in Various Situations 322
Starting a Story 322
Taking “Listen!” to the Next Level 322
Describing Amazement about Food 323
Insisting that the Good Times Continue 323
Noting the Benefit of Silence 323
Saying that Two Heads Are Better Than One 324
Expressing that a Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed 324
Understanding the Importance of Old Friends 324
Chapter 22: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Fluent in Russian 325
Showing Off Your Excellent Manners 325
Paying a Compliment 326
Inviting Someone Over for Tea 326
Saying “Help Yourself” 327
Wishing Someone “Bon Appetit!” 327
Embracing the Tradition of Sitting Down Before Leaving 327
Offering Hospitality 328
Wishing Good Luck 328
Signing Off with Kisses 329
Offering Unusual Congratulations 329
Appendix A: Russian-English Mini-Dictionary 331
Appendix B: Verb Tables 351
Appendix C: Answer Keys 357
Index 361
