Plan of attack

1) Scan the vocabulary covered first, to get an overview of what is included and pick out your own priorities.
2) What potential exercises can you spot already?
3) How will you tackle this material?

Below you'll find one blank box and three checkboxes next to each theme title. Mark your prority and tick the checkbox every time you revise the respective section:

Overview:
(Tip: Press your browsers <back> button to return here after visiting a vocabulary theme)

(Cyrillic fonts remain to be added)

First conversation

Imagine: A hotel lobby stuffed full of soviet-era industrial furniture. It's raining outside. You're waiting for ..?.. and are chatting with the receptionist.
(Take 20 seconds and picture yourself right there. What phrases would YOU expect to hear or need?)

Exercises: (Click here to scroll and hide "First Conversation" vocab)
Situation: ... In a taxi In the city park With friends of friends
You want to say: ... Pleased to meet you What is your name? Where are you from?
What do you say? ... kak vas zavoot? otshen preeyatna otkooda vuy?

Your idea:

Travel

Imagine: Maybe we should have taken a train instead?

Exercises: (Scroll to hide "Travel" vocab)
Where is a hotel? ... gdyeh aftoboos? gdyeh gasteeneetsa? gdyeh taksee?
How far is Moscow? ... kak daliko maskwa? blisnayah maskwa? kagda preeboodit?
Do you have a double room? ... oovas shhot? oovas nomir nudvayeekh? oovas nomir na-adnavo?

Your idea:

Everyday phrases

Imagine: You're on a train. Outside a flat landscape with lines of poplar trees is sliding past. Another hour to Moscow. You and ..?.. are sharing a compartment with a mother and her young daughter, as well as a vicar. You strike up a conversation to activate your learnt Russian ..
(Take 20 seconds and picture yourself right there. What phrases would YOU expect to hear or need?)

Exercises: (Scroll to hide "Everyday Phrases" vocab)
Hello/hi Good day Good night Goodbye See you later Yes/No Please Excuse me/I'm sorry Thanks Alright/very good Fine/wonderful Speak more slowly Do you understand me? ==>> pryeevyet (or zdrastvuytye) dobre dyen spakoynye notshe dosvedanyeh paka da / nyet pazhaulstu eezveneetye spaseeba kharasho atlitshna gavareetye medlinnih vuy ponneemaytye minnya?

Your idea:

My wish is your command

Imagine: Another hotel in ..? Where again are we today?

Exercises: Scroll to hide "Wishes" vocab
... mozhnu kupit etah ya khattilbi kupit eta ya khattilbi zaplateet mozhnu pazvaneet translates as ... Can I buy this? I'd like to pay I would like to buy this Can I telephone?

Your idea:

About you and me

Imagine: You and ..?.. are at the airport waiting for you flight. You start talking with a large family with enough bags to move a minor household.

Imagine: You've arrived at your destination and trying to organise the taxi driver to help put your baggage in motion.

(Remember: Russian doesn't use >is< or >are< - i.e. 'on'/he also means >he is<)

Exercises: (Scroll to hide "About you and me" vocab)
She is ... my your ... friend daughter wife ==>> ... on moy ana moy ty tvoy ya moy on tvoy ya tvoy on yevo ana tvoy ... atyets droog mat muzh zhena dotsh
Your idea:

Shopping

Imagine: You should really bring something home with you. Now what souvenirs does one bring back from Russia?
(Take 20 seconds ...)

Exercises: (Scroll to hide "Shopping" vocab)
You want to buy milk. Which phrases may be useful ..? ... pasmatri tolka shkolka stoit? pa-menshi / pa-bolshi oo-vas malako? kak nazivaitye eta?
(Did you spot the word for milk? Out there, pick up words as you go, too.)

Your idea:

Counting

Imagine: You're at a greengrocer and ask for the price of some oranges.

You will need numbers more than anything else.

Tip:
40 is the same as TWENTY AND TWENTY,
twelve is TEN AND TWO

Exercises: (Scroll to hide "Counting" vocab)
Did we teach you these as well?
... fourteen twenty-two one hundred and five = ... sto pyat dyesit chitiri dvatsut dva

Your idea:

Shopping .. questions

Imagine: You're in a busy market with stalls and hawkers selling everything you'd normally expect to find in a department store. There are bulging plastic bags as far as the eye can see ..

Exercises: (Scroll to hide "Shopping-questions" vocab)
... shkolka yest-li = ... There are .. How many ..? Is there ..? There is! How much ..?
Easy!?

Your idea:

Eating and drinking

Imagine: The hotel restaurant. Waiters dressed in black idly chatting by the till. You're joined in the vast, empty dining room by a small, noisy group of hotel guests, probably here on a business trip.

Exercises: (Scroll to hide "Eating and Drinking" vocab)
ya khatilbi roomkoo veeno ==>> ... Do you have wine? I'd like fish, please Without meat please I'd like a glass of wine

Your idea:

Phrases you'll hear

Imagine: A busy cafe full of office workers and shoppers having lunch. Sit back, sip your coffee and listen.

.. or ..

Imagine: You and a streethawker are both waiting for the commuter-train at a suburban metro-station. It is still early and an icy wind is blowing.

Exercises: (Scroll to hide "Phrases you'll hear" vocab)
Still sipping coffee. Somebody is talking to you: ... ni-ponyal khotshish? pommazhitye vam? ya ni-znayoo Can you catch the gist of it?

Your idea:

Idle chat

Imagine: At a bus station. It's rush hour.

Exercises: (Scroll to hide "Idle chat" vocab)
vazmozhna ==>> ... Never mind Can you ..? No, I can't Is it possible to ..? No, I can't
nyet, ni magu ==>> ... Never mind Can you ..? No, I can't Is it possible to ..? No, I can't
nitshevo ==>> ... Never mind Can you ..? No, I can't Is it possible to ..? No, I can't

Your idea:

Time is on your side

Imagine: Still at the bus station. Sure you haven't missed the bus?

Exercises: (do look at the vocab!)
It's 10 a.m. You're told that the bus will arrive ..
Does that mean you should panic? (select the possibly correct times)
pozhe ... ... 10 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 2 p.m. not before noon 10:45 a.m. sharp (none of the above)
ni-kagda ... ... 10 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 2 p.m. not before noon 10:45 a.m. sharp (none of the above)
vo vremya ... ... 10 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 2 p.m. not before noon 10:45 a.m. sharp (none of the above)

Your idea:

About town

Imagine: You're heading for the woods this afternoon and still need to get a few things organised before you leave the city. It's a chilly morning and you really don't want to get stressed.

Exercises:

Your idea:

Health

Imagine: Your fellow traveller, ..?.., seems to be coming down with something. The nice man at the hotel reception sent you to a doctor next door.

If you're really sick, don't mess around and find someone who can interpret properly.

Exercises:
Your idea:

Special offer: Vocabulary for free

Familiar sounding words that will enrich your practice vocabulary instantly

Exercises:
Your idea:

My words

Add words you need to be on the look-out for the translation of at some later stage, or words that you have picked-up along the way.

Vocab check

--- Yes No Thank you Thankyou very much! You're welcome Please Excuse me Hello Goodbye See you later Good morning Good afternoon Good evening Goodnight I don't remember How do you say that in [Russian]? Do you speak ... English I We You You (formal) You (pl) They What is your name? Nice to meet you How are you? Good Bad So so Wife Husband Daughter Son Mother Father Friend Where is the toilet? translates best as --- Da Net Spasibo Bolshoe spasibo Pazhaluista Pazhaluysta Izvinite Zdravstvuyte Do svidaniya Poka Dobroe utro Dobry den Dobry vecher Spokoynoy nochi Ya ne ponimayu Kak eto skazat po [russky]? Vy govorite po-... Angliysky Frantsuzsky Nemetsky Ispansky Kitaisky Ya Mui Ty Vy Vy Oni Kak vas zovut? Ochen priyatno. Kak dela? Horosho Ploho Tak sebe Zhena Muzh Doch Syn Mat Otets Drug Gde zdes tualet?

Answers

About town: You asked to go to square [B] .. Return

You're wondering why you were made to fill out a questionaire about yourself in the introduction? Did you keep your own priorities in mind throughout the language briefing? Maybe now you'd like to skim over the vocab above again and highlight what you should concentrate on first ..

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