Russian Cyrillic Alphabet Chart
Jul 2nd, 2007, 04:07 AM
#21
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Yes, Katya, we always got very excited to see a Pectopah!! Thanks for the website. We are having Russian visitors soon and I might try one more time to 'brush up my Shakespeare".
Janis, you are incorrect. Many words are "borrowed" from the romance languages and English. But the sounds are the important part.
A dictionary is very key. We stayed with a family and made do by pointing to words--in both languages!
Janis, you are incorrect. Many words are "borrowed" from the romance languages and English. But the sounds are the important part.
A dictionary is very key. We stayed with a family and made do by pointing to words--in both languages!
Jul 2nd, 2007, 05:56 AM
#22
yes - I know many words are borrowed. But for the VAST majority of locations, directions, informational signs - a cheat sheet/chart will not help you know what they mean. But it WILL help you pronounce them. Which is very good if one is asking directions, etc.
I've been to Russia a few times and made my way around just fine by knowing the Cyrillic pronounciations and a handful of Russian words.
A Russian/English dictionary/translator is a must.
I've been to Russia a few times and made my way around just fine by knowing the Cyrillic pronounciations and a handful of Russian words.
A Russian/English dictionary/translator is a must.
Jul 2nd, 2007, 10:56 AM
#23
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Thanks to all of you for providing such an incredible wealth of information! I can see now that I was simplifying a more complicated solution to my question. I do have a limited dictionary, but will buy a more extensive one. Thank you for the websites; I will definitely search them for added information. Many of you have gone to great lengths to assist me and I very much appreciate your efforts.
Jul 2nd, 2007, 11:27 AM
#24
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Russian really is out there by itself. You will not see or hear that much familiar.
Studying there, my favourite was the tube Station:
Bibleoteka imeni Lenina (Library in the name of Lenin)
I renamed it "Bubbly Tickley Lemony Enema"
I hope they haven't renamed it.
Studying there, my favourite was the tube Station:
Bibleoteka imeni Lenina (Library in the name of Lenin)
I renamed it "Bubbly Tickley Lemony Enema"
I hope they haven't renamed it.
Jul 2nd, 2007, 04:24 PM
#25
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Even if you have a Russian dictionary, it will not always help you. Russians decline nouns and you would have to recognize the root of the word and know what the ending stood for. Similarly, a dictionary does not list all the verb tenses, etc.
My suggestion would be just to bring a good phrase book and forget about lugging along too much. If you are just there for a short time, you will survive.
My suggestion would be just to bring a good phrase book and forget about lugging along too much. If you are just there for a short time, you will survive.
Jul 2nd, 2007, 07:42 PM
#26
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When I went to Romania and Bulgaria
3 yrs ago, I memorized the Cyrillic
alphabet so that we would be able to
read the road signs. I didn't do it
for the sounds. It really helped a
lot. I think a VirtualTourist member
sent me the website but I don't have
it anymore. Some of the signs had
both and some of the maps did, too.
It got us thru the mountains, although
we had to stop sometimes so I could
decipher the words. It was actually
fun, gave this brain a workout. We
are going to Poland in Sept. so I
will have to review it, if we decide
travel by car.
3 yrs ago, I memorized the Cyrillic
alphabet so that we would be able to
read the road signs. I didn't do it
for the sounds. It really helped a
lot. I think a VirtualTourist member
sent me the website but I don't have
it anymore. Some of the signs had
both and some of the maps did, too.
It got us thru the mountains, although
we had to stop sometimes so I could
decipher the words. It was actually
fun, gave this brain a workout. We
are going to Poland in Sept. so I
will have to review it, if we decide
travel by car.
Jul 2nd, 2007, 08:09 PM
#28
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I've been studing Russian for months - since I live here and I completely agree with FauxSteMarie, a dictionary will not do you much good. It only gives the masculine form of nouns and the infinitive form of verbs. A phrase book is a better choice.
And yes Polish uses Latin letters.
And yes Polish uses Latin letters.
Jul 2nd, 2007, 08:46 PM
#29
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The best little language series for tourists who are planning on spending just a few days/weeks in any particular country is the "In Flight" series by Living Language. You get a CD and a very slim booklet. You listen to the CD and read the booklet. Covers all the essentials: "Hello" "Good-bye" "How to order in a restaurant" "How to get from here to there", "Left, Right" "One, two, three". It's called "In Flight" for the idea, supposedly that by the time you land, you will have the rudimentaries of a language.
I've used the ones for Czech and Hungarian and they were very helpful. Can't remember a single word of Czech or Hungarian now, but will pull those CDs out whenever we go back to those countries.
You shouldn't psych yourself out by thinking of Russian as too difficult a language. After all it is related to English and not to Hebrew or Chinese. The basic sounds are not tongue-twisters. The grammar is approximately the same. There IS one area that you need to know about: Russian has a different word for whether you go by train, by plane, or on foot. For a traveller asking directions, this is a crucial area.
The writing is derived from Greek and Hebrew and shouldn't be that hard either. It's not Egyptian hieroglyphics, Sumerian cuneiform, or Chinese characters. Do as the others have suggested and learn the Russian alphabet.
Before the In Flight series, I used to make up my own rules about a foreign language: learn to say "Hello", "Good-bye", "Thank you", "Please", "I love you (just in case...) [in Russian, that's "ya vas l-i-u-blue"]", and one swear word - just in case... [for me, in Russian, that's "doo-rock", forgot what it means and, fortunately, never had to use it!]
Just kidding sometimes!
Have a great trip!
I've used the ones for Czech and Hungarian and they were very helpful. Can't remember a single word of Czech or Hungarian now, but will pull those CDs out whenever we go back to those countries.
You shouldn't psych yourself out by thinking of Russian as too difficult a language. After all it is related to English and not to Hebrew or Chinese. The basic sounds are not tongue-twisters. The grammar is approximately the same. There IS one area that you need to know about: Russian has a different word for whether you go by train, by plane, or on foot. For a traveller asking directions, this is a crucial area.
The writing is derived from Greek and Hebrew and shouldn't be that hard either. It's not Egyptian hieroglyphics, Sumerian cuneiform, or Chinese characters. Do as the others have suggested and learn the Russian alphabet.
Before the In Flight series, I used to make up my own rules about a foreign language: learn to say "Hello", "Good-bye", "Thank you", "Please", "I love you (just in case...) [in Russian, that's "ya vas l-i-u-blue"]", and one swear word - just in case... [for me, in Russian, that's "doo-rock", forgot what it means and, fortunately, never had to use it!]
Just kidding sometimes!
Have a great trip!
Jul 3rd, 2007, 07:35 AM
#31
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"After all it is related to English"
"The grammar is approximately the same"
Excuse me?
No set word order
No verbs for "to be" or "to have"
3 genders
6 cases (as such there are up to eighteen forms of an adjective)
English has sixteen tenses, Russian has three plus perfective and imperfective forms.
Virtually no words of Latin origin (one in three in English)
The grammar is utterly different.
It is close to English insofar as they are both Indo-European languages, but then again so are Hindu, Gaelic and Persian.
"The grammar is approximately the same"
Excuse me?
No set word order
No verbs for "to be" or "to have"
3 genders
6 cases (as such there are up to eighteen forms of an adjective)
English has sixteen tenses, Russian has three plus perfective and imperfective forms.
Virtually no words of Latin origin (one in three in English)
The grammar is utterly different.
It is close to English insofar as they are both Indo-European languages, but then again so are Hindu, Gaelic and Persian.
Jul 3rd, 2007, 08:01 AM
#32
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I have used "In Flight" for Hungarian. I do not recommend it. Basically it just gives you words and phrases. I played the CD a zillion times but very little locked in. The problem is that there is not the repetition that you find in a program like Pimsleur, but Pimsleur does not have Hungarian so it was not an option.
All and all, I would just suggest you get a phrase book with transliterizations so you can attempt to pronunce Russia. If the book has the phrase in Cyrillic, you can always point to it to show them what you mean.
I went to Russia with basic Russian skills from high school (refreshed by Pimsleur because I only had a year of Russian to fall back on). I could communicate at a very basic level (as for directions, toilet, etc.) but not much beyond that. One day in Petersburg I went solo because I wanted to see the House of Peter the Great, which was not on the tour agenda (a walk from the Peter & Paul Fortress), I managed. If you don't have some basic language skills, learning a few phrases from In Flight Russian is not going to help you.
The thought that one could master all the phrases from an In Flight one hour CD on a flight is, quite frankly, laughable. Don't waste your money.
All and all, I would just suggest you get a phrase book with transliterizations so you can attempt to pronunce Russia. If the book has the phrase in Cyrillic, you can always point to it to show them what you mean.
I went to Russia with basic Russian skills from high school (refreshed by Pimsleur because I only had a year of Russian to fall back on). I could communicate at a very basic level (as for directions, toilet, etc.) but not much beyond that. One day in Petersburg I went solo because I wanted to see the House of Peter the Great, which was not on the tour agenda (a walk from the Peter & Paul Fortress), I managed. If you don't have some basic language skills, learning a few phrases from In Flight Russian is not going to help you.
The thought that one could master all the phrases from an In Flight one hour CD on a flight is, quite frankly, laughable. Don't waste your money.
Jul 3rd, 2007, 08:05 AM
#33
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By the way, for the alleged Russian speaker saying "Ya vas lublyoo" for I love you, I think you would want to use the familiar form of "you" not the formal if that is the conversation you were going to have.
Jul 3rd, 2007, 08:08 AM
#34
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"The thought that one could master all the phrases from an In Flight one hour CD on a flight is, quite frankly, laughable"
As is the notion of getting beyond the basics after four years of University, with a year in Moscow. I know, I tried.
"Discuss the use of the genitive gerund in Pushkin's Bronze Horseman" AAAGGGHHHH!
The alphabet "asbyka" is the easy bit, and can be mastered in a few hours.
As is the notion of getting beyond the basics after four years of University, with a year in Moscow. I know, I tried.
"Discuss the use of the genitive gerund in Pushkin's Bronze Horseman" AAAGGGHHHH!
The alphabet "asbyka" is the easy bit, and can be mastered in a few hours.
Jul 3rd, 2007, 09:37 AM
#36
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I had 2 years of college Russian and could read the Cyrillic alphabet well enough, but once in the former Yugoslavia, I got a little addled by differences in syntax and vocabulary. So I had a good laugh at myself standing in front of a movie theater and sounding out the movie of the day:
"Kaw-oo-Bo-ee D-zhoh!" Starred John Wayne -- have no idea which of his films it actually was, but if we'd gone in, I probably would have been completely distracted by trying to sound out the subtitles!
BTW, the beginning of the recited Russian alphabet is "ah, beh, veh, geh, deh, ye, yoh, zhe, ze, ee, ee-kratkoye, etc." Can't imagine why "yeh" or "yoh" would be left out.
Also: our teacher used "rashchoice" and "fishchowder" to help with the shch; and for "yerri" he told us to say "Oo" with our lips and "ee" with our tongue and throat.
"Kaw-oo-Bo-ee D-zhoh!" Starred John Wayne -- have no idea which of his films it actually was, but if we'd gone in, I probably would have been completely distracted by trying to sound out the subtitles!
BTW, the beginning of the recited Russian alphabet is "ah, beh, veh, geh, deh, ye, yoh, zhe, ze, ee, ee-kratkoye, etc." Can't imagine why "yeh" or "yoh" would be left out.
Also: our teacher used "rashchoice" and "fishchowder" to help with the shch; and for "yerri" he told us to say "Oo" with our lips and "ee" with our tongue and throat.
Jul 3rd, 2007, 09:58 AM
#37
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Waring-
your biblioteka Lenina mnemonic is hilarious
FauxSteMarie-
Allow me to disagree about the use of polite form in "I love you". This form is used almost predominantly in the classic Russian literature and poetry.
Believe it or not, many people who are both romantic and polite will use this form even today. (I grew up and was educated in Moscow.) The issue seems, well, fausse...
Still wondering what Rex might have meant by Zorzhii. Russian name Georgiy is pronounced with both "g's" as in "get", G(h)e -o-rg(h)iy, unless you meant something altogether different.
Poka to All,
-e
your biblioteka Lenina mnemonic is hilarious
FauxSteMarie-
Allow me to disagree about the use of polite form in "I love you". This form is used almost predominantly in the classic Russian literature and poetry.
Believe it or not, many people who are both romantic and polite will use this form even today. (I grew up and was educated in Moscow.) The issue seems, well, fausse...
Still wondering what Rex might have meant by Zorzhii. Russian name Georgiy is pronounced with both "g's" as in "get", G(h)e -o-rg(h)iy, unless you meant something altogether different.
Poka to All,
-e
