The following is a list of some conversational Russian vocabulary, along with some notes on the grammar they use.
| Meaning | Example | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| меня зовут... | My name is... | The verb used here is "to call", the literal translation is therefore "I am called...". Hence the accusative pronoun. | |
| я не знаю как его/её/его зовут. | I don't know his/her/its name | Same as above (use accusative pronouns with the verb for "to call"). | |
| сколыка | how much | сколыка тебе лет?
(How old are you?) мне ... лет/год/года. (I am ... years old.) |
Use the dative case here.
When asking the question, we always use лет. When answering, however, we are saying something to the effect of "to me, this is Xth year". We use the noun год (year) with the number one and all the numbers that end in one, we use года with the numbers from 2 to 4 and all the numbers that end in 2, 3 and 4, and лет with all the numbers from 5 to 20, and all the numbers that end in 5,6,7,8 and 9. So, год is nominative singular, года is genitive singular and лет is genitive plural. |
| лет? | year | ||
| у <genitive pronoun> есть <nominative noun> | <Pronoun> has <noun> | у меня есть машина, и у него есть машина.
(I have a car and he has a car.) |
Third-person singular pronouns have the suffice н- when preceded by a preposition: к ней, от неё, etc. This doesn't apply to the possessive pronouns, or in general any third-person pronoun that isn't directly called by the preposition. |
| у <genitive pronoun> меня нет <genitive noun> | <Pronoun> does not have <noun> | у меня нет собаки.
(I don't have a dog.) |
|
| там | there | книга там, на столе.
(The book is there, on the table.) |
|
| туда | that way | я иду туда.
(I am going that way.) |
|
| <dative pronoun> нравится <nominative noun> | <Pronoun> like(s) <noun> | Мне нравятся книги.
(I like books.) |
The actual verb infinitive is нравиться. In most sentences the third person singular (он, она, оно нравится ) or plural (они нравятся ) form of the verb is used. The use of other forms is limited by the sentences with personal pronouns like Я нравлюсь тебе - "I am pleasing to you"; Ты нравишься ей - "You are pleasing to her", etc. |
| правда | truth | Often used as an expression for "really?" | |
| я не уверен | I am not sure | ||
| как дела? | How's things? | Literally: "What matter/affair"? | |
| откуда | from where | откуда ты?
(Where are you from?) |
|
| извините (меня) | excuse (me) | Добрый день, извините, где находится театр?
(Good day, excuse me, where is the theater?) |
|
| Добрый день | good day | ||
| где | where (question word) | ||
| <nominative pronoun> из <genitive noun phrase> | to be from | он из города, а я из деревни.
(He is from the city, and I am from the village.) |
|
| тоже (for subjects) | also | Я люблю футбол, Павел тоже любит футбол.
(I like football, Pavel also likes football.) |
|
| также (for objects) | also | Я люблю футбол, Я также люблю баскетбол.
(I like football, I also like basketball.) |
|
| хорошо | yes/OK/alright | Всё хорошо!
(All is alright! A typical way of saying "everything is well") |
|
| ладно | OK... | Ладно, я понял.
(OK, I got it.) |
More laid back than хорошо, often used to indicate reluctance or annoyance. |
| Вот так | Like so | Вот так я стал моряком.
(This is how I became a sailor) |
|
| в чём дело? | What's up?
What's the matter |
Notes edit
- Regarding the difference between "у меня есть" and "у меня", there are three general categories your sentence can fall into: • The important thing in the sentence is the item you're talking about and its properties. Then you DO NOT USE 'есть': У меня красивые кошки. (I have beautiful cats/My cats are beautiful) • The important thing in the sentence is the fact that you own the thing. Then you USE 'есть': У меня есть квартира. (I have an apartment/I possess an apartment) • The important thing in the sentence is your state of possessing the item/concept/entity in question. Then you DO NOT USE 'есть': У меня плохое настроение. (I'm in a bad mood)