Katrink

It is obviously, that when you decide to travel to Russia, you will need to know well vocabulary for various bank and currency services. From this post you will learn basic topical vocabulary and it will help you to regulate any financial issue with bank managers. Let ‘s start with words and expressions: Валюта – Valûta – currency Монета - Moneta - coin Наличка (наличные деньги) – Nalička (naličnye den´gi) – cash Занимать (кому-то) - Zanimat´ (komu-to) - lend Занимать (у кого-то) - Zanimat´ (u kogo-to) - borrow Пункты обмена валюты – Punkty obmena valûty – exchange facilities Банкоматы – Bankomaty – cashpoint machines Кассир – Kassir – cashier Касса – Kassa – cashier’s desk Платеж или оплата – Platež ili oplata – payment Денежный перевод – Denežnyj perevod – money transfer Размер комиссионных - Razmer komissionnyh - rate of commission Валютный курс – Valûtnyj kurs – exchange rate Процент – Procent – interest Забрать деньги со счета – Zabrat´ den´gi so sčeta – withdraw money from an account Открыть счет – Otkryt´ sčet – open an account. On top of that , try to practice your knowledge of Russian words for currency and bank services. I have prepared some questions phrases that may be very helpful. У меня нет при себе денег. U menâ net pri sebe deneg. I do not have money about me. Сколько я вам должен? Skol´ko â vam dolžen? How much do I owe you? Я бы хотел разменять крупные деньги. Â by hotel razmenât´ krupnye den´gi. I would like to change some banknotes of high value. Сколько вы берете за обмен? Skol´ko vy berete za obmen? What rate of commission do you charge? Какой валютный курс? Kakoj valûtnyj kurs? What is the exchange rate? Какой курс доллара? Kakoj kurs dollara? What is the exchange rate for the dollar? Official Russian currency is рубль - rubl´. We have both banknotes and coins. At this picture you can see Russian money. Actually it will be problematic to pay in dollars. Travelling by public transport within the country, you will need to have some cash. In large stores, malls or supermarkets you can pay, using electronic card. However, it is not a guarantee of successful payment operation. That is why, the first thing to do when departing to Russia is to find the nearest currency exchange center. There are lots of them in airports. Besides, now you know how to ask people about places for currency exchange. Good luck and be ready to any situations during the trip!

Ukrainian is from Eastern Slavonic group of languages. It is really closely related to Belarusian, Russian and Polish. This language is spoken not only in Ukraine but also partially in Russia, Hungary, Georgia, Slovakia, Moldova and some other countries. Surely, the best place to learn Ukrainian language is Ukraine, but if you do not have such opportunity, you can check this section for new threads. Here I will post grammar rules, peculiarities of pronunciation and useful vocabulary. By the way, if you are polyglot and want to know as many languages as it is only possible, so here is perfect news for you: most of Ukrainian letters are the same like in Russian language. That is why if you know Russian, so learning Ukrainian will not be so hard. Well, Ukrainian alphabet has thirty three letters and one additional sign – an apostrophe (‘). Ukrainian alphabet will be Украї́нська абе́тка (Ukraḯns´ka abétka) Apostrophe in Ukrainian role plays special role. This sign is used instead of hard sign in Russian language. There are certain rules for using this sign. To write and to speak Ukrainian correctly, you need to remember just several letters, that go after an apostrophe: Ю, Є, Я, Ї Here are examples: Під'їзд - Pìd'ïzd - Entrance hall in multistoried building об'єкт - ob'êkt - Object The whole Ukrainian alphabet you can find here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_alphabet If to compare Ukrainian and Russian alphabets, so will see just some difference. For example: І і – індик – ìndyk – turkey. English sound (i) as in see. И и - гриб - gryb - mushroom. English sound (ɪ) as in ink. Ї ї - Їжачок - Ïžačok – hedgehog . English sound (ji) as in yield. Е е – екран – ekran - screen. English sound (ɛ) as in Jerry. Є є - Євгеній – Êvgenìj - Eugene(name for men). English sound (jɛ) as in yellow. Ґ ґ - Ґрунт - Ґrunt – Soil. English sound (ɡ)as in gift. Also in Ukrainian language we do not have Ъ sign. Instead of it we use an apostrophe sign. Pronunciation of Ukrainian letters is very soft, except of letter Ґ ґ. However, in modern Ukrainian language in everyday speech difference between Ґ ґ and Г г is not very noticeable. If you have questions about Russian letters and sounds, so I will help you. Good luck!

Hello! In this post I will write about role of parenthetical words in Russian language. Actually, these words are very helpful in any language. Using them, you can make your speech more fluent. Parenthetical words in Russian language are marked off by commas. In general, there is a special classification of parenthetical words. So all parenthetical words, or sometimes they are called linking words, can be divided into six main groups. So let us review them: 1. Parenthetical words expressing feelings of speaker, like happiness, astonishment, regret and so on. К счастью – K sčast´û – Fortunately К несчастью – K nesčast´û – Unfortunately К ужасу - K užasu - Much to the consternation of 2. Parenthetical words, that define degree of reality (confidence, guess, possibility, etc. ) Конечно – Konečno - Surely Возможно – Vozmožno - Possibly Несомненно – Nesomnenno - Undoubtedly Должно быть - Dolžno byt´ - Probably Может быть - Možet byt´ - Perhaps Безусловно - Bezuslovno - Certainly В самом деле - V samom dele – Indeed or in point of fact Наверное – Navernoe - Maybe Само собой разумеется - Samo soboj razumeetsâ – It goes without saying 3. Parenthetical words showing source of speaker. Говорят – Govorât – It is said По словам - Po slovam – According to Сообщают – Soobŝaût – It is reported По-моему - Po-moemu – In my opinion По мнению - Po mneniû – in one’s opinion Дескать - Deskat´- allegedly (informal form) Мол – Mol –he says…, she said… 4. Linking words, that show consequence of facts in speech and conjunction of thoughts. Итак - Itak – Thus, so then Следовательно - Sledovatel´no - Consequently В общем - V obŝem - In general Например – Naprimer – For example С одной стороны - S odnoj storony – On the one hand С другой стороны - S drugoj storony - On the other hand Таким образом - Takim obrazom – In such a way Кстати – Kstati – By the way В частности - V častnosti – In particular Наконец – Nakonec - Finally Наоборот – Naoborot – Alternatively 5. Words that show methods of saying. Одним словом - Odnim slovom – in a word Как говорится - Kak govoritsâ – as the saying is Иначе говоря - Inače govorâ – that is to say Так сказать - Tak skazat´ - so saying Коротко говоря or короче (informal) - Korotko govorâ or koroče – in short, briefly 6. Parenthetical words, that used to persuade speaker in something. Вообразите – Voobrazite –Imagine… Понимаешь - Ponimaeš´ - Realize … Скажем – Skažem –Let us say Допустим – Dopustim –let us suppose Знаешь - Znaeš´ - you know… Use these linking words, but when writing, do not forget about commas.

Traditionally Pancake week is a beautiful festival before the Lent. This week in Russia is called Масленица - Maslenica. People celebrate this holiday making pancakes with jam, honey and different stuffing. Pancakes are yellow and have round form, so they symbolize the Sun. In this way people say goodbye to winter and meet spring. During the whole week people play games and visit friends, family. On Sunday – the last day of Maslenica, people make an effigy from straw and burn it. Large crowds of people gather together to have competitions, dance win prizes and certainly celebrate Maslenica. If you like this Russian custom, so let’s make pancakes and learn Russian cooking words. To make pancakes you will need such ingredients - ингредиенты - ingredienty : Яйца 10 шт - Âjca 10 št - Ten eggs 1 стакан сахара - 1 stakan sahara - One glass of sugar 1 стакан сливок - 1 stakan slivok - One glass of cream 2 стакана муки - 2 stakana muki - Two glasses of wheaten flour 50 гр сливочного масла - 50 gr slivočnogo masla - Butter 50 g Приготовление - Prigotovlenie - Cooking Желтки растереть с сахаром, влить сливки и размешать. Želtki rasteret´ s saharom, vlit´ slivki i razmešat´. Yolks of eggs should be thoroughly intermixed with sugar, the cream should be poured in. Всыпать муку и хорошо помешать. Vsypat´ muku i horošo pomešat´. Pour the flour and properly stir. Полученную массу осторожно смешать со взбитыми белками и поставить кастрюлю в холодную воду. Polučennuû massu ostorožno smešat´ so vzbitymi belkami i postavit´ kastrûlû v holodnuû vodu. The thoroughly whipped whites of eggs should be carefully mixed with the previously obtained mass and all that should be put within a pan into the cold water. Выпекать блинчики на хорошо смазанной сковородке. Vypekat´ blinčiki na horošo smazannoj skovorodke. Bake pancakes on the well-greased pan. Затем можно смазать блины вареньем, медом, сметаной или сгущенкой. Zatem možno smazat´ bliny varen´em, medom, smetanoj ili sguŝenkoj. Then coat pancakes with jam, honey, sour cream or condensed milk. That is all! It is very tasty to drink tea and eat pancakes. I hope that, this simple recipe of traditional Russian pancakes will be useful for you to learn cooking vocabulary and know better Russian traditions. Пока! Bye!

If one day you decide to visit Russia, so you will need at least basic lexis for public transport. The capital of Russia is Moscow – a city with the heaviest traffic. In addition to it Moscow is very beautiful place and there are lots of sightseeing places which are worth visiting. But how to travel inside of this large mega polis? Well, you can hire a car or pay for the taxi. However, the last one will be too costly. Are there any alternatives? Yes, of course. We have many available options of public transport. In Moscow you can travel by tram, trolleybus, bus and underground. The fee for using public transport is not very high, so travel cheap! Some useful words: Общественный транспорт - Obŝestvennyj transport - Public transport Городской транспорт - Gorodskoj transport - City transport Движение - Dviženie -Traffic Право/левостороннее движение - Pravo/levostoronnee dviženie - Right /left-hand transport Одностороннее движение - Odnostoronnee dviženie - One-way traffic Пробка - Probka -Traffic jam Светофор - Svetofor - Traffic light Переполненный - Perepolnennyj – overcrowded Трамвай - Tramvaj - tram Трамвайная линия – Tramvajnaâ liniâ – tramline Ехать автобусом - Ehat´ avtobusom – go by bus Опоздать на автобус – Opozdat´ na avtobus – miss a bus Номер маршрута – Nomer maršruta – route number Троллейбус – Trollejbus – Trolleybus Водитель – Voditel´ – Driver Зайти в автобус – Zajti v avtobus - board a bus Possible questions, that you may need in large megapolis. Подскажите пожалуйста, идет ли отсюда автобус до…? Podskažite požalujsta, idet li otsûda avtobus do…? [Can you tell me if there is a bus from here to …?] Этот автобус идет до …? Ètot avtobus idet do …? [is this the right bus for …?] Вы сейчас будете выходить? Vy sejčas budete vyhodit´? [Getting off?] Мне нужно делать пересадку? Mne nužno delat´ peresadku? [should I have to change?] Сколько стоит проезд? Skol´ko stoit proezd? [What is the fare to …?] Двенадцатый номер останавливается на …? Dvenadcatyj nomer ostanavlivaetsâ na …? [Does route #12 stop at …?] Это место занято? Èto mesto zanâto? [is this seat taken?] Here are some names for underground stations: Арбатская – Arbatskaâ Курская – Kurskaâ Таганская - Taganskaâ Бабушкинская - Babuškinskaâ Октябрьская - Oktâbr´skaâ Good Luck and happy journey!

Hello! It is a well-known fact, that foreign language is easy to forget without constant practice. Did you have long pauses in using foreign language? Possibly, someone can share own experience … There are many methods how to learn foreign languages. One of them is reading popular newspapers. For instance, when I studied English, I read the Forbes, the Economist and The New York Times of course. Also, bbc channel was very useful. Now, I can say that content from the New York Times and the Forbes was much easier to understand comparing to the Economist. What about learning German? Which newspapers can be the best for people with middle level of German? I just know about Die Welt and Die Zeit. Who can offer other newspapers, that will be easy for comprehension? I studied German several years ago, but then I stopped… Surely, I do not remember a lot of things and my level is not even advanced. How to refresh old knowledge? Can be reading newspapers in original effective in my case? How did you refresh language skills after certain break?

Hello! I prepared some Russian phrases for you. Their meaning and definition will be useful if you want to understand peculiarities of Russian culture. Thus, communicating with Russian people, you will not have misunderstanding. Самовар - Samovar Here is the illustration of Samovar: It was used for making tea. Nowadays, we do not make tea in Samovar. Трудовая книжка - Trudovaâ knižka – Employment record book. This is a small book with employment records, such as position, company’s name, dates of employment and so on. Every citizen, who wants to work legally, should have this document. Otherwise, employment process will be impossible. Отчество – Otčestvo – Patronymic name The full name of Russian people consists of patronymic. Addressing to people, using patronymics is an official way of communication. Also, we say person’s patronymic when want to show respect to him or her. Usually, we address in this way to older people. Микрорайон – Mikrorajon – Building estate In big cities there is certain division of territory according to regions. Such regions with multiple blocks of flats are called Микрорайон. They have their own infrastructure: health centers, schools, shops, etc. Матрешка – Matreška – set of Russian nesting dolls. It is actually the most common souvenir that you may bring from Russia. Отопительный сезон - Otopitel´nyj sezon – heating season Possibly you know about winter in Russia, it is really cold. That is why in the middle of October the heating comes and stops in May. The heating is controlled centrally, so every flat in a multistoried building has warm temperature during cold periods. Начальные классы - Načal´nye klassy Children begin education at the age of 6 or 7. The point is, we do not have separate primary schools in Russia. First 3 classes are called Начальные классы. Pupils learn mainly how to write, read and study arithmetic. Коммунальные услуги - Kommunal´nye uslugi - communal services This type of services includes cold and hot water supply, central heating, rubbish collection, streets sweeping, and everything relating to building maintenance. Дача – Dača – Holiday home Most of families prefer to visit their holiday home on weekends. Especially many adult people like growing flowers, fruits and vegetables there. So spring, summer and autumn are perfect seasons for Дача. Прописка – Propiska – Registration It is a special regulation, controlled by government, according to which citizens can remain in their hometown. Ушанка – Ušanka - Fur hat Here is a photo of Ушанка to understand better: Actually, it is a fur hat with ear flaps. It was very popular in the Soviet Union. I am ready to help if you do not know meaning of Russian words… Bye! Пока!

When learning any language, people also have to learn culture of the country. International communication will be easy if to know well about customs, traditions, Holidays and main historical events. In this article I offer you to review list of main holidays in Russia. We have official and not official holidays. During national holidays people do not work. On 31st of December we celebrate New Year. It is a national holiday and after this day people rest at home, visit friends and relatives. Actually we have a New Year week holidays. С Новым Годом! S Novym Godom! Happy New Year! Дед Мороз и Снегурочка - Ded Moroz i Sneguročka (Two characters and main symbols of New Year, that are known as Snow Maiden and Father Christmas. Snow Maiden accompanies Father Christmas during visits to children. She organizes games, competitions, and helps to give out presents.) On 7th of January we celebrate Orthodox Christmas Рождество – Roždestvo – Christmas On 14th January we celebrate Old New Year. This holiday is not national. Старый Новый Год - Staryj Novyj God On 14th February as in many countries worldwide, Russian people celebrate day of love, friendship and relations. On 23th of February - Defender of the Fatherland Holiday. In this day all women give presents to men. День Защитника Отечества - Den´ Zaŝitnika Otečestva On 8th of March we have national holiday. Восьмое Марта – праздник женщин. It is a holiday for all women. Vos´moe Marta – prazdnik ženŝin. Or Международный Женский День - Meždunarodnyj Ženskij Den´- International Women’s Day This is a celebration of women of all ages. Usually, women receive gifts from men and mothers get presents and flowers from children. 1 May – is a day of workers. День Трудящихся - Den´ Trudâŝihsâ - National Labor Day. All citizens have weekends. Usually we celebrate this day with barbecue and play sport games outside. 9 May - is a Victory Day День Победы! - Den´ Pobedy! - Victory Day! Traditionally, large crowds of people are gathering on demonstrations on Moscow’s Red Square. We have парад – parad – march past and салют – salût - fireworks. Veterans of World War 2 get flowers. On this day TV channels broadcast films about the war. On June 12 Russian people celebrate Russia Day. День России - Den´ Rossii - Russia Day This is a day off, so people do not go to work, schools and universities. Instead of it they demonstrate Russian national pride. Happy Holidays!

How do you think, is asking time actual today or not? I mean, worth it learning or not? How often do you ask the time or answer people when they ask you? On the one hand learning how to ask time in Russian (or any other language) may seem useless or at least not very important. Because every person today has a cell phone or a tablet with digital clock on it. On the other hand, mobile gadgets can be lost, stolen, or simply a battery can be low. So having a cell phone is not a warranty at all. You can always wear watch, but what if a person on the street will ask you about the time? You should be ready for it and know what to tell. Do not worry this material is not complicated. We have two basic phrases how to ask time: Сколько времени? Skol´ko vremeni? Который час? Kotoryj čas? In English both variants will be translated as: What time is it? However, the first and the second phrase are not very polite. You can ask this question to your close friend or a family member. If you want to ask time to an unknown person, so use these patterns: Извините, Вы не подскажите который сейчас час? Izvinite, Vy ne podskažite kotoryj sejčas čas? Excuse me, could you tell me the time? Скажите, пожалуйста, который сейчас час? Skažite, požalujsta, kotoryj sejčas čas? Please, tell me what time is it now? Now, I think that everything is clear with asking the time. But how to answer if somebody asks you? For this, you just need to know numbers from one to sixty and two words: Час - Čas - Hour Минута - Minuta – Minute For example, 10:50 on digital clock will be in Russian: Десять часов пятьдесят минут Desât´ časov pât´desât minut Ten hours and fifty minutes By the way, do not forget about case declension. It is very simply. Now, learn some phrases if you like to round hours. четверть – četvert´ - quarter after без четверти – bez četverti - quarter to ровно – rovno - exactly половина – polovina - half an hour to пол – pol - half an hour to полночь - polnoč´ – midnight почти - počti – almost полдень - polden´ - noon For example, Пол пятого Pol pâtogo It is half past four. Без двадцати девять Bez dvadcati devât´ It is twenty minutes to eight If you learn this vocabulary, so I am sure you will not have problems saying about time.

Hello! I think that this post will be very helpful for beginners. Agree, that studying any foreign language, you should know how to say calendar terms, like days of the week, months, and year. These words and expressions are used very often. When we want to say about an event, that is going to happen or has already happened. It will not be too difficult, everything you need is to memorize given words and understand cases declension (from grammar). Review and learn by heart Russian days of the week: Понедельник - Ponedel´nik -Monday Вторник - Vtornik – Tuesday Среда – Sreda – Wednesday Четверг – Četverg – Thursday Пятница – Pâtnica - Friday Суббота – Subbota - Saturday Воскресенье - Voskresen´e – Sunday That is all! День - Den´ - Day Неделя - Nedelâ – Week Now, I will give you Russian words for saying months Двенадцать месяцев - Dvenadcat´ mesâcev - 12 months Январь - Ânvar´ - January Февраль - Fevral´ - February Март – Mart - March Апрель - Aprel´- April Май – Maj - May Июнь - Iûn´ - June Июль - Iûl´ - July Август – Avgust – August Сентябрь - Sentâbr´ - September Октябрь - Oktâbr´- October Ноябрь - Noâbr´ - November Декабрь - Dekabr´ - December Also, you have to learn how to say years. Now is две тысячи четырнадцатый год (dve tysâči četyrnadcatyj god). In English it will be 2014 year. Год – God - year Don’t forget about declensions. Here is a sample for the word year. Nominative го́д (singular) го́ды or года́ (plural) Genitive го́да (singular) годо́в (plural) Dative го́ду (singular) года́м (plural) Accusative го́д (singular) го́ды or года́ (plural) Instrumental го́дом (singular) года́ми (plural) Prepositional го́де or в году́ (singular) года́х(plural) When describing any event, you may use following expressions and useful words: С Новым Годом !– S Novym Godom – Happy New Year ! Високосный год – Visokosnyj god – a leap year Учебный год – Učebnyj god – academic year Круглый год – Kruglyj god – the whole round year В годах - V godah – middle-aged Текущий год – Tekuŝij god – current year Три года тому назад – Tri goda tomu nazad – three years ago Удачный год – Udačnyj god – good year На прошлой неделе – Na prošloj nedele – last week В прошлом месяце – V prošlom mesâce – last month Завтра - Zavtra - tomorrow Сегодня – Segodnâ – today Позавчера – Pozavčera – the day before yesterday Сейчас – Sejčas – now Послезавтра – Poslezavtra – the day after tomorrow Вчера - Včera - Yesterday Good Bye!

Today I am going to give you a short grammar lesson. In this thread you will learn everything about the correct usages of adjectives in the Russian language. So let’s start with a definition. Adjectives are a part of speech, describing the noun. If you can apply one of the following questions, so the word is an adjective. (What kind is it? How many are there? Which one is it? ) The main grammar categories of adjectives is number, gender and case. On top of that, adjectives have degrees of comparison. Russian adjectives have own peculiarity comparing with other parts of speech. We have two forms of adjectives: a full form and a short form. In a sentence you can often find adjective near nouns, and its function is attributive. Grammatical meaning of adjectives is shown with help of inflexions. Here are common inflexions for Russian adjectives: -ый like in word добрый (dobryj) - kind - ий like in word синий (sinij) - blue - чий like in word лежачий (ležačij) - lying - иный like in word спокойный (spokojnyj) - quiet There is one important rule: in adjectives we write letter Ы instead of И, after letter Ц. For example: куцый (kucyj) - dock-tailed, бледнолицый (blednolicyj) - pale-faced Adjectives have two degrees of comparison: comparative and superlative. Superlative degree is formed with such words: самый (samy) - most наиболее (naibolee) - most более (bolee) - more See this example: Сильный – сильнее- самый сильный Sil´nyj – sil´nee- samyj sil´nyj Strong - stronger - the strongest Мягкий – мягче –самый мягкий Mâgkij – mâgče –samyj mâgkij Soft - softer - the softest Сcomparative degree is formed via suffixes: - ее, - ей, - е Like in words глупее (glupee) - more stupid мягче (mâgče) - softer реже ( reže) - more rarely уже (uže) - narrower выше (vyše) - higher Some adjectives form comparative degree with a help of affix – ие. Let us illustrate on this example: тонкий- тоньше (tonkij- ton´še), thin - thinner далекий – дальше (dalekij – dal´še), far- farther маленький - меньше (malen´kij - men´še) small - smaller Comparative degree is not declined by number, case and gender. As I already mentioned, there are two forms of adjective: full and short. The full form of adjectives can be declined by gender case and number, but short forms are not declined, they have own words. To understand the difference between full and short form, read this pair of words: Интересный – интересен (Interesnyj – interesen) interesting Хороший – хорош (Horošij – horoš) good Умный – умен (Umnyj – umen) clever Дорогой – дорог (Dorogoj – dorog) expensive Compare two sentences: Его родители были тогда очень богаты. (Ego roditeli byli togda očen´ bogaty.) His parents were very rich. Месторождения богатые, их можно разрабатывать десятки лет. (Mestoroždeniâ bogatye, ih možno razrabatyvat´ desâtki let.) Rich deposits can be developed for decades. We usually use short forms for to describe something temporary. Full forms are often used when we want to say about constant attribute of object.

Hello! Possibly, I am late with answer and this issue is not actual for you, but I will try to help. Actually, it depends on the level of your Ukrainian. If you know basic words, common phrases and use appropriate word order in a sentence, so I think that poor pronunciation will not be a huge problem between you and Ukrainians. But just in case I offer you to find somebody from Ukraine and try to talk in the Skype. This way, you can take part in a language exchange, thus your free time and time of your partner will not be wasted. By the way, where are from? What is your native language? The point is, there are many young people in Ukraine who can speak and understand English. Even if you have some problems, speak English and people will help you. At any way, do not forget to take English – Ukrainian dictionary. Welcome to Ukraine. Do not panic, everything will be Ok! Ukrainians are very friendly people. If you want to ask me anything about Ukraine, language and culture of this country, so I will be glad to help you. До побачення!

Yes, it is absolutely, true. Russian and Ukrainian languages are very common. Possibly the main reason for it is historical origins. The point is Old Russian was a base for both languages, so today we have two independent modern languages, but knowing one of them, you will understand the second. Below I will give some examples. In Russia people do not speak Ukrainian, but in Ukraine the situation is completely opposite. For example, in the West all people speak Ukrainian in everyday life. In the East and South of Ukraine quite many people prefer to communicate in Russian, but use Ukrainian as an official language. Classes in school or University are in Ukrainian language. Speaking about grammar…, so both languages have the same principle. Ukrainian language is also soft as Russian, so there are many similar sounds. Even in the alphabet, most of letters are identical. However, there is an exception for such Ukrainian letters: ґ, и, і, ї Some examples of similar Russian and Ukrainian words: Понедельник – Понеді́лок (Ponedel´nik – Ponedì́lok) - Monday Вторник – Вівто́рок (Vtornik – Vìvtórok) - Tuesday Среда – Середа (Sreda – Sereda) - Wednesday Подруга – подруга (Podruga – podruga) - Friend about a girl

Are you planning a business trip to Russia? Or possibly your business partners from Russia want to visist you? Do you know Russian language? If you can not speak Russian language, it would be reasonable to hire an interpreter for the business meeting. But even though you have to learn several phrases and take part in discussion. Also, you will need some business terms. This is a short lesson with necessary business words and phrases. Let us begin with phrases, that can be used during business conference or discussion. Мне бы хотелось спросить вас … Mne by hotelos´ sprosit´ vas I would like to ask you … Я думаю, что … Â dumaû, čto … I (think, suppose, presume) that … У меня есть все основания считать что … U menâ est´ vse osnovaniâ sčitat´ čto … I have a reason to believe that … Каково ваше мнение о…? Kakovo vaše mnenie o…? Do you consider that …? Я бы мог прокомментировать этот вопрос … Â by mog prokommentirovat´ ètot vopros … I could comment on the question … Если я понял вас правильно … Esli â ponâl vas pravil´no … If I understand you correctly … Я не могу согласиться вами … Â ne mogu soglasit´sâ vami … I can not agree with you … Я сомневаюсь что … Â somnevaûs´ čto … I doubt that … Не могли бы вы разъяснить вашу точку зрения? Ne mogli by vy razъâsnit´ vašu točku zreniâ? Could you clarify your point of views? Additional words: Деловой визит - Delovoj visit - a business call Филиал - Filial – branch Назначить дату - Naznačit´ datu - to fix the date Документ - Dokument - document Заявка - Zaâvka - application form Извещение - Izveŝenie - Announcement Заверить - Zaverit´ – to certify Подписать - Podpisat´ – to sign Пронумеровать документы- Pronumerovat´ dokumenty – to give a reference number to Пошлины - Pošliny – dues Расходы – Rashody – expenses Фонд - Fond – Fund Чек - Ček – Cheque Вести финансовые дела - Vesti finansovye dela – to transact financial business Финансовая помощь - Finansovaâ pomoŝ´ - financial support Финансовые операции - Finansovye operacii – financial affairs I think, it will be enough words for this lesson. However, words for discussion can be used not only with business partners. You can use them communicating on different themes and expressing own point of view. Good Luck in business!

The 22nd Winter Olympic Games were planned to take place in Sochi, Russia. Finally, it is February and the whole world can watch online translation. This winter games are scheduled on 7- 23 February, so you have time keep a close watch on Olympics. As the host city is Russia, so some Russian phrases may become very helpful to you. It even does not matter where you are now in Sochi or at home. At any rate it is a nice opportunity to demonstrate Russian language skills and learn new words. There is also interesting fact about financing of Olympic Games. The budget for the games is about $50 million. We can surely, state that this event will be known in a sport history as the most expensive Olympic Games. If to compare with previous Olympics, which took place in Beijing, so budget for Winter Olympic Games in Sochi is 10% higher. Well, here are some 15 winter sport disciplines, so do not miss this chance to learn new Russian words. Биатлон - Biatlon - biathlon Бобслей – Bobslej - bobsleigh Горные лыжи - Gornye lyži - downhill skiing Керлинг – Kerling - curling Лыжное двоеборье - Lyžnoe dvoebor´e - jumping race Лыжные гонки - Lyžnye gonki - Nordic Combined Прыжки на лыжах с трамплина - Pryžki na lyžah s tramplina - ski jumping Санный спорт - Sannyj sport - luge Скелетон – Skeleton - skeleton Скоростной бег на коньках - Skorostnoj beg na kon´kah - cross country Сноуборд - Snoubord - snowboard Фигурное катание на коньках- Figurnoe katanie na kon´kah - figure skating Фристайл – Fristajl - freestyle skiing Хоккей на льду - Hokkej na l´du - ice hockey Шорт-трек - Šort-trek - speed skating More additional words and phrases about Olympic Games theme. Церемония открытия - Ceremoniâ otkrytiâ – opening ceremony Церемония закрытия – Ceremoniâ zakrytiâ - closing ceremony Эстафета олимпийского огня - Èstafeta olimpijskogo ognâ – Olympic relay race медальный зачёт - medal´nyj začët - medal standings Олимпийская деревня – Olimpijskaâ derevnâ - Olympic village Паралимпиада - Paralimpiada - Paralympic Games In conclusion I would like to add, that if your level of Russian language is advanced, so you can easily review the latest news about the Olympics and discuss it on forums, social networks. Also, you can find friends from Russia and chat with native speaker. Improve your Russian language and feel free to ask me questions!