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30 Essential Russian Phrases For Travelers and Russian Learners
30 Essential Russian Phrases For Travelers and Russian Learners
30 Essential Russian Phrases For Travelers and Russian Learners
Home » Articles » 30 Essential Russian Phrases for Travelers and Russian Learners
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I want to share the most important Russian phrases for you to learn.
For beginner Russian learners, you’ll find this whole article helpful, so you’ll want to take note
of all the Russian phrases I share below. With that on mind, I’ve written the first part of this
article just for you, covering some essential greetings, introductions and survival phrases to
help you make progress at the start of your linguistic path.
For those a little further along on their Russian learning journey, head to the second part of
this article for 10 essential conversational Russian phrases for improved communication. If
you’re already a bit of an advanced Russian master, we haven’t forgotten about you – check
the final part of this article for 10 very useful informal words and expressions. Choose your
level and let’s go!
A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in Russian for
at Resources
least 15 minutes with the "Fluent in 3 Months" method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to
find out more.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
favourite language courses
• PartSpanish
1: Essential RussianFrench
Phrases for Beginners Starting Out, with
German Numerous
Korean
Examples and Usage Tips:
• Introductions in Russian Italian
• 1. Как жизнь? (Kak zhizn’?) – ‘How’s life?’Chinese
Japanese
in Russian
Russian
• 2. Что нового? (Shto novovo?) – ‘What’s new?’ in Russian
• 3.Asl
Сколько лет,Arabic сколько зим! (Skol’ko let, skol’ko zim!) –Czech
Cantonese ‘Long time no see’ in
Blog Russian
• 4.Dutch
Здорово (Zdorovo) – ‘Hey’ in Russian
English Esperanto Hebrew
• 5. Чем
Learning Hubs: ? (Chem zanimaeshsya?) (informal)/Чем занимаетесь?
Your fast track
занимаешься
(Chem
to speaking
Hungarian
zanimaetes?)
a new language. (formal)
Irish
– ‘What have you been up to?’Portuguese
Polish
in Russian
Search
• 5 Useful Russian Phrases in a Shop or Cafe
• 1.Spanish
Дайте счет
European
French? (Dayte shotGerman
пожалуйста
Portuguese pozhaluista?) – Tagalog
Swedish ‘Could I have the bill,
Korean
please?’
Looking for something?
Use• the
2.Japanese
Можно
Thai
мне…
search field (Mozhno
below.
Turkish
mne…) – ‘May Chinese
Italian I have…’
Vietnamese
Russian
• 3. Это ваш (кофе/стол/друг?) (Eto vash kofe/stol/drug)? – ‘Is this your
Social
Keyword
Fluent
•
guides
coffee/table/friend?’
Article
4.
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list:3 Months
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‘You’re
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3 Monthsresources
andGet our take on the
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• 5. Сколько стоит? (Skol’ko stoit?) – ‘How much is it?’
• PartGo 2: Useful Russian
Latest
To Courses Phrases for Beginner
Articles
SEARCH Goand Intermediate Learners Looking to
To Reviews
Broaden Their Speaking Skills × CLOSE
• 10 Useful
THISConversation Starters,
is how I learn Fillers andinWays
a language to ExpressGET
3 months Yourself to Keep
THE DETAILS HERE
Conversation Going
• 1. Как вам/как тебе… (Моцарт)? (Kak vam/kak tebe [Motsart]?) – ‘What do you
think about (Mozart)?’
• 2. Как насчёт…? (Kak naschyot…?) – ‘How about…?”
• 3. Ты должен(а)… (Ty dolzhen/ty dolzhna…)/ Вы должны… (Vy dolzhny…) –
‘You should…’
• 4. Я тебе/вам советую… (Ya tebe/vam sovetuyu) – ‘I recommend that you…’
• 5. По моему мнению (po-moemu mneniyu) – ‘In my opinion’
• 6. По моему опыту (po moemu opytu) – ‘In my experience’
• 7. Давай (davay) – ‘Let’s go’
• 8. Расскажи подробнее (Rasskazhi podrobnee) – ‘Tell me more’
• 9. Насколько мне известно (Naskol’ko mne izvestno) – ‘As far as I know’
• 10. С моей точки зрения (S moey tochki zreniya) – ‘From my point of view’
Resources
• Part 3: Informal Russian Phrases for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Learners
• 10 Common Informal Words and Phrases with Examples and Usage Tips
• 1.a look
Take Ничего себе! (Nichevo syebye) – ‘You don’t say!’
at our
• 2. Офигеть
favourite language! (Ofiget’!)
courses – ‘No way!’
• 3. Да ладно (Da ladno)/Да ладно тебе (Da ladno tebe) – ‘Don’t worry, yeah
right’
• 4.Spanish French
Не парься (Ne par’sya) – ‘Don’t worry’
German Korean
• 5. Бабки (Babki) – ‘Money’
• 6.Japanese
Хавать (Khavat’) – ‘To eat’
Italian Chinese Russian
• 7. Ерунда (Erunda) – ‘rubbish, nonsense’
• 8.AslСвалить (Svalit’) – ‘To leave’ Cantonese
Arabic Czech
Blog
• 9. Штука (Shtuka) – ‘a thing’
• 10. Бесить (Besit’) – ‘to annoy’
Dutch English Esperanto Hebrew
Learning
• RussianHubs: Your
Phrases fast track Up
– Summing
to speaking a new language. Irish
Hungarian Polish Portuguese
Search
Spanish French German Korean
European Portuguese Swedish Tagalog
Part
Looking1:forEssential
something? Russian Phrases for Beginners
Use theJapanese
Starting search field below.
Thai Out,Turkish with Numerous
Italian Chinese
Vietnamese Examples and
Russian
Social
Usage
Keyword
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Article list:3Tips:
in Months Courses: Check out
All the articles Product reviews:
our courses andGet our take on the
guides
writtentobylearn
Bennytheand
Fluent
otherinpolyglots
3 Monthsresources
method. for learning a language.
Resources
2. Можно мне… (Mozhno mne…) – ‘May I have…’
Takea pen?
Need a lookМожно
at our мне ручку? (Mozhno mne ruchku?) Can I take a look? Можно мне
favourite language
посмотреть ? (Mozhnocourses
mne posmotret’?) You could even combine this with our previous
phrase to give Можно мне счет пожалуйста (Mozhno mne shot pozhaluista) – now you’ve
got two ways to ask for the bill!
Spanish French German Korean
Latest Articles
Go To CoursesSEARCH Go To Reviews
× CLOSE
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Resources
Неaза
4.Take lookчто!
at our(Ne za shto!) – ‘You’re welcome!’
favourite language courses
This is a nice alternative to пожалуйста, and it’s easier to spell as well.
Spanish French German Korean
3.Resources
Ты должен(а)… (Ty dolzhen/ty dolzhna…)/ Вы должны… (Vy
dolzhny…) – ‘You should…’
Take a look at our
favourite
Always language
a useful way tocourses
use to give advice, as in ‘ты должнен спать больше’ (ty dolzhen spat’
bol’she, ‘you should sleep more’). This construction can also be used in the past – ты должен
был уйти (ty dolzhen byl uiti),French
Spanish meaning ‘you should have left’.
German Korean
This is possibly the gold standard of versatile Russian phrases. This is one you’ll get to use all
the time. It can mean ‘goodbye’, ‘go on’ (when cheering on your favourite football team) or
even ‘let’s go’/let’s do it’. Давай встретимся завтра в 1400? – Давай. (Davai vstretimsya
zavtra v 1400? – Davai., ‘Shall we meet tomorrow at 1400? Let’s do it.’).
9.Resources
Насколько мне известно (Naskol’ko mne izvestno) – ‘As far
as I know’
Take a look at our
Asfavourite language
in, насколько мнеcourses
известно, она там тоже работала (naskol’ko mne izvestno, ona tam
tozhe rabotala, ‘as far as I know, she worked there, too’).
Spanish French German Korean
This is an extremely versatile way to express surprise. Ты купил новую тачку? Ничего себе!
(ty kupil novuyu tachku? Nichevo syebye!) You bought a new car? Awesome! Ну ничего себе
какой тяжёлый день! (Nu nichevo sebe kakoy tyazholy den’!) Wow, what a rough day!
3.Resources
Да ладно (Da ladno)/Да ладно тебе (Da ladno tebe) – ‘Don’t
worry, yeah right’
Take a look at our
favourite
This phrase language courses
usually means ‘don’t worry’, as in ‘экзамен сдашь, да ладно’(ekzamen sdash, da
ladno, ‘you’ll pass the exam, don’t worry about it’). But it can sometimes also mean ‘yeah
right’ as Spanish
in: Ты знаешь Илона Маска? Да ладно
French тебе!’ (Ty znaeshKorean
German Ilona Muska? Da ladno
tebe, You know Elon Musk? Yeah, right!’).
Japanese Italian Chinese Russian
4. Не парься
Asl
(Ne par’sya) – ‘Don’t
Arabic
worry’
Cantonese Czech
Blog
Все будет хорошо, не парься (Vsyo budet khorosho, ne par’sya, ‘Everything will be fine,
DutchA great phrase
don’t worry!’). English
for calming thoseEsperanto Hebrew
around you when things get a bit stressful.
Learning Hubs: Your fast track
to speaking a new language. Irish
Hungarian Polish Portuguese
5.Search
Бабки (Babki) – ‘Money’
Spanish French German Korean
European Portuguese Swedish Tagalog
Looking
Money forofsomething?
is one those areas in a language that always attracts a few common slang terms. And
theUse
onethe
yousearch field below.
Thaiare most likely
Japanese to hear
Turkish is ‘бабкиVietnamese
Italian ’ (babki) simply meaning Russian
Chinese ‘dosh’. Another one that
Social
might come in use is косарь (kosar’), a thousand-rouble note.
Keyword
Fluent
Article in
guides
list:3 Months Courses: Check out
All the articles
writtentobylearn
Bennytheand
Fluent
otherinpolyglots
Product
3 Monthsresources
reviews:
our courses andGet our take on the
method. for learning a language.
Latest Articles
Go To CoursesSEARCH Go To Reviews
× CLOSE
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Resources
Take a look at our
favourite language courses
6. Хавать (Khavat’) – ‘To eat’
Spanish French German Korean
This is an informal alternative to есть (yest’, ‘to eat’). Я пошел хавать (Ya poshyol khavat’) –
‘I’m off toJapanese
munch on something’Italian
. You might also come across ‘хавчик’Russian
Chinese
as a less formal
alternative to ‘food’.
Asl Arabic Cantonese Czech
Blog
7. Ерунда (Erunda) – ‘rubbish, nonsense’
Dutch English Esperanto Hebrew
Learning
A general Hubs:
term Your fast track
for ‘nonsense’ or ‘rubbish’. Oн в такую ерунду никогда не верил (On v takuyu
to speaking
erundu nikogda a new language.
ne veril, ‘He didn’t
Hungarian believe in thatPolish
Irish kind of rubbish’).Portuguese
Search
Spanish French German Korean
European Portuguese Swedish Tagalog
Свалить
8.Looking (Svalit’) – ‘To leave’
for something?
Use theJapanese
search field below.
Thai
Italian
Turkish
Chinese
Vietnamese
Russian
This is a handy, informal form of ‘to leave’.For example, короче, я сваливаю (koroche, ya
Social
Keyword
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svalivayu
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9. Штука
Go To(Shtuka) – ‘a thing’
Latest Articles
CoursesSEARCH Go To Reviews
× CLOSE
This means ‘a thing’
THIS as inI learn
is how чертовски интересная штука – любовь (chertovskiy interesnaya
a language in 3 months GET THE DETAILS HERE
shtuka – lyubov’, ‘love is a damn interesting thing’). It’s also really useful when you don’t know
the word for something.
Latest Articles
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× CLOSE
THIS is how I learn a language in 3 months GET THE DETAILS HERE
MARK HEMMING
Legal Translator
Mark Hemming taught English as a Foreign Language in Russia and now runs Libra
Translation in Liverpool, UK.
SPEAKS: English, French, Russian, Spanish
View all posts by Mark Hemming
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