Enjoy Your Russian

1
Matt Sundakov
ENJOY YOUR RUSSIAN

TWO IMPORTANT NOTES
1. The suggested book is not a conventional course of the Russian language, and it is
not only about the language but also about many other things. The Reader of this book
will study the language in a practical and entertaining way with emphasis not on
grammar but on real life situations.
The book will provide the Reader with a lot of fascinating information on the various
sides of life in the former Soviet Union as it was seen and felt by myself prior to my
emigration to the West in 1979.
Many radical changes have happened in that country since then. Therefore, some
descriptions and situations might seem to be obsolete. However, my book does not
pretend to be an updated guide to the post-communist Russia. What this book will do is
giving the student a rare opportunity to learn and enjoy at the same time; to combine
learning of Russian with a valuable insight into the recent history of the people speaking
this language, their culture, traditions, customs and habits. My book will put the student
in different practical situations, as if he or she were living in that country.
2. Dear readers, from some point of this book, I will begin to give you longer Russian
examples (sometimes much longer!) than in the beginning. In these circumstances,
constant interruptions of the Russian text for translations of individual sentences, as
well as providing some of these sentences with my comments, would become a major
inconvenience for you. Therefore, wherever we deal with the longer Russian passages,
I will first present you with the whole Russian text. Only after that you will find an English
translation of the text in question followed by comments and explanations (if required).
For convenience, either individual Russian sentences or whole paragraphs will have
consecutive numbers, and these same numbers will be repeated for the corresponding
English translations and then for the comments. Thus, it will be equally easy for you
either to use or omit all or some of these translations, and also to determine to which
sentence (or paragraph) any particular comment refers.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission received from the author.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Title Page
Introduction. My Approach to Language Teaching 4
SUBJECT 1. 9
Russian Alphabet and Basic Grammar Principles
SUBJECT 2. 17
What Is Your Name? or How Are You Called?
SUBJECT 3. 30
Greetings, Polite Expressions, Introductions
SUBJECT 4. 46
Time and Space
SUBJECT 5. 63
Climate & Weather
SUBJECT 6. 77
Home and Family
SUBJECT 7. 96
Education
SUBJECT 8. 113
Work
SUBJECT 9. 139
Public Transport
SUBJECT 10. 152

Taxi and Private Cars
SUBJECT 11. 174

Post Service, Letters and Telephone Conversations
SUBJECT 12 192
Outpatient Medical Service
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Chapter Title Page
SUBJECT 13. 212

Hospitals
SUBJECT 14. 232

Shopping
SUBJECT 15. 252

Insurance
SUBJECT 16. 261

Barbershop, Bathhouse, Laundry
SUBJECT 17 284
Public Signs and Notices
SUBJECT 18 289
Manners, Traditions and Superstitions
SUBJECT 19 302
Mnemonic Rules in Russian Life and Language
SUBJECT 20 317
100 Most Popular Russian Proverbs, Idioms, Quotations, And Other
Catch Phrases
SUBJECT 21 331
Playful Linguistics
4
INTRODUCTION. MY APPROACH TO LANGUAGE TEACHING
The lessons I offer are not conventional lessons of the Russian language. And not only
because they will be conducted outside of a traditional classroom, with a teacher and a
student separated perhaps by many thousands of kilometers. These lessons are not
only about language, they are about many other things.
My lessons are for anyone who is interested in the Russian language and life. First and
foremost, the lessons are aimed at people who are going to Russia (either for business
or pleasure). Then there could be a significant category of those “teach-yourself”
people who do not have immediate travel plans, but nonetheless are curious
about Russia, its culture and history. And even college and university teachers of
Russian with their rigorous approach to language study may still recommend my
lessons to their students as a very helpful (and at the same time absorbing)
supplement.
Most people, I presume, begin to study a foreign language not only because, for one
reason or another, they want to be able to read, write, speak and understand this
language. They are also interested in the culture, traditions, customs and habits of the
people speaking the language. My lessons will try to satisfy such curious
people. Introducing them to various sides of life in Russia, this course will put the
student in different practical situations, as if he/she were living in that country.

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I anticipate your questions: "How about the grammar? Will we study Russian Grammar?
And if not, is it possible to learn a foreign language without knowing grammar?"
May be it is indeed possible to avoid learning grammar. When you speak or write in
your own language, you don't think about the grammar. You may not know that English
verbs have 26 tenses and perhaps will be very surprised when you hear about this for
the first time in your life. And how are all these tenses formed? I doubt if many of you
have even thought about it. For you it is just natural: English language was with you
from your birth. You just know how to speak. And to speak correctly, you do not need to
know the structure and rules of your language.
However, for a foreign student (unless he/she is a child), the process of learning is far
from automatic and natural. You may learn by heart many words and some phrases of
another language. But to use this language more or less properly, you need to know
some grammar in order to build sentences which can be understood and appreciated by
a native speaker.
The grammar is certainly important. But one should not overestimate it. When I was a
school boy, one of the subjects we studied at school was foreign language. It was a
compulsory subject - as every other subject studied in Soviet Schools. In our school the
foreign language was German. We studied this language for 8 years in a row (2
one-hour lessons a week).

6
Still, in the end, even our best students could not boast that they could speak German.
We knew German grammar, we could read German texts and translate them into
Russian, but none of us could speak even limited German or understand it by ear.
And the same system existed in nearly all Soviet schools (certainly, there were some
exceptions: in a big city, such as Leningrad, among several hundred ordinary schools
for ordinary children you could find a dozen or two of so called Special Schools where at
least some subjects were taught in a foreign language).
You can rightfully ask, why so obviously an ineffective system of learning foreign
languages existed in so many schools for so many years. The answer will sound for you
as an anecdote, but it was true. Until 1956, when Khrushchev denounced Stalin's
personality cult, any foreign language textbook in its introduction emphasized the
greatness of Stalin's works in the sphere of linguistics. They cited the famous words of
comrade Stalin about Grammar, where he said that Grammar is the essence and the
most important part of any language, and therefore students learning a foreign language
should first and foremost master the Grammar. And we did it, but still never managed to
master the language itself.
When in January 1980 I arrived in New Zealand, I decided not to follow the doubtful
wisdom of comrade Stalin and try to learn English in a completely different, practical
way. From my very first days in this country I tried to do everything by myself: reading
all sorts of mysterious (and in most cases useless for me) information inserted in my
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letter box, going to the post office or the bank, filling in a Tax Return form and so on,
and so on. And of course I needed somehow to communicate at my work place with
more fortunate people, who happened to be born in an English speaking country. As an
assistant engineer I had to read and write, talk face to face, and over the phone.
Talking over the phone was for a long time my most depressing experience. Actually I
began to shake uncontrollably each time when the telephone rang, and the aftershocks
still continued for a long time after I hung up.
Sure, I would have felt myself much more secure and comfortable studying at some
intensive course of English language. But, apart from the obvious necessity to work in
order to support myself and my family, I wanted to adjust to my new life as quickly as
possible. I wanted to feel myself independent in everything. And there was only one way
to achieve this: to try to do everything by myself, while overcoming the difficulties of a
new language and solving numerous problems of everyday practical situations.
And I think my determination paid off: soon I was able to do a job which required good
communication skills, especially in writing. I was also able to teach English as a second
language in Community Evening Classes. And the fact that I am writing this course now,
hopefully, speaks for itself.
I hope you have been persuaded by my own experience, and will agree, that the best
way of studying a foreign language is to make the emphasis on practical situations.

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Therefore, I will tell you in the beginning of this course only the basic principles of
Russian Grammar in comparison with English ones. And then lesson by lesson (which
are called here Subjects), using our creative imagination, we will put ourselves in
different practical situations, as though we were living in Russia.
Thus, your study of the language will not be passive. On the contrary, it will be very
active, because I want you to be involved as much as possible: you should read and
write, listen to Russian language broadcasts, and try to talk in Russian loudly with
yourself or even better with somebody else. Do not worry about mistakes. Step by step,
depending on your determination and time involved, you will increase your vocabulary,
you will improve your spelling and pronunciation, and you will become more and more
fluent in Russian which, as I hope you will find by yourself, is a difficult but at the same
time a very rich and fascinating language.
Obviously, all our imagined practical situations will serve not only the purpose of
learning the language, but also will give you an opportunity to become familiar with the
everyday life, culture and traditions of people living in Russia. Engrossing ourselves in
these situations, we will not reject the grammar completely. But we will not study
grammar for the sake of grammar. We will come back to grammar time and again, when
we feel that we need it to explain the origin of a word, its spelling or the sentence
structure - in general terms, wherever it can help us in our study. This approach is not
only practical, but it will also save us a lot of time for much more exciting, colorful and
useful discussions.
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SUBJECT 1. RUSSIAN ALPHABET and BASIC GRAMMAR

PRINCIPLES
Russian alphabet consists of 33 letters. The following table presents a printed image of
each Russian letter (capital and small one), its English transliteration and approximate
pronunciation.
Letter's name in
Russian letter Pronounced as Transliteration
Russian
Аа "ah" a in car a
Бб "beh" b in bit b
Вв "veh" v in vine v
Гг "geh" g in go g
Дд "deh" d in do d
Ее "yeh" ye in yet ye
Ёё "yo" yo in yolk yo
Жж "zheh" s in pleasure zh
Зз "zeh" z in zoo z
Ии "ee" ee in see i
"ee kratkoyeh" ("short
Йй y in boy y
ee")
Кк "kah" k in kitten k
Лл "ehl" l in lamp l
Мм "ehm" m in map m
Нн "ehn" n in not n
Оо "oh" o in folk o
Пп "peh" p in pet p
r in roll (you should
Рр "ehr" r
r-r-roll your tongue)
Сс "ehs" s in see s
Тт "teh" t in too t
Уу "oo" oo in book (longer) u
Фф "ehf" f in face f
Хх "khah" h in house kh
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Цц "tseh" tz in quartz ts
Чч "cheh" ch in chip ch
Шш "shah" sh in shut sh
Щщ "schyah" sh+ch shch
Ъъ (see Note separation (hard)
"tvyord.yy znak" ''
below) mark
Ыы "i" i in it .y
Ьь (see Note separation (soft)
"myagkiy znak" '
below) mark
Ээ "eh" e in men e
Юю "yoo" u in university yu
Яя "yah" ya in yard ya
Note: Both the hard sign ъ and soft sign ь are used to separate the consonant and the
following it vowel, and sound approximately as "y" in "boy". In addition, the soft sign ь
always softens the preceding consonant.
As soon as you have learnt by heart from the above table how each Russian letter is
pronounced (even approximately), you will be able to read Russian words more or less
correctly. For you it will be a considerably easier task than for a Russian speaker who
has just started to learn English. While pronunciation and spelling of many English
words have little in common, Russian words in most cases are read exactly as they are
written.
A foreigner struggling with an English text will usually not be able to pronounce words
which he or she did not meet before: it is impossible to remember all the reading rules;
and the number of exceptions is even bigger. But you will be able to read practically any
Russian text even though you may not understand it at all.

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The technique of reading long and unfamiliar Russian words is simple. At first, you
should divide a selected word into syllables. Then say together the letters contained in
the first syllable. Do the same for the second syllable, then for the third, and so on, until
you have reached the end of the word. Now, when you have pronounced loudly each
syllable of the word, say them all quickly: one after another.
For example, you want to pronounce the Russian word "KAPABAH", which means a
caravan. Let's follow the procedure described above:
1. Divide the selected word into syllables: KA - PA - BAH.
2. Say together the letters contained in the first syllable.
3. Continue the same exercise with the two other syllables.
4. Say all these syllables quickly: one after another.
Using the internationally accepted transliteration symbols presented in the above table,
which allow expression of any Russian word by letters of the English alphabet, we can
now record the correct pronunciation of the word in question: [ka-ra-`van].
As the symbol "`" shows, this particular word has the stress on the third syllable.
However, many Russian words have the stress on the first or second syllable. In longer
words more than one stress may be required.

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Stress is important not only for correct pronunciation. Sometimes it may even change
the meaning of a word. For example, the Russian word "МУКА” can mean either flour (if
pronounced: mu-`ka) or anguish (if pronounced: `mu-ka)
If you are not sure where any particular word should have the stress, check it in a
dictionary.
Russian vowels are not divided into short or long sounds: they all have medium length.
All these rules look simple enough. However, as with any other rules, the pronunciation
rules in Russian language have their own exceptions. The most important of them are
listed below:
1. Vowel "o" is pronounced as [o] only when it is under the stress, e.g. the Russian
word for fashion "МОДА" is read ['mo-da). In other cases [o] sounds more like a weak
[a], e.g. "ВОДА" (water) is pronounced: [va-'da].
2. The so-called voiced consonants (б, в, г, д, з) are pronounced without voice (i.e. as
п, ф, к, т, с respectively) at the end of a word or before any of the five above listed
"voiceless" consonants. For example, the Russian word садовод (a gardener) is
pronounced sa-da-'vot (not sa-da-'vod), and водка is sounded as 'vot-ka (not 'vod-ka)
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3. In the word endings его and ого, and also in the word сегодня (today), letter г is
pronounced as в. For instance, красного (genitive case of the word красный - red)
is pronounced 'kras-na-va (not 'kras-na-ga).
4. in the letter combination "вств", the first "в" is usually not pronounced, e.g.
"чувство" (the Russian equivalent for the word “feeling”) should be read in this way:
['chu-stva].
5. Russian vowel "e" in the end of words which have a foreign origin can be
pronounced both a hard [e] (if it is under stress) and a soft [ye] (when without stress).
For example, compare Russian equivalents of words “café” and “coffee”. The first word
in Russian (spelt кафе) is pronounced [ka-`fe], however the second one (кофе) with
stress on the first syllable has a softer ending: ['ko-fye].
Now, as I promised above, I will give you only the basic principles of Russian
Grammar in comparison with the English ones:
(a) Russian language does not use articles (either definite or indefinite).
(b) Unlike English nouns, all Russian nouns (not only personal ones) have a gender:
masculine, feminine or neuter. Depending on gender, Russian nouns can have different
endings even for the same Grammar Case both in Singular and Plural form (please note
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that Russian nouns have six different Grammar Cases, and each Case may require
different endings).
(c) Depending on the number, gender and grammar case, Russian nouns may also
require different endings for related pronouns or adjectives.
(d) Items (b) and (c) above reflect the biggest difficulty in learning Russian language.
How much easier to deal with English nouns or adjectives, which do not change
whatever you do with them!
Apart from possessive nouns, English nouns change their form only in plural; but even
this transformation is very simple: usually it can be done just by adding "s" at the end of
a singular noun).
(e) An English sentence normally has strict order: subject, predicate, object. Russian
language is much more relaxed. Take, for example, this sentence: I LOVE YOU. This is
probably the most wonderful sentence in any language. But saying this, can you
express various nuances without adding new words or changing your intonation?
English speakers do not have much of a choice: they can change intonation and
emphasis but not the order of the words (there is, perhaps, one exception which,
however, is more appropriate for the theatre than for the everyday life: "You, I love!")
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The Russian speaker is more fortunate. The Russian equivalent for "I love you" (я
люблю тебя) usually sounds this way (let's use our transliteration skills): Ya lyu-'blyu
te-'bya.
However, you can say it in 5 other different ways just by shifting your words around,
namely:
1. Ya te-'bya lyu-'blyu (the meaning practically did not change);
2. Lyu-'blyu ya te-'bya (sounds more poetic);
3. Lyu-'blyu te-'bya ya (after saying this, you can sigh with sadness because your
darling did not notice or did not appreciate your love);
4. Te-'bya ya lyu-'blyu (now you emphasized that you love him/her and
nobody else);
5. Te-'bya lyu-'blyu ya! (this exclamation sounds almost as a warning: I love you,
so watch out or else... )
(f) When asking questions in Russian, you do not need to change the order of the
sentence; nor you need any special verb (like "do" in English). For example, if you are
unsure about your own feelings you can ask with surprise in your voice: Ya te-'bya lyu-
'blyu? (Do I love you?)
Compare please this last Russian sentence with that which is given as example No.1 in
the previous paragraph and means "I love you". Obviously, when you speak and
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cannot use the question mark, the only way to show that you are asking a question (and
not making a statement) is to use the appropriate intonation: your voice moves up,
becoming higher towards the end of the sentence.
(g) Unlike English language, Russian does not use any special verbs in its negative
sentences (only a negative particle не [nye], which means “not"). Furthermore, in
sentences of “she is a doctor" or "she is not a doctor” type, the respective Russian
equivalents will have no verb at all: она доктор [a-'na 'dok-tar] (positive statement) or
она не доктор [a-'na 'nye 'dok-tar] (negative statement).
(h) And at last, the biggest relief for a learner of Russian language: Russian has only 3
active and 3 passive tense forms: Present, Past and Future; whereas the total number
of English tenses exceeds 20.
Those of you who wish to study the Russian Grammar in detail can be referred to the following
site: http://www.study-languages-online.com/russian-grammar.html#tab=1
You will find there not only description of numerous grammar rules, but also quite
helpful grammar exercises.

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SUBJECT 2. WHAT IS YOUR NAME? or HOW ARE YOU CALLED?

The choice of the first practical subject Is not accidental. This Is what helps you to
begin any conversation, small or big talk, with practically all kinds of people anywhere In
the world.
When you meet a new person, you will most certainly ask him/her: "What Is your
name?" Как тебя зовут? [`kak te-`bya za-`vut]. The Russian word for "name" is имя
[ì-mya]. There is no such word in the suggested Russian phrase, which can be
translated literally as "How are you called?"
The second word in the Russian sentence is the word тебя which is the accusative
case from the personal pronoun ты (“you”). In Russian language ты is not the only
equivalent for "you". There is another one: Вы.
Вы is a polite, official form, and therefore it is often used with a capital letter. Ты is
friendly, informal, and can be used with a capital letter only in the beginning of a
sentence.
People usually use ты in the following cases:
(a) talking with their direct relatives: parents and grandparents, children and
grandchildren, brothers and sisters (however, with more distant relations they
may use either ты or Вы depending on the age and degree of closeness in

18
their relationships. For example, an uncle will call his nephew ты but will usually
expect that the nephew will show a little more respect towards his older relation);
(b) talking with their spouses, partners or friends;
(c) talking with children.
In most other cases, using of ты will be impolite (sometimes even rude). At the same
time, if close friends suddenly called each other Вы, it would sound rather ironical
and/or would demonstrate their alienation.
When two adult people have just met each other (and for a time being after that) they
will most certainly use formal Вы. They may continue to call each other In this way for
the rest of their lives. However, in many cases they gradually begin to feel that they
have become friends. Once they feel this, they will usually start to call each other ты –
they are now on informal terms.
If you are talking about your relationship with somebody else and have a desire to
emphasize that you are friends, you can say: мы с ним на ты. [' m.y 'snim na 't.y] -
We call each other "ты".
If you are talking about a very famous and influential person, you will certainly
pronounce the above phrase with great pride, and in most cases your interlocutor will be
noticeably impressed.
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Now you understand that the question suggested at the beginning of this chapter will be
appropriate only if it is applied to a child (for our purposes a teenager can also be
included in this category). You will obviously not ask a friend of yours such a silly
question (presumably you have already known his/her name for a long time).
But if you want to know a name of an adult person, you should ask: Как Baс зовут?
where Bac is the accusative case from the personal pronoun Вы. The same pronoun
вы, however with a small letter, is used when you address more than one person (in
this case it does not matter whether you are talking to relatives, friends or people who
you see for the first time in your life).
When you are asked Как Bac зовут?, you should answer: меня зовут [me-'nya za-
'vut] ... and then you will give your name.
Literal translation of English "What is your name?" Как Ваше (твоё) имя? [`kak `Va-
she (tvo-`yo) ì-mya] can equally be used, even though the latter is not so common as
the structure discussed above. The appropriate reply to the last question will be: моё
имя ... [mo-`yo ì-mya] - My name is ...
Now let's talk about names. This is a fascinating subject by itself. Each person living in
Russia has a first name, a middle name, and a surname. The most popular first names
used among ethnic Russians in our days are listed below (corresponding diminutive
names are shown in round brackets):

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MALE NAMES FEMALE NAMES

[Symbols “ --------------“ connect equivalent male and female names]
Александр (Caшa, Шypa) -------------------- Александра (Caшa, Шypa)

[Alyek-`sandr ('Sa-sha, 'Shu-ra)] [Alyek-`san-dra ('Sa-sha, 'Shu-ra)]
Алексей (Алёша) Алла (Алёна)

[Alyek-'sey (A-'Iyo-sha)] ['A-la (A-'Iyo-na)]
Анатолий (Толя) Анастасия (Ася)

A-na-'to-liy ('Tolya)] [A-na-sta-'si-ya (À-sya)]
Андрей (Андрюша) Aнна (Аня)

[An-'dryey (An-'dryu-sha)] [Àn-na ('A-nya)]
Aнтон (Aнтоша) ---------------------------------- Aнтонина (Тоня)

[An-'ton (An-'to-sha)] [An-to-'ni-na ('To-nya)]
Борис (Боря) Бася

[Ba-'ris ('Bo-rya)] ['Ba-sya]
Baдим (Вадик) Бронислава (Броня)

[Va-'dim ('Va-dik)] [Bra-ni-'sla-va ('Bro-nya)]
Валентин (Валя) ------------------------------- Валентина (Валя)

[Va-lyen-`tin (`Va-lya)] [Va-lyen-'ti-na ('Va-lya)]
Валерий (Валера) ----------------------------- Валерия (Лера)

[Va-'lye-riy (Va-`lye-ra)] [Va-`lye-ri-ya (`Lye-ra)]
Bceволод (Ceвa) Дарья (Даша)

[`Vsye-va-lat ('Sye-va)] [`Dar’-ya ('Da-sha)]
Вячеслав (Слава) Eвa

[Vya-chye-`slaf ('Sla-va)) [`Ye-va]
Геннадий (Геня) (Гена)

[Gye-`na-diy ('Gye-nya)]
Георгий (Жора, Гоша)

[Gye-'or-giy (`Zho-ra, `Go-sha)]
Герман (Гера)
[`Ger-man (`Gye-ra)]
Глеб
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[Glyep]
Григорий (Гриша)
[Gri-`go-riy (`Gri-sha)]
Даниил (Даня)
[Da-ni-ìl (`Da-nya)]
Дмитрий (Дима)
['Dmi-triy (`Di-ma)]
Евгений (Женя) ---------------------------------- Евгения (Женя)

[Yev-`ge-niy ('Zhe-nya)] .[Yev-`ge-ni-ya (`Zhe-nya)]
Е`гор (Гоша) Екатерина (Катя)

[Ye-'gor ('Go-sha)] [Ye-ka-tye-`ri-na (`Кa-tya)]
Ефим (Фима) Елена (Лена)

[Ye-`fim (`Fi-ma)] [Ye-`lye-na (`Lye-na)]
Захар Елизавета (Лиза)

[Za-'khar] [Ye-li-za-`vye-ta (`Li-za)]
Иван (Ваня) Жанна

[I-`van (`Va-nya)] [`Zha-na]
Игнат Зинаида (Зина)

[ig-`nat] [Zi-na-ìda (`Zi-na)]
Игорь (Игорёк) 3oя

[ Ìgor' (I-go-`ryok)] [ `Zoya]
Илья (Ильюша) Инна

[I-`lya (I-`lyu-sha)] [ Ìnna]
Иннокентий (Кеша) Ирина (Ира)

[I-na-`ken-tiy (`Kye-sha)] [I-`ri-na (Ìra)]
Кирилл (Кира) -------------------------------------- Кира

[Ki-`ril (`Ki-ra)] [`Ki-ra]
Климент (Клим) Клавдия (Клава)

[`Kli-myent (Klim)] [`Klav-di-ya (`Kla-va)]
Константин (Костя) Оксана or Ксения (Ксана)

[Kan-stan-`tin (`Kos-tya)] [`Ksye-ni-ya (`Ksa-na)]
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Лев (Лёва) Лариca (Лopa)

[Lyef (`Lyo-va)] [La-'ri sa (`Lo-ra)]
Леонид (Лёня) Лидия (Лида)

[Lyeо-`nit ('Lyo-nya)] ['Li-di-ya (`Li-da)]
Максим (Максимка) Любовь (Люба)

[Mak-`sim (Mak-`sim-ka)] [Lyu-`bof' (`Lyu-ba)]
Maтвей (Мотя) Людмила (Люда, Мила)

[Ma-`tvyey (`Mo-tya)] [Lyud-`mila (`Lyu-da, `Mi-la))
Mирон Марина
[Mi-`ron] [Ma-`ri-na]
Михаил (Миша) Mapия (Маша)

[Mi-kha-ìl ('Mi-sha)] [Ma-'ri-ya (`Ma-sha)
Никита Mapтa
[Ni-'ki-ta] [`Мar-ta]
Николай (Коля) Hадежда (Надя)

[Ni-ka-`lay ('Ko-lya)] [Na-'dyezh-da ('Na-dya)]
Олег (Алик) Haталья (Haташа)

[A-`lyek (À-lik)] [Na-`tal'-ya (Na-`ta-sha)]
Павел (Пaшa) Hина

[`Pa-vyel (`Pa-sha)] [`Ni-na]
Пётр (Пeтя) Ольга (Oля)

[`Pyotr (`Pye-tya)] [Òl'-ga (Ò-lya)]
Pодион (Родя) Полина (Поля)

[Ro-di-òn (`Ro-dya)] [Po-`li-na (`Po-lya)]
Роман (Рома) Paиca (Paя)

[Ra-`man (`Ro-ma)] [Ra-ì-sa (`Ra-ya)]
Pостислав (Cлaвa) Pимма

[Ra-sti-`slaf (`Sla-va)] [`Ri-ma]
Семён (Сеня) Cветланa (Cветa)

[Sye-`myon (`Sye-nya)] [Sve-`tla-na (`Sve-ta)]
23
Серафим (Cим) -------------------------------- Серафима (Cима)

[Sye-ra-`fim (`Sim)] [Sye-ra-`fi-ma (`Si-ma)]
Cepreй (Cepёжa) Coфия (Coфa, Coня)

[Syer-`gyey (Sye-`ryo-zha)] [So-`fi-ya (`So-fa, `So-nya)]
Cтепан (Cтёпа) ----------------------------------Cтепанида (Cтёпа)

[Stye-`pan (`Styo-pa)] [Stye-pa-`ni-da (`Styo-pa)]
Tимофей (Tим, Tимоша) Тамарa (Тома)

[Ti-ma-`fyey (Tim, Ti-`mo-sha)] [Ta-`ma-ra (`To-ma)]
Tихон Татьяна (Таня)

[`Ti-khan] [Ta-`tya-na (`Ta-nya)]
Tpoфим Ульяна (Уля)

[Tra-`fim] [U-`l'ya-na (Ù-lya)]
Фёдор (Федя) Устинья (Устя)

[`Fyo-dar (`Fye-dya)] [U-`stin'-ya (Ù-stya)]
Филипп (Филя) Фаина (Фаня)

[`Fi-lip (`Fi-lya)] [Fa-ì-na (`Fa-nya)]
Харитон
[Kha-ri-`ton]
Эдуард (Эдик)
[E-du-àrt (È-dik)]
Юлий ----------------------------------------------- Юлия (Юля)

[`Yu-liy] [`Yu-li-ya (`Yu-lya)]
Юрий (Юра)
[`Yu-riy (`Yu-ra)]
Яков (Яша)
[`Ya-kaf (`Ya-sha)]
Ян -------------------------------------------------- Яна
[Yan] [`Ya-na]
I have listed here only the most common names of ethnic Russians. But, Russia is
populated by many ethnic groups; and within each of these groups (big or not so big)
24
you can discover many different names, either of their own origin or borrowed from the
Russians .
It is interesting to note, however, that most of so-called "Russian" names themselves
were adopted from various ancient languages: Hebrew, Greek, Latin, etc.
Most of Russian male surnames are made up by adding endings oв, ев and ин to all
kinds of nouns, including first names of people (corresponding endings for female
surnames are: oвa, eвa and инa),
for example: Иванов(а), Андреев(а), Никитин(а)

[I-va-`nov(a), An-`drye-yev(a), Ni-`ki-tin(a)]
Quite common also are surnames with endings ский (for women ская), e.g.
Ивановский (Ивановская)
[I-va-`nov-skiy] [I-va-`nov-ska-ya]
and ич (both for male and female), e.g. Мазуркевич [Ma-zur-`kye-vich]
Typical Ukrainian surnames have non-changeable endings енко and ко

e.g. Степаненко [Stye-pa-`nen-ka] and Глебко [Glyep-`ko].
Many Jewish people living in Russia have German-type surnames, like

Либерман [Li-byer-`man] and Гринберг [`Grin-byerk].
People of the Georgian nationality have two main types of surnames:
one with the ending швили (for example, Джугашвили [Dzhu-ga-`shvi-li],
another with the ending дзе, e.g. Шеварнадзе [She-var-`na-dze].
Хачатурян [Kha-cha-tu-`ryan] is an example of a typical Armenian surname.

25
As you can see, people belonging to different ethnic groups can have quite different
types of surnames or фамилий [fa-`mi-liy]. (The latter is the genitive case of the word
фамилии [fa-`mi-li-I], which is plural from фамилия).
Фамилия [fa-`mi-li-ya] is the Russian word for surname. Don't you think that it sounds
quite similar to the English words "familiar" and “family”?
Indeed, фамилия is a family name. A family = семья [sye-`m’ya];
A family name = семейное имя [sye-`myey-na-ye ì-mya].
Unlike the surnames, the principles of formation of middle names are surprisingly
identical for all people living in Russia. The middle name in Russian is отчество [òt-
che-stva]. This word has the same root as the word отец [a-`tyets], which means
"father". Thus отчество = patronymic.
After the above explanations, it would be logical for you to expect that отчество is
made up of the first name of a person's father plus some endings. I will not disappoint
you: you are absolutely right. And there are only three types of these endings both for
men and women, namely:
1. eвич (eвнa) - when the father's first name is Яков, or when it has the ending
either й or ь;
2. ич (ична) - when the father's first name has the ending а or я;
3. oвич (oвнa) - for all other cases.
26
For example, if a man whose name is Aндрей has a son and a daughter, the middle
name (отчество) of the former will be Aндреевич and that of the latter Aндреевна.
But if a father's name is, say, Иван, the middle names of his children will be Иванович
and Ивановна respectively.
Now we know that a full name of any person living in Russia has three mandatory
components: имя, отчество, фамилия. All these components were present in the
internal passport issued to all Soviet citizens over 16 years old, in any application form
or official questionnaire. For еxample: Андрей Николаевич Иванов.
If the above person has two children: a son Пётр and a daughter Наталья, their full
names will be, accordingly, Пётр Андреевич Иванов and Наталья Андреевна
Иванова.
Like in English-speaking countries, the full name in Russia is used mainly in official
documents and at ceremonial occasions. Relatives and friends normally call each other
using nothing more than diminutive names, e.g. Петя (from Пётр) or Haташа (from
Наталья).
But that is not all. The Russian language is extremely flexible. Using different suffixes
with the same name, you can express the whole range of subtle differences in your
27
attitude toward a person. For example, Haташа can be called with love and tenderness
as Haташeнька [Na-`ta-shen'-ka] or Haташeчка [Na-`ta-shech-ka]. In a more
careless but still in a quite friendly way, you can call her Haташка [Na-`tash-ka].
(Warning: don't use this latter form, unless you are really close friends. Otherwise, the
effect can be opposite to what you actually wanted: it may sound rude.)
When Haташа is not a girl any more but a grown-up woman, most people will call her
respectfully по имени и отчеству [pa ì-mye-ni ì òt-che-stvu], which means "using
her first and middle name". For example, at work only friends will call her ты (do you
remember we discussed it before?) and Haташа. Other people will call her Наталья
Андреевна (and certainly, Вы).
In a very official way (especially if she served in the army) she could be called
товарищ Иванова [ta-`va-rishch I-va-`no-va], where the first word means "comrade"
and the second, as we assumed, is her surname (or фамилия).
If the same товарищ Иванова happened to be (God forbid!) a criminal, she will be
called by authorities in court as rpaжданкa [gra-`zhdan-ka] Иванова, and inside a
prison simply Иванова.
Гpaжданкa literally means а woman-citizen. A man-citizen in Russian is rpaжданин
[gra-zhda-`nin].
28
But what if you need to start some "street" conversation with a person you see for the
first time in your life and obviously don't know his/her name? Depending on the sex and
the age group, you can call:
(a) a boy - мальчик [`mal'-chik);
(b) a girl - девочка [`dye-vach-ka];
(c) a young man (somebody between 15 and 25 years old) – молодой человек
[ma-la-`doy che-la-`vyek];
(d) a young woman (approximately in the same age group) – девушка [`dye-vush-
ka].
Strictly speaking, the word девушка means a young unmarried woman. Therefore,
some young married women may feel offended if you call them девушка. But what can
you call them or, for that matter, any adult woman?
A man of any age in the old Soviet Union could be called товарищ, but for women this
word was usually used only in combination with their surname (do you remember our
recent example: товарищ Иванова? This is because the word товарищ has
masculine gender, and there was no proper equivalent which you could use towards a
woman.
So what could you do? We mentioned before the word rpaжданкa. You could use this
word to attract the attention of a woman in a queue, in a bus, and in other public places.
29
As you have already learnt, this word does have an equivalent in masculine gender,
namely: rpaжданин.
An elderly, ordinary looking woman can also be called бабушка [`ba-bu-shka], which
literally means “grandma”. An elderly man in similar circumstances can be called
дедушка [`dye-du-shka], which means “granddad”.
But, if you talk to an elderly woman who is smartly dressed and looks “upper-class",
please do not call her бабушка - she may be insulted and can in turn insult you.
If you are still unsure how to start a "street" conversation with a person you don't know,
say simply "Excuse me, please". But of course, it will be better if you say the same in
Russian, i.e.
Извините пожалуйста [iz-vi-'ni-tye pa-'zha-lu-sta] or
Простите пожалуйста [pra-'sti-tye pa-'zha-lu-sta].
And at last, for official presentations and in official letters please use word rосподин
[gas-pa-`din] for men (e.g. rосподин Путин) and rоспожа [gas-pa-`zha] for women.
Until this point, we used transliterations for all Russian words. To save space and
assuming that by now you can pronounce Russian words more or less correctly,
beginning from the next chapter we (in most cases) will stop showing their
transliterations. If you are still not sure at what part (syllable) of the word you should
make the stress, you can always check it in any Russian-English dictionary.
30
SUBJECT 3. GREETINGS, POLITE EXPRESSIONS, INTRODUCTIONS
Let’s imagine a quite ordinary situation: a man and a woman meet by chance at a party
and, being mutually attracted to each other, they begin to talk. Their conversation is
simple, unpretentious, and yet significant for both of them.
His name is Andrey, and she is Natasha. At each stage of their conversation they can
use one of many different expressions. We will consider here just the most common
options, which for convenience will be presented under consecutive numbers. So let’s
start…
Андрей:
(1) Здравствуйте = How do you do? or Hello
(2) Доброе утро = Good morning
(3) Добрый день = Good day
(4) Добрый вечер = Good evening
{Note: There is no Russian equivalent for “Good afternoon”. When you greet
somebody between 12 and 5 p.m. use option (3), unless you prefer “timeless” options (1)
or (5).}
(5) Привет! = Hi! The use of this informal greeting in Russian is similar, but not
identical to the English one. Russian Привет! can be used only between friends and
relatives or at least between people of the same age group and/or status. It would
31
sound very strange and even rude if, for example, a clerk and the company managing
director greeted each other in this way. Similarly: no adult would expect to hear
Привет! from a child, unless they share an especially friendly relationship. And if you
meet somebody for the first time, please choose a more formal greeting.
Наташа:
Здравствуйте (or any other option as described above).
Андрей:
(1) Разрешите представиться = Let me introduce myself
(2) Разрешите познакомиться = I would like to meet you
And then, after (1) or (2):
Меня зовут Андрей = My name is Andrey.
Наташа:
(1) Очень приятно = (It is) very nice (to meet you)
(2) Рада познакомиться = I am pleased to meet you.
And then, after (1) or (2):
Меня зовут Наташа = My name is Natasha.

32
It would be interesting now to consider the expression Рада познакомиться in more
detail. Here both a subject (я = I) and an object (с Вами) are omitted, however they
are strongly implied. Natasha could certainly say the complete sentence: Я рада
познакомиться с Вами. But it was not necessary. Besides, it would have sounded
too ceremonial.
If it were Andrey saying “Pleased to meet you”, he would use the word рад instead of
радa (the last letter ‘a’ is omitted when the word in question is said by a male person.
You will find the same difference for the two genders practically in all cases when you
use either verbs in the past tense or the short form of adjective. For example:
Я говорил, читал, писал, ходил, бежал - for male
Я говорилa, читалa, писалa, ходилa, бежалa - for female
(I spoke, read, wrote, walked, ran)
OR
Я красив, молод, здоров - for male
Я красивa, молодa, здоровa - for female
(I am handsome/beautiful, young, healthy)
Please note that in the neuter gender the corresponding ending is “o”, in plural: “и” or “ы”
33
For example:
Neuter: Солнце светило и жгло (The sun was shining and burning);
Plural: Мы говорили, читали, писали (We spoke, read, wrote)
OR
Они красивы, молоды, здоровы
(They are handsome/beautiful, young, healthy)
However, let’s continue to follow the conversation between Andrey and Natasha.
Андрей:
Как Вам здесь нравится, Наташа? (How do you like it here, Natasha?)
Наташа:
(1) Отлично! (Excellent!)
(2) Прекрасно! (Wonderful!)

34
(3) Великолепно! (Terrific!) OR Замечательно (remarkable!)
(4) Очень хорошо (Very good)
(5) Хорошо (Good)
(6) Ничего – This Russian word means “nothing”, but in this context it should be
interpreted as “not too good and not too bad” or “surviving”
(7) Более или менее, Более-менее (More or less)
(8) Так себе (So-so)
(9) Плохо (Bad)
(10) Очень плохо (Very bad)
(11) Паршиво (Lousy)
(12) Совсем паршиво (Extremely lousy)
(13) Отвратительно (Disgusting)

35
(14) Ужасно (Terrible)
(15) Лучше не спрашивайте (Better not to ask)
Андрей:
Вы чем-то обеспокоены? (Are you worried about something?)
Могу я (чем-нибудь) помочь Вам? [Can I help you (somehow)?]
Haташа:
Большое спасибо (Thank you very much)
and then:
(1) Вы очень добры (You are very kind)
or
(2) Я буду Вам так признательна! (I would appreciate it so much!)
or
(3) Это очень любезно с Вашей стороны (It is very kind of you)
Андрей:
(1) Пожалуйста (You are welcome)

36
We already used this word before, but with a different meaning: “please”. However,
unlike English “please”, the Russian пожалуйста can (and should) be used both when
you ask somebody to do something for you and when your good deed was appreciated
by Russian спасибо (“thank you”).
(2) Не за что (Not at all)
(3) Не стоит благодарности (Don't mention it)
(4) Я буду счастлив, если я смогу что-либо сделать для Вас (I would be happy
to do something for you)
(5) Я сделаю всё, что в моих силах (I will do everything I can)
Haташа:
Я вижу, что Вы мой (настоящий) друг [I can see that you are my (real) friend].
Если не возражаете, давайте перейдём на “ты” (If you don't mind, let's call each other
“ты”)
Андрей:
Ну конечно же я не возражаю (Why, of course I don’t mind at all)
Давай потанцуем (Let’s dance)

37
Please note that if Andrei continued to call Natasha Вы, he would say: Давайте
потанцуем.
When you call somebody Вы, you will use the same ending те with practically all Russian
verbs in the imperative and interrogative mood, i.e. in order to express commands, requests,
invitations, advice and suggestion.
For example:
When you call somebody ты When you call somebody Вы
Пиши! (Write!) Пишите! (Write!)
Что ты пишешь? (What are you writing?) Что Вы пишете? (What are you writing?)
Позвони мне, пожалуйста. Позвоните мне, пожалуйста.

(Call me, please) (Call me, please)
Well, now they dance and Andrey continues:
Андрей:
Наташа, я хотел бы спросить тебя кое о чём (Natasha, I would like to ask you
about something).
Haташа:
Пожалуйста.
Here you can see another meaning of this word, when you are invited to do something.
In this particular case, we can interpret it as something like “Alright, go ahead”

38
Андрей:
Ты замужем?
Наташа:
Ну что ты! "How could you even think so?"
(A very loose translation, in which you can feel surprise and even some
kind of resentment).
Мне всего 18 лет (восемнадцать). "I am only 18". - А ты, Андрей? "And you,
Andrei?" Ты женат? "Are you married?"
Андрей: Был когда-то. Мы развелись год назад.
"I was once. We got divorced a year ago".
If Andrei got divorced two years ago, he would use instead of the one word год (a
year), the following two words: два года. Accordingly, three years - три года and
four years = четыре года. However, starting from "five years" the word года is
always replaced by the word лет, namely: five years = пять лет, six years - шесть
лет, seven years = семь лет, eight years = восемь лет, nine years = девять лет,
ten years = десять лет.

39
Наташа: Сколько же тебе лет? "How old are you?"
{The "intensifying" particle же, for which there is no readily available equivalent in
English, may be used in the above sentence to emphasize Natasha's bewilderment, for
example in the case when it is very difficult to believe that Andrei divorced his wife so
many years ago because he still looks incredibly young}.
Андрей:
1. Уже 32 (тридцать два) "Already 32"
2. Ещё только 20 (двадцать) "Still only twenty". (Instead of ещё, Andrei could use
another intensifier - всего, which would not change the meaning of this sentence at all).
Because we started to talk about numbers, it would be helpful to explain here how
Russian cardinal numerals are formed. The first ten smallest numbers, or figures (the
Russian word for a number is число and that for a figure is цифра) are presented below:
1 - один
2 – два
3 - три
4 - четыре
5- пять
6 - шесть
7- семь
8 - восемь
9 -девять
0 - ноль
40
The Russian word for 10 is десять. To form numerals from 11 to 19, what you
basically need is to take the numbers from 1 to 9 (although in a slightly changed form)
and add the suffix надцать. As a result, you would have:
11 - одиннадцать
12 - двенадцать
13 - тринадцать
14 - четырнадцать
15 - пятнадцать
16 - шестнадцать
17 - семнадцать
18 - восемнадцать
19 - девятнадцать
The next key numerals, аз you probably expect, are: 20 - двадцать
Then: З0 – тридцать
40 - сорок (this number is obviously the black sheep of the family: it has nothing to
do with the figure "4" – четыре)
50 - пятьдесят
60 - шестьдесят
70 - семьдесят
80 - восемьдесят
90 -девяносто
Then:
100 - сто
200 - двeсти
41
300 – триста
400 - четыреста
500 – пятьсот
600 - шестьсот
700 - семьсот
800 - восемьсот
900 - девятьсот
and at last:
1,000 - тысяча
1,000,000 – миллион
1,000,000,000 - миллиард
Now, when you have learnt all the key numerals listed above, you can pronounce
virtually any number (at least up to 1,000 - which is quite sufficient at this stage). For
example; 53 - пятьдесят три and 375 - триста семьдесят пять.
With this long digression from our main subject, you have probably forgotten that the
last question asked by Natasha was "How old are you, Andrei? And how old are you,
dear reader? I am sure that by now you can easily answer this question in Russian.
In the meantime, our curious Natasha still continues her friendly interrogation.
Наташа:
У тебя есть дети? "Do you have children?' {The verb есть can have different
meanings, In the above sentence this verb is translated as "to have"; in the following
chapter you will again find a reference to that same Russian verb, but it is used there
42
as an equivalent for "to be"; and in everyday life the most popular meaning of есть is
"to eat")
Андрей:
У меня двое детей: сын и дочь.
"I have two children: a son and a daughter".
{Comparing the last Russian phrase and its translation, you probably feel very
confused. First of all, you cannot understand what happened with the verb есть (to
have}, and then, why the number два is presented here in a somewhat distorted
shape (двое).
The expression у меня есть, which means "I have", is frequently used in its
shortened form: у меня. The above sentence is just an example of such use. As for
your second question (why два turned into двое), there is no simple answer at all.
In the beginning of this book, when we talked about basic grammar principles, you
learnt that depending on the number, gender and grammar case, Russian nouns,
pronouns or adjectives can have different endings. The same can also be said about
numerals, both cardinal and ordinal ones.
There are too many complex and boring rules related to changes in a word's
ending. I will not try to explain them here because I prefer to keep you awake.
Those of you who really want to understand all these and other grammatical
details, should refer to various scholarly publications on Russian language and
grammar. And those of you who are not ready for such a feat have only one option:
43
just trust me, and try to learn by heart all the words, expressions and sentence
structures you find in this book.
Anyway, answering the question Сколько у Вас (тебя) детей? "How many
children do you have?", I would recommend you use one of the following three basic
structures (depending on the number of children):
- У меня только один ребёнок

"I have only one child".
- У меня двое (трое, четверо, пятеро, шестеро, семеро) детей

*
"I have two (three, four, five, six, seven) children".
- У меня восемь (девять, десять,...) детей

"I have eight (nine, ten.... ) children".
You remember that Andrei said he has two children (двое детей).
Наташа (obviously, not very happy at the news):
Понятно... Уже поздно. Я должна идти.
"Oh, I see... It's getting late. I must go"
Андрей:
Можно я провожу тебя домой?
"May I see you home?"
Natasha:
Нет, спасибо. "No, thanks"
44
Андрей:
Почему? "Why?'
Наташа:
Потому что не хочу.
"Because I don't want it"
Андрей:
Ты на меня сердишься?
"Arе you angry with me?"
Наташа:
За что? Оставь меня в покое.
"What for? Just leave me alone".
Андрей:
Можно, по крайней мере, тебе позвонить?
"May I at least call you?"
Наташа:
(1) Ладно "Okay"
(2) Хорошо "All right''
(3) Так уж и быть "All right" (but in this case Natasha agreed reluctantly,
showing that she is doing him a favour]

45
And then Natasha continues:
Запиши, пожалуйста, мой телефон: 5-23-45-16 (пять - двадцать три -
сорок пять - шестнадцать)
"Please write down my telephone number: 5 234 516". (Have you noticed that phone
numbers in Russian are written down and spoken in a different way than in English?)
Андрей:
(1) Спасибо
(2) Благодарю
(Both options mean the same: "Thank you")
Наташа (just before leaving):
(1) До свидания "Goodbye"
(2) Спокойной ночи "Good night"

*
(3) Всего доброго "All the best" [доброго is a genitive case of the word
добрый - kind]
(4) Всего хорошего "All the best" (хорошего is a genitive case of the word
хороший - good]
(5) Увидимся "See you"
(6) Пока! "Bye-bye!" (this is a quite informal expression which can be used between
people who don't mind exchanging the greeting Привет! when they meet each other
- see the beginning of this chapter).
Andrei: До свидания (or any other option as described above).

46
SUBJECT 4. TIME AND SPACE

We all are busy people, and we often check the time. Actually, we check the time on
quite a regular basis even on those rare occasions when we have nothing to do at all.
For this purpose we use a watch or a clock. In Russian there is one generic term for this
wonderful instrument: часы.
As an instrument for measuring the time, this word exists only in the plural form.
However, the same word can mean "hours", and in that sense it also exists in the
singular: час.
Apart from the general term часы, you can specify:
3. наручные часы, if you wear it on the wrist на руке. (Please note that the
Russian word рука means "arm" or "hand", not "wrist".)
4. карманные часы, if you carry it in the pocket в кармане.
5. настольные часы, if it stands on a desk or table на столе
6. настенные часы, if it hangs on the wall на стене.
7. будильник, if it is an alarm clock (the noun будильник is formed from the verb
будить, which means "to wake up".
If you don't have a watch or a clock, you can ask somebody, "What time is it?" (or
"What is the time?") In Russian you can also use two different expressions, namely:
Сколько времени? {literal translation: "How much time?"} or
Который час? {literal translation: "Which hour"?}

47
If you want to make your question more polite (any question - not necessarily one
of the two mentioned above), you can start with the words: Скажите, пожалуйста
"Please tell me", e.g.
Скажите, пожалуйста, который сейчас час?
"Please tell me, what time it is."
The Russian word сейчас literally means "this hour", but usually translated as "now".
Let's imagine that we are checking time each five minutes between, say, 6 and 7
o'clock. We will get the following
ONE HOUR CHART:
(1) six o'clock - шесть часов
(2) five past six - пять минут седьмого in Russian interpretation it means not "five
minutes after six" but "five minutes towards seven". Минут is genitive case of the word
минуты (Russian for "minutes"), седьмого is genitive case of the word седьмой
(Russian for "7th").

48
(3) ten past six - десять минут седьмого
(4) fifteen past six - пятнадцать минут седьмого OR
quarter past six - четверть седьмого
(5) twenty past six - двадцать минут седьмого
(6) twenty-five past six - двадцать пять минут седьмого
(7) half-past six - половина седьмого
(8) twenty-five to seven = без двадцати пяти минут семь
(In Russian interpretation it means "twenty-five minutes before seven")
(9) twenty to seven - без двадцати минут семь
(10) fifteen to seven = без пятнадцати минут семь OR
quarter to seven - без четверти семь
(11) ten to seven - без десяти минут семь
(12) five to seven - без пяти минут семь
(13) seven o'clock - семь часов

49
By now you can correctly pronounce in Russian any time between six and seven o'clock.
If you learn all the Russian ordinal numbers from 1 to 12 in the genitive case, you will be
able to answer the question: Сколько времени? at all times - day or night. We will list
them below together with the corresponding cardinal numbers in the form of the
following
12-HOUR TABLE:
Cardinal Number Ordinal Number in:
Nominative Case Genitive Case
один (1) первый первого
два (2) второй второго
три (3) третий третьего
четыре (4) четвёртый четвёртого
пять (5) пятый пятого
шесть (6) шестой шестого
семь (7) седьмой седьмого
восемь (8) восьмой восьмого
девять (9) девятый девятого
десять (10) десятый десятого
одиннадцать (11) одиннадцатый одиннадцатого
двенадцать (12) двенадцатый двенадцатого

50
Now, using both ONE-HOUR CHART and 1 2-HOUR TABLE, we will have no difficulty in
saying any time in Russian.
For example, the time now is twenty past two (you remember that in Russian it should
be expressed as twenty minutes towards three).
First of all, please find the line "twenty past" in the Table ONE-HOUR (line No. 5). Take
from this line the appropriate Russian equivalent (with the exception of the last word):
двадцать минут.
Now, go to the table 12-HOUR, find there a line corresponding to the number three
(obviously, it will be line No. 3), and take from this line the word in the last column:
третьего. Thus, your time now is двадцать минут третьего.
Another example: quarter to eleven. Your first step: go to the table ONE-HOUR (line No.
10, the second option): без четверти. Your second step: go to the table 12-HOUR
(line No. 11). However, as you can see from the first table, in this case (and for that
matter anywhere where in English you use "to" rather than "past", i.e. applying lines No.
8, 9, 10, 11 and 12) the last word in the Russian expression of time will be a cardinal
number rather than an ordinal one: одиннадцать. Thus, the time now is: без
четверти одиннадцать.
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Officially time is usually announced in a different manner. Our first example above
(двадцать минут третьего) will be broadcast as два часа (2) двадцать минут
(a.m.) or четырнадцать (14) часов двадцать минут (p.m.)
The second example will be said as десять (10) часов сорок пять минут (a.m.) or
двадцать два (22) часа сорок пять минут (p.m.)
Let's imagine that it is already 3 o'clock in the morning, but you cannot sleep. Anxious
to hear the latest political news, you switch on the radio, just in time. The broadcaster is
saying: Говорит Москва. Московское время: 3 часа. Передаём последние
известия. "This is Moscow on the air (literal translation: Moscow is speaking}.
Moscow time is 3 o'clock. We are broadcasting the latest news."
However, this chapter is about time, not about world news. Therefore, let's only analyze
the expression related to time: Московское время: 3 часа. For the same number of
hours (3), the announcer would have several options. He or she could extend the
above phrase, adding one more word, namely:
3 часа утра (3 o'clock in the morning) or 3 часа ночи (3 o'clock in the night)
If it is the afternoon, the announcer will have only two options:
(1) 15 часoв;
(2) 3 часа дня. The last word is genitive case from the word день (day).
52
Please note that the word ночи is normally used between midnight and 4 a.m., the
word утрa can be used between 2 a.m. and noon, the word дня - between noon and 5
p.m., and the word в чера - between 5 p.m. and midnight.
Let's come back to the whole expression Московское время: 3 часа. Why is it
emphasized that we deal with Moscow time? Is it really important? Yes, it is. It has both
political and purely practical importance. Political, because the word Moscow is
associated with the whole country; and practical, because when you hear the words
Московское время you understand that the time mentioned is correct only for the
most western part of Russia.
Russia has 8 (!) time zones (часовых поясов) within its territory.
When it is only 4 a.m. in Moscow or Saint Petersburg, it is already 11 a.m. in
Владивосток and midday (полдень) at Kamchatka.
Полдень literally means "half of a day", midnight - полночь ("half of a night").
Now let's assume that you have decided to travel across Russia from Moscow to
Vladivostok by train. Most of the questions you would ask before buying a ticket
(apart from its cost) will be concerned with time (время) and space (пространство),
namely:
53
(1) Какое расстояние между Москвой и Владивостоком?
What is the distance between Moscow and Vladivostok?
OR
Сколько километров от Москвы до Владивостока?
How many kilometres from Moscow to Vladivostok?
(Whatever is your first question, you will certainly understand the answer because
you have already learnt cardinal numerals.)
(2) Сколько дней мне нужно, чтобы доехать на поезде до Владивостока?
How many days will I need to reach Vladivostok by train?
(No problem with understanding the answer to this question either.)
(3) Как часто этот поезд делает остановки?
"How often does this train make stops?"
Here you can probably expect different kinds of answers, for example:
(a) Это поезд-экспресс. Oн делает только три остановки в пути: в
Челябинске, Новосибирске и Иркутске.
"This is an express train. It makes only three stops on its way: at Chelyabinsk,
Novosibirsk, and Irkutsk”.

54
(b) Это обычный пассажирский поезд. Он останавливается примерно
каждые два-три часа.
"This is an ordinary passenger train. It stops, approximately, every two to three
hours."
(You certainly noticed that обычный = ordinary and примерно = approximately.
The former is developed from the word обычай - custom, and the latter is formed
from the word пример – example).
(с) Я бы не советовал Вам ехать почтовым поездом. Он останавливается
буквально у каждого столба. "I would not advise you to take a mail train. It literally
stops at each telegraph pole."
(d) Когда экспресс отправляется из Москвы?
"When does the express train leave Moscow? (instead of Когда? (When?) you
can use the expression В какое время? "At what time?"
(e) Когда этот поезд прибудет во Владивосток?
"When will this train arrive at Vladivostok?" (It is interesting to note that the
preposition во would be replaced by just one letter в if the city name did not start
with the same letter followed by another consonant, e g. в Челябинск, в
Новосибирск, в Вологду. (However, it would be extremely awkward to pronounce
together two в's followed by some third consonant. Therefore, we say во
Владивосток and not в Владивосток or во Владимир and not в Владимир.)

55
Let's continue our train-related questions, using some other interrogative words
(underlined) associated either with a direction or with a place:
( f ) Куда идёт этот поезд? "Where is this train going?" The answer: во
Владивосток "to Vladivostok".
(g) Откуда пришёл этот поезд? Where has this train come from?
The answer: из Москвы "from Moscow".
(h) Где запланирована первая остановка?
The answer: в Челябинске "at Chelyabinsk".
In the first part of this chapter, we discussed time of a day (or night). Now we will
move beyond this limited period. For this purpose we will use календaрь "a
calendar". I will ask you some questions associated with this document and help you
to find suitable answers.
(1) Какой сейчас год? "What year is it?"
- Тысяча девятьсот девяносто второй "Nineteen ninety-two."
The last number (in our example: второй) is always an ordinal numeral, all others are
cardinal ones.
56
(2) Какие вы знаете времена года? "What seasons do you know?"
- зима, весна, лето, осень "winter, spring, summer, autumn."
(3) Сколько месяцев в году? Перечислите их все, пожалуйста.
"How many months are in the year? List them all, please."
- двенадцать:
январь, февраль, март, апрель, май, июнь, июль, август, сентябрь,
октябрь, ноябрь, декабрь.
(4) Перечислите, пожалуйста, семь дней недели.
"Please list the seven days of a week."
- понедельник, вторник, среда, четверг, пятница, суббота, воскресенье. The origin
of the underlined words is quite obvious: втopoй-2nd, средний-middle, четвёртый-4th,
and пятый-5th days of a week.
Воскресенье literally means resurrection and is associated with the day when Jesus
Christ rose from the dead.
(5) Какой сегодня день? "What is the day today?" - пятница
Какое сегодня число? "What is the date today?"- тринадцатое января
(6) Какой был день вчера? "What day was yesterday?" – четверг
57
Какое вчера было число? "What was the date yesterday?" - двенадцатое
января.
(7) Какой день (будет) завтра? "What day will be tomorrow?" - суббота
Какое завтра (будет) число? "What date will be tomorrow?" - четырнадцатое
января.
Note: the verb будет ("will be") may be omitted from the above sentences.
The last three examples, as you can see, are related to three different tenses: present,
past and future. The verb used (or implied) in all these examples is быть - to be.
Hamlet's famous expression "To be or not to be - that is the question" sounds equally
impressive in Russian: "Быть или не быть - вот в чём вопрос"
Let's consider how the verb быть changes, when it applies to different tenses and
persons.
Настоящее время (Present tense):
есть - for all persons and genders, both in singular and plural. In most cases, this verb is
omitted from a sentence. The question given above under No. 5 is a good example of
this.
It will sound funny if you ask somebody Какой сегодня есть день? and hear the
answer Сегодня есть понедельник. (Hundreds of years ago people spoke this
58
way, but in modern times this verb (есть), which in English can be equated to
"am", "is" or "are", is just implied.
Прошедшее время: Past tense:
я был I was
Вы были or ты был you were
он был, она была, оно было he, she, it was
мы были we were
вы были you were
они были they were
Будущее время: Future tense:
я буду I will be
Вы будете or ты будешь you will be
он, она, оно будет he, she, it will be
мы будем we will be
вы будете you will be
они будут they will be
Unlike English "to be", which is extremely versatile when used with other verbs (to make
compound tenses and passives), Russian быть can be used with other verbs only in
59
order to form their future tense. For this purpose быть (in the future tense) is followed
by the infinitive of a main verb.
For example:
Будущее время: Future tense:
я буду ходить I will walk
Вы будете or ты будешь ходить you will walk
он, она, оно будет ходить he, she, it will walk
мы будем ходить we will walk
вы будете ходить you will walk
они будут ходить they will walk
We have just spent some time engrossing ourselves in grammar. But this was a useful
exercise. You will now be able to operate with different persons, belonging to different
genders, in different tenses - both in the singular and plural form.
However, let's come back for a while to our friends Natasha and Andrei. Do you
remember, Natasha gave Andrei her phone number? And he called her the very next
day!
А.- Привет, Наташа! Это Андрей.
"Hi, Natasha! This is Andrei."

60
H.- Привет, Андрей. Я узнала тебя.
"Hi, Andrei. I recognize your voice."
А.- Как живёшь? or Как жизнь? or Как дела?
"How are you?" or "How is life?" or “How are you doing?”
Н.- Спасибо, всё нормально.
"I am fine, thanks."
А.- Что ты собираешься делать сегодня вечером?
"What are you going to do tonight?"
H. - Ещё не знаю. А что?
"I don't know yet. Why?"
А.- Я хотел бы пригласить тебя в театр.
"I would like to invite you to the theatre."
Ты смотрела 'Смерть коммивояжёра' Артура Миллера?
"Have you seen "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller?"
H. - Нет ещё, но я много слышала об этой пьесе и с удовольствием
составлю тебе компанию.
"Not yet. But I've heard a lot about this play, and I would be happy to go with you."
61
(Literal translation of the second half of this sentence is: "and it will be my pleasure to
keep you company".)
А.- Отлично. В таком случае я заеду за тобой ровно в семь часов. Где ты
живёшь?
"Excellent. In that case I will pick you up from your place at 7 o'clock" sharp. Where
do you live?"
H.- Улица Космонавтов, дом 12 квартира 217
"Flat 217, 12 Cosmonaut Street."
А.- Какой у тебя этаж?" “Which floor is it?”
H.- Пятый и последний. Без лифта. "5th, the top one. And there is no lift."
А - Вот это действительно ужасно! Но ничего, как-нибудь дотащусь. До
скорой встречи!
"That is terrible! But don't worry, somehow I'll drag myself up to your place. See you
soon!"
H.- Пока. (Bye.)
The address, which Natasha gave to Andrei over the telephone, will be sufficient to
find her place. But what about her mailing address?

62
With Natasha's kind permission, I will share with you her почтовый адрес:
Россия,
Санкт-Петербург,
Улица Космонавтов, дом 12 квартира 217
Петровой Наталье Николаевне
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg
Have you noticed that Russians write their address in the order opposite to that
which is used in English-speaking countries? This is actually quite logical. Indeed,
if you are asked to deliver a letter, you would first check which country it is. Your
next step would be to reach the city (or town) shown on the envelope. Then you
would be looking for a street, a house, and a flat (if that house is a multistory
building). And only after all that, would you ask whether such-and-such person is
actually living there.
To finish this chapter, I would like to suggest that you write your own address in
Russian and the Russian way too. It may be quite an amusing exercise!
63
SUBJECT 5. CLIMATE AND WEATHER
One of the stereotypes about Russia, which you can probably hear anywhere in
the world, is that Russia happens to be a very cold country with frost and snow
most of the year. The truth, however, is quite different. Russia is a huge country
with an immense diversity of geographic features and climatic conditions which
range from the Arctic permafrost to the subtropical climate of the Black Sea
coast. Even Siberia, which is usually perceived as a symbol of cold weather,
enjoys short but very warm summers. And its winters are not always as harsh
as you would expect.
Russians enjoy talking about climate and weather as much as English people do.
Sometimes they do it just to start a conversation, sometimes it could be an
interesting subject for discussion on its own.
Right now our friends Natasha and Andrei are engrossed in this kind of discussion:
Natasha:
Андрей, ты слышал прогноз погоды на завтра?
"Andrei, did you hear the weather forecast for tomorrow?"
Andrei:
Да, слышал. Ожидается...
"Yes, I did. They say It will be…

64
Before we start to list his weather-related options, I would like to make some
grammatical comments. In the English version of a short reply (after "yes" or "no") we
have a personal pronoun and the auxiliary verb "do" /"do not", which replaces a main
verb mentioned In the preceding question. In the Russian reply (after the corresponding
"да" or "нет") the personal pronoun Is merely Implied; however, the verb is actually
used In the same form as In the question (of course, In the case of a negative reply this
main verb will be preceded by the negative particle "не", e.g. Нет, не слышал).
The Infinitive of the verb слышал is слышать. Please, don't confuse the latter with a very
similar verb слушать: слышать = to hear, слушать = to listen.
Now let's get back to Andrei and his expressions about the weather expected for
tomorrow:
(1) очень хорошая погода: ясно, солнечно, с у х о и безветренно
"very good weather: clear, sunny, dry and no wind".
(2) весьма мерзкая погода: сильный, холодный ветер и дождь
"quite miserable weather: strong, cold wind and rain".
(3) (In this option Andrei quotes Pushkin, the greatest Russian poet):
"Мороз и солнце - день чудесный!" “Frost and sun - a wonderful day!"
Natasha:
65
Какая сейчас температура воздуха? “What is the temperature of the air now?"
Andrei:
Ноль градусов (Цельсия) "Zero degrees (Celsius)."
People in Russia use the centigrade system of measuring temperature, where:
0 degrees is температура таяния льда "the temperature of ice melting", and
100 degrees is температура кипения воды "the temperature of water boiling"
In everyday (not scientific) conversation, the word Цельсия Is usually omitted.
Andrei (continues):
Снег на улице тает, и лёд на реке тронулся.
"Snow on the street is melting, and the ice on the river has started breaking up."
(the literal translation of the word тронулся in the above sentence is: "started
to move".)
(4) Пять градусов выше нуля or пять градусов тепла
"Five degrees above zero" (нуля is the genitive case of the word нуль, нуль
or ноль = zero; тепла is the genitive case of the word тепло “warmth”.)
(5) Пять градусов ниже нуля or пять градусов мороза
"Five degrees below zero" (мороза is the genitive case of the word мороз = frost.)
66
Dear readers, time has come to remind you what I have already said in the very
beginning of this book. From this point of the book, I will begin to give you
longer Russian examples (sometimes much longer!) than I did until now. In these
circumstances, constant interruptions of the Russian text for translations of
individual sentences, as well as providing some of these sentences with my
comments, would become a major inconvenience for you. Therefore, wherever we
deal with the longer Russian passages, I will first present you with the whole
Russian text. Only after that, you will find an English translation of the text in
question followed by comments and explanations (if required).
For convenience, either individual Russian sentences or whole paragraphs will
have consecutive numbers, and these same numbers will be repeated for the
corresponding English translations and then for the comments. Thus, it will be
equally easy for you either to use or omit all or some of these translations, and
also to determine to which sentence (or paragraph) any particular comment refers.
Following this approach, I will now give you a description of the climate of my home
city, Saint Petersburg (formerly, Leningrad).
(1) Ленинградская погода - это выражение было известно далеко-далеко
за пределами самого Ленинграда как синоним неустойчивой и
малоприятной погоды.
67
(2) Действительно, лето в этом городе часто дождливое и довольно
прохладное.
(3) Солнце нередко затянуто облаками.
(4) Отдельные дни могут быть очень тёплыми и даже жаркими.
(5) Но такая погода продолжается обычно недолго.
(6) Жители Санкт-Петербурга (как теперь называют Ленинград) знают, что
даже в солнечное, ясное и тихое утро лучше без зонтика из дома не выходить,
потому что через час-два погода может полностью измениться.
(7) Температура воздуха летом обычно колеблется между 15 и 25 градусами
тепла.
(8) Скорость ветра редко превышает 5 - 1 0 метров в секунду (18 - 36 км в
час).
(9) Но иногда ветер достигает штормовой силы.
(10) Такой ветер способен вырвать с корнем многолетние деревья и
повалить столбы линий электропередач.
(11) Санкт-Петербург (или, если угодно, просто Петербург) часто страдает
от наводнений.
(12) В истории города наиболее известны осенние наводнения 1824 и 1924
годов, которые носили поистине катастрофический характер.
(13) Зима в Петербурге довольно мягкая.
(14) Небольшие морозы (минус 5 - минус 10 градусов) часто сменяются
оттепелями.
68
(15) Растаявший под солнцем снег образует лужи.
(16) Однако ночью, когда температура воздуха падает ниже нуля, эти лужи
замерзают, превращая улицы в ледяные катки.
(17) В такие дни дороги посыпают песком или солью и устанавливают
предупреждающие знаки: "Осторожно, гололедица!"
(18) Но время от времени в Петербурге случаются очень холодные зимы с
температурами ниже 30 градусов мороза.
(19) Однако не всё так безрадостно в климате этого города.
(20) Прекрасны "белые ночи" в первой половине лета, когда посреди ночи
на улицах почти так же светло и многолюдно, как днём.
(21) А первая половина осени часто радует мягкой, тёплой и солнечной
погодой.
(22) В таких случаях в народе говорят: "Наступило бабье лето".

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Translation of the text presented above (sentences 1 – 22)
1. Leningrad's weather - this expression was known far-far beyond Leningrad
itself as a synonym of unstable and not very nice weather.
2. Indeed, summer in this city is often rainy and rather cool.
3. The sun is not infrequently covered by clouds.
4. Some days can be very warm and even hot.
5. However, such weather does not usually last long.
6. The residents of Saint Petersburg (this is what they call Leningrad now) know
that even on a sunny, clear, and quiet morning it is better not to leave home
without an umbrella, because in an hour or two the weather might change
completely.
7. In summer, the air temperature normally fluctuates between 15 and 25
degrees above zero.
8. The wind speed seldom exceeds 5 - 10 meters per second (18 - 36 kilometers
per hour).
9. However, sometimes the wind gets up to storm level.
10. Such a wind is capable of uprooting old trees and felling power lines.
11. Saint Petersburg (or, if you wish, simply Petersburg) is quite prone to floods.
12. The most notorious floods in the city occurred in the autumn of 1824 and 1924, and
their consequences were truly catastrophic.
13. Winter in St. Petersburg is quite mild.
14. Insignificant frosts (5 - 10 degrees below zero) are often replaced by the thaw.
15. Melted under the sun, snow forms puddles.
16. However, by night, when the air temperature drops below zero, these puddles
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become frozen, turning streets into skating rinks.
17. On days like these, roads are sprinkled with sand or salt, and "Mind the ice!" warning
signs are put up.
18. But from time to time St.Petersburg can have very cold winters with temperatures in
excess of 30 degrees below zero.
19. However, not all is so joyless in the climate of this city.
20. Fabulous are the "white nights" in the first half of summer, when in the middle of the night
streets are filled with almost the same amount of natural light (and people) as they are during
the day.
21. And the first half of the autumn can often delight you by its mild, warm and sunny
weather.
22. When this happens, people say, "the Indian summer has arrived."
Comments to the text presented above (sentences 1 – 22)
(1) The adverb далеко is repeated to emphasize the greatness of the distance. We
can do the same in English. For example: Я живу сейчас далеко-далеко от
России.
"I am now living far-far away from Russia."
(7) Летом ("in summer") is an adverb formed from the noun лето. In a similar way
(but using different endings): осенью ("in autumn") is formed from the noun
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осень, весной ("in spring") is formed from the noun весна, and зимой ("in
winter") is formed from the noun зима.
(8) Russian forecasters prefer to give wind speed in meters per second.
(11) Colloquially, Петербург is often replaced by an even shorter name: Питер.
For example:
Я родился в Питере I was born in Peter
Я уехал из Питера I have left Peter
Я вернусь в Питер I will come back to Peter.
(20) Днём ("by day") is an adverb formed from the noun день. In a similar way
(but using different endings): вечером ("in the evening") is formed from the noun
вечер, ночью ("by night") is formed from the noun ночь, and утром ("in the
morning") is formed from the noun утро.
(22) Both expressions, бабье лето in Russian and "Indian summer" in English,
mean the same. However, the word бабье has nothing to do with Indians. Бабье
is an adjective formed from the noun баба, which in the distant (and not so
distant) past was used to describe a peasant woman. These women worked hard
in the fields. The only time when they could have some relaxation and enjoy good
weather was in autumn, after they had gathered the harvest. For this reason, a
period of mild, warm weather occurring at the end of September and sometimes
continuing till the end of October was called бабье лето.

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Weather conditions are important not only for our physical existence. More
importantly, they influence our state of mind, our mood. On the other hand, if we
are happy, then even the most miserable weather may seem absolutely
wonderful to us.
I tried to describe these feelings in the following little poem, which I composed
many-many years ago:
(1) Был грустный день.
(2) Ещё не наступила осень. Но лето близилось настойчиво к концу.
(3) Холодные дожди стучали по крыльцу.
(4) Сгущались сумерки: уже пробило восемь.
(5) И мрачная настроенность природы
(6) Закралась в маленький унылый дачный дом.
(7) Казалось он забылся тихим сном,
(8) Укрывшись с головой от непогоды.
(9) Я подошёл к окну. К стеклу лицом прильнул.
(10) И долго я смотрел на улицу с тоской.
(11) И вдруг мне кто-то помакал рукой
(12) И в темноте сырой мгновенно утонул.
(13) Я распахнул окно, и с ветром ты ворвалась.
(14) И завертелся дом, застывший в забытье.

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(15) И заиграл огонь в нетопленной плите.
(16) И солнце знойным светом засмеялось!
Translation of the text presented above (Lines 1 - 16)
(1) It was a sad day.
(2) Autumn had not arrived yet. However, summer was steadily coming to the end.
(3) The cold rain was knocking at the doorstep.
(4) Twilight was setting in - the clock had already struck eight.
(5) A gloomy mood of nature
(6) Was creeping into a small cheerless house,
(7) Which appeared to be engulfed in a deep sleep
(8) Escaping the misery of awful weather.
(9) I came to the window and pressed my face against the glass.
(10) Feeling sad, I was looking through the window for a long time.
(11) Suddenly I saw somebody out there, who waved to me
(12) And the very next moment drowned in the wet darkness.
(13) I threw open the window, and you burst in with the wind.
(14) The sleeping house began to spin around.
(15) A fire started to play in the cold stove.
(16) And the bright exultant sun appeared in the sky.

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Comments (refer to Lines 1 – 16 above)
Line 1. The word грустный ("sad") is used as an adjective with the word день
("day"). If it were morning or night, in English we would still use the same word
"sad" (with no changes at all). But in Russian you cannot say грустный утро or
грустный ночь. It is not grammatical, it sounds wrong, and as Russians would
say “это режет слух” "it grates on the ear".
Why is it so? Because unlike English adjectives, Russian adjectives must always
agree with nouns, i.e. they must be used in the same number, gender and case
as the nouns which they qualify.
The expression грустный день is correct because both the adjective and the
noun following it have the same number (the singular), the same gender
(masculine - some nouns ending in ь, and all nouns ending in a consonant or й
belong to this gender; all adjectives in dictionaries are given with the masculine
endings ый, ий or ой), and the same grammatical case - Nominative (in
dictionaries all nouns, pronouns, adjectives and numerals are presented in the
Nominative case).
The expression грустный утро is wrong because the ending ый in the adjective
грустный shows that this adjective is still used in the masculine gender,
however the noun утро belongs to the neuter gender (almost all nouns ending in
о are neuter). To change the above adjective to the neuter gender, we shall use
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another ending, namely: oe. The correct expression, therefore, will be грустное,
утро.
Similarly, the noun ночь belongs to the feminine gender (nouns ending in a
sibilant letter ж, ч, ш, or щ followed by ь are always feminine). To be in
agreement with this kind of noun, our adjective must have the ending ая, thus
we have found another correct expression: грустная ночь.
Any adjective in the plural (as long as we are talking about the same
grammatical case) has an ending common to all three genders, though
endings of the corresponding nouns could differ significantly, for example:
Nominative case грустные дни, утра, ночи
Genitive case грустных дней, утр, ночей
Dative case грустным дням, утрам, ночам
Accusative case грустные дни, утра, ночи
Instrumental case грустными днями, утрами, ночами
Prepositional case о грустных днях, утрах, ночах
Line 8. The word непогоды is the genitive case of the word непогода. By adding
a negative particle не to the word погода ("weather"), we get a related word but
with a negative sense (непогода means "bad weather"). Please note that in other
cases by adding не we can get a new word with an opposite meaning (not
necessary a negative one), for example:
друг - a friend; недруг = an enemy (negative and opposite);

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большой = big; небольшой = small (just opposite).
Line 16. The translation is not literal. The literal translation of the last Russian
line is "And the sun began to laugh with a burning light".
In order not to burn ourselves out completely under the laughing sun, I would suggest
you to finish with this subject immediately.
☺
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SUBJECT 6. HOME AND FAMILY
Now let's imagine that you are in one of the big Russian cities. You are sitting on a
garden bench by a nine-storey apartment building, and are talking with a middle-
aged local who is resting on the same bench.
You are asking questions (paragraphs with odd numbers), and he (or she) gives
you answers (paragraphs with even numbers). Versions shown in square brackets
shall be used only if the appropriate paragraph is spoken by a woman.
(1) Простите, пожалуйста. Вы живёте в этой доме?
(2) Да. А что? Почему Вы спрашиваете?
(3) Меня зовут Джон Эванс. Я - английский журналист.
[Меня зовут Джоан Эванс. Я - английская журналистка.]
(4) Очень приятно. А я - Валентин Петрович Кузнецов, учитель.
[А я - Валентина Петровна Кузнецова, учительница.]
(5) Я собираю материал для книги о России. Меня интересует жизнь
простых людей. Могу ли я задать Вам несколько вопросов?
(6) Да, конечно. Спрашивайте сколько хотите. Я с удовольствием
отвечу на все Ваши вопросы.
(7) У Вас отдельная квартира?
(8) Да. Я получил[а] её лет десять тому назад.

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(9) Получили? В Англии квартиры обычно покупают.
(10) Большинство квартир у нас раньше принадлежали государству.
Квартиры распределялись городским советом в порядке очереди.
(11) Это значит, что любой человек мог заполнить заявление и, скажем,
через год переехать в свою собственную квартиру?
(12) К сожалению, всё было намного дольше и тяжелее. Прежде всего,
чтобы встать на очередь, семья должна была иметь не больше шести
квадратных метров на человека. А мы жили втроём в двадцатиметровой
комнате. Поэтому у нас приняли заявление только после рождения
второго ребёнка.
(13) И как долго Вы стояли на очереди после этого?
(14) Восемь лет.
(15) И все эти годы Ваша семья жила в одной комнате?
(16) Естественно.
(17) Нет, это совсем не естественно. Где же вы мылись, готовили
обед, ели и спали? Где ваши дети играли и занимались?
(18) У нас была обычная коммунальная квартира. В такой квартире
кухня, ванная и туалет назывались местами общего пользования. И
они были действительно общими для всех семей, живущих в этой же
квартире. И у каждой семьи была только одна их собственная комната,

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где люди ели, спали, растили детей, учились, устраивали вечеринки,
ругались и веселились, готовились к экзаменам и смотрели телевизор
- одним словом, жили.
(19) Сколько же семей было в вашей квартире?
(20) Наша квартира была маленькая - всего три семьи. Многие люди
жили в гораздо больших квартирах. Однажды меня пригласили в
квартиру, где на дверной табличке было перечислено 15 (пятнадцать)
фамилий! И возле каждой фамилии был указан код для дверного
звонка, например, Иванову звонить 5 (пять) раз: 2 (два) коротких и 3
(три) длинных; а Петрову тоже 5 - только уже 3 коротких и 2 длинных.
(21) А что случится, если Вы ошибётесь и нажмёте кнопку, скажем,
только 4 (четыре) раза - и все короткие?
(22) В таком случае Вам дверь откроет не Иванов и не Петров, а,
допустим, Сидоров. А этот Сидоров, возможно, только что пришёл с
вечерней смены и очень устал. Он лежал в кровати и считал Ваши
звонки. Ваша ошибка заставила его встать, снова одеться и пойти
открывать дверь. И после всего этого Вы надеетесь, что он будет
вежлив с Вами? Особенно, если он терпеть не может ни Иванова, ни
Петрова?
(23) Как говорил ваш знаменитый поэт Лермонтов, "Всё это было бы
смешно, когда бы не было так грустно".

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(24) Да, Вы правы. Лермонтов действительно это написал, хотя он
имел в виду нечто совсем другое. В те времена до коммунальных
квартир ещё никто не додумался.
(25) В каких условиях Вы живёте сейчас?
(26) Намного лучше. Никакого сравнения с тем, что было. Сейчас у
нас трёхкомнатная квартира со всеми удобствами.
(27) Вы имеете в виду, трёхспальная?
(28) Нет. У нас считают по количеству комнат, в которых можно жить
и делать всё, что Вы хотите - а не только спать. Спален же у нас, по
существу, две: у меня с женой [мужем] и у дочери. Нашему сыну
приходится спать в гостиной на диване.
(29) А где вы обедаете?
(30) Своей семьёй - на кухне. А если приходят гости - в гостиной.
(31) Вы сказали, что Вы живёте в квартире со всеми удобствами. Но
какие же это удобства, если у Вашего сына нет своей спальни, и в
квартире нет ни отдельной столовой, ни комнаты для занятий?
(32) Да, у нас нет такого количества комнат. Но мы счастливы, что мы
сейчас живём без соседей в квартире, и что у нас три комнаты, а не
одна. Всё познаётся в сравнении. Я помню, что когда мы переехали в
этот дом, нам казалось, что мы попали в рай, в красивую сказку.

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Что же касается удобств, то у нас действительно теперь есть все удобства.
Когда мы жили в коммуналке, у нас не было горячей воды. Поэтому раз в
неделю мы ходили мыться в баню. И у нас не было центрального
отопления. В нашей комнате была печка, которую мы топили дровами. И
если дрова были сырыми (а такое случалось нередко), то разжечь их
было невероятно трудно.
(33) А как Вы моетесь и обогреваетесь сейчас?
(34) О, сейчас это сплошное удовольствие. У нас есть ванная комната с
ванной и душем. И горячей воды сколько угодно!
(35) Ну это Вы явно преувеличиваете! В моём доме в Англии
установлен большой бак для горячей воды. Но если два человека
примут душ, то третьему уже придётся ждать, по крайней мере,
полчаса, пока вода снова нагреется до нужной температуры. К тому
же, чем больше горячей воды мы используем, тем больше мы
платим за электричество.
(36) В нашей квартире нет никакого бака. Горячая вода поступает от
центральной тепловой станции. Одна такая станция может обслужить
сотни многоэтажный домов. У себя дома вы просто открываете кран и
пользуетесь горячей водой, так же как холодной, в любое время дня и
ночи. Мы платим за горячую воду, но эта плата очень небольшая и не
зависит от количества использованной воды.

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(37) Так что в этом смысле вы действительно живёте как в раю?
(38) О, да. И та же самая тепловая станция обеспечивает нас
центральным отоплением. Тоже 24 часа в сутки. Но, конечно, не
круглый год, а только в холодный сезон (обычно с октября по март
включительно). Это тоже очень удобно и очень дёшево.
(39) И тепла хватает на всю квартиру?
(40) Да, потому что батареи центрального отопления установлены в
каждой комнате, под каждым окном.
(41) Сколько квартир в Вашем доме?
(42) Около двухсот.
(43) И все такие же как у Вас?
(44) Нет, не все. В каждом подъезде на каждом этаже имеется лишь одна
трёхкомнатная квартира. Большинство же квартир в этом доме
однокомнатные или двухкомнатные. Но во всех квартирах те же самые
удобства, что и у нас.
(45) И, конечно, в каждой квартире есть телефон?
(46) Ну, что Вы! С телефоном у нас большие проблемы. Нужно стоять
на очереди много лет, чтобы получить телефон. Приблизительно только
10% семей в нашем доме имеют свои телефоны.

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(47) И в таких многоквартирных домах живёт всё население страны?
(48) Нет, это не совсем так. В городах - да. Но в пригородах и в
сельской местности люди живут в собственных домах. Такие дома могут
быть значительно просторнее, чем наши квартиры. Но в них обычно нет
так называемых городских удобств.
(49) Что Вы имеете в виду?
(50) Нет водопровода. Воду надо доставать из колодца или идти с
вёдрами к ближайшей уличной колонке. Туалет, скорей всего, во дворе.
Летом ещё ничего. Но зимой всё это не очень-то приятно. И, конечно,
нужно запасаться дровами на зиму и топить печку.
(51) Но зато у них, наверно, есть свой сад и огород?
(52) О, да. Мой родной брат живёт за городом. У него большой
красивый сад, где он выращивает яблоки и вишни, красную и чёрную
смородину, малину и клубнику, огурцы и помидоры - всего не
перечислишь! А сколько цветов, и какой изумительный воздух!
(53) У Вас только один брат?
(54) Брат один. Он не женат. Живёт с отцом и матерью. Но ещё у меня
есть две сестры. И вообще у меня очень большая родня: тётя и дядя,
племянники и племянницы, двоюродные и троюродные братья и
сестры... Однако, простите, мне пора идти домой.

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(55) Большое спасибо Вам. Мне было очень интересно.
(56) В такой случае мы можем продолжить нашу беседу завтра.
(57) С удовольствием.
(58) На том же месте в тот же час?
(59) Договорились. Ещё раз спасибо. Всего доброго!
I would like to conclude this subject with a list of all possible members of some
hypothetical extended family:
жених groom
невеста bride
муж husband
жена wife
сын son
дочь daughter
внук grandson
внучка granddaughter
правнук great-grandson
правнучка great- granddaughter
отец father
мать mother
дедушка grandfather
бабушка grandmother
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прадедушка great- grandfather
прабабушка great- grandmother
брат brother
сестра sister
двоюродный брат cousin (male)
двоюродная сестра cousin (female)
дядя uncle
тётя aunt
племянник nephew
племянница niece
свекровь mother-in law (husband's mother)
тёща mother-in law (wife's mother)
свёкор father-in law (husband's father)
тесть father-in law (wife's father)
зять son-in-law
OR
brother-in-law (sister's husband)
невестка daughter-in-law
OR
sister-in-law (brother's wife)
шурин brother-in-law (wife's brother)
деверь brother-in-law (husband's brother)
золовка sister-in-law (husband's sister)
свояченица sister-in-law (wife's sister)
свояк brother-in-law (husband of wife's sister)

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Translation of the Russian text presented above (Paragraphs 1 – 59)
(1) Excuse me, please. Do you live in this block of flats?
(2) Yes. Why? Why do you ask me?
(3) My name is John [Joan] Evans. I am an English journalist.
(4) Nice to meet you. And I am Valentin Petrovich Kuznetsov, a teacher.
[And I am Valentina Petrovna Kuznetsova, a teacher.]
(5) I am gathering material for a book about Russia. I am interested in the
lives of ordinary people. May I ask you some questions?
(6) Yes, of course. Ask as much as you want. I am happy to answer all your
questions.
(7) Do you have a flat of your own?
(8) Yes, I received it about ten years ago.
(9) Received? In England people usually buy flats.
(10) The majority of flats in our country belong to the state. These flats are
allocated by the city council in accordance with your number on the waiting list.
(11) Does it mean that any person can fill in an application form and, say, in one
year move to his/her own flat?

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(12) Unfortunately, this takes much longer and is much more difficult. First of all,
in order to get their name on the waiting list, a family should have not more than 6
square meters per person. However, our 3-member family lived in a room of 20
square meters. Therefore, our application was accepted only after the birth of our
second child.
(13) And how long were you on the waiting list after that?
(14) 8 years.
(15) And all these years had your family been living in one room?,
(16) Naturally.
(17) No, it is not natural at all. Where did you wash, cook dinner, eat, and
sleep? Where did your children study?
(18) We had a "normal" communal flat. In such a flat the kitchen,
bathroom and toilet were called places of common use. And, indeed, they
were common for all families living in the same flat. Each family had only
one room of their own, where people were eating, sleeping, raising
children, having parties, quarrelling and making peace afterwards,
preparing for exams and watching television - in a word, they lived.
(19) How many families lived in your communal flat?
(20) Our flat was a small one - only three families. Many people lived in much
larger flats. Once I was invited to a flat where the door-plate listed fifteen
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surnames! And against each name, it recorded a door-bell code, e.g. to call
Ivanov, press the button 5 times: 2 short and 3 long rings; and to call Petrov, also
press the button 5 times, but in this case the other way round: 3 short and 2 long
rings.
(21) But what would have happened if you made a mistake and pressed the
button, say, only four times - and all the rings were short?
(22) In that case the door would have been opened not by Ivanov and not by
Petrov but, let's say, by Sidorov. And it is possible this Sidorov had just returned
from his evening shift and was very tired. He was lying on the bed, counting your
rings. Your mistake made him get up, get dressed, and leave his room to open
the door. And after all this do you really imagine he would be polite with you?
Especially if he could not stand both Ivanov and Petrov.
(23) As your famous poet Lermontov said "All this would be funny if it
were not so sad".
(24) Yes, you are right. Lermontov, indeed, wrote that, though he meant something
completely different. In those days communal flats had not been invented yet.
(25) In what conditions do you live now?
(26) Much better. No comparison with how it was. Now we have a three-room flat
with all modern conveniences.
(27) Do you mean a three-bedroom flat?

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(28) We count all rooms, where people can live and do anything they want (not just
sleep). In fact, we have two bedrooms: one for me and my wife [husband], and
another one for our daughter. Our son has to sleep in the lounge on the couch.
(29) Where do you have dinner?
(30) Within our own family - in the kitchen. But when we have guests - in the
lounge.
(31) You said that you live in a flat with all modern conveniences. However, what
kind of conveniences are you talking about if your son does not have his own
bedroom, and your flat has neither a dining room nor a study?
(32) Well, we do not have that many rooms. But we are happy that now we don't
share our flat with other families, and that we have three rooms, and not just one.
Everything is relative. I remember when we moved into this house, we thought
that we were in paradise, a beautiful fairy tale.
As for amenities, then we do now have all the amenities. When we lived in a communal
apartment, we had no hot water. Therefore, once a week we had to go to a
bathhouse. And we did not have central heating. Our room had a stove, which was stoked
with firewood. And if the wood was damp (and this happened often), then ignite them was
incredibly difficult.
(33) And how do you wash and heat yourself now?
(34) Oh, now it is a real pleasure. We have a bathroom with a bathtub and a shower. And
we can use hot water as much as we want!

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(35) Well, you are obviously exaggerating! In my house in England, we have a large tank
of hot water. But if two people take a shower, then the third one will have to wait for at
least half an hour, until the water is heated up again to the desired temperature. In
addition, the more hot water we use, the more we pay for electricity.
(36) In our apartment there is no tank. Hot water is supplied from a central thermal
plant. One such station can serve hundreds of multi-storey buildings. You simply open the
tap in your own apartment and use hot water, as well as cold, any time of a day or
night. We pay for hot water, but this payment is very small and does not depend on the
amount of water used.
(37) So in that sense, you really do live in paradise?
(38) Oh, yes. And the same thermal station provides us with central heating. Also, 24
hours a day. Well, of course, not all year round, but only during the cold season (typically
October to March inclusive). This is also very convenient and very cheap.
(39) And the heat is enough for the whole apartment?
(40) Yes, because the radiators are installed in every room, under every window.
(41) How many apartments are in your building?
(42) About two hundred.
(43) And are they all the same as yours?
(44) No, not all. For each entrance at each floor, the building has only one 3-room
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apartment. Most apartments in this building have only one or two rooms. But all the
apartments have the same modern conveniences, as we do.
(45) And, of course, every apartment has a telephone?
(46) Oh, what are you talking about? We have big problems with installation of
telephones. We need to wait for many years before the phone can be installed.
Approximately, only 10% of families in our building have their own phone.
(47) Does the entire population of your country live in such multi-storey apartment
buildings?
(48) No, it's not entirely true. In urban areas - yes. But in the suburbs and rural areas,
people live in their own homes. These homes can be much more spacious than our
apartment. But they usually do not have the so-called urban amenities.
(49) What do you mean?
(50) There is no running water. Water should be taken out of the well or you must go with
buckets to a nearby street water column. Toilet, most likely, will be in the backyard. It is
alright in summer. But in winter time, all this is not very pleasant. And, of course, you need
to stock up on firewood for the winter and maintain fire in the stove.
(51) But they probably have their own garden and vegetable patch?
(52) Oh, yes. My brother lives out of town. He has a big beautiful garden where he grows
apples and cherries, red and black currants, raspberries and strawberries, cucumbers and
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tomatoes - you name it! And so many flowers, and what a wonderful air!
(53) Do you have only one brother?
(54) Yes, I have only one brother. He is not married. He lives with our father and
mother. But I also have two sisters. And in general, I have a very large extended family:
an aunt and an uncle, nephews and nieces, cousins and second cousins... However,
I'm sorry, I must go home.
(55) Thank you very much. It was very interesting for me.
(56) In this case, we can continue our conversation tomorrow.
(57) With pleasure.
(58) At the same place and at the same time?
(59) Agreed. Thank you again. All the best!
Comments to the Russian text presented above (Paragraphs 1 – 59)
Paragraphs 3 & 4. As you probably noticed, the suffixes кa and ница were used in
these paragraphs to build two nouns denoting female persons (by adding the above
suffixes to the corresponding masculine nouns). These suffixes are very common
and can be used in many other similar cases (please note that suffixes are always
added to the stem of a word, i.e. to its main part). For example:
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Masculine Gender Feminine Gender
студент (student) студентка
немец (German, as a nationality) немка
писатель (writer) писательница
читатель (reader) читательница
In many cases the same noun is used to define both a male and female person, for
example: юрист - lawyer; инженер - engineer; etc.
Paragraph 9. In the English translation we used the word "people", whose
Russian equivalent люди is omitted from the original text. If you try to translate
the Russian sentence В Англии квартиры обычно покупают word by word,
you will get something rather strange: "In England flats usually buy".
This might happen if, being accustomed to the standard structure of an English
sentence, you would assume that the word квартиры (flats) in the Russian
phrase is a subject. In fact, it is an object (do you remember, when in the
beginning of this book we discussed the basic principles of Russian grammar, I
emphasized that the order of words in Russian sentences is very flexible?).

94
In the above example, the object квартиры is shifted closer to the beginning of
the sentence to stress the last word of the sentence, покупают (buy). The
speaker emphasizes that in England people usually buy flats (not receive them
from the state).
If we placed the word квартиры at the end of the sentence, i.e. В Англии
обычно покупают квартиры, we would stress that in England people usually
buy flats (rather than houses).
In both versions of this Russian sentence the subject is omitted, but it is strongly
implied. Sentences of this kind (with indefinite subjects) are used when it is not
necessary to specify the performer of the action.
Paragraph 12. The words дольше and тяжелее are the comparative degree of
the adjectives долгий and тяжёлый respectively. The suffixes e and ee are
commonly used to form comparative adjectives and adverbs. If you prefer, you
can replace the suffix ee by the colloquial suffix ей. For instance, instead of
тяжелее you can say тяжелей.
The superlative degree of Russian adjectives is usually (but not always) formed
by putting the pronoun самый, which corresponds to the English word "most",
before the adjective. This pronoun must agree with the adjective in gender,
number and case, e.g.
самый долгий и тяжёлый путь (the longest and the most difficult way)
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- the masculine gender;
however: самая долгая и тяжёлая дорога (the longest and the most difficult
road) - the feminine gender;
самое долгое и тяжёлое путешествие (the longest and the most difficult
journey) - the neuter gender;
самые долгие и тяжёлые пути, дороги, путешествия (the longest and the
most difficult ways, roads, journeys) - plural for all three genders.
Paragraphs 23 & 29. You may be surprised that the first letters of the words ваш
(your) and вы (you) have not been capitalized, as was the case in many other
paragraphs. The reason for this is simple: the speaker implied here more than one
person - not just the person he/she was talking to (if you are not satisfied by this
explanation, please go back to the beginning of this course). However, please note
that most publishers do not differentiate between the polite singular Bы and the
plural вы, i.e. they capitalize this pronoun only at the beginning of a sentence (in the
same way they usually replace ё with е).
Paragraph 46. The expression Ну, что Вы! can be translated only very loosely.
Using this expression, you show your surprise that the person you are talking to
just said something absolutely unthinkable, naive or insensitive.

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SUBJECT 7. EDUCATION
Прошло 24 часа (24 hours have passed), and our new friends met again на том
же месте в тот же час ("at the same place at the same time" - as they agreed
in the previous chapter).
For simplicity, let's now be certain of their gender. The local teacher is a man,
Valentin Petrovich Kuznetsov. And the English journalist is a woman, Joan Evans.
1. Здравствуйте, Валентин Петрович.
2. Рад Вас видеть, Джоан.
3. Валентин Петрович, вчера, когда мы познакомились, Вы
сказали, что Вы - учитель. Где и что Вы преподаёте?
4. Я работаю в средней школе, преподаю математику и физику.
5. Что это значит "средняя" школа? Не очень хорошая и не
очень плохая?
6. Нет, слово "средняя" здесь употреблено совсем в другом
смысле - академическом. Если всю систему академического
образования представить в виде шкалы, то на нижнем её конце Вы
найдёте "начальное" образование. На противоположном (верхнем)
конце шкалы Вы увидите "высшее" образование. А между ними (то
есть посреди) Вас будет ждать "среднее" образование.

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7. Теперь я понимаю! Начальное образование можно
приобрести в начальной школе, среднее - в средней, и высшее -
в высшей.
8. Вы абсолютно правы. Я могу только добавить, что "высшая
школа" -это официальный, формальный термин. Гораздо чаще
используется слово "вуз" (сокращение другого формального термина:
"высшее учебное заведение"). Например, Вы можете сказать "Я
поступила в вуз" или "Я учусь в вузе".
9. Расскажите, пожалуйста, немножко подробнее о структуре
школьного образования в вашей стране.
10. Хорошо, начнём с самого начала. Когда ребёнку исполняется
семь лет, его записывают в школу.
11. В начальную? Не так ли?
12. Не обязательно. Видите ли, в чём дело... Чтобы получить
среднее образование, нужно проучиться десять лет (или, как
говорят, закончить 10 классов). Если школа рассчитана на 10 лет
обучения, т.е. имеет все классы, начиная с первого и кончая
десятым, то она называется средней школой. И таких школ сейчас
большинство.
13. А сколько классов в начальной школе?

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14. Только четыре. Но начальные школы, вероятно, сохранились
теперь лишь в небольших удалённых поселениях. В любом случае,
после четырёх лет в начальной школе, ученик должен будет
продолжить своё образование в средней или, по крайней мере, в
неполной средней школе.
15. Почему должен? Вы хотите сказать, может?
16. Нет, именно должен, потому что у нас уже давно введено обязательное
восьмилетнее (то есть неполное среднее) образование. После восьми лет
в школе ученик может уйти из школы и пойти работать; или он может
поступить в так называемое среднее специальное учебное заведение.
17. Что это такое?
18. Это может быть профессионально-техническое училище
(сокращённо ПТУ), где ученик приобретает какую-либо рабочую
квалификацию и одновременно заканчивает программу полной
средней школы. Или это может быть техникум, по окончании
которого присваивается квалификация техника.
19. А когда можно поступать в вуз?
20. После успешного окончания 10 классов средней школы каждый
ученик получает так называемый "аттестат зрелости", дающий право
на поступление (точнее на попытку поступления) в вуз, то есть, иначе
говоря, в институт или в университет.

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21. Что такое аттестат зрелости?
22. Это документ, который свидетельствует о ток, что такой-то и
такой-то ученик закончил такую-то школу с такими-то отметками. И
дальше перечисляются все изучаемые в школе предметы с оценкой
по каждому из них. Самая высокая отметка - "5" (отлично). Затем идёт
"4" (хорошо). И наконец, "3" - что значит "посредственно" или
"удовлетворительно".
23. Возможны ли ещё какие-либо оценки?
24. Да, в принципе возможны, но очень нежелательны. Если ученик,
скажем, провалил экзамен, он получает оценку "2", что значит "плохо"
или "неудовлетворительно". Такая оценка не войдёт в аттестат, но
ученик будет обязан пересдать этот экзамен в самом начале
следующего учебного года.
25. А если он опять провалит этот экзамен?
26. В этом случае он, как говорят, будет оставлен па второй год - это
значит, что ему придётся проучиться в том же самом классе ещё
целый год.
27. Какие предметы входят в аттестат?
28. Русский язык, литература, арифметика, алгебра, геометрия,
тригонометрия, физика, химия, история, география, анатомия,
иностранный язык и некоторые другие.

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29. Какие из этих предметов являются обязательными?
30. Все предметы обязательные. И я считаю, что это правильно. В
наших школах ученики приобретают широкий кругозор и неплохие
общие знания как в точных, так и в гуманитарных науках. Ученик
может, например, иметь ярко выраженные способности к литературе
и языкам. Тем не менее, он не может избежать математики или
физики. И наоборот.
31. Но зачем, скажем, будущему поэту мучить себя математическими
или физическими формулами?
32. Я думаю, что даже знаменитый поэт, если он живёт в реальном, а
не фантастическом мире, должен уметь считать и иметь хотя бы
общее представление об основных законах физики. А великий физик
сделает свою духовную жизнь намного богаче, если он не
ограничится чтением только научных книг.
33. Как я вижу, ученик в русской школе должен одновременно
заниматься значительно большим количеством предметов, чем в
английской. Но насколько глубоки и систематичны знания русских
учеников?
34. Их знания глубоки, потому что каждый предмет изучается весьма
основательно и обычно в течение многих лет. Их знания также
систематичны, потому что ученик последовательно проходит все
параграфы учебника - от начала до конца. Кроме того, глубина и

101
систематичность достигаются с помощью системы постоянного и
строгого контроля.
35. Не можете ли Вы пояснить, в чём состоит эта система?
36. Начиная с первого класса, все ученики ежедневно получают
домашние задания (или, как их ещё называют, задания на дом).
Придя, со шкоды домой, ученик, как правило, обедает, гуляет пару
часов на улице, и затем садится за уроки. В начальных классах
время, потраченное на приготовление домашних уроков, обычно
невелико. Но чем старше становится ученик, тем больше ему
приходится работать дома.
37. Что случится, если ученик не приготовит уроки?
38. В наших школах принято вызывать учеников к доске, для того
чтобы они продемонстрировали перед всем классом, как они
приготовили своё домашнее задание. В течение каждого урока учитель
последовательно приглашает к доске от трёх до пяти учеников.
Каждый ученик может только гадать, когда его вызовут в следующий
раз.
39. Поэтому, на всякий случай, лучше быть готовым к каждому
уроку?
40. Вот именно! Тем более, что отметка за ответ будет поставлена в
дневник, который регулярно проверяется родителями. Кроме того, по

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результатам таких ответов ученику будет выведена четвертная оценка,
проставляемая в табель. По результатам четвертных оценок, ученику в
конце года будет выведена годовая оценка по каждому предмету. И если
на этом изучение данного предмета заканчивается, то годовая оценка
переходит в аттестат зрелости.
41. Как производится отбор студентов при поступлении в вуз?
Принимают всех желающих или только тех, у кого высокие отметки в
аттестате зрелости? И какая разница между университетом и
институтом?
42. В наших университетах, в основном, готовят специалистов в области
общественных, гуманитарных и общенаучных дисциплин (например:
философов, физиков, филологов, журналистов и так далее). Институты
готовят инженеров, врачей, учителей, библиотекарей, ветеринаров,
экономистов. В таких городах как Москва и Санкт-Петербург, кроме
университета, Вы найдёте несколько десятков всевозможных институтов,
например: электротехнический, кораблестроительный, институт
киноинженеров, институт связи, медицинский институт, педагогический
институт и т.д. и т.п. Приём в университет или в любой институт, как
правило, производится по результатам пяти конкурсных экзаменов,
сдаваемых в самом институте. От экзаменов освобождаются (по крайней
мере частично) только те, кто закончил школу с золотой или серебряной
медалью.
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43. Что это такое?
44. Золотой медалью награждаются ученики, у которых в аттестате
зрелости по всем предметам "отлично". Для получения серебряной
медали допускается иметь не больше двух четвёрок, по всем остальным
предметам должно быть "пять".
45. Валентин Петрович, мне хотелось бы задать Вам ещё массу
вопросов. Но я и так отняла у Вас слишком много времени.
46. Ничего-ничего, Джоан! У меня ещё есть минут пять-десять.
47. В таком случае, один последний вопрос: сколько, примерно, стоит
курс обучения в институте?
48. Образование у нас, к счастью, пока ещё бесплатное. Более того, все
успевающие студенты (за исключением, конечно, студентов, которые
совмещают учёбу с работой) получают стипендию.
49. Вот это действительно замечательно!
50. Да, согласен. И вообще, надо сказать, студенческие годы - самое
интересное и восхитительное время жизни. Я бы не отказался повторить
их снова.
51. Я бы тоже. Как говорит русская пословица, "Ученье - свет, а
неученье - тьма".
52. В таком случае, до встречи за партой!

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Translation of the Russian text presented above under respective numbers
1. How are you, Valentin Petrovich?
2. I am glad to see you, Joan.
3. Valentin Petrovich, yesterday, when we met each other, you said that you
are a teacher. Where and what do you teach?
4. I work in a medium-level school, teaching mathematics and physics.
5. What does "medium-level" school mean? Not very good and not very bad?
6. No, the word "medium-level" is used here in quite a different, academic,
sense. If the whole system of academic education is presented as a scale, then at
the low end of it you will find primary education. At the opposite (high) end of the
scale you will see higher education. And between them (i.e. in the middle) you will
find "medium-level" education.
7. Now I understand! One can gain elementary education in a primary
school, secondary education - in a medium-level school, and tertiary education -
in a higher school.
8. You are absolutely right. I can only add that "higher school" is an official and
formal term. Much more often people use the word "vooz" (abbreviation of another
formal term which can be literally translated from Russian as "higher educational
institution"). For example, you can say, "I enrolled at a vooz" or "I study at a vooz".
105
9. Please tell me a little bit more about the structure of school education in
your country.
10. Well, let's begin from the very beginning. When a child turns 7, he or she
is enrolled at school.
11. At a primary school? Right?
12. Not necessarily. You see, in order to gain secondary education one
must study for 10 years (or, as they say, complete 10 forms). If a school has
facilities for 10 consecutive years of study, i.e. it has all forms beginning from the
first and finishing with the tenth, then such a school is called secondary. The
majority of Russian schools at present belong to this type.
13. How many forms are in the primary school?
14. Only four. However, primary schools probably exist now only in small
remote settlements. In any case, after four years at primary school, a pupil must
continue his/her education in secondary (or, at least, "incomplete secondary")
school.
15. Why "must"? Did you want to say "may"?
16. No, I didn't. Exactly "must", because eight-year study (or incomplete
secondary education) became compulsory in our country a long time ago. After 8
years in school, a pupil can leave the school and go to work; or he/she can enter
a so-called "secondary specialist educational institution".

106
17. What is that?
18. This can be a professional training school (the Russian abbreviation for
this is PTU), where students are trained in some trade, and at the same time
they follow the syllabus of a normal secondary school. Or it can be a technical
college, where students study toward a certificate in engineering.
19. And when is it possible to enrol at a vooz?
20. After successful completion of all 10 forms of secondary school, each
pupil receives a so-called "certificate of maturity", which makes him/her eligible to
enrol at (more precisely, to try to enrol at) a vooz - in other words, an institute or
university.
21. What is a "certificate of maturity"?
22. This is a document which certifies that such-and-such a pupil graduated
from such-and-such a school with such-and-such marks. And then the certificate lists
all the subjects studied at school and their respective marks. The highest mark is
"five" (excellent). This is followed by "four" (good). And, at last, there is "three", which
means "fair" or "satisfactory".
23. Are there any other marks?
24. Yes, there are in principle. However, they are not desirable at all. If, say,
a pupil failed an examination, he/she receives a "two", which means "bad" or
"unsatisfactory". Such a mark will not be included in the school-leaving certificate,

107
however the pupil will have to sit this exam once more at the very beginning of the
next school year.
25. And what if he fails again?
26. In that case, as they say, he will be left back, i.e. he will need to repeat
the year.
27. What subjects are included in the certificate?
28. Russian language, literature, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry,
physics, chemistry, history, geography, anatomy, a foreign language, and some
others.
29. Which of these subjects are compulsory?
30. All the subjects are compulsory. And I reckon this is how it should be.
Our schools prepare broad-minded people with a good general knowledge of
both the exact sciences and humanities. A pupil can, for example, have a flair for
literature and languages. Nevertheless, he cannot avoid mathematics or physics.
And vice versa.
31. But what's the point of, say, a future poet tormenting himself with
mathematical of physics formulas?
32. I think that even a famous poet, if he lives in the real, and not a dream
world, must be able to count and have at least a general idea of the basic laws of
108
physics. And a great physicist will make his spiritual life considerably richer if he
does not limit himself by the reading of scientific books only.
33. As I see it, a pupil in a Russian school has to learn at the same time a
significantly larger number of subjects than what is required in English schools.
But how deep and systematic is the knowledge of Russian pupils?
34. Their knowledge is deep because each subject is studied quite
thoroughly and usually over many years. Their knowledge is also systematic
because pupils logically study all the lessons of a textbook - from the
beginning to the end. In addition, the depth and systematic approach are
achieved through a system of constant and strict control.
35. Can you please explain to me what is this system about?
36. Each day, beginning with the first form, all pupils get homework (also
called home assignments). After coming home from school, pupils, as a rule,
have their dinner, spend a couple of hours playing outside, and then start to do
their lessons. In primary school, time required to prepare homework is usually
insignificant. However, as time goes on the pupil will need to work at home
harder and harder.
37. What happens if a pupil does not prepare his or her homework?
38. In our schools it is customary to call pupils to the blackboard so that
they can demonstrate in front of the whole class how they prepared their
homework. During each lesson a teacher invites to the blackboard three to five
109
pupils - one by one. Each pupil can only guess when he or she will be called next
time.
39. Is it better, therefore, to be ready for each lesson - just in case?
40. Exactly! Especially as a mark for the blackboard performance will be
recorded in a diary which is checked by parents on a regular basis. In addition,
according to the results of such performances, an overall mark for a quarter of a
year is put down in the school report. Depending on the subject's marks for each
quarter of a year, an overall mark for the whole year is recorded at the end of the
year. And when the study of any particular subject is completed, then the mark
for that year is included in the school-leaving certificate.
41. How are students selected by a vooz for acceptance? Are all the
applicants accepted or only those of them who have high marks in their school-
leaving certificate? And what is the difference between a university and an
institute?
42. Our universities prepare specialists mainly in the fields of the social
sciences, the humanities, and general branches of science (for example:
philosophers, physicists, philologists, journalists, and so on). The institutes
prepare engineers, doctors, teachers, librarians, veterinary surgeons, economists.
In cities like Moscow and Saint Petersburg, apart from the university, you will find
several dozen different institutes, e.g. the electrotechnical institute, the
shipbuilding institute, the institute of engineers of the cinematographic industry,
the telecommunications institute, the medical institute, the teachers' institute, and
110
so on, and so forth. Admittance to a university or an institute, as a rule, is based
on the results of five competitive examinations, which are conducted in that same
institute. Only those who graduated from school with a gold or silver medal are
excused from the exams (at least partially).
43. What medals are you talking about?
44. A gold medal is awarded to pupils who have straight "fives" in their
school-leaving certificate. To get a silver medal, a pupil is allowed to have not
more than two "fours"; all the other subjects should be "fives".
45. Valentin Petrovich, I would like to ask you many more questions. But I
have taken too much of your time already.
46. No problem, Joan. I still have five or ten minutes to spare.
47. In that case, let me ask you one more question: how much,
approximately, do students pay for their tuition at an institute?
48. Our education, fortunately, is still free. Moreover, all students who make
satisfactory progress (with the exception of those who combine studies with
work) receive a study allowance.
49. This is really wonderful!
50. Yes, I agree. And in general, I must say, student days are the most
interesting and delightful period of one's life. I would gladly repeat them.
111
51. So would I. As the Russian proverb says, "Knowledge is light, and
ignorance is darkness".
52. In that case, see you in the classroom!
Comments (refer to the relevant paragraphs above)
Paragraph 5. Joan is confused because the Russian word средний (средняя for
feminine gender) in another commonly used context can mean "average", or
"medium-level" of something, i.e. neither very good nor very bad. For this reason,
средняя школа in this and some other paragraphs is translated not as a
"secondary school" (as it should be translated), but as a "medium-level school"
(as it is understood by Joan).
Paragraph 20. "Certificate of maturity" is a literal translation of the Russian term for
"school-leaving certificate".
Paragraph 24. In addition, some teachers on rare occasions use mark "1" (единица)
[pronounced: ye-di-'nitsa], which means "very bad".
Paragraph 40. Дневник [dnye-'vnik] (diary) is a very important document reflecting
each day of school life: lessons and homework listed by a pupil, plus marks and
comments recorded by a teacher. Depending on the marks decorating its pages,
the diary can be an object of pride or shame for both children and their parents.
112
Paragraph 42. The expression "several dozen" is given as an acceptable equivalent
to Russian "несколько десятков". However, a literal translation of this Russian
expression is "several tens". The Russian equivalent of the word "dozen" is
дюжина ['dyu-zhi-па]. Instead of "несколько десятков" you can say
"несколько дюжин", however the latter expression is not so common
nowadays as the former one. You can also simplify each of these expressions by
using just one word rather than two, namely: десятки [dye-'syat-ki] or дюжины
['dyu-zhi-n.y].
Paragraph 43. A literal translation of this expression is "What is it?"
Paragraph 51. The translation of the Russian proverb is not literal. The exact
equivalents of the words in question are: ученье [u-'chye-n'ye] = learning;
неученье [nye-u-'chye-n'ye] = lack of learning. The corresponding terms used in
the English translation have the following Russian equivalents:
knowledge = знание ['zna-ni-ye];
ignorance = невежество [nye-'vye-zhe-stva].
Paragraph 52. Again, a literal translation is not possible here. If you try to translate the
Russian expression word by word, you will get something like this: "In such a case,
until meeting at a school desk!" By the way, парта is not exactly a desk: it is
shared by two school pupils, and combines in one piece of furniture a long narrow
desk and a long narrow seat.

113
SUBJECT 8. WORK
These days, when Russia is eager to move toward a market economy, one
can expect rapidly rising unemployment (безработица) [bye-zra-'bo-ti-tsa] in that
country - a problem which seems especially awesome to a nation which for nearly
seventy years felt itself completely immune to all social ills of the modern world.
Право на труд ("right to work") was one of the rights recorded in the
Soviet Constitution which did not remain only on paper. Moreover, each able-
bodied man under 60 years old and each healthy, single woman under 55 years
old were required to work. Otherwise, they would have been denounced by the
authorities as люди, живущие на нетрудовые доходы ("people living on
income they did not earn"), or тунеядцы ("parasites").
If that happened, тунеядец "he-parasite" or тунеядка ("she-parasite")
would at first have received a warning; and if, say, in three months they were still
not working, they could be banished from their home city to some miserable
settlement and forced to work there anyway. People in Leningrad were referring
to this exile in the following words: сослать на сто первый километр ("to
exile on 101st kilometre"), meaning that the above mentioned miserable
settlement was located 101 km away from the city.
Married women were not required to work by law, but the overwhelming
majority of them had to do this in order to make ends meet. Take, for example, my
own, I would say, a typical professional family: a husband, a wife, and two
114
children. Both my wife and I worked full-time as engineers, yet we could not even
dream of buying such "luxuries" as a colour television or new furniture, let alone a
car. We certainly did not eat caviar, and even fruits were not among the items
which we could afford to buy in sufficient quantities.
I think that to a large extent low salaries were a result of full employment
(полная занятость). This was artificially created and maintained by the
government which controlled everything in the former Soviet Union and
encouraged all employers to keep at work significantly more people than they
actually needed. Obviously, this extra staff was subsidised by other personnel.
Incentive was barely noticeable because hard-working people had approximately
the same remuneration as those who did not care at all.
Низкая эффективность ("low efficiency") could result only in низкий
уровень жизни ("low standard of living").
You are probably wondering: if nearly all Soviet people who were able to
work did work, what a marvellous system would have to exist in order to support
them in their search for a job. If you have already accepted that my family was a
typical professional family, you would, I hope, accept my personal experience as
a typical one for people whose working life (трудовая жизнь) started after their
graduation from a vooz (if you have forgotten what this term means, please refer
to the previous chapter).

115
After graduation I, like all other full-time students, был
направлен на работу по распределению, i.e. was sent to work in
accordance with official allocation.
In principle, new specialists could be allocated to any part of the country
(sometimes far away from their home towns or from the city in which they had
obtained their degree), where they were bound to work for three years.
I was lucky enough to stay after graduation in Leningrad, where I was born
and educated. However, the specialization of the plant where I started to work
had little in common with my academic qualifications. From time to time I tried to
prove my case, talking with both my direct superior and the boss of the plant's
omnipotent Personnel Department (начальник отдела кадров). And
eventually I succeeded: I was allowed to leave the plant after serving only half of
my tenure.
You probably think that I left immediately after obtaining this official
permission, which was more the exception than the rule. I would have been happy
to do so, but unfortunately I could not afford it пока я не нашёл другую работу
("until I had found another job"). Since the Soviet Union did not suffer from
unemployment, the Soviets were not "humiliated" by unemployment benefits -
instead they were humiliated by very low salaries. Referring to inefficiencies of
most enterprises in the Soviet Union and low salaries, people were joking: "В
России люди притворяются, что они работают, а правительство

116
притворяется, что платит им" ("In Russia, people pretend that they work, and
the government pretends that it pays them").
What kind of system was in place to help me find a different job? Actually,
there was no such system at all. The number of jobs advertised in newspapers
was negligible, and employment agencies, so common in western countries,
simply did not exist in the "worker's paradise". Certainly I tried to phone or
knocked at the door of many organizations where my qualifications could find a
proper use - all to no avail.
This continued for quite a long time and could have continued forever, had I
not found "a contact" (контакт). He was a distant relative of my wife, and he had
good working connections with some influential people from a company which
specialized in the same field where I so desperately tried to find a job. That newly
acquired contact telephoned one of his friends and asked him to see me. We met,
talked, and, seeing that I had appropriate qualifications and skills to work in his
organization, the "friend" introduced me to the General Manager. My problem was
solved: I had a job.
This was the normal and, in fact, the only practical way to find a new job in
Russia or any other republic of the former Soviet Union. Someone had to
recommend you to somebody who had the power to give you a job, by filling one
of the vacancies in his or her department. Then you might be invited for an
interview with your future boss; and if he/she liked you, the job would be yours:
117
you would not need to compete with any other applicants, unless there was
something in your application which might be considered as unacceptable by the
Personnel Department.
For example, in Stalin's time job application forms could, among others, have
questions like these:
(1) Находились ли Вы или кто-либо из Ваших родственников на
территории, временно оккупированной немецко-фашистскими
войсками?
"Have you or any of your relatives been on a territory temporarily occupied by
German-fascist troops?"
(2) Находились ли Вы или кто-либо из Ваших родственников в
плену?
"Have you or any of your relatives been held as prisoners of war?"
(3) Имеете ли Вы родственников, проживающих за границей?
"Do you have relatives living abroad?"
If you had answered 'Yes" to any of these questions, you would most certainly
not have been accepted for any decent job - regardless of your qualifications.
However, for some jobs (such as a musician or a scientist) recommendation
was not sufficient - you had to compete with others. From time to time you could see
in newspapers an advertisement of this kind:

118
"Электротехнический Институт объявляет конкурс на замещение
вакантной должности старшего научного сотрудника на кафедре
высоковольтных напряжений."
"Electrotechnical Institute announces a competition to fill in a vacancy of a Senior
Scientist in the Department of High Voltages."
Of course, if you had a really good recommendation from a really influential
person, you would most certainly get that competitive job, ahead of merely talented
but less socially or politically acceptable people.
The Russian equivalent for the word "vacancy" is вакансия. However, this
word was mainly used for "competitive" jobs only. Talking about non-competitive
jobs, people would normally use another term, namely: штатная единица, which
literally means "a staff unit". Staff units were usually allocated to all Soviet
organizations in numbers significantly higher than it was actually required to perform
their tasks. Therefore, heads of departments did have a lot of flexibility in hiring
additional personnel, using their "spare staff units" or, on some occasions, borrowing
these свободные штатные единицы from other departments.
Знакомства и связи ("contacts and connections") were often more important
than квалификация и опыт ("qualifications and experience"), if you really wanted
найти хорошую работу ("to find a good job").

119
The system described above belongs to the past. If one day I decide to go
back to Russia, I will certainly need to search for a job there in much the same way
as people are accustomed to do it in the West. First of all, I will need to prepare my
C.V. (резюме). You can use the following example (please see it below) as a
sample if you decide to write your own curriculum vitae (if you are curios, then "yes" -
it is my own, but very old resume - it was prepared in August 1996). Once again I will
present here two versions of the same document: the original one in Russian and
then its English translation. And once again for your convenience, each of these two
versions will be supplemented with comments referring to the corresponding
paragraph numbers.
IT IS REASONABLE TO START SUCH AN IMPORTANT

DOCUMENT ON A NEW PAGE.
120
(1) РЕЗЮМЕ
(2) Мистер MATT СУНДАКОВ:

Новая Зеландия, город Веллингтон, район Island Bay,
улица Wye, дом 4.
(3) ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ: ВЫСШЕЕ
(4) 1974-1975 Государственные курсы по повышению квалификации
руководящих работников, Ленинград: Свидетельство с Отличием.
(5) 1957-1961 Ленинградский электротехнический институт связи:
Диплом Инженера Телефонной Связи.
(6) ОПЫТ РАБОТЫ
(7) 1 фев. 1988 - 30 авг. 1996 г. Компания по производству и снабжению
индустриальных газов, Новая Зеландия, Веллингтон: Инженер по
Стандартам. (Разработка новых и пересмотр существующих инженерных
стандартов. Постоянное развитие и улучшение всеобъемлющей системы
технической документации).
(8) 1980-1987 "Электрикорп": Государственное предприятие по
проектированию, строительству и эксплуатации электрических станций,
подстанций и сетей (Отдел Связи), Новая Зеландия, Веллингтон.
(Планирование и развитие систем технической и финансовой
информации и их использование в проектах связи).

121
(9) 1977-1979 "Проектавтоматика": Институт по проектированию систем
автоматики для индустриальных установок и предприятий (Отдел Связи),
Ленинград: Руководитель Бригады.
(10) 1968-1977 "Гидропроект": Институт по проектированию
гидроэлектростанций (Отдел Связи), Ленинград: Руководитель Группы.
(11) 1963-1968 "Гипросвязь": Институт по проектированию сооружений
связи (Отдел Автоматических Телефонных Станций), Ленинград: Инженер
(1963-1965) и Старший Инженер (1965-1968)
(12) 1961-1963 Завод п/я 722 (Конструкторское Бюро), Ленинград: Инженер.
(Разработка систем охранной и пожарной сигнализации).
(13) ОСНОВНЫЕ ПУБЛИКАЦИИ
Соавтор книги "Проектирование сельских автоматических телефонных
станций координатного типа (АТС К 100/2000)". Издательство "Связь",
Москва, 1969.
(14) ЛИТЕРАТУРНО-ПРЕПОДАВАТЕЛЬСКАЯ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТЬ

122
(15) До 1979 года (Ленинград) Писал статьи для молодёжной газеты
"Смена" и для детского журнала "Искорка" (Ленинград), делал
переводы с немецкого для издательства "Прогресс" Москва).
(16) После 1979 года (Новая Зеландия)
Делал переводы с английского на русский и с русского на английский для
Веллингтонской Торговой Палаты и Министерства Внутренних Дел, а
также для американского издательства "Скрипта Техника". Кроне того,
преподавал как русский, так и английский (как второй язык) в вечерних
классах для взрослых.
(17) ПЕРСОНАЛЬНЫЕ ДЕТАЛИ
(18) Дата и место рождения:

Родился 31 июля 1938 года в городе Ленинграде, Советский Союз
(ныне: Санкт-Петербург, Россия).
(19) Полное имя, записанное в Свидетельстве о Рождении:
Матвей Ефимович Сундаков.
(20) Семейное положение:
Женат, двое детей.
(21) Политический статус:
1938-1979 Гражданин Советского Союза. 1980-1983 Постоянный
житель Новой Зеландии. С 1983 года - Гражданин Новой Зеландии.
ПОДПИСЬ:
123
Translation of the text presented above (refer to paragraphs 1 - 21)
(1) CURRICULUM VITAE (Translation from Russian)
(2) Mr Matt Sundakov:

4 Wye St., Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand
(3) EDUCATION: HIGHER
(4) 1974 - 1975 Advanced Course for the Improvement of the Professional Skills of Supervisory
Personnel; Leningrad, USSR: Certificate with Honours.
(5) 1957 - 1961 Electrical Engineering Institute for Communication Systems; Leningrad, USSR:
Bachelor's Degree in Telecommunications

.
(6) WORK EXPERIENCE
(7) 1 Feb. 1988 - 30 Aug. 1996
BOC Gases NZ Ltd., Wellington, New Zealand. [Development of new and revisions of
existing engineering standards. Ongoing development and improvement of the company's
comprehensive technical documentation system.] Standards Engineer
(8) 1980 - 1987
"Electricorp": State-owned enterprise for design, building and maintenance of electrical
stations, substations and the national grid (Communications Branch), Wellington, New
Zealand. [ Planning and development of systems of technical and financial information and
the use of these systems in communications projects]
(9) 1978 - 1979
"Proekavtomatika". Institute for the design of automatic systems for industrial plants and
124
factories (Communications Branch), Leningrad. Team Leader
(10) 1968-1977
"Gidroproekt". Institute for the design of hydro- power stations (Communications
Branch), Leningrad. Team Leader.
(11) 1963 - 1968
"Giprosvyaz". Institute for the design of communications facilities (Automatic Telephone
Exchanges Branch), Leningrad: Engineer (1963 - 1965) and Senior Engineer (1965 - 1968).
(12) 1961 - 1963
Plant - PO Box 722 ( Design Bureau), Leningrad: Engineer
[Development of security and fire alarm systems]

125
(13) MAJOR PUBLICATIONS
Co-author of a book "Design of Crossbar Automatic Telephone Exchanges for Rural Areas
(ATS К 100/2000)". 'Communications' Publishers, Moscow, 1969.
(14) WRITING AND TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(15) Until 1979 (Leningrad)
Wrote articles for a youth's newspaper "Smena" and for a children's magazine "Iskorka"
(Leningrad), did translations from German into Russian for 'Progress' Publishers (Moscow).
(16) From 1980 (New Zealand)
Did translations from English into Russian and from Russian into English for the Wellington
Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Internal Affairs, and also for Scripta Technica,
an American publishing company. In addition, I have been teaching both Russian and
English (as a second language) in evening classes for adults.
(17) PERSONAL DETAILS
(18) Date and place of birth:

Born on July 31, 1938 in the city of Leningrad, USSR (at present: St Petersburg, Russia).
(19) Full name as recorded in my Birth Certificate: Matvei Yefimovich Sundakov.
(20) Marital status: Married, two children
(21) Political status:

1938 - 1979 Citizen of the Soviet Union.
1980 - 1983 Permanent resident of New Zealand,
From 1983 New Zealand citizen.
SIGNATURE:
126
Comments - refer to paragraphs (1) - (21) above
Paragraph (5). A document received in Russia after graduation from an institute
or university is called диплом, which nonetheless cannot be translated here as
"diploma" because diploma in western countries usually certifies lower academic
qualifications than in Russia. The Russian literal equivalent of the word "degree"
is степень. This Russian term is used to define higher academic levels than just
a Bachelor's degree.
To be called учёный - "scientist" in Russia, you should have at least
степень кандидата наук. The literal translation of this term is "degree of
candidate of sciences", which for practical purposes can be equated to a Master's
degree (some scholars think that the more appropriate equivalent is PhD).
Thus, Russian кандидат экономических наук should be considered in the
West as a person with a Master's degree (or even PhD) in economics. In a similar
way, an Englishman holding a PhD in Engineering on Russian soil becomes
кандидат or even доктор технических наук ("doctor of technical sciences").
The latter is a higher degree, which is awarded for outstanding scientific
contributions.
Paragraph (11). "Гипросвязь" is an acronym for Государственный Институт
по проектированию связи (literally: "state institute for the design of

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communications facilities"). Many design organizations have (or at least had in
the past) similar acronyms. For example, "Гипрокино" - Государственный
Институт но проектированию кинотеатров, i.e. state institute for the design
of cinema theatres; or "Гипроторг" - Государственный Институт по
проектированию торговых предприятий , i.e. state institute for the design of
trade enterprises (which in most cases meant nothing more than just shops or
stores).
Paragraph (12). In the former Soviet Union there were many plants, factories or
research institutes which did not have a name (even in an abbreviated form).
They just had a post box number (п/я - pronounced [pe-ya] is an abbreviation of
почтовый ящик). This was due to the spy mania of Soviet authorities, who
wanted to conceal from a real or imaginary enemy any information (even names)
which could point in the direction of so called закрытые предприятия ("closed
enterprises"), i.e. enterprises producing at least some items which could be used
for military purposes. Ironically, this oversecrecy proved to be completely
counterproductive: not only well- trained spies, but each and every resident of the
USSR knew what kind of organization lay behind the number.
Paragraph (15). "Смена" means "shift", "Искорка" is the equivalent of "sparkle",
and "Прогресс" is "progress".

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Paragraph (20). In English the word "married" is equally applied to both men and
women, e.g. "I am married" or "I got married". However, in Russian you say "я
женат" or "я женился" if you are a man, and "я замужем" or "я вышла
замуж" if you are a woman.
Now let us assume that one of the copies of my C.V. had been sent to the
Russian Ministry of Education (Министерство образования) and I have been
invited for an interview. Let's imagine this interview... (please note that odd
paragraph numbers in the following script are spoken by the interviewer, and even
paragraph numbers by the interviewee.)
1. Здравствуйте, Матвей Ефимович. Меня зовут Николай Иванович
Школьников. Я заведую отделом иностранные языков. Садитесь,
пожалуйста.
2. Спасибо.
3. Матвей Ефимович, Ваше резюме произвело на меня впечатление.
Ваш жизненный опыт показался мне весьма интересным. Поэтому я и
решил пригласить Вас на интервью, несмотря на то, что Ваше
формальное образование и Ваша основная работа имеют мало общего
с тем, чем мы здесь занимаемся. Что нас интересует - это Ваш,
очевидно, успешный опыт и Ваши идеи в области изучения и
преподавания иностранных языков. Где Вы изучали английский язык
до Вашей эмиграции в Новую Зеландию?
4. Практически нигде. Мой иностранный язык в школе и затем в
институте был немецкий. Моя первая серьёзная встреча с английским

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произошла незадолго до моего отъезда из Союза, когда я купил и
прочитал краткий учебник английского языка. Затем, в ожидании
разрешения на въезд в Новую Зеландию, я с семьёй почти год жил в
Италии.
5. Находясь в Италии, Вы, вероятно, стали учить итальянский?
6. Нет. Я понимал, что Италия - это временный, транзитный период
нашей жизни. Наше будущее принадлежало англоязычной стране.
Живя в пригороде Рима, я создавал для себя английскую
атмосферу весьма простым способом: я погружался в чтение
огромного русско-английского словаря, выписывая и затем
заучивая наизусть все те слова, термины и фразы, которые я
ожидал использовать в своей дальнейшей жизни.
6a. В результате, к моменту приезда в Новую Зеландию я обладал
уже значительным словарным запасом. Это дало мне возможность
относительно легко (и практически с первых же дней жизни в этой
стране) справляться с чтением газет, рекламных брошюр и даже
сложной технической документации у себя на работе. Я мог также
(естественно, часто прибегая к помощи словаря) написать письмо,
заполнить анкету или сделать необходимые записи по работе.
7. А как обстояли дела с разговорным языком?
8. Намного-намного тяжелее. Я мог, хотя очень медленно и с большим
трудом выражать свои мысли. Но я чувствовал себя совершенно
ужасно, когда дело касалось понимания речи на слух.

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8a. Я до сих пор отчётливо помню мой первый рабочий день в
Новой Зеландии, когда мой начальник пригласил меня в свой кабинет
для беседы. Фактически, это была не беседа, а его вдохновенный
монолог. Я не имел никакого понятия, о чём он говорит, но моё лицо
неумышленно отражало его собственные чувства и эмоции: я
смеялся, когда он улыбался, и я становился ужасно серьёзным, когда
он хмурился. Было очевидно, что ему нравится моя реакция. Он
продолжал говорить, по крайней мере, в течение получаса; и когда он
наконец закончил, он спросил меня: "О'кэй?" "О'кэй!" - радостно
воскликнул я, потому что это было единственное слово из его целой
речи, которое я как-то умудрился понять.
9. Да, это звучит забавно. Но тогда Вам вероятно было совсем не до
смеха?
10. Честно говоря, нет. Скорее, это было ощущение абсолютной
беспомощности и неполноценности.
11. Матвей Ефимович, Вы, конечно, знаете, что двери нашей страны
сейчас открыты для иностранных капиталовложений. Всё больше и
больше деловых людей приезжают к нам с Запада - всерьёз и надолго.
Чтобы помочь им чувствовать себя здесь достаточно комфортабельно,
мы хотим организовать в Москве школу русского языка для

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иностранных предпринимателей. Для начала это будет один класс на
двадцать-тридцать студентов с одним преподавателем.
11a. На этот пост у нас есть две серьёзные кандидатуры: Ваша
и ещё одного человека. Его преимущество перед Вами заключается в
том, что он профессиональный преподаватель русского языка и
литературы. Английский он знает с детства, поскольку он учился не в
обычной, а в специальной школе, где преподавание большинства
предметов велось на иностранных языках. Но, в отличие от Вас, он
никогда не жил за рубежом. Можете ли Вы убедить меня в том, что этот
последний фактор должен быть решающим, и что Вы больше
подходите для должности, о которой мы говорим?
12. Иностранные предприниматели приезжают в Россию не как
туристы, а как люди, которые должны здесь жить и работать -
возможно в течение многих лет. Поэтому, Россия должна стать для
них вторым домом во всех отношениях.
12a. Я очень хорошо понимаю все их проблемы, потому что я
сам прошёл через все стадии вживания в новую страну. В течение
значительного периода времени они будут ощущать себя слепыми,
глухими и немыми. Не только язык, всё здесь будет новым и странным
для них: культура, традиции, даже как люди думают и как они
выражают свои мысли.
12b. Чтобы полностью осознать их трудности, Вы должны были
пройти через то же самое, через что сейчас проходят они. И когда у Вас
есть такой опыт, Вы лучше понимаете, как их нужно учить; что
действительно важно и что имеет только некоторый академический

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интерес. Короче говоря, Ваши уроки должны быть основаны на
практических ситуациях повседневной жизни.
12c. Сколько раз в прошлом из-за нехватки языка я сам и мои
друзья попадали в нелепые, смущающие, неприятные положения! Как
преподаватель, я должен сделать всё, чтобы помочь моим студентам не
повторять подобных ошибок.
12d. Я думаю, что мой опыт жизни на Западе и, соответственно,
глубокое понимание трудностей, потребностей и чувств людей,
оказавшихся в подобной же ситуации, значат больше, чем все
академические заслуги моего оппонента.
13. Скажу откровенно, Матвей Ефимович, мне нравятся Ваши идеи.
Более того, мне они очень даже по душе. Но поскольку Ваш случай не
имеет прецедента, я не могу взять решение на себя. Я буду говорить о
Вас с министром. О результатах мы Вам сообщим не позже чем через
две-три недели. Всего доброго!
14. До свидания.
Prior to presenting here the English version of the above

text, I would like to emphasize once again that the above
interview has never taken place in reality and is merely the
product of my own imagination
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Translation of the Russian text (please refer to paragraphs 1 - 14 above)
1. How are you, Matvei Yefimovich? My name is Nikolai Ivanovich Shkolnikov. I
am in charge of the Department of Foreign Languages. Take a seat, please.
2. Thank you.
3. Matvei Yefimovich, I was impressed by your C.V. I found your experience to be
quite interesting. Therefore, I have decided to invite you for an interview, despite
the fact that your formal qualifications and your main job have little in common
with what we are doing here. What we are interested in is your apparently
successful experience and your ideas in the area of learning and teaching
foreign languages. Where did you learn English prior to emigrating to New
Zealand?
4. Practically nowhere. My foreign language in school and then at the institute was
German. My first serious encounter with English took place just before I left the
Soviet Union, when I bought and read a brief course of English. Then, waiting for
permission to enter New Zealand, I lived with my family in Italy for nearly a year.
5. While staying in Italy, I suppose, you began to study Italian.
6. Not so. I understood that Italy was a temporary, transitional period in our
lives. Our future belonged to an English-speaking country. While living in a

134
suburb of Rome, I created for myself an English atmosphere by quite a simple
method: I engrossed myself in the reading of an enormous Russian-English
dictionary, writing out and then learning by heart all the words, terms and
phrases which I expected to use in my future life.
6a. As a result, by the time of arrival in New Zealand I already had a
considerable English vocabulary. Owing to this, I was able to cope with reading
newspapers, publicity brochures, and even complex technical documentation at
my workplace - all this with relative ease and, effectively, from my first days in the
country. I could also (naturally, often resorting to my dictionary) write a letter, fill in
an application form or make notes related to my work.
7. And what about your spoken language at that time?
8. Oh, here I really had a big problem. I could (though very slowly and with great
difficulty) express my own thoughts. But I felt absolutely miserable when other
people talked to me.
8a. I still clearly remember my first day of work in New Zealand, when my
boss invited me to his office for a talk. In fact, it was less a discussion and more an
inspired monologue on his part. I had no idea what he was talking about, but
inadvertently my face reflected his own feelings and expressions: I laughed when he
smiled, and I would get deadly serious when he frowned. He obviously liked my
reaction. He continued to talk for at least half an hour, and when he eventually
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finished he asked me, "Okay?" - "Okay!" I joyfully exclaimed, because it was the only
word from all that he said which I somehow managed to understand.
9. Yes, that is amusing. But then, I presume, it was not very funny for you.
10. No, not really. Rather it was a sensation of ultimate helplessness and
inferiority.
11. Matvei Yefimovich, you are well aware that our country is now open for
foreign investments. More and more business people are coming here from the
West - in earnest and for a long time. In order to assist them in settling here
comfortably, we want to organize a school of Russian language for foreign
entrepreneurs in Moscow. At first, it will be one class for 20 - 30 students with one
teacher.
11a. We are seriously considering two people for this position: yourself
and some other person. He has an advantage over you because he is a
professional teacher of Russian language and literature. He has been speaking
English since he was a child, because he attended not an ordinary school but a
special one where the teaching of most subjects was conducted in foreign
languages. However, unlike you, he has never lived abroad. Can you convince
me that this last factor should be decisive, and that you are more suitable for the
position we are talking about?

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12. Foreign entrepreneurs are coming to Russia not as tourists, but as people who
have to live and work here - possibly for many years. Therefore, Russia should
become, in all respects, a second home for them.
12a. I understand their problems very well because I myself went through
all the stages of getting accustomed to a new country. For quite a while they will
feel blind, deaf and dumb. Not only language, but everything here will be new and
strange for them: culture, traditions, even the way people think here and how they
express their thoughts.
12b. To completely appreciate their problems you would have to have a
similar experience. And having this experience you would better understand how
they should be taught, what is really important and what has only academic
interest. To make a long story short, your teaching must be based on
everyday practical situations.
12c. How many times in the past have I myself and my friends got into
absurd, confusing and unpleasant situations due to lack of language! As a teacher I
must do everything to help my students avoid repeating similar mistakes.
12c. In my opinion, this experience of life in the West and, consequently, a
profound understanding of difficulties, needs, and feelings of people who can find
themselves in a similar position are of more value than all the academic merits of
my opponent.
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13. I will be frank with you, Matvei Yefimovich: I like your ideas. I would even go
further: you're a man after my own heart. However, since your case does not have
a precedent, I cannot make a decision by myself. I will talk with our minister about
you. We will let you know about the outcome in no more than two-three weeks. Ail
the best!
14. Goodbye.
Comments (refer to paragraphs 1-14 above)
Paragraph 3. The Russian equivalent for the word "teaching" is преподавание.
Accordingly: a male teacher is преподаватель and a female teacher is
преподавательница.
These terms are widely used, but usually in reference to the tertiary level.
In primary or secondary school, a male teacher is known as учитель and a
female teacher as учительница.
A woman working with children in a kindergarten is called
воспитательница, which is quite appropriate because the latter term is a
derivative from the verb воспитать = to bring up. A man in the same position
would be called (as you can easily guess) воспитатель, but I am not aware of
any Russian men working в детском саду, i.e. in a kindergarten.

138
Paragraph 4. In the spoken language, Russian people referring to their country often used
just one word Союз ("the Union") instead of the official name Советский Союз ("the
Soviet Union").
Paragraph 5. In Russian this sentence sounds like a question. In English it is a
statement, even though the speaker is not very certain of what he says.
Paragraph 8. A literal translation of the first sentence in this paragraph is "Much-
much more difficult". The Russian expression "понимание речи на слух" can
literally be translated as "understanding the speech by ear".
Paragraph 9. As for paragraph 5.

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SUBJECT 9. PUBLIC TRANSPORT
A very popular Russian expression borrowed from a novel jointly written by
two brilliant Soviet satirists, Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov, says: "Машина - не
роскошь, а средство передвижения" ("A car is not a luxury but a means of
transportation").
For westerners it is just a very banal remark. But for most Soviets this phrase
was an excellent example of the black humour and irony of everyday life, since for
absolute majority of the Soviet Union population частная машина ("a private car")
was a considerable luxury. It was not only a matter of money (although the average
person could ill afford to buy a car). It was also the lack of basic conditions for car
ownership, so readily available in all western countries.
Let us assume that you are living in the old Soviet Union and you somehow
managed to save enough money to pay for a car in cash (hire purchase in the
Soviet Union was limited to items which cost no more than three months' salary -
and for a car you had to pay approximately ten times this amount). Are you happy
now? Don't be. Be worried, because some major problems and obstacles are still
waiting for you.
First of all, if you did not put your name on the car waiting list, say, five to
seven years ago, you would not be able to buy a car now (even by paying in
cash! ). Well..., I am sure you were shrewd enough to save and queue at the
same time and, therefore, you have eventually become the lucky owner of a car.
But where will you keep your car? Acquiring a garage could be an even more
difficult task than buying a car. I remember an encounter with an angry man in an
overcrowded bus who loudly complained that although he now had a car he was
nevertheless forced to ride for half an hour in such miserable conditions because
there was no way he could build a garage closer to his home. Could he park his
car outside his multistorey apartment building? I doubt this.

140
Another question: where will you buy spare parts for your car or where will
you take the car for check-ups and repairs? This could also be quite a daunting
task...
Is there any need to continue this sad description of your future car-related
troubles? Probably not. By now you understand why people of good old Soviet
Union preferred to use общественный транспорт ("public transport").
On a more serious note, I can assure you that public transport in Russian cities
is not bad at all. The trouble is that too many people are trying to use it at the same
time and therefore, especially during rush hours, there isn't much hope of finding a
vacant seat or at least of not being squeezed or squashed by other "friendly"
passengers.
Forget about these small inconveniences and then, indeed, you have a
very developed and cheap system of public transport. Now I would like to
describe for you public transport in St. Petersburg.
1. Где бы вы ни жили в Санкт-Петербурге, в какую точку города вы
бы ни направлялись, трамваи, автобусы и троллейбусы будут к
вашим услугам каждый день с шести часов утра до часа ночи.
2. Все эти виды общественного транспорта имеют много
маршрутов, и каждый маршрут ходит довольно часто и строго
по расписанию (хотя на городских остановках расписание
движения обычно не вывешивается - вероятно, по причине
большой частоты этого движения).

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3. Распределение маршрутов но номерам производится независимо
для каждого вида транспорта. Поэтому, например, автобус № 5 будет,
скорей всего, ходить совсем по другому маршруту, чем тот же номер
трамвая или троллейбуса.
4. Однако ошибиться в маршрутах трудно, потому что детали
маршрута отчётливо обозначены снаружи и внутри любого
общественного транспорта, и каждая остановка чётко объявляется
водителем по системе внутренней громкоговорящей связи. К тому же,
все эти маршруты ясно показаны на многих картах города.
5. Пассажиры заходят в транспорт через заднюю дверь, а выходят
через переднюю. Если имеется три двери, то вход разрешён только
через среднюю дверь, а выход - через переднюю и заднюю. Все
остановки внутри города обязательные.
6. На загородных автобусных маршрутах имеются остановки "по
требованию". Перед такой остановкой пассажир должен подойти к
водителю и сказать, где он хочет выйти (никаких звонков,
информирующих водителя о намерении пассажиров, не существует).
7. Если транспорт, в котором вы едете, переполнен, и вам трудно
пробиться к выходу, вы должны спросить у впереди стоящего
человека: "Вы выходите на следующей (остановке)?" - последнее
слово вы можете опустить.

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8. Если ответ утвердительный, стойте спокойно и ждите, пока
люди, стоящие впереди вас, не начнут выходить. Вместо
отрицательного ответа, пассажир обычно просто посторонится и
даст вам пройти. Если он этого не сделал, попросите его вежливо:
"Разрешите пройти, пожалуйста".
9. Много лет назад деньги за проезд получал кондуктор. Сейчас
вы сами опускаете соответствующую монету в кассу,
установленную недалеко от входной двери, и отрываете билет.
10. Если под напором садящихся в транспорт пассажиров вы
оказались далеко от кассы, протяните вашу монету кому-либо, кто
оказался между вами и кассой, и попросите: "Передайте, пожалуйста,
на билет". Ваша монета пойдёт по рукам, пока не дойдёт до кассы.
Затем точно таким же образом вам передадут ваш билет.
11. В трамвае, троллейбусе или городском автобусе цена проезда не
зависит от того, собираетесь ли вы проехать только одну остановку
или весь маршрут от начала до конца. В пригородном автобусе вы
обычно платите самому водителю, потому что проезд там значительно
дороже и зависит от количества секций.
12. Я не упомянул ещё один (и вне всякого сомнения, самый лучший)
вид городского транспорта - метрополитен (или как его обычно
называют: метро). Метро в Санкт-Петербурге или в Москве - это

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(перефразируя выражение, с которого мы начали данную главу) не
средство передвижения, а роскошь.
13. Станции метро любят показывать иностранным туристам. И не
удивительно! Интерьер каждой станции интересен по своему - вы
чувствуете себя там, как в музее. А некоторые станции, с их
великолепными хрустальными люстрами и покрытыми мрамором
стенами, напомнят вам сказочные дворцы.
14. Но петербуржцы, как и москвичи, гордятся своим метро не только
потому, что оно необыкновенно красиво. Оно ещё и необыкновенно
удобно и комфортабельно.
15. Оно удобно, потому что поезда ходят очень быстро и очень часто
(в часы пик интервал между двумя поездами не превышает одной
минуты, в остальное время этот интервал колеблется от двух до
четырёх минут).
16. Оно также и комфортабельно, потому что там в любое время года
поддерживается приятный микроклимат и удивительная чистота, и
потому что любой человек чувствует себя в полной безопасности как
на станциях, так и в поезде метро.
17. Ко всему прочему, метро в бывшем Советском Союзе всегда было
поразительно дёшево. Заплатив пять копеек и спустившись в одну из

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подземных станций на эскалаторе, вы затеи могли пользоваться метро
хоть целый день - ни время, ни число ваших поездок не ограничивалось.
18. Санкт-Петербург занимает огромную территорию. Ежедневные
поездки через весь город на работу и обратно в переполненном трамвае
или автобусе могут быть чрезвычайно утомительны. Но если вам
повезло настолько, что вы живёте и работаете в пределах нескольких
минут ходьбы от станции метро, вы будете искренне считать, что у вас
нет проблем с транспортом.
19. В метро система внутренней громкоговорящей связи работает ещё
более чётко, чем в трамвае, автобусе или троллейбусе. Ни водитель
поезда, ни его помощник сами не объявляют остановки. Для этой цели
здесь используется магнитофон.
20. Поэтому пассажиры любого поезда метро, как правило, слышат
один и тот же красивый голос, произносящий с безукоризненной
дикцией названия приближающейся и следующей за ней остановок,
например: "Станция 'Петроградская'. Следующая станция 'Гостиный
Двор".
21. В общественном транспорте, где редко все пассажиры имеют
возможность сидеть, принято уступать места более старым и слабым
людям. Дети уступают места взрослым. В то же время, почти любой
взрослый готов уступить своё место, если он видит стоящего перед ним
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пожилого человека, инвалида, беременную женщину или женщину с
маленьким ребёнком. И, наконец, настоящий мужчина всегда уступит
место женщине.
22. При всей этой галантности, пользуясь общественный транспортом,
вы всегда рискуете натолкнуться на хамство и оскорбление. Кто-то вас
толкнул, кому-то вы случайно наступили на ногу, и вот вы уже слышите
тираду в свой адрес: "Тоже мне интеллигент! А ещё очки нацепил!"
23. Но если вам не нравится ездить в общественном транспорте, и у вас
нет своей машины, вы можете вызвать такси. Только приготовьте,
пожалуйста, доллары, потому что рубли сейчас уже не в почёте.
Translation of the Russian text presented above (please refer to paragraphs 1 - 23)
1. Wherever you live in St. Petersburg, whatever point of the city you go to,
trains, buses and trolleybuses are at your service each day from 6 a.m. until 1
a.m. the following morning.
2. All these types of public transport have many routes and run strictly
according to a timetable (although you cannot usually see the latter at the stops
within the city - probably because the time intervals are quite short).
3. Allocation of numbers for different routes is carried out independently for
each kind of public transport. Therefore, a No. 5 bus, for example, will most likely
have quite a different route than a tram or a trolleybus with the same number.
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4. In any case, it is difficult to confuse routes because their details are
conspicuously shown outside and inside any public vehicle, and each stop is
clearly announced by the driver over an intercom. Besides, all these routes are
shown on many maps of the city.
5. Passengers enter the vehicle through the back door and leave through the
front one. If there are three doors, then entry is allowed only through the middle
door and exits through the other two. All stops in the city are compulsory.
6. On coach routes, some stops are made by request. Prior to such a stop, a
passenger should approach the driver and tell him where he or she wants to get
off the bus (there are no bells which could inform the driver about passengers'
intentions).
7. If you are a passenger in an overcrowded vehicle and you experience
difficulty in making your way to the exit, you should ask the person standing in
front of you, '"Will you be getting off at the next (stop)?" - the last word can be
omitted.
8. If the answer is in the affirmative, relax and wait until people standing in front
of you begin to alight. Instead of saying "no", a passenger would normally just
step aside and let you pass. If that doesn't happen, politely ask: "Would you
mind if I squeezed past?"
9. Many years ago you would have paid your fare to the conductor. Nowadays
you simply drop the appropriate coin in a cash-box installed near the entrance
door, and tear off a ticket.

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10. If, having been pushed by other passengers trying to get in, you find
yourself far from the cash-box, hand your money over to somebody who
happens to be between yourself and the box, and ask, "Would you mind passing
it along for a ticket?" Your money will go from hand to hand until it reaches the
dispenser. Then in exactly the same way the torn-off ticket will be passed back
to you.
11. The fare in a tram, trolleybus or city bus does not depend on the distance you
travel, be that one stop or the whole route. In a coach you would normally pay the
driver because travel on such a bus is significantly more expensive and does
depend on the number of sections.
12. I have not yet mentioned one more and without a doubt the best kind of city
transport - the underground railway (or as it is usually called: metro). Paraphrasing
the expression with which we began this chapter, we can say that the metro in St.
Petersburg or Moscow is not a means of transportation, but a luxury.
13. Underground stations are often shown to foreign tourists. No wonder! The
interior of each station is interesting in its own way - being there gives you a feeling
of being in a museum. And some stations, with their magnificent crystal chandeliers
and walls covered with marble, will remind you of fairytale palaces.
14. However, residents of St. Petersburg, as well as Muscovites, are proud of their
metro not only because it is incredibly beautiful. The underground there is also
unbelievably convenient and comfortable.

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15. It is convenient because trains go very fast and very often (during the rush
hour, the time between two trains does not exceed one minute; at other times
they follow each other at intervals of two to four minutes).
16. The metro is also comfortable because it is exceptionally clean, and the
whole year round you can enjoy its pleasant microclimate; apart from this, both
the underground stations and trains are completely safe for everyone,
17. In addition to everything else, the metro in the former Soviet Union was
always amazingly inexpensive. After paying five copecks and taking an escalator
down to one of the underground stations, you could then use the metro even all
day long - there was no limit on either the time or the number of your trips.
18. St. Petersburg covers an enormous area. Commuting across the whole city
from one's home to his/her place of work and then back again in a crowded tram
or bus can be extremely tiring. However, if you are lucky enough to live and work
within several minutes' walk from an underground station, you will honestly think
that transport is not a problem for you.
19. The underground intercom system works even better than that in trains, buses
or trolleybuses. Neither the train driver nor his assistant announce stops themselves.
For this purpose they use a tape recorder.
20. Therefore, commuters on any underground train, as a rule, hear the same
beautiful voice, which announces with immaculate pronunciation the names of

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two stations: one - where the train has just stopped, and the following one (for
instance:" 'Petrogradskaya'. Next stop: 'Gostiny Dvor'.")
21. On public transport, where it is rare for all passengers to find a seat, there is
a custom to give up one's place to older and weaker people. Children give up
their places to adults. In addition, almost any adult is prepared to give up his seat
if he sees standing next to him an elderly person, an invalid, a pregnant woman or
a woman with a little child. And last but not least, a real man will always give up
his seat to a woman.
22. With all this gallantry, using public transport you always risk an encounter
with rudeness and insult. If someone, for example, pushes you and you in turn
accidentally step on somebody else's foot, you would immediately hear a tirade in
your direction, "And you call yourself an intelligent person! What's the point of
wearing glasses if you can't see?"
23. However, if you don't like public transport and you don't have a car, you can
call a taxi. But be sure to have your foreign currency ready because roubles are
not so highly regarded nowadays as they used to be.

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Comments (please refer to paragraphs 1 - 23 above)
Paragraph 4. The Russian generic term for a driver is водитель. However, the
following terms (specific for each kind of public transport) are in more common use:
tram-driver - вагоновожатый [va-go-na-va-'zha-t.yy],
bus-driver - шофёр [sha-'fyor],
trolleybus-driver - водитель [va-'di-tyel']
train-driver - машинист [ma-shi-'nist],
taxi-driver - either шофёр or водитель.
Paragraphs 6 & 11. In these Paragraphs we mentioned a coach. However, a bus
is certainly not your only option when you want to go out of town. You may prefer
to use пригородный поезд ("a local train"). But please be sure that you have a
ticket before you get aboard because you can buy it only на вокзале "at a railway
station".
Контролёр [kan-tra-'lyor] (inspector) can get on the train at any station; and if
you do not have a ticket, you will be fined on the spot. If you are not able to pay
the fine, you may wind up в отделении милиции ("in a police station").
Long-distance trains travelling between different cities are known in Russia as
поезда дальнего следования. Tickets on such trains are checked by a guard.
But the guard (in Russian проводник) will not only check your ticket. He will also
give you a cup of tea, bring in your sleeping compartment pillows, sheets and
blankets, and wake you up in the morning so you do not miss your destination.
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Paragraph 22. A literal translation of direct speech used in this paragraph was
impossible. But I hope its meaning and style have not been lost.
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SUBJECT 10. TAXI AND PRIVATE CARS
Even if you are completely satisfied with public transport, from time to time
you will need to use a taxi (такси). I anticipate some of your questions: When?
Where? For what purpose? How? (Когда? Где? С какой целью? Как?)
Well, let's talk about this in Russian.
1. Такси - это не только комфорт и скорость. Бывают обстоятельства,
когда вам просто не обойтись без такси.
2. Например, если вы едете в другой город и берёте с собой багаж,
вам как-то нужно довезти ваши чемоданы и сумки до вокзала или
аэропорта. Никто, конечно, не запретит вам использовать для этой
цели общественный транспорт (тем более, что вы за это платите). Но
вряд ли вы сами захотите проталкиваться со своими вещами в
трамвай или в автобус, где и без того народу как селёдок в бочке.
3. Другой пример: вы были в гостях, засиделись допоздна (скажем,
до часу ночи). Общественный транспорт в это время уже не ходит. Что
вам остаётся? Или идти домой пешком или взять такси.
4. Что значит взять такси? Вы можете вызвать (или другими словами,
заказать) машину по телефону. Другой способ: идти на ближайшую
стоянку такси. И наконец, вы можете попытаться поймать такси на
улице. В таких случаях люди часто говорят: "Пойду голосовать",

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потому что так же как на собраниях, где люди голосуют 'за' или 'против'
поднятием руки, вы пытаетесь остановить машину (не обязательно
такси), используя тот же самый демократический жест.
5. Отличить такси от других автомобилей нетрудно по шашечкам,
которые нарисованы вдоль обеих сторон машины (чередующиеся
чёрные и белые клеточки - как на шахматной доске), и по зелёному
огоньку спереди, который горит только тогда, когда такси свободно.
6. Естественно, что удобнее всего вызвать машину по телефону. Вы
набираете номер такси, и вам отвечает, чаще всего, женский голос:
(a) - Алло, диспетчер Иванова слушает.
(b) - Примите, пожалуйста, заказ на такси, - говорите Вы.
(c) - Ваша фамилия и адрес?
(d) - Том Джексон. Гостиница "Московская".
(e) - Номер комнаты?
(f) - 525 (пятьсот двадцать пять).
(g) - Этаж?
(h) - Пятый.
(i) - Когда Вам нужна машина?
(j) - Как можно скорее!
(k) - Раньше чем через час обещать не могу - у нас слишком
много заказов .
(l) - Да Вы что: через час! Через час я должен быть в аэропорту!

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(m) - Гражданин, не повышайте голос. Вас много, а я одна.
(n) - Но что же мне делать? Я же опоздаю на самолёт!
(o) - Идите на стоянку, или голосуйте на улице. Может быть Вам и
повезёт.
(p) - Да Вы что издеваетесь надо мной?
(q) - Гражданин Джексонов, не грубите, пожалуйста. Надо было Вам
позаботиться заранее, если Вы так уж торопитесь. А то Вы как
будто с луны свалились, порядков наших не знаете.
(r) - Да не Джексонов я, а Джексон. И не с луны я свалился, а приехал
сюда из Америки. А там, понимаете ли, другие порядки: там
таксист ищет пассажира, а не пассажир ищет такси.
(s) - Ах, господи, что же Вы сразу не сказали, что Вы из Америки? То-
то я и чувствую, что Вы как-то не по-русски слова выговариваете.
Я то думала, что Вы монгол или бурят какой-нибудь, а Вы -
американец.
(t) - Да какая же разница, кто я такой, чёрт возьми?
(u) - Большая разница! Вы платите долларами. И
вообще...американец - это звучит гордо! Будет Вам машина,
миленький, будет. Высылаю немедленно.
(v) Через пять минут в дверь вашего номера постучали:
(w) - Вы вызывали такси?
(x) - Да, но я не ожидал так быстро.

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(y) - Не беспокойтесь, я подожду. Разрешите пока отнести
Ваш багаж в машину?
7. Ну а если вы не американец (и вообще не иностранец), а просто
житель своей страны, то вам, вероятно, всё-таки придётся
воспользоваться советом диспетчера и побежать на ближайшую
стоянку такси. Однако и здесь у вас шансов не очень много (особенно в
субботу или воскресенье вечером). Вполне вероятно, что вместо
машин вы увидите только очередь оптимистов, у которых ещё есть
время и терпение.
8. Но если у вас нет ни того, ни другого, вам остаётся только одно:
занять стратегическую позицию на пересечении двух больших улиц и
пытаться остановить любое такси - даже без зелёного огонька. Дело в
том, что таксисты по пути следования охотно "подсаживают"
дополнительных пассажиров; но делают они это не из-за сострадания
к людям, а потому что в этом случае за одну и ту же поездку они могут
заработать вдвое (а иногда даже и втрое) больше, чем обычно.
9. Вам повезло: через две минуты после начала "голосования"
такси, где уже был один пассажир, резко затормозило.
9.1 - Куда едете?- спросил шофёр, опустив немного боковое стекло.
9.2 - В аэропорт, - с надеждой в голосе ответили вы.

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9.3 - Садитесь! Я еду в этом же направлении.
Не помня себя от счастья, вы забрались внутрь.
9.4 - Только мне ещё вещи нужно забрать из дома,- робко
пробормотали вы.
9.5 - Где это?
9.6 - Очень близко отсюда. Я Вам покажу.
9.7 - Большой багаж?
9.8 - Да всего два чемодана.
(a) - Ну, если товарищ не возражает...
К счастью, товарищ (то-есть первоначальный пассажир) не возражал. .
(b) - Хорошо, говорите куда ехать! - приказал шофёр.
(c) - Поезжайте прямо и на следующем перекрёстке поверните налево.
(d) - Теперь куда?
(e) - Прямо, направо, ещё раз направо. Третий дом от угла.
Остановитесь, пожалуйста, у последнего подъезда. Спасибо. Я только
забегу за своими чемоданами.
(f) - Не задерживайтесь!
(g) - Что Вы, что Вы! Я сам опаздываю...
10. Всё хорошо, что хорошо кончается ...

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11. Я чувствую, что после всего прочитанного в предыдущей и в этой
главе вы так и не знаете, на чём остановить выбор: пользоваться ли
вам общественным транспортом (прибегая время от времени к
услугам такси) или купить свою машину, несмотря на все проблемы,
связанные с её приобретением и содержанием.
12. Предположим, что вы всё-таки решились на последнее.
Предположим также, что новую машину вы не можете купить по двум
причинам: во-первых, потому что вы не стояли в течение нескольких
лет на очереди; во-вторых, потому что у вас нет таких денег.
13. После долгих раздумий вы решаетесь на покупку подержанной
машины. Принять это решение вам было нелегко, потому что гарантии
на ремонт такой машины у вас не будет. А чтобы отремонтировать
машину без гарантии, вам придётся ответить (и ответить но существу)
на три весьма серьёзных вопроса:
a) Где найти запасные части?
b) Где найти надёжного механика?
c) Где найти деньги, чтобы заплатить за "а" и "b"?
14. И всё же вы звоните по указанному телефону, прочитав на уличной
доске объявлений следующий заинтриговавший вас текст: "Продаётся

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легковая машина. Недорого..." Попробуем представить себе ваш
разговор с хозяином этой машины.
a) - Здравствуйте, я звоню по объявлению. Ваша машина ещё не
продана?
b) Пока нет. Но интересовались уже многие.
c) - Какой марки машина?
d) Жигули.
e) - Какого года?
f) Восемьдесят третьего.
g) - А какой километраж?
h) Около 120 (ста двадцати) тысяч километров.
i) - И какого она у Вас цвета?
j) Голубого.
k) - Мой любимый цвет.
l) Вот видите!
m) - Сколько скоростей? Четыре или пять?
n) Четыре.
15.
a) - Сколько владельцев было до Вас?
b) - Ни одного. Я купил её прямо из магазина.

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c) - В каком состоянии машина?
d) - В отличном: приезжайте - сами увидите. Я слежу за ней,
как за маленьким ребёнком. Ни ржавчины, ни царапинки. Придраться
просто не к чему! Хотите - верьте, хотите - нет, но она мне дороже
всего на свете. Я даже целую её, как любимую женщину.
e) - Почему же Вы её продаёте, если она Вам так дорога?
f) - Деньги нужны. Хочу в Америку съездить - друзей
навестить и на хорошую жизнь посмотреть.
g) - Когда Ваша машина проходила технический осмотр в
последний раз?
h) - Месяца три назад,
i) - Сколько она потребляет бензина?
j) - Примерно 8 литров на каждые 100 километров.
k) - Сколько дверей в машине?
l) - Четыре.
m) - Багажник большой?
n) - Очень. Это машина-пикап.
o) - То-есть, по существу, в машине пять дверей?
p) Выходит что так.

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16.
a) - Скажите по-честному, как часто Вам приходилось
ремонтировать машину?
b) - Не часто, но приходилось. Последний крупный ремонт я
делал, примерно, год назад. Всё, что можно, заменил. Машина теперь у
меня как новая!
c) - Перечислите, пожалуйста, что Вы заменили.
d) - Пожалуйста: все колёса, тормозные колодки, батарею
новую поставил, глушитель заменил, поменял фары на более мощные,
довёл мотор до кондиции, проверил всю систему зажигания и, вообще,
отрегулировал машину так, что она теперь всегда заводится с одного
поворота.
e) - Сколько же Вы хотите за Ваше "чудо"?
f) - Вы же знаете, какие сейчас цены на всё!
g) - Вы не отвечаете прямо на мой вопрос.
h) - Хорошо: приезжайте, посмотрите, понравится - тогда и
будем говорить о деньгах.
i) - Вы почему-то обходите вопрос о цене, как будто Вы
боитесь напугать меня.
j) - Возможно, возможно.
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k) - Но в своём объявлении Вы написали, что машина стоит
недорого.
l) - Если я скажу Вам, что я хочу за свою машину столько,
сколько стоит билет на самолёт от Москвы до Нью-Йорка, - это по-
вашему дорого?
m) - Нет, я думаю, что это будет справедливо.
n) - В таком случае, приготовьте 100 000 рублей.
o) - Да Вы что, с ума сошли???
Translation of the Russian text presented above (please refer to paragraphs with
the same numbers)
1. A taxi is not just comfort and speed. There are circumstances when you simply
cannot get by without one.
2. For example, if you travel to another city with baggage, somehow you need to
bring your suitcases and bags to the railway station or airport. Of course, nobody
would prevent you from using public transport for this purpose (especially since
you would pay for this). But loaded down with baggage, you yourself would hardly
be keen to force your way on a tram or a bus through a crowd of people packed
in like sardines.
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3. Another example: you were visiting somebody and stayed very late (say until 1
a.m.) By that time public transport is no longer running. What choice do you
have? Either walking home or taking a cab.
4. What does it mean to take a taxi? You can ring for (in other words, order) one
on the telephone. Another way to do this is to go to the nearest taxi stand. And
finally, you can try to hail a taxi on the street. In the latter case people often say,
"1 am going to vote" - because, just like at meetings, where people vote for or
against by a show of hands, you would try to stop a car (not necessarily a taxi)
using that same democratic gesture.
5. It is not difficult to tell a taxi from other cars by its chequered pattern which is
painted along both sides of the cab (alternating black and white squares - like on
a chessboard), and a green light at the front, which is "on" only when the taxi is
vacant.
6. Clearly, the most convenient way of getting a taxi is by ringing for one. You dial
the appropriate number, and then you hear a voice (usually that of a female):
a) - Hello, dispatcher Ivanova speaking.
b) - I'd like to order a taxi ( i t is your turn to speak).
c) - Name and address?
d) - Tom Jackson. "Moskovskaya" hotel,
e) - Room number?
f) - 525.
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g) - Floor?
h) - Fifth.
i) - When do you need a cab?
j) - As soon as possible!
k) - An hour is the earliest I can make it. We have a big backlog..
l) - What?! An hour? I've got to be at the airport in an hour!
m) - Citizen, don't raise your voice. There are many customers like
you, however I have to manage here by myself.
n) - But what should I do? I will miss my plane!
o) - Go to a taxi stand or "vote" on the street. You might be lucky.
p) - Are you making fun of me?
q) - Citizen Jacksonov, please don't be rude. If you were in such a
hurry, you should have taken care of this beforehand. It's as if you
just got off the boat: you don't seem to have a clue how we do
things.
r) - Look, I am not Jacksonov. My name is Jackson. And I didn't just
get off the boat. I have come from America. And there, if you follow
me, we do things differently: in America, it is not the passenger
who looks for the taxi, but the other way around.
s) - Oh, my God! Why didn't you say from the very beginning that you
were from America? I did have this feeling that your pronunciation
sounded a little strange to a Russian ear. I thought you were a

164
Mongol, or a Buryat or something, but you turned out to be an
American.
t) - What bloody difference does it make who I am?
u) - A big difference! You pay in dollars. And in general..., American -
this sounds good! You will have your car, dear, you will. I'll send one
out straightaway.
v) Five minutes later somebody knocks at the door of your room:
w) - Did you call a taxi?
x) - Yes, but I didn't expect it so soon.
y) - Don't worry, I will wait. In the meantime, may I take your baggage
down to the car?
7. However, if you are not an American (and, in fact, not a foreigner at all), but
just an ordinary citizen of your country, then you would probably need to accept
the dispatcher's advice and rush to the nearest taxi stand. However, even there
you wouldn't have much success (especially on Saturday or Sunday evening). It
is quite possible that instead of cars you would see only a queue of optimists
with some time and patience on their hands.
8. But, if you have none of that, you would have no other option but to take up a
strategic position at a busy intersection and try to stop a cab - even one without
the green light. The point is that taxi drivers with one fare are happy to pick up
additional ones; however, they do this not out of a sense of compassion for
165
those people, but because in this case during a single journey they can earn two
(and sometimes even three) times as much as they usually do.
9. You're in luck: just two minutes after you had started to "vote", a taxi, with
only one passenger inside, braked abruptly.
9.1 - Where are you going? - the driver asks lowering his window slightly.
9.2 - To the airport, - you reply with some hope in your voice.
9.3 - Get in! I'm going in the same direction.
Overjoyed, you scramble in.
9.4 - But I still need to take my luggage from home, - you mumble timidly.
9.5 - Where is that?
9.6 - Not far at all. I will show you.
9.7 - Is that a lot?
9.8 - Just two suitcases.
(a) - Well, if the comrade does not mind...
Fortunately, the comrade (i.e. the original passenger) does not mind.
(b) - Okay, tell me where to go! - the driver commands.
(c) - Straight ahead and then turn left at the intersection.
(d) - Now where?
(e) - Straight, right, right again. Third building from the corner. Please stop by the
last entrance. Thanks. I'll just pop in for my suitcases.

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(f) - Not too long!
(g) - What are you talking about? I am running late as it is...
1 0 . All's well that ends well.
11. I sense that, after everything you have read in the preceding and the present
chapter, you have not decided yet what to choose: should you use public
transport (resorting from time to time to the taxi service) or should you buy your
own car in spite of all the problems associated with its acquisition and
maintenance.
12. Let's assume you have opted for the latter, Let's also assume you cannot
buy a new car for two reasons: first, years ago you missed the opportunity to put
your name on the waiting list; and secondly, you don't have that sort of money.
13. After considering the matter long and hard, you decide to buy a secondhand
car. It was a difficult decision to make, since you were well aware that an old car
would not come with an after sales service contract. And in order to service a car
without such a contract, you need to ask yourself the following three very serious
questions:
a) Where to find spare parts?
b) Where to find a reliable mechanic?
c) Where to find the money to pay for (a) and (b)?
14. Nevertheless, you dial the number you saw listed on a street billboard which
contained the following intriguing text: "Car for sale. Inexpensive..."

167
Let's try to imagine your conversation with the owner of this car.
(a) - Good day. I am calling about your advertisement. Is your car still available?
(b) - Yes. But many people have already inquired about it.
(c) - What kind of car is it?
(d) - Zhiguli.
(e) - What year?
(f) - 1983.
(g) - How many miles on the clock?
(h) - About 120,000 km
(i) - What colour is it?
(j) - Blue.
(k) - My favourite.
(l) - You see!
(m) - How many speeds? Four or five?
(n) - Four.
15.
a) - How many previous owners?
b) - None. It was a new car when I bought it.
c) - What condition is it in?
d) - Excellent: come and see for yourself. I look after the car as if it were my own
child. You won't find any rust, or even the tiniest scratch. It is simply impossible
to find any fault with her! Believe it or not, but for me she is the most important
thing in the whole world. I even kiss her as if she were my beloved woman.
e) - Then why sell her if she means so much to you?

168
f) - I need the money. I want to go to America - to visit my friends and have a look
at the good life.
g) - When was the last time your car was checked for a warrant of fitness?
h) - About three months ago.
i) - How much petrol does she use?
j) - About 8 litres per 100 km.
k) - How many doors in the car?
l) - Four.
m) - Does it have a large boot?
n) - Yes, indeed. This is a station wagon.
o) - So, it's got five doors then?
p) - Seems so.
16.
a) - Be straight with me: how often did you have to repair your car?
b) - Not often. The last major repair was about a year ago. All that could be
replaced was replaced. Now my car like new!
c) - Could you please list what you actually had replaced?
d) - Yes, sure: all the wheels, brake shoes; I have also installed a new battery,
changed the muffler, replaced the headlights for more powerful ones,
reconditioned the engine, checked the whole ignition system, and had a
general tune up. Now the engine always starts the first time you turn the key.
e) - How much do you want for your "miracle"?
f) - You know how much things cost these days!

169
g) - You are not answering my question.
h) - Well, come over, have a look, and if you like it - then we can talk about
money.
i) - For some reason you're sidestepping my question about the price, as if you're
afraid to scare me.
j) - Perhaps, perhaps.
k) - But you said in your advertisement that your car was not expensive.
l) - If I told you that what I want for my car is what they charge for an air ticket
from Moscow to New York, would you consider that too expensive for you?
m) - No, I would think that was fair.
n) - In that case, get 100,000 roubles ready
o) - Are you crazy or what???
Comments (refer to corresponding paragraphs above)
Paragraph 3. The Russian equivalent for "either...or" (as you might have noticed
comparing the last sentences of this paragraph) is или...или. Instead of или you
can equally use the word либо. Thus the Russian sentence in question (Или
идти домой пешком, или взять такси) can be replaced with the synonymous
version: Либо идти домой пешком, либо взять такси.

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In the same way, the Russian equivalent for "neither...nor" is ни...ни. For
example: Ни идти домой пешком, ни взять такси он был не в состоянии
("Не could neither walk home nor take a taxi"). Both these sentences (Russian
and English) have a similar construction. However, some differences are
obvious:
a) In order to intensify its impact, the Russian phrase begins with the
conjunction ни...ни. There is no way you could do the same with its English
equivalent.
b) The English conjunction "neither...nor" prevents you from using any
other "negatives" in the same sentence. In the Russian sentence, the main
purpose of ни...ни is to intensify rather than deny, and therefore the negative
particle не serves as the essential part of the whole construction.
Paragraph 6. In the previous chapter we mentioned that a taxi-driver in Russian can
be called either шофёр or водитель. There is one more term you can use
when referring to a taxi-driver in the third person: таксист. When you refer to
him/her directly, it will be much more courteous if you say: "Товарищ
водитель" or "Товарищ шофёр".
Have you noticed how the dispatcher abruptly changed her attitude to the
client when he said that he was an American? That part of the dialogue reflects
another genuine feature of everyday life in the former Soviet Union. It was not
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unusual in that country to hear scornful remarks about Jews, Gypsies, Tatars,
and the other so-called national minorities. At the same time, in spite of
continuous official propaganda against акул капитализма ("sharks of
capitalism"), westerners in Russia have always been treated with special honour
and respect. Their moral privileges extended to many material ones, e.g. there
were special (i.e. first-class) hotels, shops, etc. which served only those who
spoke a foreign language and who could pay in hard currency.
Soviet media, fully controlled by the communist government, used to
dutifully criticize преклонение перед иностранцами ("admiration for
foreigners"). However, neither the critics themselves nor their powerful bosses
would have missed any opportunity to visit a foreign (especially western) country,
to buy foreign goods or to watch those foreign movies or shows which had been
classified as indecent and, therefore, unsuitable for the general public.
To tell the truth, this special (admiring) attitude to westerners was not
created by the Soviet system. Rather, it was a centuries-old Russian tradition.
Have you ever read "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy? Do you recall that nearly
all Russian aristocrats mentioned in the book preferred to speak and write
French? Why? Because Russian for them was a "language of peasants".
Paragraph 9.8 (g). A literal translation of the first sentence is not possible. If you
try, you get something like "What you, what you!"

172
Paragraph 14. Легковая машина is a generic term for any light vehicle designed
for transporting people rather than goods. The word легковая is a derivative
from another adjective лёгкий which means "light" (not heavy). By analogy, a
truck or lorry in Russia is called грузовая машина or грузовик because the
Russian word груз is equivalent to the English word "load".
Paragraph 14 d). Жигули was one of the most popular Soviet cars. Outside
Russia it was known as 'Lada'.
Paragraph 15 d). In English, as a rule, any thing (inanimate object) which has been
mentioned before is called "it" (although in some cases you would say "she"
talking about things traditionally regarded as feminine, e.g. a car or a ship). But
be careful when you translate "it" into Russian since just a small proportion of
things is referred to in the singular as оно, i.e. of neuter gender. Many more
objects, like persons or animals, belong to either masculine or feminine gender
(you can always check it in the dictionary) and are accordingly referred to as он
or она.
Even "she" is not always translated as она. It is okay for a female person or
animal. It is also fine for a car because the gender of the Russian equivalent
машина is feminine. However, "she" for a ship can be translated as either он or
оно, depending on which Russian equivalent for "ship" you choose, that is:
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a) if you translated "it" as пароход or корабль, which are both masculine,
you should use the pronoun он;
b) however if you prefer a third possible Russian equivalent судно, which is
neuter, you should refer it as оно.
Paragraph 15 e). The word дорога [da-ra-'ga] used in this sentence is a short
form of the feminine adjective дорогая [da-ra-'ga-ya]. In this context it is
translated as "dear" (to your heart). In another context that same adjective
can mean "expensive" both in Russian and English, e.g. У меня дорогая
машина ("I have a dear / expensive car").
But the word дорога can also be used as a noun, in which case it is
pronounced [da-'ro-ga] and means "road".
Paragraphs 16 n) & 16 o). When I was writing this chapter, 100,000 roubles for an air
ticket from Moscow to New York seemed to be more or less an authentic figure.
Nevertheless, the owner was really crazy asking such an amount for his car when
the monthly income of most of his compatriots did not exceed 1,000 roubles.
Please note a very big difference in using full stops and commas with
numerals. In English, commas are used to separate hundreds, thousands,
millions, etc., and full stops are used as decimal points. In Russian, things are
the other way round. Thus: 100,000 roubles = 100.000 рублей and, say,
$1,250.35 = 1.250,35 долларов.

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SUBJECT 11. POST SERVICE, LETTERS AND TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS
"Кто стучится в дверь ко мне "Who is knocking at my door
С толстой сумкой на ремне?... With a big bag over his shoulder?...
Это он, это он - This is he, this is he -
Ленинградский почтальон". A Leningrad postie."
Several generations of Russian children grew up with these simple
verses and learnt them by heart. That postman was a kind and cheerful
person who always delivered only good news. He obviously enjoyed life, and
some children while reading the poem were a little bit envious...
But the reality of the situation was different. In the past почтовые ящики
("mail boxes") adorned front doors of each and every flat. Therefore, a postman
would feel himself very lucky if, when entering a new building, he discovered that
the building had a lift and the lift was in working order. Otherwise he could sing a
line from a popular Soviet song "Шагаю я по этажам" ("I am walking from floor
to floor"), but his lyrics would not sound so joyous as in the song. Far from it.
Besides, in most cases it was she (not he) who did this job, walking
upstairs with a heavy bag, delivering письма ['pis'-ma] "letters",
телеграммы [tye-lye-'gra-m.y] "telegrams", газеты [ga-'zye-t.y]
"newspapers", журналы [zhur-'na-l.y] "magazines", and sometimes even
книги ['kni-gi] "books".

175
Fortunately, all residential buildings built since the middle of thе 20th
century were provided with standard mail boxes installed on the ground floor.
This modern provision made the life of a city postie significantly easier than it
was in the past.
The official term for any Russian post office is почтовое отделение связи,
which literally means "a postal branch of communications". In everyday life, it is
called simply почта Г'ро-chta]. This word is also used as a general term for any
kind of mail.
I will now give you a number of sentences where the word почта is used with
either meaning. These phrases will also show you how a noun, depending on the
grammatical case in which it is used, can change its endings. In addition, the
following examples will familiarize you with various Russian prepositions.
1. Ближайшая почта находится недалеко от вокзала.
"The nearest post office is not far from the railway station." (The noun почта is
used in the nominative case. This case usually denotes the subject of the
sentence and answers the questions кто? "who?" or что? "what?" The
preposition от in this sentence means "from" (which is quite common but not the
only possible translation).

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2. Утренняя почта уже у Вас на столе.
" The morning mail is already on your desk." (The noun почта here, as well
as in sentence No.1, is used in the nominative case.) The preposition на usually
shows that a subject or an object is located on the surface of something (to show
that something is located inside something else we normally use the preposition в).
However, this is not always the case if we are talking about transport. You
can say: Я сижу в трамвае, в автобусе, в поезде
"I am sitting in a tram, in a bus, in a train".
But: Я еду на трамвае, на автобусе, на поезде
"I am going by tram, by bus, by train".
With the verb ехать "to go" you use the preposition на, even though you
obviously don't travel on the roof of a vehicle. The same is true for the verb
лететь "to fly", i.e. you should say: Я лечу на самолёте (not в самолёте). "I
am going by plane.")
3. Где здесь здание почты?
"Where is the post office building here?" (The noun почта has changed its
ending from a to ы. This happened because here we have the Genitive grammar
case. This case usually answers the questions кого? "of whom?" or чего? "of
what?" For example, you can ask somebody: Здание чего? (literally: "The
building of what?") and hear the answer: почты. "(of) post office".
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4. Он подошёл к почте и остановился.
"He approached the post office and stopped. The noun почта is used here
in the Dative case. This case usually answers the questions кому? "to whom?"
or чему? "to what?" The preposition к often shows the direction to something (or
somebody).
However, when you mean not just approaching some place but actually
going somewhere and entering that place, the more appropriate question will be
куда? "where (to)?". This question requires accusative grammar case, and in this
example you should use either the preposition в or the preposition на. Can we be
more precise? Well, it is difficult to list all possible situations, but I can give you
some hints.
Use в when you go to another country, city, town or village; to a forest, park
or garden; to a museum, theatre, cinema or circus; to a school, polytechnic,
institute or university; to an office, bank, shop, hospital or library. But you should
use на when you go to a sea, lake or river; to a street, square or embankment; to
the concert or stadium; to a post office or market; to a railway station, bus stop or
wharf; to a plant or factory; or when you are just saying Я иду на работу [Ya i-
'du na га-'bо-tu] "I am going to my work place".
However, when you are going home, you do not need any preposition at all:
Я иду домой [Ya idu da-'moy] "I am going home").

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5. Я иду на почту [Ya idu na 'po-chtu] "I am going to the post office".
(This example aims to illustrate what we discussed in the previous paragraph.
Sentences of this type answer the question куда? "where (to)?" and use their
object in the accusative case.)
6. Я только что закончил разбирать почту.
[Ya 'tol'-ka chta za-'kon-chil raz-bi-'rat' 'po-chtu] "I've just finished sorting
through the mail."
(This is another example of using the noun почта in the accusative case. Here
it answers the question что? "what?" The corresponding question relating to a
person is кого? "whom?", e.g. Кого вы там видите? - Нашего учителя.
[Ka-vo v.y tam 'vi-di-tye? - *Na-she-va u-'chi-tye-lya] "Whom do you see
down there? - Our teacher.")
7. За чем ты пошёл? - За почтой.
[Zа chyem t.y pa-'shol?] - Za 'po-chtay] "What are you going for? - To pick
up the mail," (Here we deal with the instrumental case. This case answers the
questions кем? "whom" or чем? "what" used with or without prepositions. Again
here we have a different ending for our key word почта.
Be careful not to confuse the preposition за plus the pronoun чем used in
our example with the adverb зачем? "why?"

179
In the above example the preposition за shows that a person wants to take
something. Quite often this same preposition is used to show that something is
located behind, beyond or after something else, e.g. Идите прямо, никуда не
сворачивая. Сразу за почтой Вы увидите отделение милиции.
"Go straight, without turning anywhere. Once you pass a post office, you will see
a police station."
But if your host invites you: "Садитесь за стол, пожалуйста" [Sa-'di-tyes' za
'stol, pa-'zha-lu-sta], he does not mean that you should find a seat somewhere
beyond the dining table area, because this Russian expression is equivalent to
English "Please be seated at the table".
(Please note that the proposition за is often used with the accusative case
as illustrated in the last example.)
8. Это заказное письмо я получил на почте. ['E-ta za-kaz-'no-
ye pis'-'mo ya pa-lu-'chil na 'po-chtye] "I received this registered
letter at the post office".
(Here the word почта is used in the prepositional case. Unlike other
grammatical cases, most (but not all) nouns of ail three genders in the
prepositional case have one common ending "e".
In our example the prepositional case answers the question где? "where
(at)?" In paragraph No.4 above, we discussed in detail when we should use the
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preposition на and when the use of the preposition в is more appropriate. The
same rules are true for the prepositional case.)
9. Мы говорим о сегодняшней почте. [M.y ga-va-'rim о sye -'vod-nyash-nyey

'po-chtye]
"We are talking about today's mail." (The prepositional case in this sentence
answers the question о чём? "about what?" The corresponding question related
to a person would be о ком? "about whom?" When the Russian preposition о is
followed by a word beginning with a vowel а, и, о, у or э, 'о' changes to 'об' (thus
simplifying the pronunciation), e.g.:
Мы говорим об электронной почте.
[M.y ga-va-'rim ob e-lyek-'tro-nay 'po-chtye]
"We are talking about electronic mail."
The above examples cover all six grammatical cases of the word почта,
even though the discussion was quite limited: one of the two numbers (singular),
one of the three genders (feminine), and one of the three main types representing
the feminine gender (a noun with the ending a in the nominative case).
Nevertheless, at least now you have some idea how Russian nouns change their
forms.
You have also become familiar with some Russian prepositions and with
some (but by no means all) of their English equivalents, namely:
к = to; от = from; в - in, to, into; на = on, to, onto; за = for, behind, after, at; о (об)
= about.
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Other major Russian prepositions and their English equivalents are:
с - with; без - without; для - for; до = until; после = after; между =
between; среди = among; вокруг = around; около - about; над - above;
под = under; через = over.
However, let's get back to o u r subject. Do you want to know what kind of
service is provided at any post office branch? We will talk about this in
Russian:
1. На почте вы можете купить конверты, марки, открытки, писчую
бумагу.
2. Вы можете отправить там письмо, бандероль или посылку. Любое
почтовое отправление может быть классифицировано как: простое,
заказное, заказное с уведомлением о вручении, или ценное.
3. Если вам нужно отправить рукопись или книгу, вы можете просто
принести её на почту и попросить служащего: "Заверните, пожалуйста".
4. После того как книга завёрнута в толстую коричневую бумагу и
перевязана шпагатом, вы получаете её назад и пишете на ней адрес.
Обратный (то есть свой собственный) адрес вы пишете на обратной
стороне упаковки.
5. Посылки обычно отправляются в ящиках, которые тоже можно
приобрести на почте.
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6. Иногда почта объединена с телефонным переговорным пунктом,
откуда вы можете позвонить в другой город. Услугами таких пунктов
пользуются многие жители, у которых нет квартирных телефонов.
7. Находясь в командировке и желая позвонить вечером домой, вы
также, как правило, должны идти на переговорный пункт: во-первых,
потому что телефон в номере - это большая редкость, и во-вторых, из-
за отсутствия какой-либо приемлемой системы, которая позволит в
дальнейшем высчитать плату за разговор с вас, а не со счёта
гостиницы.
8. Переговорный пункт может помочь также и в том случае, когда вы
хотите поговорить с вашим другом или родственником, который живёт в
другом городе и у которого нет домашнего телефона. Чтобы организовать
такой разговор, ему (или ей) высылается почтовое извещение, в котором
будет сказано, примерно, следующее: "Вас приглашают на центральный
переговорный пункт (Тверская улица, дом 25) для переговоров с городом
Сочи. Время переговоров: 30 июня, 15.30".
9. В каждом городе имеется центральное почтовое отделение, или,
иначе говоря, главная почта ("Главпочтамт"). Если у вас нет
постоянного адреса, или вы по какой-то причине не хотите, чтобы
письма приходили к вам домой, вы всегда можете дать адрес по
указанному ниже образцу: Москва (город, где вы сейчас находитесь),
Главпочтамт, До востребования Иванову Николаю Петровичу {ваше
полное имя)
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10. Если вы пишете официальное (деловое) письмо, начинайте его со
слов "Уважаемый господин / госпожа" и затем добавляйте
соответствующую должность или фамилию, например.- "Уважаемый
господин редактор!" или "Уважаемый господин директор!" или
"Уважаемая госпожа Иванова!"
11 Однако если вы знаете имя и отчество человека, которому вы
адресуете своё письмо, используйте это. Обращение по имени и
отчеству звучит всегда теплее и человечнее. Например, если я
получаю письмо, которое начинается так: "Уважаемый Матвей
Ефимович!", мне сразу же становится тепло и приятно на душе. С
другой стороны сухое и официальное обращение: "Уважаемый
господин Сундаков!" всегда как-то немного настораживает.
12. А закончить своё деловое письмо вы можете так: "Благодарю Вас
за внимание и надеюсь на Ваш скорый ответ". И затем: "С уважением"
или "Искренне Ваш", Ваша подпись, и наконец Ваши инициалы и
фамилия.
13. Дружеские, неофициальные письма обычно начинают со слова
"Дорогой", "Дорогая" или "Дорогие" в зависимости от того, кому ваше
письмо адресовано: мужчине, женщине или, возможно, целой семье. К
этому слову добавляют имя и приветствие, например: "Здравствуйте,
дорогой Николай Петрович!" или "Дорогая Наташа, здравствуй!" или -
Здравствуйте, мои дорогие!" и т.д., и т.п.

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14. Слово "милый" (или "милая" если вы обращаетесь к женщине)
звучит теплее и нежнее, чем "дорогой" ("дорогая"); а слово "любимый"
(или "любимая") используется только тогда, когда вы пишете не
просто другу (пусть даже очень близкому), а мужчине (или,
соответственно, женщине), которого (которую) вы любите.
15. Русский язык необыкновенно поэтичен. И любовные письма,
написанные на этом языке, звучат удивительно красиво. Лично для
меня нет ничего прекраснее, чем письмо Татьяны к Онегину (из
пушкинского романа в стихах "Евгений Онегин").
16. Послушайте, например, первое и последнее четверостишия из этого
письма (я надеюсь, что в дальнейшем вы прочтёте всё это письмо
целиком и почувствуете не только красоту его лирики, но и его
музыкальность).
17 Начало письма:
Я Вам пишу - чего же боле?
Что я могу ещё сказать?
Теперь, я знаю, в Вашей воле
Меня презреньем наказать.
18. Конец этого же письма:

185
Кончаю! Страшно перечесть...
Стыдом и страхом замираю...
Но мне порукой Ваша честь,
И смело ей себя вверяю...
19. Итак, вы уже знаете, как вам начать письмо (деловое, дружеское
или любовное). Ну, а как вы начнёте телефонный разговор?
Предположим, что знакомая нам уже английская журналистка Джоан
Эванс звонит в школу, где работает её друг Валентин Петрович
Кузнецов.
- Учительская.
- Здравствуйте. И затем:
(a) Позовите, пожалуйста, к телефону товарища Кузнецова. OR
(b) Могу я поговорить с Валентином Петровичем?
20. В ответ Джоан, вероятней всего, услышит следующее:
(a) (Подождите) одну минутку. Сейчас (я его) позову. OR
(b) К сожалению, он сейчас на уроке. Урок кончается через
полчаса. Передать ему что-нибудь?
21. Отвечая на последний вопрос, Джоан может сказать:

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(a) Нет, спасибо. Я позвоню попозже.
(b) Передайте ему, пожалуйста, что звонила Джоан Эванс. Я
хотела бы договориться с ним насчёт интервью.
- Конечно, я всё передам. Сразу же как он появится в учительской
после своего урока. У него есть Ваш телефон?
- Должен быть. Скажите, что я жду его звонка в гостинице.
- Может быть, мне на всякий случай лучше записать Ваш телефон?
- Да, пожалуйста, запишите на всякий случай: 5-72-34-15,
добавочный 725.
- Спасибо, я записала.
- Это Вам спасибо большое. И извините меня за беспокойство.
- Ну что Вы, что Вы, Джоан! Мне было очень приятно с Вами
поговорить.
- Вы очень любезны. Ещё раз спасибо. До свидания.
Translation of the Russian text presented above (Paragraphs 1 - 21)
1 At a post office you can buy envelopes, stamps, postcards, writing
paper.
2 From there you can send a letter, printed matter or a parcel. Any postal item
can be classified as ordinary, registered, registered with acknowledgement of
receipt, or registered with statement of value.

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3 If you need to send a manuscript or a book, you can simply bring it to the
post office and ask an attendant: "Please wrap it up."
4 Once the book has been wrapped in thick brown paper and tied with a
string, you receive it back and address the wrapper. Then you turn it over and
write your return address.
5 Parcels are usually sent in boxes which can also be obtained at the post
office.
6 Sometimes a post office is combined with a trunk call office, where you can make
a telephone call to another city. Trunk call offices serve many residents who do not
have telephones in their flats.
7 If you are out of town on business and decide one evening to ring home, as
a rule, you will again need to go to a trunk call office:
firstly, because it would be rather unusual to find a telephone in your hotel room;
and secondly, due to the lack of any workable system which would later allow for
the call to be debited to your (rather than to the hotel's) account.
8 A trunk call office can also help when you want to talk with a friend or
relative who lives in another city and who does not have their own telephone. In
order to arrange such a conversation, a postal notification is sent to the person
concerned. The notification will state something like this: "You are invited to the
central trunk call office (25 Tverskaya Street) for telephone talks with the city of
Sochi at 3.30 pm on the 30th of June."

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9 Each city has a central post office, or, in other words, General Post Office
("Glavpochtamt"). If you don't have a permanent address or if you (for whatever
reason) just do not want to receive letters at your place, you can always give an
address using the following sample:
Moscow (the city where you are now staying), Glavpochtamt, Poste Restante
Ivanov Nikolai Petrovich (your full name in the Dative case).
10 If you write an official (business) letter, begin it with the words
"Dear Mr / Ms" and then add the appropriate title or surname, e.g. "Dear editor!"
or "Dear Sir/Madam!" or "Dear Ms Ivanova!"
11 However, if you know the first and middle names of the person to whom you
are addressing your letter, use them. Such a salutation always sounds warmer
and more humane. For example, when I receive a letter which begins with "Dear
Matvei Yefimovich!", my heart is filled with warmth and comfort. On the other
hand, the dry and official salutation "Dear Mr Sundakov!" always make me feel a
bit suspicious.
12 To finish your business letter you can use the following expressions: "Thank
you for your time" and "I look forward to your early reply". This should be followed
by "Regards" or "Yours sincerely", your signature, and, finally, your initials and
surname.
13 Friendly, informal letters usually begin with the word "Dear". The
corresponding Russian equivalent can have different endings depending on

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whom your letter is addressed to: to a man, a woman or, possibly, a whole family.
To this word a name and a greeting should be added, for instance: "Good day,
dear Nikolai Petrovich!" or "Dear Natasha, hello!" or "How are you, dear ones?"
etc., and so on.
14 The word милый - "sweetheart", "darling" (or милая if it is applied to a
woman) sounds warmer and tenderer than дорогой / дорогая - "dear"; and the
word любимый / любимая - "beloved" is used only when you write not just to a
friend (even to a very close one), but to a man (or a woman) whom you love.
15 Russian language is incredibly poetic. And love letters written in this
language sound excitingly beautiful. For me personally, there is nothing more
beautiful than the letter from Tatyana to Onegin (from Pushkin's novel in verses
"Eugene Onegin").
16 Please listen, for example, to the first and last quatrains of that letter (I hope
that one day you will read the whole letter and experience not only the beauty of
its lyrics, but its musicality as well).
17 Beginning of the letter:
I am writing to you - Is this not enough?
What else can I say?
I am aware, you can now laugh
And punish me with disdain.

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18. Ending of that same letter
That is all. I am scared to read it again...
My heart is filled with shame and fear...
But, as a noble man, you should save my pain.
And I entrust myself to you, my dear...
19. Well, by now you have learnt how you can begin a business, friendly or love letter. But how would
you start a telephone conversation? Let's assume that Joan Evans, an English journalist, to whom we
have already been introduced, is ringing the school where her friend, Valentin Petrovich Kuznetsov,
works as a teacher.
- Staff room.
- Good day. And then:
(1) Please call Mr Kuznetsov to the phone. Or
(2) Could I talk to Valentin Petrovich, please?
20. Joan will most probably get the following reply:
a) (Wait) a minute. (I) will get (him) right now. Or
b) I am afraid he is giving a lesson right now. It finishes in half an
hour. Would you like to leave a message for him?
21. Answering the latter question, Joan can say:
(a) No, thank you. I will call later on. Or
(b) Please tell him Joan Evans rang. I would like to arrange an interview with him.
191
- Sure. I will give him your message as soon as he comes back to the staff room after
his lesson. Does he have your number?
- He should. Please tell him that I am waiting for his call in my hotel room.
- Still, wouldn't it be better if I had your number, just in case?
- Yes, of course. Please write it down: 572-3418, extension 725.
- Good. Thank you.
- It is you who should be thanked. And please excuse me for all the trouble.
- Don't mention it, Joan ! It was very nice to talk to you.
- You are very kind. Thanks again. Goodbye.
Comments (refer to Paragraphs 1 - 21 above)
Paragraph 12. In the Russian version you are actually thanking for attention (not for time).
Paragraph 13. The Russian abbreviations ит.д. and ит.п. stand respectively for и так далее
("and so on") and и тому подобное ("and the like").
Paragraph 14. Variations of words in brackets reflect changes which take place in the process of
their transformation from male to female gender.
Paragraph 20(a) Russian words shown in brackets can be omitted.

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SUBJECT 12. OUTPATIENT MEDICAL SERVICE
When I lived in the Soviet Union, бесплатная медицинская помощь
[byes-'plat-na-ya mye-di-'tsin-ska-ya 'po-mashch] "free medical service" was
something everybody took for granted. It was just natural. And it was one of those
attractive features of Soviet life which were constantly used by official
propaganda to demonstrate the advantages of the socialist system over the
capitalist one.
To tell the truth, it was quite a significant advantage. However, not having
an opportunity to experience anything else, many Soviets (myself included)
wrongly believed that if we paid for medical treatment (as people in the West did),
we would have much better service. I said "wrongly" because living in the West I
realized that the Russian saying "Что дорого - то мило, что дёшево - то
гнило" ("Everything expensive is good, everything cheap is rotten") cannot be
applied to outpatient medical service. On the contrary, in this particular case the
opposite is true (at least from the patient's point of view). However, please read
the following Russian text, which explains how that service was organized in
Russia, and then draw your own conclusions,
1. Прежде всего, если вы почувствовали себя плохо, вы не начинаете
лихорадочно считать, сколько оплачиваемых по болезни дней у вас
ещё осталось до конца года (десять, пять, вообще ни одного?). Дело в
том, что количество таких дней практически не ограничено.
2 Если ваш лечащий врач решает, что вы действительно больны и
вам лучше не ходить на работу, он сразу же выписывает вам

193
бюллетень (или, другими словами, "больничный") и затем, если нужно,
продлевает его ещё и ещё - до вашего полного выздоровления.
3 Единственное ограничение заключается в том, что вы не можете
находиться на больничном больше, чем четыре месяца подряд. Если
по истечении этого срока вы всё ещё не в состоянии работать, вас
переведут на инвалидность, то есть вам придётся уйти с работы и
перейти на пособие по инвалидности.
4 Но если после болезни вы вышли на работу и, скажем, через
неделю заболели снова, вас опять могут держать на больничном до 4
месяцев. И всё это время вы будете продолжать получать вашу
ежемесячную зарплату (полностью или частично).
5 Размер выплат зависит от вашего непрерывного стажа
(непрерывный стаж не теряется даже при перемене места работы,
при условии, что вы начали новую работу не позже чем через 30
дней после увольнения со старой).
6 Если ваш непрерывный стаж не превышает года, вы получите по
больничному только 50% вашей средней зарплаты. Но с увеличением
стажа этот процент увеличивается довольно быстро. И по прошествии
8 лет болезнь уже не влияет на ваш доход: здоровый или больной, вы
всегда получаете вашу полную зарплату.

194
7. Наряду с больницами, во всех районах города имеются
поликлиники, которые обеспечивают жителей своего района
амбулаторным лечением. Стандартная поликлиника - это большое
четырёхэтажное здание со множеством отдельных кабинетов, в
каждом из которых работают врач и помогающая ему
(медицинская) сестра.
8. В большинстве кабинетов работают врачи-терапевты, которых
обычно называют участковыми врачами, потому что за ними
закреплён определённый участок района, включающий в себя
несколько многоэтажных домов.
9. На приём пациентов в поликлинике врачу отводится не больше
половины его рабочего времени. В остальные часы он посещает
больных своего участка на дому.
10. В большинстве случаев заболевший человек вызывает врача на
дом по телефону. Для этой цели он звонит в регистратуру своей
поликлиники:
- Алло, регистратура слушает.
- Примите, пожалуйста, вызов врача на дом.
- Что случилось?
- ~ У меня, вероятно, грипп.
- Что Вы чувствуете?
195
- Меня знобит, сильно болит голова, чихаю и кашляю.
- Температура?
- 38.6 (тридцать восемь и шесть)
- Ваше имя?
- Петровский, Алексей Дмитриевич.
- Возраст?
- 42 (года).
- Адрес?
- Улица Малая Посадская, дом З квартира 31.
- Этаж?
- Пятый.
- Ждите врача во второй половине дня.
- Спасибо.
11. Если у вас нет температуры, и вы чувствуете, что вы в состоянии
сами пойти к врачу, ваш телефонный разговор будет выглядеть
несколько иначе:
- Алло, регистратура слушает.
- Я хотел бы заказать номерок к своему участковому врачу.
- Что случилось?
196
- У меня, вероятно, грипп.
- Что Вы чувствуете?
- Сильно болит голова, я чихаю и кашляю.
- Температура?
- Температура нормальная.
- Где Вы живёте?
- Улица Малая Посадская, дом З квартира 31
- Ваше имя?
- Петровский, Алексей Дмитриевич.
- Сколько Вам лет?
- 42 года.
- Так, хорошо. У Вас седьмой номер. Вы назначены
на 15.30 (пятнадцать, тридцать). Ваш доктор принимает в 25-ом
(двадцать пятом) кабинете. Когда придёте в поликлинику, не забудьте
заказать Вашу карточку в регистратуре.
- Большое спасибо.
- Пожалуйста. Будьте здоровы.
12. В поликлинику вам лучше прийти заранее - минут на пятнадцать
раньше назначенного времени, чтобы успеть заказать свою медкарту.
Когда подойдёт ваша очередь к окошку регистратуры, скажите
примерно следующее:
197
- У меня заказан номерок к доктору... (и затем вы произносите
фамилию вашего доктора в дательном падеже).
- Как Ваша фамилия? (слышите вы в ответ).
- Петровский.
- Адрес?
- Улица Малая Посадская, дом 3, квартира 31
- В какой кабинет Вы идёте?
- В двадцать пятый
13. После этого вы можете спокойно идти к своему кабинету: к тому
времени, как до вас дойдёт очередь, ваша карточка будет у врача. А
без очереди обычно никак не обойтись.
14. Держа в руке свой номерок (маленький листок бумаги, на котором
указана фамилия врача, номер кабинета, время приёма и ваш
порядковый номер), вы подходите к группе людей, сидящих и
стоящих возле кабинета 25, и обращаетесь сразу ко всем:
- У кого номер 6?
- У меня (откликнулся кто-то из очереди, и теперь вы знаете за кем вы
стоите, потому что ваш номер следующий).
- А какой сейчас номер у доктора? (снова спрашиваете вы - на этот раз
для того чтобы представить, сколько ещё человек перед вами, и,

198
соответственно, сколько примерно времени вам придётся маяться у
кабинета).
- Третий только что зашёл (слышите вы и тут же мысленно
прикидываете, что раньше, чем через час, вам к доктору не попасть.
Так что устраивайтесь как-нибудь поудобнее и читайте книгу).
15. Наконец, медсестра называет вашу фамилию и приглашает вас в
кабинет. Вы заходите, здороваетесь, садитесь. Врач просматривает вашу
карточку. Тем временем сестра измеряет вам кровяное давление и
температуру и проверяет ваш пульс.
16. Затем врач просит рассказать, когда вы в первый раз
почувствовали недомогание, и все ваши дальнейшие ощущения.
После этого она (большинство участковых врачей - женщины) говорит:
Разденьтесь, пожалуйста, до пояса.
17. Затем она берёт стетоскоп и внимательно выслушивает ваше
сердце и лёгкие, а вы, разумеется, делаете то, что она говорит вам:
(a) - Дышите
OR (b) - Не дышите;
(c) - Вдохните
OR (d) - Выдохните;
(e) - Откройте рот, шире, ещё шире! Скажите "а а а"! Так, хорошо.
Теперь покажите язык

199
OR (f) - Достаточно: Можете закрыть рот;
(g) - Повернитесь ко мне спиной
OR (h) - Не шевелитесь, пожалуйста.
18. По окончании осмотра врач просит вас одеться и, пока вы это
делаете, она выписывает вам рецепт на лекарства. Затем она
объясняет, как вы должны их принимать. После этого она говорит
вам:
- Придёте ко мне на приём через два дня. Вот Вам номерок.
Карточка будет у меня. Но если Ваше состояние не улучшится,
вызывайте врача на дом.
19. Затем вы идёте в ближайшую аптеку и покупаете лекарства (нет, я
не оговорился: лечение бесплатное, но за лекарства вы платите сами).
Некоторые лекарства вам дадут сразу. Другие вам придётся заказать
и ждать, пока их приготовят. Приготовление лекарств иногда
занимает несколько часов. В таком случае ждать, конечно, нет
смысла. Вы идёте домой, и затем приходите в аптеку ещё раз.
20. Если во время осмотра участковый врач решает, что вам нужно
показаться врачу-специалисту, он тут же выписывает вам
соответствующее направление. После этого вам остаётся только
спуститься в регистратуру, взять новый номерок и в указанное время
(сегодня, завтра или, может быть, послезавтра) прийти на приём.

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21. В поликлинике работают разные специалисты (они не делятся по
участкам и домой к больным не ходят, принимая их только у себя в
кабинете).
Попробуем перечислить некоторых из них:
(а) невропатолог;
(б) окулист (или другими словами: глазной врач);
(в) специалист по уху, горлу и носу;
(г) дерматолог (или другими словами: кожник);
(д) уролог
и так далее.
22. Любой врач поликлиники (как участковый, так и специалист) может
направить вас на анализ крови или на рентген, на снятие
электрокардиограммы или на прохождение курса физиотерапии.
23. Как видите, всё это довольно хорошо продумано и удобно для
больного - в одном и том же здании вы можете получить почти все
виды медицинской помощи. Я сказал "почти", потому что для лечения
зубов, а также венерических и психических заболеваний существуют
свои специализированные клиники.
24. Что ещё хорошо в этой системе, это то, что врач "ведёт" больного
до его полного выздоровления (раз в три дня навещая его на дому или
принимая у себя в кабинете). И только когда человек снова здоров,

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врач "закрывает" бюллетень своего пациента и "выписывает" его (или
её) на работу.
25. И всё это лечение (включая лечение зубов) вы можете получить
совершенно бесплатно. Только за изготовление зубных протезов вам
придётся платить самому. Так что, как шутят в народе, "болейте себе
на здоровье!"
Translation of the Russian text presented above (Paragraphs 1 - 25)
1. First of all, if you fell ill you would not begin to count feverishly how many paid sick
days you still have until the end of the year (ten, five, none at all?). For the number of
such days is virtually unlimited.
2. If your doctor decides that you are really sick and it would be better for you not to
work for a while, he will immediately write for you a medical certificate and then, if
necessary, keep extending it again and again - till you are back to normal.
3. The only limitation is that you cannot be on sick leave longer than four
consecutive months. If after this period you are still unable to work, you will be
regarded as an invalid, which means you will have to resign from your organisation
and go on an invalid's benefit.

202
4. However, if after your illness you returned to work and then, say, in a week
time, became sick again, you can take another sick leave for a period of up to four
months. And all this time you will continue to receive your salary - all or part of it.
5. The latter will depend on the length of a continuous period of work (the work
continuity is not lost even when you change your workplace, unless the interval
between your old and new jobs exceeds 30 days).
6. If your continuous service is one year or less, you will receive only 50% of
your average salary while on sick leave. However, with an increase in the length
of service that percentage will grow up quite rapidly. And after eight years,
illness no longer makes an impact on your income: in sickness or health you will
always have your full salary.
7. Along with hospitals, all districts in the city have polyclinics, which provide
residents of these districts with outpatient medical treatment. A typical polyclinic
is a large four-storey building with numerous consulting rooms, in each of which
there is a doctor and his/her assistant (a nurse).
8. Most consulting rooms are allocated to general practitioners, who are
usually called local physicians because each of them is assigned to treat
residents of one particular section of the district. This section includes several
multi-storey buildings.
9. General practitioners usually spend no more than half of their working time
in the consulting rooms. The rest of the time is assigned for making house visits.
10. Normally, sick people ask the doctor to come to see them. To do this,
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they ring their polyclinic's Enquiries and Appointments office:
- Enquiries and Appointments.
- I'd like to have a doctor come and see me.
- What happened?
- I think I have the flu.
- What are your symptoms?
- I am shivering and have a bad headache. Also, I'm sneezing and coughing.
- What is your temperature?
- 38.6
- Name?
- Petrovsky, Alexei Dmitriyevich.
- Age?
- 42
- Address?
- Flat 31, 3 Malaya Posadskaya Street.
- Floor?
- Fifth.
- Wait for the doctor sometime this afternoon.
- Thank you.
11. If you don't have a temperature and you feel strong enough to go and see the
doctor yourself, your telephone conversation will have a slightly different pattern:
- Enquiries and Appointments.
- I'd like to arrange an appointment with my doctor.

204
- What happened?
- I think I have the flu.
- What are your symptoms?
- I have a bad headache. Also, I'm sneezing and coughing.
- Do you have a temperature?
- My temperature is normal.
- Where do you live?
- Name?
- Petrovsky, Alexei Dmitriyevich.
- How old are you?
- 42.
- Okay. Your number is 7. The appointment is for 3.30 p.m. Your
doctor will see you in consulting room number 25. When you come to the
polyclinic, don't forget to order your medical history card in the Enquiries and
Appointments office.
- Thank you very much.
- You are welcome. Goodbye.
12. Try to get to the polyclinic early (about 15 minutes before your
appointment) in order to have sufficient time to order your medical history
record. Wait your turn in the queue outside the Enquiries and Appointments
office, and then say something like this:

205
- I have an appointment with Doctor... (and then you give the паmе of your
doctor In the Dative Grammar case),
- What is your name? (you hear In response to your statement)
- Petrovsky.
- Address?
- At what consulting room do you have your appointment?
- 25.
13. Having said this, you can calmly go to that room: by the time you are invited
inside, your medical history record will be resting on the desk of your doctor.
Weil, you usually cannot avoid a queue even here.
14. Holding in your hand the appointment card (a small piece of paper specifying
your doctor's name, his/her consulting room number, the time of your
appointment, and your ordinal number), you approach a group of people sitting
and standing by consulting room No 25, and ask everybody at once:
- Who has number 6?
- I do (someone from the group responds, and now you know whom you should
follow In the queue, because you have the next number).
- And what number is with the doctor now? (you ask again - this time In
order to find out how many people are still in front of you and, accordingly,
how much longer you will need to languish here.)

206
- Number three just came in (you hear this and immediately make mental
calculations, realizing that you have to wait your turn for at least an hour.
So, make yourself as comfortable as you can and read a book).
15. Eventually, a nurse calls out your name, thus inviting you to come into the
consulting room. You come in, say 'Hello' and sit down. The doctor looks through
your medical history record. At the same time, the nurse takes your blood
pressure and temperature, and checks your pulse.
16. Then the doctor asks you to tell what happened: when you started to feel
unwell and all your symptoms. After that, she (the majority of general
practitioners are women) says to you:
- Please strip to the waist.
17. Then she takes her stethoscope and carefully listens to your heart and
lungs, and you, of course, do exactly what you are told to do:
(a) - Breathe
or (b) - Don't breathe;
(c) - Breathe in
or (d) - Breathe out;
(e) - Open your mouth, wider, a bit more! Say "a-a-a"! Good. Now let me
see your tongue, please
or (f) - Fine. You can close your mouth now;
(g) - Please turn around

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or (h.) - Please don't move.
18. On completion of the examination, the doctor asks you to get dressed, and
while you are doing this she writes you a prescription. Then she explains how you
should take the medicine prescribed. And after that she tells you:
- You should come and see me again in two days. This is your new
appointment card. I will keep your medical history record. But if you don't feel
better, please ring and ask me to come and see you.
19. Then you go to the nearest pharmacy and buy your medicine (no, it wasn't a
slip of the tongue: medical treatment is free, but you must pay for medicine).
Some medications you will get immediately. But others have to be ordered and
you must wait until they have been prepared. Preparation of medicines sometimes
takes several hours. In that case it certainly doesn't make any sense to wait. It
would better to go home and come back to the pharmacy later.
20. If during the examination in her consulting room, your doctor decides that
you should see a specialist, she will give you a referral on the spot. After that, you
just go downstairs (back to the Enquiries and Appointments office), take a new
appointment card, and at the appointed time (today, tomorrow or, possibly, the
day after tomorrow) come to see him.
21. Various specialists work in the same polyclinic (they are not allocated to
different residential sections and do not make home visits - they carry out
examinations only in the consulting rooms).
Let's try to list some of these specialists:

208
(a) neuropathologist;
(b) ophthalmologist (or in other words: eye specialist);
(c) ear, nose, and throat specialist;
(d) dermatologist (or in other words: skin specialist);
(e) urologist; etc.
22. Any doctor working in the polyclinic (either a general practitioner or a
specialist) can send you for a blood test, X-ray, electrocardiogram, or for
physiotherapy.
23. As you can see, this system is quite thorough and convenient for
outpatients - you can receive almost any kind of medical help in the same
building. I said "almost" because, in addition to polyclinics, there are specialized
clinics for dental treatment and also for the treatment of mental disorders and
sexually transmitted diseases.
24. Another advantage of this system lies in the fact that doctors follow-up their
patients until they have recovered completely from an illness (every three days
doctors make home visits or see their patients in the consulting room). And only
when a person is well again, will the doctor "close" the medical file on her
patient, thus allowing him/her to return back to work.
25. And all this treatment (even treatment of your teeth) you have absolutely
free. You will only need to pay for dentures. So, as Russians like to joke, "be sick
until you get well!"

209
Paragraph 2. In Russian, there are three commonly used equivalents for
"medical certificate", namely: бюллетень, больничный лист or simply
больничный.
Paragraph 3. Have you noticed that in this one paragraph the same personal
pronoun appears in three different forms: вы, вас, вам? As you are certainly
aware, the reason for this is its use in different grammatical cases. Please learn
by heart all Russian personal pronouns in all six cases
(options shown after slash (/) with an additional letter "н" at the beginning have to
be chosen when used with a preposition).
Nominative
(singular) я ты (Вы) он (она, оно)
I you he (she, it)
(plural) мы вы они
we уоu they
[e.g. я здесь = I am here]

210
Genitive
меня тебя (Вас) его (её, его) / него (неё, него)
нас вас их / них
[e.g. (1) Меня не было дома = I was not at home.
(2) У неё никого не было = nobody was at her place.]
Dative
мне тебе (Вам) ему (ей, ему) / нему (ней, нему)
нам вам им / ним
[e.g. (1) Я Вам пишу = I am writing to you.
(2) Я еду к нему = I am going to his place.]
Accusative
меня тебя (Вас) его (её, его) / него (неё, него)
нас вас их / них
[e.g. я только что видел его = I have just seen him]
Instrumental
мной тобой (Вами) им (ею, им) / ним (нею, ним)
нами вами ими / ними

[e.g. учитель гордится нами = the teacher is proud of us]
Note: Instead мной or тобой, you can say мною or тобою respectively.
Likewise, ей / ней can be replaced with ею / нею.

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Prepositional
обо мне о тебе (о Вас) о нём (о ней, о нём)

о нас о вас о них
[e.g. расскажите о них, пожалуйста! = tell about them, please!]
In this same paragraph (No. 3) you could notice that то есть = that is. And like
its English equivalent, то есть is often used in the abbreviated form: т.е.
Paragraph 11 (the last sentence). The Russian expression "будьте здоровы" is
literally translated as "be healthy". However, its meaning can vary depending on
which of three main situations you were in when you pronounced these two words.
In our text, they mean (and therefore it is translated) as "goodbye". The same
words said to a person who has sneezed would mean "bless you!" And, finally, it is
what people sitting around a dinner table with a glass of wine (or vodka) in their
hand would say to each other - obviously, in this case you would interpret the above
expression as a toast meaning "to your health!"

212
SUBJECT 13. HOSPITALS
In case of emergency, e.g. несчастный случай на дороге
[nye-'scha-stn.yy 'slu-chay na da-'ro-gye] "road accident", сердечный приступ
[syer-'dyech-n.yy 'pri-stup] "heart attack" or кого-то ранили в драке [ ka-'vo-ta
'ra-ni-li v 'dra-kye] "somebody was injured in a fight", люди вызывают скорую
помощь [ 'lyu-di v.y-z.y-'va-yut 'sko-ru-yu 'po-mashch] "people call an
ambulance". There are three main emergency telephone numbers in Russia:
01 - пожарная команда [pa-'zhar-na-ya ka-'man-da] "fire brigade";
02 - милиция [mi-'li-tsi-ya] "police";
03 - скорая помощь ['sko-ra-ya 'po-mashch] "ambulance".
All these services are, certainly, free and work 24 hours a day.
In some cases your general practitioner can decide to call an ambulance
and отправить вас в больницу [at-'pra-vit' vas v bаl-'ni-tsu] "send you to
hospital", if you do not respond to his/her treatment and there is a danger that
your condition may deteriorate without specialist help, which can be provided
only in hospital.
Lets imagine that Alexei Dmitryevich Petrovsky, to whom you were
introduced in the previous chapter, is now being visited by his doctor at home -
for the second time since the beginning of his illness.
la. - Ну как Вы сегодня себя чувствуете? Получше?

213
lb. - Нет, к сожалению, нисколько не лучше. Если совсем честно, то
даже немного хуже.
2а. - Вы принимаете все лекарства, которые я Вам прописала в
прошлый раз?
2b. Да, я делаю всё в точности, как Вы мне сказали.
За. Почему у Вас лицо такое красное и потное? Вроде бы, у Вас в
квартире не так уж и жарко.
Зb. - Не знаю, доктор. Меня всё время бросает то в жар, то в холод.
4а. - Вы температуру давно мерили?
4b. - Минут двадцать тому назад.
5а. - И сколько было?
5b. - Тридцать девять и девять.
6а. - Вы что, серьёзно? Ну-ка, давайте померим ещё раз. Где у Вас
градусник? Лежите-лежите, я сама возьму. Вот он! Ставьте его под
мышку... Так, достаточно. Посмотрим, что там у Вас сейчас. Нехорошо,
голубчик, совсем нехорошо. Уже больше сорока. Горло болит?
6b. - Не очень. Но дышать тяжело.
7а. - Дайте-ка я Вас послушаю хорошенько. Не напрягайтесь. Старайтесь
дышать ровно и спокойно. Покашляйте немного. Так, хорошо. Теперь
приподнимитесь немного, чтобы я могла выслушать Вашу спину. Похоже,
что у Вас двустороннее воспаление лёгких.

214
7b. - Не могу сидеть, доктор... Голова ужасно кружится и слабость.
8а. - Да, Вы что-то совсем побледнели. И эта постоянная зевота...
Придётся Вас срочно отправить в больницу.
8b. - Но я не хочу в больницу!
9а. - А я Вас и спрашивать не буду, голубчик! Не могу же я оставить
Вас в таком состоянии дома.
9b. - Скоро моя жена придёт с работы. Она будет смотреть за
мной.
10а. - Я отвечаю за Вашу жизнь, а не Ваша жена. Так что не спорьте,
пожалуйста. Я сейчас же вызываю скорую помощь. Где у Вас
телефон?
Translation of the Russian text presented in paragraphs 1 - 10 above
la. - Well, how do you feel today? Better?
lb. - No, unfortunately, not better at all. Frankly speaking, even a little
bit worse.
2a. - Did you take all the medicine which I prescribed for you last time?
2b. - Yes, I did exactly as you told me.

215
3a. - Why is your face so red and sweaty? I would say, it is rather cold
here.
3b. - I do not know, doctor. I keep on going hot and cold.
4a. - Have you taken your temperature lately?
4b. - About twenty minutes ago.
5a. - Was it high?
5b. - 39.9
6a. - Are you serious? If so let's take it again. Where is your thermometer? Don't
stand up, I will get it myself. Here it is! Hold it in your armpit... Weil, it is enough
now. Let's see what you have. It is not good, my friend, not good at all. Your
temperature is already above forty. Do you have a sore throat?
6b. - Not really. But I do have some difficulty breathing.
7a. - Let me listen to your chest very carefully. Relax. Try to breathe
evenly and calmly. Cough a little. Well done. Now please sit up, so that I
can listen to your back. It looks like you've got double pneumonia.
7b. - I can't sit, doctor... I feel awfully dizzy and weak.
8a. - Yes, you have turned completely pale. And this continuous
yawning... I must send you to hospital urgently.
8b. - But I don't want to go to hospital!
9a. - I am not going to ask you about this, my friend! I just cannot leave
you at home in such a poor condition.
9b. - My wife gets back soon from work. She will look after me.
216
10a. - I am the one responsible for your life, not your wife. So please don't
argue with me. I will call an ambulance right now. Where is a telephone
here?
Paragraphs 1a и 1b. Лучше ("better") and хуже ("worse") are comparative
degrees of the adverbs хорошо ("good") and плохо ("bad"). Using the
Russian prefix 'no' we can make the comparative degree sound less emphatic,
thus получше = немного лучше ("a little bit better"); похуже - немного
хуже ("a little bit worse").
Paragraph 3a. Literal translation of the second sentence: "It seems that it is not
very hot in your flat".
Paragraph 5a. Literal translation: "And how much was it?"
Paragraph 6a. Лежите-лежите in literal translation would sound as "keep lying,
keep lying". The Russian equivalent for "don't stand up" is не вставайте [nye
vsta-'vay-tye].
The Russian medical thermometer has a different design and is bigger
than its English counterpart. It must be held in an armpit for 5-10 minutes.
The Russian word голубчик [ga-'lup-chik] is a derivative from the word
голубь ['go-lup'] = pigeon. Голубчик is an old-fashioned word and mostly used
by older people (especially when addressing younger ones), and only in a
figurative meaning. Loosely, it can be translated as "my dear fellow" or "my

217
friend". The corresponding term for a female person is голубушка [ga-'lu-bush-
ka].
Sometimes these words are used with irony or sarcasm, for example: Ну
что попался, голубчик? [Nu 'chto pa-'pal-sya, ga-'lup-chik?] "Got caught, did
we!" or Хороша же ты, голубушка, нечего сказать! [Kha-ra-'sha zhe t.у, ga-
'lu-bush-ka, 'nye-chye-va ska-'zat'!] "That's just great!
Paragraph 10a. The possessive pronouns мой (my), твой (your - singular).
Ваш (your - singular polite), наш (our), and ваш (your - plural) agree in gender,
number and case with the noun they qualify. As you can see, in the first sentence
of paragraph 10a the pronoun Ваш changed its form twice, namely: Вашу and
Ваша. Both these versions are preceding a feminine noun in the singular.
However, the first noun (and accordingly, the preceding possessive pronoun) is
used in the accusative case (Вашу жизнь), and the second one - in the
nominative case (Ваша жена).
As an example, I will show you all possible forms of the possessive pronouns
твой (Table 1) and Ваш (Table 2). Please note how these pronouns change their
endings depending on the gender, number and case of the following noun (the
pronoun мой has exactly the same pattern of changes as твой, and variations of
pronouns наш and ваш are identical to those of Ваш).
:
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*
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural
Nom. твой твоя твоё твои

т твово
Gen. твоего твоей твоего твоих
Dat. твоему твоей твоему твоим
**
Acc. твой ** твою твоё твои
*
*
Inst. твоим твоей твоим твоими
Prep. о твоем о твоей о твоем о твоих

219
TABLE 2:
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural *

Nom. Ваш Ваша Ваше Ваши
Gen. Вашего Вашей Вашего Ваших
Dat. Вашему Вашей Вашему Вашим
Acc. Ваш ** Вашу Ваше Ваши **
Inst. Вашим Вашей Вашим Вашими
Prep. о Вашем о Вашей о Вашем о Ваших
Notes:
* The plural in Russian always (and not only for possessive pronouns) has one
common form for all three genders.
** If this noun is a person or an animal, the possessive pronoun твой / Ваш in
the accusative case (for the masculine gender and the plural) has the same
form as it has in the genitive case (i.e. твоего / Вашего and твоих / Ваших
respectively).
On the other hand, the possessive pronouns of the 3rd person, namely
его (his or its), её (her) and их (their) never change their form.
220
Well, the doctor called an ambulance, and soon after that Alexei
Dmitryevich Petrovsky was delivered в приёмный покой [f pri-'yom-n.yy pa-
'koy] "to the Emergency Department" of the nearest hospital. You will
understand why Alexei Dmitryevich was so reluctant to go there if you read (in
Russian) about conditions which were typical for most Soviet hospitals.
1. Все палаты в любом отделении больницы, как правило,
переполнены. В более или менее современных больницах вы
можете найти относительно небольшие палаты - на пять-восемь
человек. Но если вам не повезло, и вы попали в старую больницу,
то не исключено, что в вашей палате будет от двадцати до
пятидесяти коек (а может быть, и больше!)
2. Возле каждой кровати имеется тумбочка - единственное, что,
по существу, и отделяет вашу голову от головы соседа. Над каждой
головой - лампочка и радионаушники. Телефона, конечно, нет; да и
включить его было бы некуда. Зато есть несколько табуреток, а
иногда (если позволяет место) даже и стол, где больные нередко
"забивают козла", т.е. играют в домино.
3. Кормят в больнице отвратительно. Еда невкусная и
однообразная. Подобно солдатам в казарме, больные шутят:

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"Щи да каша - пища наша". И сервировка тоже не отличается
изысканностью: каждый получает свою порцию в металлической
миске и устраивается с ней у себя на кровати.
Большинство больных дополняют (или полностью заменяют)
больничную диету более вкусными и питательными продуктами,
которые им приносят из дома.
4. Посещение больных официально разрешается не чаще чем 2
раза в неделю, и время визита ограничено двумя-тремя часами. В
другое время вас к больному не пустят, но при каждой больнице
организована служба, через которую вы всегда можете послать
больному передачу (то есть посылку с продуктами) и/или письмо.
5. На время визита каждому посетителю выдаётся белый халат,
который он надевает поверх своей обычной одежды (без халата в
палату входить не разрешается, "чтобы не занести больному
инфекцию").
6. Во многих больницах есть также столовая для "ходячих"
больных, специальная комната для визитов, небольшая библиотека
и телевизионная комната.
7. Каждое утро начинается с врачебного обхода. Врач (иногда
один, а иногда в сопровождении большой группы студентов

222
медицинского института) по очереди подходит к каждой кровати.
Осмотр больного, естественно, производится на виду у всех
остальных, поскольку никаких ширм или занавесок между
кроватями нет.
8. Как раз в данный момент врач, сопровождаемый студентами,
приблизился к кровати Алексея Дмитриевича.
- Доброе утро, Алексей Дмитриевич. Вы не возражаете, если
студенты послушают, как я собираю медицинский анамнез?
- Какие тут могут быть возражения? Студентам нужна практика.
- Спасибо. К сожалению, не все это понимают. Я Вам задам много
вопросов. На некоторые из них Вам будет неприятно отвечать. Но
поверьте, Ваши откровенные ответы необходимы для постановки
правильного диагноза и, соответственно, правильного лечения.
9. Для экономии места, а также щадя самолюбие больного, я приведу
здесь только вопросы, заданные врачом. Каждый из вас, пользуясь
словарём, может попытаться ответить на эти вопросы. Я полагаю,
что для вас это будет интересно и полезно со всех точек зрения. К
тому же, конфиденциальность ваших ответов полностью
гарантируется.
Итак, приступим...
10. - Сколько Вам лет?

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- Какие болезни Вы перенесли в детстве?
- Страдали ли Вы когда-либо недержанием мочи?
- Сколько раз в день Вы имеете стул?
- Были ли у Вас, у Ваших родителей или у Ваших близких
родственников какие-либо венерические или психические
заболевания? Злокачественные опухоли? Туберкулёз? Астма?
Порок сердца? Другие серьёзные болезни?
- В каком возрасте Вы впервые испытали чувство полового
влечения? В каком возрасте Вы имели первое половое сношение?
Как часто Вы имеете половое сношение с Вашей женой?
- Имеются ли у Вас в доме кошки, собаки, птицы? Связана ли
Ваша работа с животными?
- Как с Вами обращались Ваши родители в детстве? Били ли
они Вас? Ругали? Унижали? Как Ваш отец относился к Вашей матери,
и она к нему?
- Удовлетворены ли Вы своей работой, своей семейной жизнью,
жизнью в целом?
11. Безусловно, помимо подобного опроса, врач осматривает больного,
назначает лечение и следит за процессом выздоровления. Медсестры,
по назначению врача, делают больному уколы, дают ему лекарства,
проверяют температуру, пульс и кровяное давление.

224
12. Санитарки выполняют самую низкооплачиваемую и самую
неприятную работу: меняют постели, моют полы в палате, приносят
тяжело больному судно, моют и убирают за ним. Они вечно
перегружены работой, усталые и раздражённые.
13. Если на Западе больного долго в госпитале не держат и могут
отправить его домой буквально на следующий день после серьёзной
операции, то в советских больницах всегда была другая крайность:
больного не отпускали домой до тех пор, пока врач не убеждался в
полном выздоровлении своего пациента, что должно было быть
подтверждено многочисленными и разнообразными анализами.
14. Таким образом, Алексей Дмитриевич имел все основания опасаться,
что если поставленный участковым врачом диагноз подтвердится, то
раньше чем через месяц его из больницы не выпишут. Так оно и
получилось. Через две недели он уже чувствовал себя вполне здоровым
и стал проситься домой. Однако, просьбы его не имели никакого
эффекта, и он продолжал томиться в больнице.
15. "Вы же залечите меня здесь до смерти! - возмущался он. - В палате
дышать нечем, а от вашего "калорийного" (в кавычках) питания я
буквально готов лезть на стенку!"

225
"Я не могу Вас выписать, - возражал врач, - потому что анализ крови
у Вас еще не совсем хороший. Мы держим Вас здесь в Ваших же
интересах. Так что запаситесь, пожалуйста, терпением и подождите ещё
пару дней.
16. Пара дней переросла в пару недель. Но всему приходит конец.
Пришёл конец и нашей истории...
1. All rooms in any hospital ward, as a rule, are overcrowded. You can find relatively
small rooms (for five to eight people) in more or less modern hospitals. But if you
are unlucky enough to find yourself in an old hospital, then you should not be
surprised to see 20 to 50 beds (and possibly even more!) in one room.
2. A bedside table by each bed is the only item which, in essence, separates your
head from the head of your neighbour. An electrical bulb and earphones hang above
each bed. Of course, there is no telephone in the room (and even if it were, it would
be useless: there is nowhere to plug the phone in). However, there are several
226
stools, and sometimes (if there is space for this) even a table where patients often
(as they say) "killing a goat", i.e. play dominoes.
3. Hospital food is revolting. It is tasteless and monotonous. Like soldiers in the
barracks, patients used to joke "Cabbage soup and porridge - it is how we are
nourished." And the way how the meal is served lacks sophistication either:
everyone receives his or her helping in a metal dish and arrange themselves as
comfortably as they can on their beds.
Most patients supplement (or completely substitute) their hospital diet with
tastier and more nutritious food brought from home.
4. Officially, visiting is permitted no more than twice a week, and each visit must
not exceed two to three hours. Beyond these hours you will not be allowed in.
However, each hospital has a special department through which you can always
send to the patient "pyerye'dachu" (i.e. a food parcel) and/or a letter.
5. Each visitor receives a white smock, which is worn over street clothes (visitors
are not allowed into the room without the smock "lest they risk infecting patients").
6. Many hospitals have a dining room for "walking" patients, a special visiting
room, a small library, and a TV room.

227
7. Each morning begins with the doctor's round. The doctor (sometimes on his
own and sometimes accompanied by a large group of medical students) goes from
bed to bed. Naturally, the examination of each patient takes place in full view of all
other patients since there are no screens or curtains between the beds.
8. Right at this moment the doctor (accompanied by the students) approaches
Alexei Dmitryevich's bed.
- Good morning, Alexei Dmitryevich. Do you mind if students are
present during the medical anamnesis?
- Not at all. They need the practice.
- Thank you. Unfortunately, not all patients understand that. I am going to
ask you a lot of questions. It won't be pleasant for you to answer some of them.
But believe me, we need your honest answers in order to be able to make the
right diagnosis and, accordingly, to prescribe the right treatment.
9. To save space and also to spare the patient his self-respect, I will disclose here
only the doctor's questions. Using a dictionary each of you can try to answer these
questions. I presume that it will be Interesting and useful for you from every point of
view. Besides, the confidentiality of уour replies is assured. So, let's start...
228
10. - How old are you?
- What diseases did you have as a child?
- Have you ever suffered from incontinence?
- How many times a day do you have a stool?
- Have you, your parents or other close relatives ever had any sexually
transmitted diseases or mental disorders? Malignant tumours? Tuberculosis?
Asthma? Heart disease? Any other serious diseases?
- At what age did you first experience sexual desire? At what age did you first
have intercourse? How often do you have intercourse with your wife?
- Do you have cats, dogs or birds where you live? Is your job
connected in any ways with animals?
- How were you treated by your parents when you were a child? Did they
beat, insult or humiliate you? How did your father treat your mother, and vice
versa?
- Are you satisfied with your job, with your family life, with life in general?
11. Of course, apart from asking these questions, the doctor examines his patients,
prescribes treatment and monitors the recovery process. Nurses, under the
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direction of a doctor, make injections, administer drugs, take patients' temperature,
and check their pulse and blood pressure.
12. Hospital attendants do the most lowly-paid and unpleasant job: change the
bedding, wash the floors, bring bedpans to bedridden patients, and wash and clean
up after them. They are constantly overworked, tired and irritable.
13. While in the West patients are not kept in hospital longer than it is absolutely
necessary (sometimes they are sent home on the very next day after a serious
operation), Soviet hospitals always went to the other extreme: patients were not
allowed to go home until their doctor was satisfied that they fully recovered. And
this had to be confirmed by many diverse tests.
14. Thus, Aiexei Dmitryevich had every reason to believe that if the diagnosis
made by his general practitioner was confirmed, then he would need to stay in
hospital for at least a month. And so it was. After staying in hospital for a fortnight,
he felt quite well and asked his doctor to discharge him. However, his request fell
on deaf ears, and Alexei Dmitryevich continued to languish in hospital.
15. "You will treat me to death!" he would yell indignantly. "It is impossible to
breathe in this place, and your so-called high-calorie food is driving me up the wall."
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"I can't discharge you," the doctor objected, "because your blood test is not
good enough yet. We are keeping you here for your own good. Therefore, please
be patient and wait a few more days."
16. A few days turned out to be a few weeks. But everything comes to an end.
And this is the end of our story...
Paragraph 10 (last sentence). The word своей is a reflexive-possessive pronoun

used in the instrumental case with two feminine nouns (работа and жизнь). In the
nominative case (singular), this pronoun has the following three forms: свой, своя,
своё (for masculine, feminine, neuter genders respectively). But for all genders in the
plural, that same pronoun has only one common form: свои.
The above pronoun is normally used instead of any possessive pronoun, for example:
Я читаю свою (not мою) книгу - I am reading my book.
Ты читаешь свою (not твою) книгу - You are reading your book.
Он читает свою (not его) книгу - He is reading his book. (If you say: "Он читает
его книгу", it could be interpreted as "he is reading somebody else's book".)

231
Мы читаем свои (not наши) книги - We are reading our books.
Вы читаете свои (not ваши) книги - You are reading your books.
Они читают свои (not их) книги - They are reading their books. (If you say: "Они
читают их книги", it could be interpreted as "they are reading some other
people's books".)
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SUBJECT 14. SHOPPING
Concepts of shopping in the old Soviet Union and in the West had very little in
common. The purpose was certainly the same: купить нужные вам товары [ku-'pit'
'nuzh-n.y-ye vam ta-'va-r.y] "to buy the goods which you need". But the processes,
procedures and final results were so much different...
In western countries, certainly if you have a sufficient amount of money to
spend, shopping can be a sheer pleasure for you and your family. In Russia, even if
you had деньги ['dyen'-gi] "money", it could be anything but pleasure.
First of all, apart from a short period of the Soviet history in 1920-s when Lenin
announced НЭП {новая экономическая политика ['no-va-ya e-ka-na- 'mi-chye-
ska-ya pa-'li-ti-ka] "new economic policy"}, it would be difficult to recall any year at all
when shops were sufficiently stocked. Goods which were not readily available in the
shops were called дефицитные товары [dye-fi-'tsit-n.y-ye ta-'va-r.y] "scarce goods".
Such goods as холодильники [kha-la-'dil'-ni-ki] "refrigerators" or стиральные
машины [sti-'ral'-n.y-ye ma-'shi-n.y] "washing machines" nearly always belonged to
that category. And nearly any item in Russia could become scarce at one stage or
another. From time to time shortages extended to such basic goods as хлеб [khlyep]
"bread", сахар ['sa-khar] "sugar", мука [mu-vka] "flour", мыло ['m.y-la] "sоар, яйца
['yay- tsa] "eggs", молоко [ma-la-'ko] "milk", кофе [ 'ko-fye] "coffee", etc. and so on.
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Shortages or not, очереди [ 'o-chye-rye-di] "queues" were in fact an inevitable
and constant feature of everyday life. The queues still remain one of the most vivid
recollections of my childhood.
The year was 1945. The whole world celebrated the historic victory over Hitler's
Germany and its most powerful ally, Japan. 1945 was also a significant landmark in
my personal life: I just turned seven and started my first year in school.
But coming home from school, before I could play with other children outside or
do my school assignments, I had to go to the shops and buy whatever my mother
listed in her note to me, prior to leaving for work. Shopping had to be done each day
because our family (like most other ordinary families in that time) did not have a fridge,
let alone a car.
Everywhere were queues, everything was rationed, and sometimes I had to
spend up to 5 hours just to buy half a kilo of sugar or flour. People in the queues were
unfriendly and embittered. From time to time they exchanged verbal insults, which in
turn could easily grow into a nasty fight (people did have their reasons to be angry and
frustrated: indeed, everyday life was a constant struggle for survival; too much time
and effort were spent in order to satisfy just the very basic needs, too little space was
left for happiness).
Gradually, life improved and the queues got shorter. Still during the Soviet
years they never disappeared completely.

234
Obviously, most queues were created by shortages. But even without
shortages, the queues existed because there were too few shops for too many people,
and the way these shops organized their work was far from the best. For example,
each shop usually had two kinds of queues: one в кассу [f 'kas-su] "to a cashier", где
вы платили деньги за товары, которые вы хотели купить, и получали чек
(where you paid money for goods which you wanted to buy, and received a
docket), and another one к прилавку соответствующего отдела (to the
counter of the appropriate department), где вы вручали чек продавцу (или
продавщице), который (которая) затем обслуживал (обслуживала) вас
[where you presented the docket to a salesman (or a saleswoman), who then served
you.]
From the 1960-s the Soviet Government began to develop (though
slowly enough) the so-called магазины самообслуживания [ma-ga-'zi-
n.y 'sa-ma-ap-'slu-zhi-va-ni-ya] "self-service" shops, where покупатели
[pa-ku-'pa-tye-li] "shoppers" selected the goods and then paid for them at the
checkout. Had such shops been properly stocked, you could confuse them
with some western supermarkets. Unfortunately, it was never the case both
in the sense of the quantity and the quality.
All shops In Russia could be divided into two main types: продуктовые
магазины [pra-duk-'to-v.y-ye ma-ga-'zi-n.y] "groceries" and

235
промтоварные магазины [pram-ta-'var-n.y-ye ma-ga-'zi-n.y] "manufactured
goods shops".
A large food store, with many different departments, was called
гастроном [ gas-tra-'поm]. A Russian equivalent for a department store was
known as универмаг [u-ni-vyer-'mak], which stands for универсальный
магазин [u-ni-vyer-'sal'-n.yy ma-ga-'zin] "universal store" (in literal translation).
The best known универмаг in Moscow is ГУМ ['GUM], which stands for
Государственный Универмаг "State Department Store". Another крупный
московский универмаг [ 'krup-n.yy mas-'kof-skiy u-ni-vyer-' mak] "large
Moscow department store" is ЦУМ [TSUM] - Центральный Универмаг "Central
Department Store".
Apart from large stores, any Russian city has a significant variety of smaller
specialized shops. You should be able to recognize them. Just read their signs,
please:
Булочная [ 'bu-lach-na-ya] or Хлебо-булочные изделия ['khlye-ba- 'bu-lach-
n.y-ye iz-'dye-li-ya] "Baker's".
Верхняя одежда [ 'vyerkh-nya-ya a-'dyezh-da] "street clothes".
Вино-водочные изделия ['vi-na-'vo-dach-n.y-ye iz-'dye-li-ya] "Wines &
spirits".
Галантерея и Трикотаж [Ga-lan-tye-'rye-ya i Tri-ka-'tazh]
or
236
Галантерейно-трикотажные изделия [Ga-lan-tye-'ryey-na - tri-ka-'tazh-n.y-ye
iz- 'dye-li-ya] "Haberdashery and Knitted Wear".
Детская одежда ['Dyet-ska-ya A-'dyezh-da] "Children's Clothes".
Игрушки [I-'grush-ki] "Toys".
Канцелярские принадлежности [Kan-tse-'lyar-ski-ye pri-na-'dlyezh-na-sti]

"Stationery".
Книги ['Kni-gi] "Books".
Кондитерская [Kan-'di-tyer-ska-ya] or Кондитерские изделия [Kan-'di- tyer-ski-ye
iz-'dye-li-ya] "Confectionery".
Кустарные изделия [Kus-'tar-n.y-ye iz-'dye-li-ya] "Handicrafts".
Магазин подарков [Ma-ga-'zin pa-'dar-kaf] "Gift shop".
Мебель ['Mye-byelr] "Furniture".
Меховые изделия [Mye-kha-'v.y-ye iz-'dye-li-ya] "Furs".
Молочные изделия [Ma-'loch-n.y-ye iz-'dye-li-ya] "Dairy products"
Мужская и Женская Одежда [Muzh-'ska-ya i 'Zhen-ska~ya A-'dyezh-da]

"Gentlemen's and Ladies' Clothes".
Музыкальные инструменты [Mu-z.y-'kal'-n.y-ye in-stru-'myen-t.y] "Musical

Instruments".
Мясо и Птица [ 'Mya-sa i 'Pti-tsa] "Meat & Poultry".
Нижнее бельё ['Nizh-nye-ye bye-'lyo] "Underwear".
Обувь [ '0-buf'] "Footwear"

237
Постельные принадлежности [Pa-'styel'-n.y-ye pri-na-'dlyezh-na-sti]

"Bedding".
Рыба [ 'R.y-ba] "Fish".
Спортивные товары [Spar-' tiv-n.y-ye ta-'va-r.y] "Sportswear".
Сувениры [Su-vye-'ni-r.y] "Souvenirs".
Фрукты и Овощи ['Fruk-t.y i 'O-va-shchi] "Fruits and Vegetables".
Хозяйственные товары [Kha-'zyay-stvye-n.y-ye ta-'va-r.y] "Household

goods"
Часовой магазин [Cha-sa-'voy ma-ga-'zin] "Clock and watch shop".
Электроприборы [E-'lyek-tra-pri-'bo-r.y] "Electrical Appliances".
Ювелирные изделия [Yu-vye-'lir-n.y-ye iz-'dye-li-ya] "Jewellery".
Now, when you are able to read the signs and know what is what, let's go shopping. But
because shopping in Russia (as you have already realized) is not a laughing matter, I
urge you to proceed with caution and act in accordance with the following Code of
Practice. {Note: Do not demonstrate too much of your own initiative because (according
to a Russian saying) инициатива наказуема [i-ni-tsi-a-'ti-va na-ka-'zu-ye-ma] "any
initiative is punishable".}
238
The Shopper's Code of Practice
1. BE CURIOUS. If you see people standing in line, go for it. Each queue is full of
mystery and promises you a lot of excitement. The longer the queue, the more
excitement can be expected. Never avoid the queues, otherwise you can easily
miss something really important, like toilet paper or soap.
Approach the queue with confidence and ask loudly:
(a) За чем очередь? [Za 'chyem 'o-chye-ryet'?] "What is this queue for?"
OR (in more personal way)
(b) За чем ВЫ стоите? [Za 'chyem V.y sta-'i-tye?] "What are you standing for?"
OR (just to the point)
(c) Что дают? [Chto da-'yut?] "What is for sale?" {Literal translation of this
expression: "What is being given?"}.
2. BE DECISIVE. Whatever the answer, quickly balance the importance of the
items for sale for you and your family against the probable time you will spend in the
queue. If you decide to stay, go to the end of the queue and ask:
- Кто последний? [Kto pa-'slyed-niy?] "Who is the last one?"
The answer can be very brief and precise: я [ya] "I". Or it can be somewhat
uncertain, e.g. За мной занимала какая-то женщина. Стойте пока за мной* [Za
'mnoy za-ni-'ma-la ka-'ka-ya-ta 'zhen-shchi-na. 'Stoy-tye pa-'ka za 'mnoy.] "Some
woman took place after me. In the meantime you would better stand right behind me."
239
3. WHILE IN THE QUEUE, MAKE AN EFFORT TO REMEMBER BOTH THE
PERSON YOU FOLLOW AND THE PERSON WHO FOLLOWS YOU. The person in
front of you is your lighthouse. If you were absent from the queue for some period of
time, you will find your place by recognizing your leading person. However, in turn, you
are a lighthouse for the person who is standing behind you. Therefore, if you want to
absent yourself from the queue temporarily, it would be just courteous дождаться
последнего [da-'zhdat'-sya pa-'slyed-nye-va] "to wait until somebody will take the
place behind you" (literally: "to wait for the last one"). Besides, if you had not done this,
you could be in danger not to be accepted back to the queue on your return
(especially if your leading person left the line or he just did not bother to confirm your
standing). In that case, be prepared for a battle of the minds (refer to the following
clause for details).
4. BE PERSISTENT TRYING TO GAIN BACK YOUR PLACE IN THE
QUEUE. Let us assume that you were absent from a queue for half an hour.
When you came back, you obviously tried to put yourself between your leading
person and the person who followed. The latter has not seen you before;
therefore, you could understand his (her) indignation when he (she) yelled at you
(Note: versions in round brackets relate to a woman):
- Гражданин (гражданка), не примазывайтесь, пожалуйста!
Вы здесь не стояли. [Grazh-da-'nin (grazh-'dan-ka), nye pri-'ma-zy-vay-

240
tyes', pa-'zha-lus-ta! 'V.y zdyes' nye sta-'yali "Citizen, don't worm your way
in the queue! You did not stand here."
- Я стоял (стояла). Молодой человек (девушка), подтвердите,
пожалуйста, что я занимал (занимала) очередь за Вами.
"I did. Young man (Miss), would you please confirm that I was standing here, right
behind you."
- Да, он (она) говорит правду. [Da, on (o'na) ga-va-'rit 'prav-du.]
"Yes, he (she) is telling the truth."
- Вы это только сейчас придумали! Когда я пришёл
(пришла), Вы не предупредили, что за Вами ещё кто-то
занимал. "You made it up right now! When I came here, you did
not tell me that somebody else took place behind you."
- Я просто забыл (забыла) сказать об этом. [Ya 'pro-sta za-'b.yl (za-
'b.y-la) ska-'zat' ab 'e-tam.] "I just forgot to tell this."
- Я не верю Вам и не верю ему (ей). Из-за таких проходимцев,
как вы, честные люди часами стоят в очереди и ничего не получают.
"I do not believe you and don't believe him (her). Because of such rogues as
both of you, honest people are standing in queues for hours and get nothing."
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- Можно без оскорблений? С Вами же по-хорошему говорят.
"Can you talk without insults? We so far were polite with you."
- Я ещё и не так могу оскорбить. Убирайся-ка отсюда подобру-
поздорову! А то ведь и по морде можешь у меня схлопотать! "It was
not an insult yet. You would better go away with a whole skin! Otherwise I am
going to hit you in the mouth!"
5. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME IN ONE QUEUE - BE VERSATILE.
Shoppers in Russia should have many special qualities to survive the
everyday struggle for food. One of them is time management. You would spend all
your life standing in line for something, if you did not learn to handle several queues
at the same time.
Let us assume that you took place in a queue for meat. Wait until
somebody else has joined the queue. Now you can put your management plan in
action by asking that person behind you:
- Вы будете стоять? [ Y.y 'bu-dye-tye sta-'yat'] "Will you stand?"
Я отойду минут на пятнадцать. [Ya a-tay-'du mi-'nut na pyat-'nat-
tsat'.] "I will be away for fifteen minutes or so."
- Пожалуйста. A потом мне тоже надо будет уйти. [Pa-'zha-lus-ta. А
ра-'tom mnуе 'tо-zhe 'na-da 'bu-dyet uy-'ti.] "It is okay. And then I will
need to leave myself."

242
Now you have time to rush across the road and take place in a queue for
fish. Then you will come back to your first queue. Both queues are moving very
slowly; so you will have plenty of opportunities to check the situation in each of them
and even take place in a third queue to buy imported shoes.
In three or four hours you will have everything you wanted: meat, fish, and
shoes. This achievement will give you the feeling of great satisfaction and
happiness - that special kind of excitement which was never experienced by
satiated shoppers of the West.

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6. By the time you have approached the cashier's window or the salesperson's
counter, feel free to ask questions and make requests for some simple service, but do
not be too frustrated if your questions are not appreciated and the service is not
provided - just try, try, try again!
(a) - Свешайте мне, пожалуйста, кусочек нежирного мяса без костей
"Would you please weigh for me a piece of non-fat meat without bones."
- Мяса без костей не бывает "There is no meat without bones."
Saying this, мясник [mya-'snik] "butcher" throws some meat на весы [na vye-'s.y]
"on scales" and then tells you:
- Платите в кассу 197 рублей 25 копеек "Pay 197 roubles 25 copecks to
the cashier."
{I mentioned before that normally shoppers are standing in the queue at first to the
cashier's window, and then to the counter. Here, it was the other way round because it
would not be easy for the butcher to cut and weigh exactly as much meat as you had
already paid for. This same (reverse) order is applied in some other cases as well,
where people cannot be sure how much they should pay until they selected, weighed,
measured or tried the goods themselves.}
- Посмотрите, что Вы мне даёте: одни кости!
"Look what you are giving to me: nothing but bonesl"
- Гражданин (гражданка), не задерживайте очередь. Забирайте
своё мясо и уходите! "Citizen, do not keep all these people in the queue
waiting. Take your meat and leave!"

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- Вы считаете, что это мясо? Что же Вы тогда называете
костями? Так, хорошо. Дайте мне жалобную книгу.
"Do you really think that it is meat? What on earth do you call bones then?
Well, give me the book of complaints."
- Зачем же сразу жалобу писать? Если Вам уж так не нравится этот
кусок, я дам Вам другой.
"Why are you so quick to write a complaint? If you really don't like this piece,
I will give you another one."
(b) Now you are approaching the dairy products department and give your
docket to the salesperson behind the counter. This docket shows payments made by
you beforehand at the cashier's window, but does not list items themselves. So, you
will do it instead, e.g.
- 300 грамм несолёного масла, 200грамм голландского сыра, 2
бутылки кефира, десяток яиц, 200 грамм сметаны, пол кило творога и
полтора литра молока.
"300 grammes of unsalted butter, 200 grammes of Holland cheese, 2 bottles
of yoghurt, 10 eggs, 200 grammes of sour cream, half a kilo of cottage cheese, and
one and a half litres of milk."

245
{Yoghurt is sold in 0.5 litre bottles; milk and sour cream are filled in cans or jars
brought by shoppers from home; butter, cheese, cottage cheese are put on a sheet of
thick paper while being weighed, then wrapped in the same paper.}
If you prefer sliced cheese, you can ask the salesperson: - Порежьте сыр,
пожалуйста [Pa-'ryesh-tye s.yr, pa-'zha-lu-sta] "slice cheese, please."
{This modest request is normally satisfied without any objections. Quite often
the salesperson even forestalls your request: - Сыр Вам порезать? "Should I slice
cheese for you?"}
(c) Let's now imagine that you want to buy брюки [ 'bryu-ki] "trousers".
- У вас есть шерстяные брюки? Do you have woollen trousers?"
- Да, конечно. Какой размер Вам нужен?
"Yes, of course. What size do you need?"
- Я не уверен. Может, Вы мне подскажете?
"I am not sure. Maybe you can tell me."
- Какой у Вас рост и вес? "What is your height and weight?"
- Рост - 175 (сто семьдесят пять), вес, примерно, 72 килограмма
"The height is 175 cm, the weight is approximately 72 kg."
- Попробуйте померить эти брюки: размер - 48 (сорок восемь), рост
- третий. Я думаю, что они Вам будут в самый раз
"Try on these trousers: size 48, height 3. I think that it is just for you."
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- Где здесь у вас примерочная кабина?
"Where is a fitting room here?"
(d) You are coming back from the fitting room thoroughly satisfied:
- Брюки сидят отлично, как будто пошиты по мне. Сколько они
стоят? Пятьсот рублей? Хорошо, я беру их. Заверните пожалуйста.
"The trousers fit me perfectly, as though they were tailored for me. How much
do they cost? 500 roubles? Well, I will take them. Please, wrap it up."
The next moment you are at the cashier's window (fortunately, there was no
queue this time):
- Пятьсот рублей, пожалуйста. "500 roubles, please."
- Ваших шестьсот рублей. Получите сдачи сто рублей.
"You gave me 600 roubles. This is your change: 100 roubles."
- He могли бы Вы разменять эти деньги на более мелкие?
"Could you possibly change this money for smaller notes?"
- Как Вы хотите разменять? "How do you want to change them?"
- Пять двадцаток, пожалуйста "Five twenties, please."

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Some grammatical comments on the Russian expressions used in
"the Shopper's Code of Practice"
Paragraph 1(a). Please do not confuse preposition за ("for") + pronoun чем
(Instrumental case of the pronoun что "what") and preposition пo ("on") +
pronoun чему (Dative case of the pronoun что "what") with adverbs зачем?
and почему? respectively (the English equivalent for both Russian adverbs is
"why?")
Paragraph 1(c). The Russian sentence Что дают? has no subject. The subject
here is only implied (in this particular case, the implied subject is some person or
persons who work in the shop and sell the goods). Sentences of this kind are called
"indefinite personal" sentences. They are used when the performer of the action is
not important or just unknown.
Another example of such a sentence: Говорят, что завтра будет
хорошая погода. [Ga-va-*ryat, 'chto 'zaf-tra 'bu-dyet kha-'ro-sha-ya pa-'go-
da.] "It is said that tomorrow the weather will be fine.
In the past tense, Говорят will become Говорили (it was said).
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Paragraph 2. In the sentence За мной занимала какая-то женщина, the word
занимала can be replaced by a near identical word заняла. The infinitives of these two
words are занимать [za-ni-'mat'] and занять [za-'nyaf] respectively. They sound
quite similar and they mean exactly the same: "take place". So why do they both exist?
Russian verbs do not have Perfect tense. Instead, in order to distinguish an
incomplete action from a complete one, they can normally be used in two different
aspects: imperfective and perfective respectively. In the above example, the word
занимала presents the imperfective aspect, while заняла shows the perfective one.
The difference between them can be emphasized in translation.
If you use the first Russian word, the correct translation will be: "Some woman
was taking place after me." If you chose the other option, you should translate the
sentence this way: "Some woman has taken place after me."
Often a verb in the imperfective aspect is transferred to the perfective one by
adding the appropriate prefix, for example:
читать [chi-'tat'] "to read" and (про)читать [pra-chi-'tat'] "have read"
or
писать [pi-'sat'] "to write" and (на)писать [na-pi-'sat'] "have written."
But even applying two different aspects of the verbs, we not always can solve a
problem with time of an action. For example, how can you distinguish actions which
occur repeatedly (on a regular basis) and the action which takes place right now? It is,
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certainly, not a problem for English language - you just use two different tenses:
simple Present and Present Continuous respectively. However, in Russian we do not
have the Continuous form.
Lack of the latter is normally compensated by using the appropriate adverbs
of time, such as: сейчас [syey-'chas] "now" or в данный момент [v 'dan-п.уу ma-'
myent] "at this moment". Sometimes time of action is easily understood from
context. For instance, if you say: Я читаю книгу [Ya chi-'ta-yu 'kni-gu], everyone in
Russia will understand that you are reading a book right now. Because otherwise
you would use some adverb of time which clearly shows that you are doing this on a
regular basis, e.g. по вечерам я читаю книгу [pa vye-chye-'ram ya chi-'ta-yu 'kni-
gu] "I read a book each evening."
There is even a small group of Russian verbs (they all denote various kinds of
movement) which use different words for regular and current actions. Please
compare them:
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REGULAR ACTION CURRENT ACTION

ходить [kha-'dit'] "go, walk" идти [it-'ti]
ездить [ 'yez-dit'] "go, travel" ехать ['ye-khat']
бегать ['bye-gat'] "run" бежать [bye-'zhat']
летать [lye-'tat'] "fly" лететь [ lye-'tyet']
плавать ['pla-vat'] "swim" плыть [pl.yt']
возить [va-'zit'] "carry, drive" везти [vye-'sti]
носить [na-'sit'] "carry" нести [nye-'sti]

251
Section 4 (the last paragraph). At this point the shopper who had been arguing
with you became really rude. His rudeness and anger are emphasized by using
slang words (морда ['mor-da] - "mug, snout" instead of лицо [li-'tso]- "face" and
схлопотать [skhla-po-'tat'] instead of получить [pa-lu-'chit'] - "get, receive");
and by the fact that he suddenly перешёл на "ты" (he actually does not call his
opponent "ты", but the endings of verbs - убирайся [u-bi-'ray-sya] instead of
убирайтесь [u-bi-'ray-tyes'] and можешь ['mo-zhesh] instead of можете ['mo-
zhe-tye] - unmistakably show that).
Particle "ка" in the end of the verb убирайся is used as an intensifier.
Section 6(a) [the last paragraph and paragraph before last].
Each shop in the former Soviet Union had to have жалобную книгу.
Its full title was книга жалоб и предложений ['kni-ga 'zha-lap i prye-dla-
'zhe-niy] "a book for complaints and suggestions". This book had to be given
to a customer on demand, but shop's employees were always reluctant to do
this because complaints could prevent them from receiving a regularly paid
bonus.
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SUBJECT 15. INSURANCE
Страхование [stra-kha-'va-ni-ye] or страховка [stra-'khof-ka] "insurance" in the
former Soviet Union was far less common than in the West. Indeed, what kind of
insurance would you have needed living in the former Soviet Union? Let us see...
a) Страхование дома [stra-kha-'va-ni-ye 'do-ma] "Homeowners
insurance". Certainly, if you owned a house you would insure it.
However, most people lived in state owned flats and did not need to
worry about their insurance.
b) Страхование имущества [stra-kha-'va-ni-ye i-'mu-shche-stva] "Home
contents insurance". Many ordinary people maintained a quite modest living: they
usually did not have expensive articles which would be worth to insure. Besides, they
believed that any risk to lose what they had was quite insignificant. However, a man
of means would probably think otherwise...
c) Страхование машины [stra-kha-'va-ni-ye ma-'shi-n.y] "Car
insurance". How many Soviet people had a private car to be worried about
this kind of insurance?

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d) Медицинская страховка [mye-di-'ts.yn-ska-ya stra-'khof-ka ]
"Medical insurance". This did not exist at all because (as you already know
from Subject 11) nearly all medical services in the former Soviet Union were
free.
e) Страхование жизни [stra-kha-'va-ni-ye 'zhi-zni] "Life insurance".
Again, it was that kind of insurance many Soviets could easily do without.
Indeed, consider a typical Soviet family.
They lived in a state owned flat for which they paid very little. They did not
have a car. All their household items had most probably been paid off, because
opportunities for hire purchase were severely restricted by the Soviet Government
(as we had already mentioned in Subject 8, hire purchase in the Soviet Union was
limited by items which cost no more than your 3-month salary).
Thus, if one member of the family died, the surviving members would
continue to stay in their flat and would be able to keep nearly everything which
belonged to their household. They would not worry about a mortgage (there was
even no proper equivalent for this word in the Russian language). They would not
worry about repayments on their non-existent car. And they would not worry about
payment for their education or medical treatment as long as it continued to be free.
Nonetheless, everything now is changing in Russia. This society is becoming
more and more market oriented, and therefore less and less reliant on the state. In
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these new conditions, the importance of insurance (and its acceptance by the
general public) will certainly be increasing quite rapidly.
Anyway, let's imagine that you live in modern Russia and are doing quite
well. Your spacious flat is full of useful and even luxurious things. It is your treasure
and you are scared to lose it. Жизнь - штука опасная ['Zhizn' -'shtu-ka a-'pas-
na-ya.] "Life is a dangerous trick." Всякое может случиться ['Vsya-ka-ye 'mo-
zhet slu-'chit'-sya.] "Anything may happen." Therefore you decide застраховать
своё имущество [za- stra-kha-'vat' sva-'уо i-'mu-shchye-stva] "to insure your
home contents".
After you have made this decision, Вы должны пригласить страхового
агента в ваш дом для оценки стоимости имущества "you should invite an
insurance agent to your place for valuation of the house contents".
And there he is:
1. - Здравствуйте! Вы вызывали агента по страхованию?
2. - Да» вызывал(а). Заходите, пожалуйста. Садитесь.
3. - Спасибо. Итак, как я понимаю, Вы хотите застраховать своё
имущество. Не так ли?
4. - Да, по не всё, а только наиболее ценные вещи.
5. - Какие именно?
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6 - Холодильник, стиральная машина, цветной телевизор,
видеомагнитофон, стереоустановка, компьютер, хрустальная люстра,
пианино, персидский ковёр, норковая шуба.
7. - Да, это действительно очень ценные вещи. Но я бы не советовал
Вам страховать каждую из них в отдельности.
8. - Почему?
9. - Потому что 10 специализированных страховок обойдутся Вам
значительно дороже, чем одна общая страховка на всё {абсолютно на
всё!) Ваше имущество.
10. - А почему нельзя заключить одну общую страховку,
покрывающую только те вещи, которые я перечислил(а)?
11. - Я не говорю, что нельзя. Всё можно. Но есть ли в этом смысл?
12. - Смысл в том, что я буду платить меньше!
13. - Меньше, но не пропорционально снижению величины страховой
суммы. Например, при удвоении этой суммы Ваши платежи увеличатся
только на 50, а не на 100 процентов.
Теперь представьте себе, что в Вашем доме пожар. Разве такого не
может быть? К сожалению, пожары случаются значительно чаще, чем
Вы думаете. Причин для этого много: дети, играя со спичками,

256
подожгли занавески; кто-то курил сигарету в постели и заснул -
загорелась кровать. Часто пожары возникают из-за неисправностей в
электропроводке или в самих электроприборах; даже телевизоры
иногда самовоспламеняются.
В результате пожара Вы можете потерять абсолютно всё. Не только те
вещи, которые Вы считаете наиболее ценными, но действительно всё:
одежду, постельное бельё, мебель, книги, кухонную посуду... И если
это случится, Вы будете очень и очень жалеть, что, пытаясь в своё
время сэкономить пару сотен рублей на страховку, Вы в итоге
потеряли десятки тысяч, которые Вам теперь были бы так нужны,
чтобы восстановить всё, что погибло в огне.
14. - Я думаю, что Вы убедили меня.
15. - Вот и хорошо. Сейчас я произведу оценку всех Ваших вещей и
затем подготовлю для Вас страховой полис. Кстати, у Вас есть семья?
16. - Да. А что?
17. - У Вас богатая квартира. Очевидно, Вы имеете очень хороший
доход (я бы сказал, намного выше среднего). Если с Вами что-то
случится (например Вы погибнете от пожара, о котором мы только что
говорили; или Вы попадёте в автомобильную аварию; или на Вас

257
свалится кирпич с крыши - а такое ведь тоже бывает!), уровень жизни
Вашей семьи резко понизится. Вы подумали об этом?
18. - Простите, но я не понимаю к чему Вы клоните.
19. - К тому, что Вам нужно застраховать не только Ваше имущество, но
и Вашу жизнь.
1. - Good day! Did you call an insurance agent?
2. - Yes, I did. Come in, please. Sit down.
3. - Thank you. Well, as I understand, you want to insure the contents of this flat. Is
that right?
4. - Yes, but not everything: only the most valuable items.
5. - Such as?
6. - Fridge, washing machine, colour television set, video recorder, stereo unit,
computer, crystal chandelier, piano, Persian rug, mink coat.
7. - Well, they are indeed very valuable things. However, I would not advise you to
insure each of these items separately.
8. - Why?
9. - Because 10 specified policies will cost you significantly more than one general
policy covering all (absolutely all!) the contents of your flat.

258
10. - Why cannot I have one general insurance covering only those items which I
have listed?
11. - I did not say you cannot. Anything is possible. However, what is your rationale?
12. - My rationale is simple: I will pay less!
13. - You will, but not in proportion to the reduction of the sum insured. For example,
if you double this sum your premium will increase only by 50 and not by 100 per
cent.
Now, just imagine that your house is on fire. Do you believe it cannot
happen? Unfortunately, fires occur much more often than you think they do. There
could be plenty of reasons for this: children play with matches and set curtains on
fire; someone smokes a cigarette in bed and falls asleep - the bed starts to burn.
Often fires are caused by a fault in the electrical wires or in appliances themselves;
even television sets can sometimes ignite spontaneously.
You can lose absolutely everything in the fire. Not only those items which you
especially value, but really everything: clothes, bedding, furniture, books,
kitchenware... And if it happens, you will regret very-very much that trying earlier to
save a couple of hundred roubles on the premium, you have eventually lost tens of
thousands of roubles. And you would so desperately need this money to replace all
the items that perished in the fire.
14. - I think you have persuaded me.
15. - That is lovely. I will now make a valuation of all the contents, and later I will
prepare for you your insurance policy. By the way, do you have a family?
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16. - Yes. Why?
17. - You have a plentiful apartment. Obviously, your income is very good (I would
say, much higher than the average one). If something happens to you (for instance,
you die in the fire which we just discussed; or you become a victim of a fatal car
crash; or you are hit by a brick which fell from the roof - oh, yes, such a thing can
happen as well!), the living standard of your family will go down sharply. Did you
think about this?
18. - Sorry, but I don't understand what exactly you are getting at.
19. - Well,. I think that you should insure not only your possessions but your life too.
260
Comments
It is interesting to note the origin of the words страхование (noun),
страховой (adjective), and страховать (verb). They all have the same root
страх, which means "fear". I think it is quite logical; you need an insurance policy
because вы боитесь [v.y ba-'i-tyes'] "you are scared" to lose your car, your
property and its contents, your health, and ultimately your life.
The word нужно ['nu-zhna] used in the last paragraph (No. 19) of the
Russian text is a predicative word which has an adverbal form. Depending on the
context, you can translate it as "one must" or "one should".
If you mean "must", you may like to replace the word нужно by the
alternative adverbal predicative надо ['na-da]; or by the short adjective должен
['dol-zhen], должна [dal-'zhna] or должно [dal-'zhno] in the masculine , feminine
or the neuter gender respectively. {The plural form for all genders is должны
[dal-'zhn.y] }
If you mean "should", the word нужно can be replaced by the word
следует ['slye-du-yet].
The best Russian equivalents for "must not" and "should not" are the words
нельзя [nyel'-'zya] and не следует (respectively).

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SUBJECT 16. BARBERSHOP, BATHHOUSE, LAUNDRY
Парикмахерская [pa-rik-'ma-khyer-ska-ya] "barbershop", баня ['ba-nya]
"bathhouse" and прачечная ['pra-chyech-na-ya] "public laundry"... They were
always part and parcel of everyday Russian life. Especially баня, reference to
which you could find even in old Russian fairy tales.
A typical hero of Russian folklore - добрый молодец ['dob-r.yy 'mо-la-
dyetsj "a fine young man" - used to wander through a thick forest until he came
across "a hut with hen's legs" (избушка на курьих ножках [iz-'bush-ka па 'ku-
r'ikh 'nosh-kakh]), where there lived "a witch with a wooden leg" (баба-яга
костяная нога ['ba-ba уа-'ga kas-tya-'па-уа na-'ga]).
Quite naturally, the witch wanted to eat that sweet young man as soon as
she saw him. But he always managed to postpone her dinner by saying
something like this: Ты меня, старая, напои, накорми, в баньке вымой, а
потом уже и ешь. "You, old woman, should first give me a drink and some
decent food, take me to your little bathhouse for washing, and then you can eat
me."
Баба-яга never argued, because she obviously realized that a clean,
relaxed and happy man would taste much better than a dirty, tired and hungry one.
But do not worry! Баня always re-freshed and vitalized the man's mind and body,
and he would quickly find his way out of trouble.
Even nowadays when many Russian people live in self-contained flats с
душем и ванной [s 'du-shem i 'va-nay] "with a shower and bathtub", some of
them still prefer ходить в баню [kha-'dit' v "ba-nyuj "to go to a public

262
bathhouse". Why? Well, right at this moment Valentin Petrovich Kuznetsov, a
teacher, to whom you were first introduced in Subject 5, is trying to explain this
to his English friend Joan Evans.
1. - Добрый день, Валентин Петрович!
2. - О, Джоан! Здравствуйте. Рад Вас видеть.
3. - Я тоже. Но куда Вы так торопитесь с веником? Подметать
школу?
4. - Остроумно подмечено. Но это веник не для пола, а для полка.
5. - Для какого полка? Вы имеете в виду военный полк? И не смейтесь,
пожалуйста, над бедной иностранкой, запутавшейся в дебрях русского
языка.
6 - Да я, право, и не смеюсь совсем. Так что-то в горле немного
запершило... А веник этот для бани. Вот приду я в парилку, залезу на
полок и начну стегать себя веником.
7 - Ну Вы меня совсем запутали сегодня. Теперь пеняйте на себя,
Валентин Петрович: чтобы распутаться, я задам Вам много-много
вопросов.
8 - Чем больше, тем лучше.
9. - Посмотрим-посмотрим. Боюсь, что Вам станет жарко и без бани.
10. - Жар костей не ломит. Начинайте, Джоан.
11. - Ну хорошо же. Первый вопрос. Зачем Вы идёте в баню, когда Вы
можете мыться у себя дома, в своей собственной ванной? Ведь это же
гораздо удобней и приятней. Вам даже горячую воду не надо
экономить!
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12. - Вы спрашиваете "зачем?" Странный вопрос. Прежде всего, это
традиция. Вторая причина: я люблю париться, что возможно только в
бане. Наконец, баня - это не просто место, где люди моются. Это своего
рода социальный клуб, где люди встречаются, обмениваются
новостями, философствуют - я бы сказал, расслабляются душой и
телом.
13. - Всё это звучит очень заманчиво, Валентин Петрович! Мне и самой
захотелось пойти в баню.
14. - Так пойдёмте со мной!
15. - Ну, что Вы! Неудобно.
16. - Что неудобно? Мы же будем в разных отделениях: я в мужском, а
Вы в женском.
17. - Да, нет! Вы меня не поняли. Неудобно в том смысле, что я не
имею о бане ни малейшего представления. Я же буду выглядеть там,
как самая последняя дура. Вы хоть опишите мне сначала всю эту
банную процедуру.
18. - С удовольствием. Только учтите, что у женщин могут быть свои
особенности, о которых я сам ничего толком не знаю.
19. - Ай-яй-яй! Как Вам не стыдно, Валентин Петрович! Взрослый
мужчина, а не знает женских особенностей. Ну да ладно. Так уж и
быть: я сделаю скидку на Ваше мужское невежество.
20. - В таком случае, начнём с проверки Вашего кругозора. Скажите
мне, пожалуйста, Джоан, что Вы должны взять с собой из дома перед
тем, как отправиться в баню?

264
21. - Веник.
22. - Правильно (если, конечно, Вы собираетесь париться). А что
ещё?
23. - Мыло, мочалку, полотенце и смену чистого белья.
24. - Замечательно! Это как раз всё то, что Вы можете найти в моём
портфеле. Следовательно, к бане я готов и, увидев вывеску "Баня",
могу смело войти внутрь здания.
24a. - Войдя в вестибюль, я прежде всего направлюсь в кассу и куплю
билет в общее отделение. (Многие бани имеют и ряд других, более
дорогих отделений: отделение с бассейном, душевое отделение,
отдельный номер с ванной, рассчитанный на семью или на одного
человека).
24b. - Затем (там же в вестибюле) я сдам своё пальто на хранение в
гардероб (люди обычно говорят: "на вешалку"), который
обслуживается гардеробщиками и гардеробщицами.
24c. - Рядом находится буфет, где можно выпить кружку кваса
или пива (или стакан газированной воды, если это Вам больше
по душе). Но, подобно большинству других людей, я лучше
сделаю это после бани.
25. - Но когда же Вы, наконец, начнёте мыться, Валентин Петрович?
Вы всё ходите вокруг да около.
26. - Подождите, Джоан, не спешите. Я, пожалуй, ещё подстригусь
перед баней. Не волнуйтесь, далеко ходить не надо: при каждой бане
есть своя собственная парикмахерская.

265
27. - Не отвлекайтесь, пожалуйста, Валентин Петрович. Умоляю Вас.
Мне ужасно хочется в баню!
28. - Ну, так и быть. Открываю дверь с надписью "Мужское
отделение" и попадаю в раздевалку - большое помещение, где каждому
человеку выделено достаточно места, чтобы сесть, раздеться и
аккуратно сложить или повесить свою одежду.
29. - Кто-нибудь присматривает за Вашей одеждой, пока Вы
моетесь?
30. - Персонально за моей - нет. Но в раздевалке дежурит банщик,
который следит за общим порядком. На моей памяти не было случая,
чтобы у кого-либо пропала одежда. Но часы, кольца и другие ценные
вещи лучше оставлять у банщика, а не в кармане своих брюк.
31. - Пока все выглядит просто, разумно и приятно.
32. - Согласен. Но, к сожалению, так было не всегда. Я помню годы,
когда вдоль стен раздевалки были установлены шкафчики для
одежды. Каждый шкафчик закрывался на замок. Но ключ от замка
находился у банщицы (да-да, я не оговорился: в мужском отделении
работали женщины).
33. - Почему женщины? Для того чтобы привлечь больше
посетителей?
34. - Конечно же нет! Посетителей и так всегда было более, чем
достаточно. Прежде чем войти в раздевалку, люди подолгу стояли в
очереди. Учтите, что в те времена мало ещё кто жил в квартирах с
горячей водой и душем.

266
К тому же, все банщицы (насколько я помню) были старые и
толстые; и в своих изношенных белых халатах они всегда казались
мне какими-то бесполыми и бесформенными существами. Так что
вряд ли тут можно было говорить о какой-либо женской
привлекательности.
35. - Почему же всё-таки выполняли эту работу они, а не мужчины?
36. - Вероятно потому, что не так уж много мужчин осталось в живых
после войны. А те, кто остались, были заняты на более важных и
серьёзных работах.
37. - В чём же заключалась "несерьёзная" работа банщицы?
38. - Любой мужчина, раздевшись догола и сложив всю свою одежду и
обувь в шкафчик, должен был подозвать банщицу: "Закройте,
пожалуйста,..." (здесь он называл номер своего шкафа). Банщица
подходила, глядя на голого мужчину с таким же отсутствующим видом,
как если бы она смотрела в пустоту, и вешала на шкафчик маленький
замок.
Затем она выдавала мужчине бирку с номером шкафа. Бирку эту,
естественно, надо было хранить до конца и, выйдя из мыльной,
вернуть банщице; после чего банщица открывала шкаф с Вашей
одеждой.
39. - Простите, но где же голый человек мог хранить эту бирку?
40. - Бирка (или, как её чаще называли, номерок) была на верёвочке.
Всё остальное зависело от Вашей собственной изобретательности:

267
например, Вы могли повесить номерок на шею, или привязать его к
руке или к тазу.
41. - Всё это выглядит очень забавно.
42. - Вам бы показалось это ещё гораздо забавнее, если бы Вы
прочитали юмористический рассказ Михаила Зощенко "Баня". По
крайней мере, в моё время номерки были металлические. У Зощенко
же - они бумажные. Попробуйте-ка представить, во что может
превратиться бумажный номерок под действием горячей воды и
мыла!
43. - Даже представить страшно: Умоляю Вас, Валентин Петрович,
вернитесь, пожалуйста, в Ваше комфортабельное настоящее.
44. - Уже вернулся: никаких шкафчиков с замочками, никаких номерков
и никаких банщиц. Я разделся и, вооружившись мочалкой, куском мыла и,
конечно, веником, вхожу в "Мыльную", то-есть помещение где люди
мылятся (и, соответственно, моются).
44a. Что я вижу перед собой? Огромный зал с рядами скамеек, на
которых сидят люди и моются из тазов. Вдоль стен установлены
краны для горячей и холодной воды.
44b. Прежде всего, я должен найти свободный таз (или, иначе
говоря, шайку). Потом я попытаюсь найти свободное место на одной
из скамеек. На всякий случай, я лучше спрошу у человека, сидящего
рядом: "Простите, этот таз не занят?" или "Здесь свободно?"
44c. Затем, по соображениям гигиены, я тщательно промою
только что добытый таз горячей водой с мылом; после чего вылью
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несколько тазов такого же "кипятка" на свою часть скамейки. Ну а
потом единственно что остаётся, это наполнять таз чистой водой н
мыться до полного удовлетворения.
45. - Ну а когда же Вы париться начнёте, Валентин Петрович?
46. Какая Вы нетерпеливая, Джоан. Я ещё спину хорошенько не
промыл. Знаете, как неловко это делать самому? Я уж лучше
попрошу соседа по скамейке: "Будьте добры, потрите мне спину,
пожалуйста" (с этими словами я протяну ему свою намыленную
мочалку).
46a. А по окончании процедуры я, безусловно, скажу ему:
"Спасибо большое. А теперь давайте я Вам потру."
46b. Ну, хорошо. Сейчас я только обольюсь напоследок
прохладной водой из таза и пойду в парилку (на двери обычно
написано: "Парильня").
46c. Вошёл. Жарко, но недостаточно. Вот сейчас подброшу воды
на горячие камни, чтобы было больше пара. Сказано - сделано. Теперь
можно и на полок залезть. Чем выше, тем жарче. На самый верх я,
пожалуй, всё-таки не полезу: там буквально дышать нечем (сейчас уже
годы не те, и сердце может не выдержать).
46d. А теперь вот веничком себя постегаю. Или лучше я - соседа,
а потом он меня. Хорошо! А знаете почему? Потому что в результате
похлёстывания берёзовым веником (в сочетании с высокой
температурой воздуха) кожные капилляры расширяются и
наполняются кровью. Не вдаваясь в дальнейшие медицинские детали,

269
могу только сказать, что всё это вызывает улучшение кровообращения
и повышение обмена веществ.
47. - Валентин Петрович, Вы так всё живо представили, что мне от
одного Вашего рассказа стало жарко.
48. - Очень хорошо, Джоан. Значит, хватит париться. Пошли в душ (а
ещё лучше в бассейн, если он есть в Вашей бане). Дайте своему
организму охладиться.
А теперь выйдите в раздевалку. Посидите там спокойно,
расслабтесь, отдохните, попросите банщика (или в Вашем случае,
банщицу) принести Вам кружку кваса или пива. Чувствуете во всём
теле необыкновенную лёгкость и бодрость? Прекрасно! Теперь можете
снова повторить весь цикл: парилка, душ, расслабление и отдых.
Потом ещё, и ещё, и ещё...
49. - Достаточно, хватит! Я устала, Валентин Петрович.
50. - Хорошо, хорошо, Джоан. Сегодня больше не ходите в парилку.
Посидите в раздевалке подольше, обменяйтесь новостями с банщицей
или с другими посетителями, обсудите с ними Ваши личные и мировые
проблемы, взвешайтесь на больших банных весах, одевайтесь и идите
домой.
50a. Не забудьте только перед уходом забрать у банщицы
Ваши элегантные часики, которые Вы оставляли ей на хранение,
и получить в гардеробе пальто (надеюсь Вы не потеряли свой
номерок?)
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50b. Всё в порядке, Джоан? Хорошо помылись? В таком
случае, с лёгким паром!
51. - С легким паром, Валентин Петрович!
1. - Good day, Valentin Petrovich!
2. - Oh, Joan! How are you? I am glad to see you.
3. - So am I. But where are you hurrying so much with this besom? To sweep
the floor in your school?
4. - Witty-witty. However, this thing is intended not for "pola" (the floor) but for
the "polka".
5. - For what "polka"? Do you mean a military polk (regiment)? And do not
laugh, please, at a poor foreigner who became disorientated in the jungles of the
Russian language.
6. - I do not laugh at you at all. Truly. I just have a tickling in my throat... As for
this bundle of twigs, it is for a bathhouse. As soon as I enter the steaming room, I will
climb up the polok and begin to thrash myself with the twigs.
7. - You have completely confused me today. Now blame only yourself, Valentin
Petrovich: in order to disentangle myself, I will ask you many-many questions.
8. - The more, the better.
9. - We will see, we will see. I am afraid, you will become hot even before you
enter the bathhouse.

271
10. - Heat does not break bones. Ask your questions, Joan.
11. - Well, well, well. My first question. Why are you going to a bathhouse when
you can take a bath at your place, in your own bathroom? It is much more
comfortable and cosy. You even do not need to worry about the saving of hot water!
12. - You are asking "why?" A strange question. First of all, this is a tradition. The
second reason: I like to steam, which is only possible in a bathhouse. And last, a
bathhouse is not just a place where people wash themselves. It is a kind of a social
club, where people meet each other, exchange news, philosophize - I would say,
give relaxation to their mind and body.
13. - All this sounds very tempting, Valentin Petrovich! I wish I could go to a
bathhouse myself.
14. - In that case, let's go together!
15. - What are you talking about? This is not a proper thing to do.
16. - What is not proper? We will be in different divisions: I will be in a division
for men, and you - in that for women.
17. - Oh, no! You misunderstood me. Not proper in the sense that I have no
idea about the bathhouse as an institution. In the eyes of the other women there,
I will appear as a most foolish person. Will you describe to me all the procedure?
18. - With pleasure. However, please note that women might have their own
peculiarities which I am not familiar with.
19. - Tut-tutl Shame on you, Valentin Petrovich! A grown up man who is not
familiar with women's peculiarities. However, I will make allowances for your
male ignorance.
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20. - In that case, I will begin with asking you some basic questions. Tell
me, Joan, what would you take with you from home prior to leaving for a
bathhouse?
21. - A besom.
22. - Correct (certainly, if you are going to steam). And what else?
23. - A soap, a sponge, a towel, and some clean underwear to change into.
24. - Excellent! It is exactly what you can find in my briefcase. It means I am
ready for washing. Now, seeing a sign "Bathhouse", I can enter the building with
confidence.
24a. - Once in the hall, I will proceed to the cashier's window and buy a ticket to
the general public division. (Many bathhouses have additional, more expensive
divisions: a division with a swimming pool, a shower division, a private bathroom for
a family or for one person only.)
24b. - Then (still in the hall) I will leave my overcoat in the cloakroom (people
usually call it "veshalka" = hanger), which is served by male or female attendants.
24c. - Nearby you will see the buffet, where you can drink a glass of kvass or
beer (or, if you prefer, a glass of aerated water). However, like the majority of other
people would do, I would rather have my drink after visiting the baths.
25. - But when, after all, will you start washing, Valentin Petrovich? You are
beating about the bush.
26. - Hold on, Joan. Don't be in a hurry. I would rather have my hair cut before I
go to the baths. Do not worry, it is not far away: each bathhouse has its own
barbershop.
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27. - Valentin Petrovich, do not divert from the subject, please. I beg you. I just
cannot wait till you reach the baths!
28. - Okay-okay, if you insist... Right now I am opening the door with a sign "The
men's division" and entering the dressing room - large premises where each person
is able to sit, undress, and neatly put his clothes on the seat or hang them in a tidy
manner.
29. - Does someone look after your clothes while you are in the baths?
30. - Not personally after mine. But there is an attendant in the dressing room,
who is responsible for general order. In my memory, there was never a case when
somebody's clothes were stolen. However, watches, rings and other valuables I
would recommend to leave with the attendant, and not in the pockets of your
trousers.
31. - Everything so far seems to be simple, reasonable and nice.
32. - I agree. But, unfortunately, this was not always the case. I remember years
when the dressing room was filled-with little wardrobes mounted along the walls.
Each wardrobe had a padlock. But the key was held by the woman in charge (oh,
yes, that was not a slip of the tongue: women-attendants worked in the division for
men).
33. - Why women? In order to attract more visitors?
34. - Of course, not! There were more than enough visitors all the time. Before
you could enter the dressing room, you would have to stand in а long queue.
Remember, that was still the time, when very few people lived in self-contained flats
with hot water and a shower.

274
Besides, all these women (as far as I can remember) were old and fat. In their
white, worn out robes, they always seemed to me as sexless and shapeless
creatures. So, we can hardly talk here about any hint at female attractiveness.
35. - In this case, why was it that the women did the job, not the men?
36. - Probably, because not many men survived the war. And those who survived
were busy doing more important and serious jobs.
37. - Can you describe that "not serious" job of the dressing room attendant?
38. Any man in a state of undress (with his clothes and shoes already being put in
the wardrobe) had to call the attendant "Please, close..." (here he announced his
wardrobe number). The woman in charge would approach, glancing at the naked
man with such a blank look as though she did not see him at all, and hang a small
padlock on the wardrobe door.
Then she would give him a tag indicating the wardrobe number. This tag,
naturally, had to be carefully kept while washing, and after that returned to the
attendant; otherwise the man would not have his clothes back.
39. - Excuse me, but where could a naked person keep that tag?
40. - The tag (usually referred to as "a little number") was looped with a piece of
rope. Everything else depended on your own ingenuity: for example, you could wear
the tag round your neck, or tie it to your hand or a washtub.
41. - All this sounds very amusing.
42. - It would have seemed to you even more amusing, if you had read the
humorous short story "A bathhouse" by Mikhail Zoshchenko. At least in my time, tags
were made of metal. In Zoshchenko*s story they are made of paper. Just imagine
what can happen with a paper tag affected by hot water and soap!
275
43. -I am scared to even think about this. I beg you, Valentin Petrovich, please,
come back to the comfortable present.
44. - I have done this already: there are no wardrobes with padlocks, no tags, and
no women-attendants. Undressed and equipped with a sponge, a piece of soap and,
of course, with a besom, I am now entering "The Soap Room", that is the room,
where people soap (and, consequently, wash) themselves.
44a. What do I see? A huge hall with rows of benches where people are
sitting and washing with help of washtubs. The hot and cold water taps are installed
along the walls.
44b. First of all, I should find a spare washtub. Then I will try to find a vacant
place on one of the benches. Just in case I would ask the man sitting next to me,
"Excuse me, please! Is this washtub vacant?" or "Is this seat occupied?"
44c. After that, for hygienic reasons, I will carefully wash the tub which I have
just obtained, using hot water and soap; then I will pour several washtubs of the
nearly boiling water down onto my part of the bench. And then the only thing you
have to do is to repeatedly fill your washtub with clean water and wash yourself until
you are fully satisfied.
45. - However, when will you begin to steam, Valentin Petrovich?
46. - You are a very impatient person, Joan. I have not washed my back properly
yet. Do you know how awkward it is when you are trying to do it by yourself? I would
rather ask the man next to me, "Would you kindly rub my back, please" (with these
words, I will give him my soapy sponge offering for him to use it).
46a. After he has completed this procedure, I, no doubt, would tell him,
"Thank you very much. Now, let me rub your back."

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46b. However, to finish with this, I will only pour some cool water from the tub
over my whole body. Now I am ready to go to the steaming room.
46c. I am now inside that room. It is hot here, but not hot enough yet. I am
going to throw some water on the heated stones in order to produce more steam.
No sooner said than done. Now I can mount polok (wooden steps). The higher I
climb, the hotter it is. I would rather not climb to the very top: one could literally get
breathless up there (I am now the wrong age for such experiments, and my heart
may fail).
46d. Now I will use my besom to thrash myself. Or, even better, I will
thrash the man sitting next to me, and then he will do the same for me. Good!
But do you know why? Because, as a result of hitting with a bundle of birch
twigs (in combination with the high air temperature), my skin capillaries are
expanded and filled with blood. Not going into further medical details, I can
only say that all this causes improvement of one's blood circulation and
increases metabolic rate of the body.
47. - Valentin Petrovich, you describe everything so vividly that I feel hot just
listening to your tale.
48. - Very well, Joan. This means you have had enough steaming. Let's take
a shower (or, preferably, make a dive into a swimming pool, if there is one in
your bathhouse). Allow your body to cool down.
Now, go out to the dressing room. Sit there quietly for a while, relax, have a
rest, ask an attendant (in your case, it will certainly be a woman) to bring you a glass
of kvass or beer. Do you feel an extraordinary lightness and cheerfulness in your

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body? Excellent! Now you can repeat the whole cycle: the steaming room, a shower,
relaxation and rest. Then again, again, and again...
49. - Enough, stop it! I am tired, Valentin Petrovich.
50. - Okay, okay, Joan. Do not go to the steaming room any more today. Sit in the
dressing room a little bit longer, exchange news with the woman in charge or with
the other visitors, discuss with them your personal and world problems, check your
weight on the large bathhouse scales, dress, and go home.
50a. But before you go, please don't forget to take back from the attendant
your elegant little watch (which you left with her for security purposes), and get your
overcoat from the cloakroom (I hope you have not lost your tag, have you?)
50b. Is everything all right, Joan? Did you have a good wash? Then, have a
light steam!
51. - You too, Valentin Petrovich!
Comments (refer to Paragraphs 1 - 51 above )
Paragraph 5. Joan is confused because for her the word полка is the genitive case of
the Russian word полк, which means "regiment". However, Valentin Petrovich has
in mind a completely different word полок (wooden steps in the steaming room), the
genitive case of which coincides with that of the word полк.
I am afraid that you will be confused even more when you find in a dictionary
the noun полка (with the stress on the first syllable and, certainly, presented there in
the nominative case), which means "shelf".

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Paragraph 15. The English interpretation conveys the meaning of the corresponding
Russian sentences, but it is far from a literal translation (which is impossible).
Paragraph 44. (the second sentence). I have done here a rather literal translation of
the room's name in order to emphasize its origin (this name has the same root as the
Russian word мыло = "soap"). However, I should accept, that "the washing room"
would have sounded better.
Paragraph 46b. In this paragraph you will find two Russian equivalents for "the
steaming room": парилка (informal term) and парильня (official name which is
usually written on the door of the room in question).
Paragraph 46c. This paragraph begins (in Russian) with a one-word sentence
Вошёл, which literally means "I have come in" (even though the personal pronoun
"I" is omitted from the Russian version).
My own translation of the above Russian sentence is not literal and
consists of six (not one!) words: "I am now inside the room". But, I believe, all of
them are necessary to convey the correct interpretation of the original, which
makes emphasis not so much on the action of entering the room as on the fact
that Valentin Petrovich is already there.
Paragraph 50. The Russian word часики mentioned in the second paragraph
means "a little watch". In Russian this word (as well as the word часы = "a watch!'
or "a clock") has only the Plural form. Observing these and other similar pairs of
Russian words, you may notice that the Russian suffix ик (in Plural - ики) is often
(but not always) added to a noun in order to show that one means something little.
Please compare:
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часы = a watch or a clock and часики = a little watch
стол = a table and столик = a little table
столы = tables and столики = little tables
стул = a chair and стулик = a little chair
стулья = chairs and стулики = little chairs
дом = a house and домик = a little house
дома = houses and домики = little houses
etc.
Paragraphs 50b. and 51. The Russian expression с лёгким паром! conveys a
thought much deeper than its literal English translation ("have a light steam"). In
Russian this phrase is actually equal to a wish of good health and always said to a
person who has just finished his or her washing/steaming. For example, each time
when Valentin Petrovich returns home from a bathhouse, he is greeted with that
same expression by all members of his family.
Well, we spent a lot of time talking about bathing and steaming. But what
about other hygienic procedures, such as hair cutting or shaving? What basic
information should you know going to a barbershop?
First of all look for the sign "Парикмахерская" [pa-rik-'ma-khyer-ska-ya]. If
there are no other words on the sign, it means that everybody is welcome.
Otherwise you will be warned that the service is provided just for men ("Mужская
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парикмахерская"), or exclusively for women ("Женская парикмахерская"), or
for children only ( Детская парикмахерская").
A man working in парикмахерская (of any kind) is called парикмахер [pa-
rik- 'ma-khyer]. A woman in the same position is called парикмахерша [pa-rik-'ma-
khyer- sha]. Apart from these people, who непосредственно обслуживают
посетителей "directly serve customers", each reasonably sized парикмахерская
has a cashier {he - кассир [ka-'sir], she - кассирша [ka-'sir-sha]} and a cleaner {he
- уборщик [u-'bor-shchik], she - уборщица [u-'bor-shchi-tsa]}.
You may have noticed that in two of the three professions listed above a
female term is obtained by adding the suffix ша to the corresponding male term.
However, be careful when adding this suffix to such Russian nouns as генерал
[gye-nye-'ral] "a general" and инженер [in-zhe-'nyer] "an engineer", because
генеральша [gye-nye-'ral'-sha] is not a woman-general but the wife of a general,
and инженерша [in-zhe-'nyer-sha] is not she-engineer but the engineer's wife. So,
instead of showing respect toward a woman who achieved something significant in
life by her own merits, the above feminine terms are full of scorn.
Now, back to the barbershop. What kind of services will you ask for there?
Let's list some of them:
1. - Подстригите меня, пожалуйста [Pat-stri-'gi-tye mye-'nya, pa-'zha-lu-sta]
"Please cut my hair."
And then you specify how you want your hair to be cut:
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a) Только не делайте слишком коротко. ['Тоl'-ka nye 'dye-lay-tye 'slish-
kam 'ko-rat-ka] "But do not cut my hair too short."
OR
b) Снимите чуть-чуть сверху и с боков и подровняйте виски и
затылок. "Take a little bit from the top and from the sides and trim the temples
and the back of the head."
OR
c) Как можно короче [Как 'mо-zhna ka-'ro-chye] "As short as possible."
OR
d) Наголо (or: Под машинку)
['Na-ga-la] [Pod ma-'shin-ku]
"Cut all the hair."
{In the last example the adverb наголо is a derivative from the
adjective голый ['go-l.yy] "bare". The expression под машинку can be
interpreted as "using clippers only".}
e) - Я хотел(а) бы вымыть голову и сделать укладку
"I would like to wash my hair and arrange a hairdo."
{Literally, вымыть голову - "wash the head" and "wash my
hair" = вымыть мои волосы ['vo-la-s.y]}
f) - Сбрейте бороду. Но усы мои, пожалуйста, не трогайте
"Shave the beard off. But, please, do not touch my moustache."
g) - Освежите лицо и голову одеколоном
"Spray the face and the head with eau de cologne."

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To complete this chapter, we should solve the last problem of our personal
hygiene: стирка белья ['stir-ka bye-'lya] "laundering".
Most Soviets living in a city or town used to send their washing в прачечную [f
'pra-chyech-nu-yu] "to a public laundry". This service was cheap and convenient. But
prior to bringing your first load of linen and clothes in, you had to spend some time
нашивая номерки [na-shi-'va-ya na-myer-'ki] "sewing little numbers" on each and
every article to be washed (for identification purposes). These номерки (tiny pieces of
cloth with pre-printed numbers on them) had to be obtained at that same laundry
beforehand.
After that, each time while preparing linen and clothes for the laundry you just
had to fill in a simple form. This form listed nearly all the items which could be sent for
washing, and you were obviously expected to write down their quantities, for example:
Простыни [ 'рго-sty-ni] "sheets" 4
Наволочки ['na-va-lach-ki] "pillowcases" 8
Пододеяльники [pa-da-dye-'yal'-ni-ki] "blanket slips" 2
Покрывало [pa-kr.y-'va-la] "bedspread" 1
Полотенца [pa-la-'tyen-tsa] "towels" 10
Рубашки [ru-'bash-ki] "shirts" 5
Трусы [tru-'s.y] "underpants" 9
Носки [na-'ski] "socks" 8
Майки ['mау-ki] "singlets" 9
Тёплые кальсоны ['tyop-l.y-ye каl'-'sо-n.у] " long johns" 4
Носовые платки [na-sa-'v.y-ye plat-'ki] "handkerchiefs" 12
etc., and so on
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After sorting out and packing all your washing into a large bag, you are ready to
go в прачечную. Some two weeks later, you will go there again, чтобы получить
обратно Ваше выстиранное и выглаженное бельё "in order to receive back your
clean and ironed washing".
The last advice: check the contents of the package received against your copy
of the form where you listed all the articles brought to the laundry. Mistakes do
happen.
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SUBJECT 17. PUBLIC SIGNS AND NOTICES
No doubt, if you come to Russia with a very limited ability to speak and understand by
ear, you would appreciate how it was important for you at least to learn reading and
comprehending all sorts of public signs and notices, so that in many cases you would be
able to avoid torturing yourself and others by trying to ask questions and then trying even
harder to understand the answers.
To help you in this respect, I have collected the most important signs in the following
table.
RUSSIAN ENGLISH COMMENTS
Остановка запрещена No stopping For cars
Стоянка запрещена OR No parking
Парковка запрещена
Въезд запрещён No entry For cars
Улица с односторонним One-way street

движением
Пешеходный переход Crosswalk
Остановка трамвая Tram (bus, trolleybus)

(автобуса, троллейбуса) stop
Место для парковки Parking lot

машин
Общественные туалеты: Public toilets: Corresponding
a) мужской туалет a) men's room abbreviations:
б) женский туалет b) women's toilet М and Ж
respectively
Театр Theatre
Кинотеатр Cinema
Музей Museum
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Ресторан Restaurant
Кафе Cafe
Столовая Eatery
Вокзал Railway station
Гостиница Hotel
Библиотека Library
Стоянка такси Taxi rank
Берегись автомобиля! Beware of a car!
Высокое напряжение High voltage is life-

опасно для жизни! threatening!
Не копать: кабель Do not dig: high voltage
высокого напряжения cable
Телефон-автомат Public phone
Полиция Police
Поликлиника Policlinic
Больница Hospital
Медпункт (медицинский First-aid room

пункт)
Аптечка первой помощи First-aid kit
Почта (OR почтовое Post Office

отделение)
Пункт обмена валюты Currency exchange
a) Не курить OR No smoking Literal translation:

b) Курить запрещено OR a) Don't smoke;
c) У нас не курят b) Smoking is
prohibited;
c) We don't smoke
here
Место для курения The smoking area
Вход Entrance
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Посторонним вход No entry, authorised
запрещён! personnel only!
Вход в парк с собаками No dogs allowed in the

запрещён park
Выход Exit
Аварийный выход Emergency exit
Въезд Entry For cars
Выезд Exit For cars
Касса Box office
Расписание поездов: Train timetable:

а) Отправление a) Departure
б) Прибытие b) Arrival
Зал ожидания Waiting room
Комната матери и ребёнка Parenting room
Места для инвалидов и Seats for the disabled In public transport

пассажиров с детьми and people with children
Заправочная станция Petrol station
Питьевая вода Drinking water
Огнетушитель Fire extinguisher
Пожарная лестница Fire escape
Пожарный гидрант Fire hydrant
Мусорный ящик Rubbish bin
Не сорить! Do not litter!
Камера хранения Luggage office
Бюро находок Lost property office
Лифт не работает The lift is out of order
Осторожно: листопад! Caution: falling leaves!

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Осторожно: гололёд! Caution: ice!
Взрывоопасно Risk of explosion
О пожаре звонить 01 In event of fire call 01
Для вызова полиции For Police call 02

звонить 02
Для вызова скорой For Ambulance call 03
помощи звонить 03
От себя Push When opening a
door
На себя Pull When opening a

door
Двери открываются The doors open
автоматически automatically
Не влезай - убьёт! Don't climb up - you will Sign on a power

be killed transmission line
pole
Стой - опасно для жизни! Stop - life-threatening
danger!
Осторожно: утечка газа! Warning: The gas leak!

Огонь не применять The fire must not be
used
Опасная зона Danger zone
Не включать: работа на Do not switch on: people

линии are working on line
Проход закрыт The walkway is closed
Проезд закрыт No thoroughfare
Уходя, выключайте Before leaving, turn off

электроприборы the electrical appliances
Закрыто на ремонт Closed for repairs
Закрыто на обед Closed for lunch
Часы работы Working hours
Выходные дни Nonworking days
Не включать, кабель Don't turn on: the cable

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поврежден! is damaged
Запрещено разведение The building of bonfires

костров is prohibited
Берегись поезда Beware of trains
Вход / Выход на Entrance / exit to the

платформу через platform through the
подземный переход underpass
Бюро информации OR Inquiry office

Справочное бюро
Осторожно: злая собака Beware of the dog

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SUBJECT 18. MANNERS, TRADITIONS AND SUPERSTITIONS
I believe that it is worth to mention here some good manners which children in the former
Soviet Union were taught, if not so much in schools, then by examples of behaviour by
main characters depicted in books, radio and television programs, movies and plays, and
so on. They could serve as an example to follow by many young and not so young
Westerners.
As usual, let's at first talk about this in Russian.
1. Общественный транспорт в Советском Союзе обычно был переполнен, так
что многим приходилось стоять. Но как правило, ребёнок школьного
возраста всегда был готов уступить место взрослому человеку - и не потому,
что он ехал в школу или со школы домой, пользуясь более дешёвым
билетом, который предписывал бы ему уступать место старшим (кстати,
стоимость проезда в трамвае, автобусе, троллейбусе или метро была очень
низкой и одинаковой для всех.) Просто вся система школьного и
общественного воспитания приучила его к мысли, что поступить иначе будет
ненормально и неприемлемо для всех других пассажиров.
1а). Для большинства мужчин считалось нормальным уступить место
женщине (особенно если она была беременна или держала на руках ребёнка),
а более молодые мужчины и женщины уступали место старикам и старухам.

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1b). В связи с этим, я вспоминаю прекрасный пример, который я однажды
наблюдал в поезде ленинградского метро... На одной из остановок в вагон
зашло много новых пассажиров, и напротив сидящего с костылями в руках
инвалида остановилась женщина среднего возраста. У неё было усталое
лицо, как и у большинства всех других пассажиров, возвращавшихся с
работы, но она спокойно стояла, держась за поручень двери, не прося и не
ожидая никаких привилегий в её адрес.
Однако, этот мужчина-инвалид немедленно вскочил со своего сиденья и,
стоя на своей единственной ноге, предложил женщине занять его место.
1c). Женщина просто оторопела, не зная, что и сказать: если бы это был
обычный мужчина, то она просто бы сказала "Спасибо" и села на его место
(не все, но многие мужчины поступили бы так же в данной ситуации). Но этот
удивительный человек был без ноги, а стоять на одной ноге в движущемся
поезде было весьма непросто. Поэтому она решительно запротестовала: "Ну
что Вы, что Вы? Как можно? Не беспокойтесь, пожалуйста. Мне легче стоять,
чем Вам". На что инвалид с большим достоинством ответил: "Но я же всё-
таки мужчина" и настоял на том, чтобы женщина заняла его место.
2. Считалось нормальным, входя или выходя из какого-либо здания,
открыть дверь и держать её для более старого человека, женщины
независимо от её возраста, или, строго говоря, для любого человека,
следовавшего за вами; а если держать дверь не требовалось (как, например,
при входе в современный лифт), то просто позволить женщине войти первой,
а не следовать за вами.
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3. Если в офисе, где вы работали, к вам кто-то подходил с вопросом, то вы
прежде всего предлагали ему сесть в специально зарезервированное для
посетителей кресло. А если этот посетитель отказывался сесть, говоря что
он спешит, то считалось признаком хорошего воспитания, если в таком
случае вы тоже бы встали со своего кресла - особенно это казалось случаев,
когда к вам обращалась женщина.
4. Считалось грубостью, если в середине вашей беседы с кем-либо другой
человек подходил и, не дожидаясь паузы в вашем разговоре и даже не
извинившись перед вами, начинал говорить с вашим собеседником о чём-то
своём.
5. Я не могу утверждать, что все жители России следовали этим
элементарным правилам хорошего тона, но, несомненно, примеров тому там
было больше, чем в странах Запада.
6. Было приятно, что в офисах бывшего Советского Союза, во время
перерывов в работе, коллеги говорили друг с другом не только о политике и
спорте, но также о прочитанных книгах и просмотренных интересных
фильмах или спектаклях. Россияне также любили делиться друг с другом
своими семейными делами.
7. Если знакомый вам сосед по дому стучал (или звонил) в дверь вашей
квартиры с каким либо вопросом, то вы не держали его на пороге, а

292
приглашали войти внутрь, сесть, спрашивали не хочет ли он (или она)
выпить чашку чая или кофе, а затем уже выслушивали вашего гостя. Вообще
говоря, друзья и родственники могли зайти к вам без всякой
предварительной договорённости - и это не считалось чем-то зазорным.
8. Когда, по случаю какого-либо торжества, люди собирались вместе, то все
они ели и пили, сидя за одним столом, а не расходясь по углам, каждый со
своей тарелкой. Такая традиция существовала и существует не только
потому, что есть за столом удобнее, чем сидя на полу, но ещё и потому, что
общий стол сближает людей: они шутят, произносят тосты, и много сообща
поют. А потом, как правило, все или почти все танцуют под музыку.
Я искренне думаю, что, собираясь на вечеринках, молодёжь в России,
несмотря на более ограниченные материальные возможности, умела
проводить время значительно интереснее и веселее, чем это делают их
сверстники на Западе. И особенно весело все встречали Новый Год.
Празднество начиналось 31 декабря, примерно в 10 часов вечера, чтобы
сначала проводить старый, уходящий год, а в полночь начиналось уже
подлинное веселье, которое зачастую продолжалось до самого утра.
However, alas, there were also many examples of bad manners shown by
people in Russia each and every day. Let's talk about this as well.
9. Обслуживание покупателей в магазинах было зачастую весьма грубое. Все
магазины и прочие службы принадлежали государству. Люди работали там
за небольшую зарплату и не интересовались таким вопросом как

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качественное обслуживание покупателей или посетителей. Последние их
только раздражали. И каждый день вы могли натолкнуться на хамство где-то
бы ни было: в магазине, в общественном транспорте, на работе. Да, и на
работе тоже...
9a). Я помню, как работая в различных организациях Новой Зеландии, я был
приятно поражён, что в отличие от командной атмосферы советских
организаций никто ни на кого не кричал, не унижал. Все вопросы
обсуждались по-деловому, спокойно и вежливо. А ведь, живя и работая в
России, я вынужден был уйти из одной компании только потому, что не мог
уже терпеть ежедневных воплей своей начальницы. И кричала она не потому,
что была разгневана некомпетентностью того или иного работника, а просто
потому, что иначе разговаривать она не умела.
9b). Люди в России привыкли к командному стилю общения. Вся
тоталитарная советская система была построена на этом. Если система
унижает человека, то дай ему хотя бы небольшую власть, и он будет всеми
силами стараться унижать других - тех, кто от него хоть как-то зависит. И
поэтому, к примеру, водопроводчик, которого вы вызывали разблокировать
раковину или туалет, держал себя с вами как если бы он был сам господь бог.
И вы не могли ему перечить, потому что он мог всё разворотить и уйти, а
вызвать другого водопроводчика вы не могли, поскольку он был прислан
жилищной конторой, которая обслуживала ваш дом.

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9c). А когда мы ещё жили в коммунальной квартире, в которой каждая
комната отапливалась дровами, мы часто должны были вызывать печника,
чтобы починить нашу печь. Однажды, помню, он пришёл и потребовал
кочергу. Мне было тогда всего лет восемь, и никого больше из моей семьи в
квартире не было. Найти кочергу мне не удалось, и тогда он на полном
серьёзе произнёс свою "историческую" фразу, которую я помню до сих пор:
"Продайте пианино и купите кочергу".
9d). У писателей есть такое выражение, стимулирующее их потребность
творить: "ни дня без строчки". Перефразируя это выражение, я мог
констатировать печальную реальность жизни в Советском Союзе таким
образом: "ни дня без хамства"
Well, time has now come to tell you a few Russian superstitious beliefs.
10.
(a) Если чёрная кошка перебежала Вам дорогу (особенно когда Вы идёте
на экзамен или на важное интервью) - это считается плохим признаком.
Не хотите испытывать судьбу? Тогда поверните обратно и измените
свой маршрут: обход займёт больше времени, но ... с чёрной кошкой
лучше дело не иметь.
(b) Помните, что в России (в отличие от Запада) тяжёлым днём считается
не пятница, а понедельник, и особенно понедельник, 13-го числа.
Всячески избегайте в этот день делать что-либо важное для Вас.

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(c) Если у Вас внезапно зазвенело в ухе, быстро загадайте желание и
спросите любого, кто оказался рядом с Вами: "В каком ухе звенит?"
Если ответ правильный, то Ваше желание должно исполниться.
(d) Если Ваш друг сдаёт экзамен, то Вы можете помочь ему, если в то же
самое время Вы будете ругать и проклинать его (хотя бы мысленно).
При этом рекомендуется держать Ваш палец в чернильнице.
(e) Если Вашего ребёнка кто-то похвалил, плюньте через левое плечо три
раза, чтобы его не сглазили.
(f) Если Вы делаете что-то на кухне и случайно уронили на пол нож, то
ждите гостя - мужчину; а если упала вилка, то придёт женщина...
Translation of the text presented above (refer to Paragraphs 1 - 10)
1. Public transport in the Soviet Union was usually overcrowded, therefore many
passengers had to stand. But as a rule, school-age child was always ready to give up
his seat to an adult person - and not because he was travelling to or from school, using
a cheaper ticket, which obliged him to give up his seat to an older person (by the way,
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the cost of travel in the tram, bus , trolleybus or metro was very low and the amount to
pay was the same for everyone.) Just the whole school and public education system
had taught him to believe that to do otherwise would be abnormal and unacceptable to
all other passengers.
1a). For most men, it was considered normal to give up their seats to a woman
(especially if she was pregnant or holding a baby in her arms), and younger men and
women, were giving up their seats to older people.
1b). In this regard, I am recalling a perfect example, which I once observed on a metro
train in Leningrad ... At one of the metro stations, many new passengers came inside
the train, and some middle aged woman stopped in front of a sitting man who was
holding crutches in his hands. She looked tired, like most other passengers on the train,
who were returning from work, but she stood quietly holding onto the handrails, without
asking or expecting any privileges to herself. However, this disabled man immediately
jumped out of his seat and, standing on his only leg, offered the woman to take his
place.
1c). The woman simply dumbfounded, not knowing what to say: if it was an ordinary
man, then she would just say "Thank you" and sit down on the offered seat (not all, but
many men would have done the same in this situation.) But this amazing man had only
one leg, and to stand on one leg in a moving train was very difficult. Therefore she
strongly protested: "Oh no, no! How can I? Do not worry, please. For me it is much
easier to stand than for you." But the disabled replied with dignity: "However, I'm still a
man," and insisted that the woman took his place.

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2. It was considered normal when entering or leaving a building, to open the door and
hold it for an older man, a woman regardless of her age, or, strictly speaking, for
anyone who was walking behind you; and if holding the door open by hand was not
required (as, for example, for the entrance into the modern lift), then it would be just
polite to let the woman enter first, and then enter yourself.
3. If in the office where you work, someone approached you with a question, you would
first of all offer him to sit down in a chair specially reserved for visitors. If the visitor
refused to sit down, saying that he was in a hurry, it would be considered a sign of good
manners if in this case you, too, have risen from your chair - it would be especially
appropriate if the visitor was a woman.
4. It was considered rude, if in the middle of your conversation with someone another
person came up and, without waiting for a pause in your discussion and even not
apologizing to you, started talking with your companion about something else.
5. I cannot say that all Russian citizens followed these basic rules of good manners,
but, no doubt, I saw more examples of this in the former USSR than in Western
countries.
6. It was nice that in the offices of the former Soviet Union, during breaks at work,
colleagues were talking to each other not only about politics and sports, but also about
the books they read and interesting films, plays or shows they attended. The Russians
also loved to share with each other information concerning their families.
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7. If your neighbour knocked (or ring the bell) at the door of your apartment wishing to ask
you something, you did not keep him (or her) at the door, but instead invited him to come
inside, sit down, asked if he (or she) would like to have a cup of tea or coffee, and then
listened to your guest. Generally speaking, the friends and relatives could come to your
place without any prior arrangement - and it was not considered as something
inappropriate.
8. When, in the event of some celebration, people gathered together, they all ate and
drank sitting at a common table, rather than dispersing themselves to the room corners,
each with his own plate. This tradition has existed and exists not only because it is more
comfortable to eat at the table than sitting on the floor, but also because the common table
brings people together: they were joking, made speeches, and sang together a lot. And
then, as a rule, all or almost all of them were dancing.
I honestly believe that gathering at a party, young people in Russia, despite the more
limited material resources, were able to have much more interesting and enjoyable time
than do their peers in the West. And especially a lot of fun was when people celebrated the
New Year. The festivity would begin about 10 pm on December 31 - at first to farewell the
old, outgoing year, and at midnight the real fun would start, which often lasted until dawn.
9. Customer service in the shops was often quite rude. All shops and other services
belonged to the state. People worked there for a small salary and were not interested in
such a thing as providing the quality service to customers or visitors. The latter just
annoyed the employees. And every day you could come across the rudeness anywhere: in
the shop, on public transport, at work. Yes, and at work, too...

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9a). I remember how working in various New Zealand organizations, I was pleasantly
surprised that, in contrast to the commanding atmosphere of Soviet organizations, no one
here was shouting at or humiliating others. All issues were discussed in a businesslike
manner, quietly and politely. Whereas, while living and working in Russia, I was forced to
leave one company only because I could no longer tolerate the daily screams of our lady
boss. And she screamed and yelled not because she was so much angry with the
incompetence of some particular employee, but simply because she was not able to
communicate otherwise.
9b). People in Russia were used to commanding style of communication. The whole
totalitarian Soviet system was based on it. If the system humiliates a person, then if you
give this person at least a little power, he will make every effort to humiliate others - those
who somehow depends on him. For this reason, for example, a plumber, when you called
him to unblock the sink or the toilet, treated you as if he were God himself. And you could
not argue with him, because he could leave behind a real mess - even worse than it was
before he came, and you could not call another plumber since the tradesmen were
allocated only by the housing office that served your apartment building.
9c). When we still lived in a communal apartment where each room was heated with wood,
we often had to call a stove-setter to fix our large stove. Once, I remember, he came in and
demanded a poker. I was only eight years old, and no one else from my family was home
at that time. I failed to find the poker, and then he pronounced, absolutely seriously, his
"historical" phrase that I remember to this day: "Sell your piano and buy a poker."
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9d). The writers have an expression, stimulating their need to create: "no one day should
pass without writing a new line." Paraphrasing this expression, I could describe the sad
reality of life in the Soviet Union as follows: "no one day was passing without boorishness."
10.
(a) If a black cat ran across the road in front of you (especially when you go for an exam or
an important interview) - it is considered a bad sign. You do not want to tempt fate, do
you? Then turn back and change your route: bypass requires more time, but ... you should
not take a risk with a black cat.
(b) Please note that in Russia (unlike in the West) the unluckiest day is not Friday but
Monday, and especially Monday, the 13th. Try to avoid doing anything important for you on
this day (in every possible way you can).
(c) If you have a sudden ringing in the ear, quickly make a wish and ask anyone who
turned out to be near you: "Which of my ears is ringing?" If the answer is correct, then your
wish will come true.
(d) If your friend is sitting an exam, you can help him if at the same time you will swear and
curse him (at least quietly). Whereby, it is recommended to keep your finger in the ink tray.
(e) If someone praised your child, spit over your left shoulder three times to avoid the kid
being jinxed.
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(f) if you are doing something in the kitchen and accidentally dropped a knife on the
floor, then wait for a guest - a man; and if you dropped a fork, there will come a
woman ...
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SUBJECT 19. MNEMONIC RULES IN RUSSIAN LIFE AND LANGUAGE
After giving some thought to this subject, I have decided to reproduce here my article
originally published in 1975, in the Leningrad children's magazine "Iskorka" (by the way,
the Russian word "искорка" means "a little sparkle"). This magazine was closed in 1992
(during very hard years of Перестройка).
I hope that by now the Reader of this book will be able to read and comprehend the
contents of this article, especially because the latter was written by a sufficiently simple
language - appropriate for the young readers of magazine "Iskorka". Nonetheless, after
the Russian text, as usual, you will be able to see its English version.
1. «Кто- и шутя и скоро пожелает(ъ)
пи узнать, число уж(ъ) знает(ъ)».
Помните это двустишие? Вроде бы бессмыслица. Так, да не совсем.
2. Конечно, приведённый здесь стишок очень далёк от подлинной поэзии. Но
он и придуман совсем не для того, чтобы воздействовать на человеческие
сердца. Напротив, назначение его весьма прозаическое, но, тем не менее,
вполне возможно, что сей труд будет как бесконечная эстафета передаваться
из поколения в поколение...
3. Дело в том, что он позволяет легко, быстро и с очень большой точностью
написать известное из геометрии число ¶ (пи), которое характеризует
отношение длины любой окружности к ее диаметру.

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4. Действительно, если пользоваться старой орфографией, принятой до 1918
года (слова, оканчивающиеся на твердую согласную, писались с твёрдым
знаком 'ъ', который ставился после этой согласной), то оказывается, что
число букв в каждом слове этого двустишия соответствует очередной цифре
числа ¶ : 3,1415926536.
Попробуйте-ка запомнить это число без подсказки! А наша подсказка при
всей своей видимой нелепости легко запоминается и даёт ключ к
запоминанию точной величины часто употребляемого математического
понятия.
5. Приём, которым мы воспользовались для запоминания числа ¶,
называется мнемоническим правилом. Большая советская энциклопедия
даёт следующее определение мнемоники: «Мнемоника (от греческого
mnemonika — искусство запоминания) — система различных приёмов,
облегчающих запоминание и увеличивающих объём памяти путём
образования искусственных ассоциаций».
6. Простейшими мнемоническими правилами люди пользовались ещё в
глубокой древности. Например, зарубки, которые они оставляли на дереве,
помогали им ориентироваться в дремучем лесу.

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А мой вполне современный товарищ, прикалывая к ремешку часов скрепку,
утверждает, что она помогает ему вспомнить и выполнить данное обещание
(например, принести из дома какой- либо предмет).
7. Вернёмся, однако, к математике. С числом ¶, кажется, всё ясно. Но вот в
высшей математике, которую изучают в институтах, широко пользуются
понятием другого числа 'е'. Что это такое? В школе вас знакомят с
десятичными логарифмами, основанием которых служит число 10. А
существуют ещё и так называемые натуральные логарифмы. Так вот это
число 'е' и является основанием натурального логарифма; Его
приблизительное значение 2,7. А точное выражается бесконечной
десятичной дробью, которую, оказывается, очень легко запомнить вплоть до
15-го знака после запятой, если воспользоваться мнемоническим правилом:
е=2,718281828459045.
8. Присмотритесь, пожалуйста, внимательнее к написанному числу. Нетрудно
заметить, что после цифры 7 дважды повторяются числа 1828, а их легко
запомнить как год рождения Льва Николаевича Толстого. А затем идут числа,
обозначающие углы прямоугольного равнобедренного треугольника: 45, 90,
45,— не правда ли? Вот вы и запомнили это громоздкое число задолго до
поступления в институт, и, поверьте, уже на всю жизнь.

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9. Однако не станем увлекаться высшей математикой. Нам бы сейчас что-
нибудь попроще. Допустим, мы с вами пока ещё только ученики 5 - 6-го
классов, и нам никак не даётся умножение или деление положительных и
отрицательных чисел— всё время путаемся в знаках: умножая, скажем, -5 на -
3, мы получаем в ответе -15, а при делении +20 на -4 получаем +5, за что
учительница неизменно ставит нам двойку без всяких знаков.
Помоги нам, добрая волшебница Мнемоника! И она помогает. Слушайте,
ребята, и запоминайте.
10. Положительный человек — это «+» и он, конечно, ваш друг.
Отрицательный человек — это «-» и он, безусловно, враг. Верно ведь? А
теперь обратимся к арифметическим действиям:
10.1. (+) x (+) = (+)
друг вашего друга — ваш друг
10.2. (+) x (-) = (-)
друг вашего врага — ваш враг
10.3. (-) x (+) = (-)
враг вашего друга—тоже ваш враг

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10.4. (-) x (-) = (+)
враг вашего врага — ваш друг
При делении — всё то же самое.
11. Можно было бы продолжить подобные примеры. Но разве
мнемонические правила — это привилегия математики? Ничего подобного.
Вот, пожалуйста, известный пример из области физики. При прохождении
белого света через призму наблюдается разложение его на цветной спектр,
причём цвета в спектре располагаются всегда в строго определённом
порядке: красный, оранжевый, жёлтый, зелёный, голубой, синий,
фиолетовый.
12. Уверяю вас, что запомнить эту последовательность, тем более надолго,
было бы весьма сложно, если бы не одна «мудрая» фраза: «Каждый охотник
желает знать, где сидит фазан».
Первые буквы каждого слова этой фразы подсказывают нам нужный цвет.
13. А если мы хотим быстро, не задумываясь представить семь цветов
радуги в обратном порядке? И на это есть свой ключ — фраза, которая как
бы отвечает на желание охотника: «Фазан сидит, глаза закрыв, желая очень
кушать».
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14. Ну хорошо: математика и физика - науки точные. Может быть, в этом всё
дело? Может быть, только поэтому мы и находим соответствующие
закономерности даже в самом механизме запоминания? Однако если это так,
то как же тогда быть с такой фразой:
«Цыган на цыпочках стоит
и «цыц» цыплёнку говорит»?
15. Вы, наверное, уже догадались, что это — тоже мнемоническое правило.
Никакого отношения к точным наукам оно не имеет. Им пользуются для
запоминания следующего правила русской орфографии: после буквы 'ц' в
корне пишется 'и', за исключением четырёх слов, перечисленных в
приведённом выше двустишии:
цыган, на цыпочках, цыц, цыплёнок.
16. Или уж совсем короткая и ёмкая фраза: «Уж замуж невтерпёж», все три
слова которой являются исключениями из другого правила подобного же
рода: наречия, оканчивающиеся на шипящую, имеют на конце 'ь'.
17. А разве в быту, в повседневной жизни нам не помогает эта всемогущая
мнемоника? Предположим, требуется запомнить номер телефона. Мы ищем

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какую-либо закономерность, пытаемся найти привычные ассоциации, и
обычно находим.
18. Например, в прежние годы, когда номера телефонов начинались с буквы,
я запомнил телефон одного своего знакомого В2-01-01 следующим образом:
«В два пожара». Вы скажете, что подобный номер — исключение. Здесь всё
очевидно: и предлог «в», и число «2», и дважды повторенный номер вызова
пожарной команды.
19. Действительно, подобные номера, несомненно, представляют собой
большую редкость. Всё равно что: А5-25-35 («опять двадцать пять —
тридцать пять»). А сейчас вообще нет таких номеров, так как уже довольно
давно отменена буквенная индексация.
20. И тем не менее, вероятно, в любом номере можно, если захотеть, найти
какую-то свою особенность (пусть даже основанную только на ваших личных
ассоциациях), которая поможет вам запомнить его.
21. Мнемоника охватывает буквально все стороны жизни. Нет для неё
недоступных областей, где она была бы бессильна. Она повсюду и везде.
Даже в расположений улиц. Пройдитесь по Загородному проспекту
Ленинграда от Витебского вокзала к Технологическому институту. Вы
последовательно будете пересекать следующие улицы: Рузовскую,
Можайскую, Верейскую, Подольскую, Серпуховскую, Бронницкую. Чтобы в

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любой момент можно было легко вспомнить этот порядок, достаточно
запомнить такую фразу: «Разве можно верить пустым словам балерины?»
22. Мнемонику иногда обвиняют в том, что она приучает к чисто
механическому запоминанию, без понимания сущности явления. Но ведь
одно ни в коем случае не отрицает другого. Безусловно, изучая любой
вопрос, нужно прежде всего понять его, осмыслить, прочувствовать. Но одно
дело понять, а другое запомнить. Это разные вещи.
23. Вы можете прекрасно понимать физическую сущность, скажем, того же
числа ¶ и знать, как оно получается, но не будете же вы каждый раз
выводить его заново или искать значение этого числа в справочнике. Вам
надо запомнить его. А как запомнить набор многих цифр? Вызубрить? Право,
это весьма неблагодарная работа. И только мнемоника будет вам в этом
случае надёжным и верным другом.
24. Пусть закономерность, которую вы наблюдаете, используя
мнемонические правила, чисто внешняя, не открывающая и не объясняющая
окружающий вас мир, но она помогает усвоить многие его законы — усвоить
их быстро и надолго.
25. Доказательств тому можно было бы привести ещё очень много. Но я
уверен, что каждый из вас в состоянии не только пользоваться известными
мнемоническими правилами, но и сам придумывать новые.

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Translation of paragraphs 1 - 25 presented above
1. «Кто и шутя и скоро пожелает(ъ)
пи узнать, число уж(ъ) знает(ъ)».
Remember this couplet? It doesn't make much sense even in Russian, therefore I will rather
not try to translate it into English. So, is it completely useless? Wrong!
2. Of course, these 2 lines are very far away from a real poetry. But they are not designed to
evoke any emotions in human hearts. On the contrary, the purpose of these lines is very
prosaic, but nonetheless, it is quite possible that they will be infinitely passed on from
generation to generation ...
3. The fact is that those lines allow you to easily, quickly and with very high accuracy write
down a number well known in geometry: ¶ (pi), which characterizes the ratio of the length of
any circle to its diameter.
4. Indeed, if we use the old spelling applied before 1918 (words ending in hard consonant
had also, after that consonant, hard sign 'ъ'), we may notice that the number of letters in
each word of this couplet corresponds to the respective digit of the number ¶: 3,1415926536.
Would you be able to remember this number without a prompt? Most probably - no. Whereas
our tip for all its apparent absurdity is easy to remember and gives the key to remembering
the exact value of this popular mathematical concept.
5. The method, which we used to remember the number ¶, is called a mnemonic rule. The
311
Great Soviet Encyclopedia gives the following definition of the mnemonic: "Mnemonic (from
the Greek mnemonika - art of memory) - a system of different techniques facilitating
memorization and increasing the amount of memory by forming artificial associations."
6. The simplest mnemonic rules were used by people from the ancient times. For example,
nicks that they left on trees helped them navigate the dense forest. On the other hand,
already in our modern times, one of my friends used to pin a paper clip to the strap of his
watch, saying that it helps him remember and keep the promise (for example, to take
something from home and bring it to his workplace).
7. However, let us return to mathematics. With the number ¶, it seems, everything is clear.
But in the higher mathematics, which is taught at universities or other higher educational
institutions, people also use another notable number - number е. What is it? In school, you
learn decimal logarithms whose base is the number 10. But there are also the so-called
natural logarithms whose base is the number е. Its approximate value is 2.7. Much more
precisely this number can be expressed as an infinite decimal fraction which, as it turns out,
with the help of a mnemonic rule can be easily remembered up to the 15th decimal place,
that is е = 2.718281828459045.
8. Take a closer look at the above written number. It is easy to notice that after the digit 7 the
number 1828 is repeated twice, and this number is easy to remember as the year of birth of
Leo Tolstoy. And after that, you can see numbers that indicate the angles of an isosceles
right angled triangle: 45, 90, 45, - isn't it? So, from now on you will be able to easily recall this
unwieldy number - long before you entered University, and, believe me, you will never forget
it.
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9. However, we shall not get obsessed with the higher mathematics. We currently need
something much simpler. Let's say we are still students of school grade 5 (or 6), and we are
not able to comprehend the multiplication or division of positive and negative numbers. We
never know which sign (plus or minus) to choose: for example, multiplying -5 by -3, we write
the answer -15, and dividing 20 by -4, we get +5, and as a result, the teacher always marks
our work with digit "2" - with no sign at all.
Help us, our kind fairy Mnemonic! And she helps. Listen, children, and remember.
10. Positive person is a "+", and of course he/she is your friend.
Negative person is a "-", and he is definitely the enemy. Isn't that right?
And now let's turn to the arithmetic operations:
10.1. (+) x (+) = (+)
a friend of your friend is your friend
10.2. (+) x (-) = (-)
a friend of your enemy is your enemy
10.3. (-) x (+) = (-)
the enemy of your friend is your enemy, too
10.4. (-) x (-) = (+)
the enemy of your enemy is your friend
When you divide, you should apply the same rules.

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11. We could continue similar examples. But, are the mnemonic rules a privilege of
mathematics? Nothing like that. Here I will give you a well known example from the field of
physics. When white light passes through a prism, you can observe dispersion of light, i.e. the
separation of white light into separate colours. Whereby the colours in the spectrum are
always allocated in the following order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
12. I assure you that to remember this sequence, especially for a long time, would be quite
difficult, if not for one "wise" phrase: «Каждый охотник желает знать, где сидит фазан»
["Every hunter wants to know where a pheasant sits."]. The first letter of each word of this
Russian phrase gives us a clue for choosing the right colour: красный, оранжевый,
жёлтый, зелёный, голубой, синий, фиолетовый.
13. What if we want quickly, with no hesitation at all, to imagine the seven colours of the
rainbow in reverse order? There's a key for this as well - a phrase which seemingly
responds to the hunter's desire: «Фазан сидит, глаза закрыв, желая очень кушать»
["The pheasant is sitting, with eyes closed, very much wanting to eat."]
14. Well, mathematics and physics are exact sciences. Maybe that's the reason? Perhaps
this is the only reason that we find the relevant laws even in the very mechanism of
memorization? However, if that is true, then how to be with this phrase:
«Цыган на цыпочках стоит
и «цыц» цыплёнку говорит» ?
["А Gypsy is tiptoeing and saying 'Hush' to the chicken"]

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15. You probably already guessed that this is also a mnemonic rule. It does not have any
relation to the exact sciences. It is used to remember the following rule of Russian spelling:
after the letter 'ц' in the word stem, one must always write 'и', except for the four words in
the above couplet (where we write 'ы'):
цыган (Gipsy), на цыпочках (tiptoeing), цыц (hush!), цыплёнок (chicken)
16. Or look at this extremely short and succinct phrase: «Уж замуж невтерпёж» ["Cannot
wait to have a husband"]. These three Russian words are exceptions to another spelling
rule which states: if adverbs are ending in a letter with hushing sound, then that letter is
followed by soft sign 'ь'.
17. And what about everyday life? Are we not helped by all-powerful mnemonic in everyday
life? Suppose we want to remember a phone number. We are looking for some pattern,
trying to find familiar associations, and usually we find something!
18. For example, in past years, when phone numbers were beginning with a letter, I
remembered the phone of one of my friends: B2-01-01 as follows: «В два пожара» ["In
the two fires."] You can say that such a number is an exception. Indeed, in this number,
everything was obvious: the preposition "В", and the number "2", and twice repeated
emergency telephone number of the fire brigade.
19. Indeed, these numbers undoubtedly represent a great rarity. It's like: : А5-25-35
(«опять двадцать пять — тридцать пять»). ["again twenty five - thirty five"]. Besides,
315
such numbers don't exist anymore, because the letter indexing has been abolished long
time ago.
20. And yet, perhaps, in any number you can, if you really want to, find some kind of pattern
(even if it is based only on your personal associations) that will help you remember it.
21. Mnemonic literally covers all aspects of life. There are no inaccessible spheres of life
where mnemonic would be powerless. It is anywhere and everywhere. Even in the location
of streets. Take, for example, a walk in Leningrad along Zagorodny Prospect from the
Vitebsk Railway Station to the metro station "Technologichesky Institute". You will cross the
following sequence of streets: Ruzovskaya, Mozhayskaya, Vereiskaya, Podolskaya,
Serpukhovskaya, Bronnitskaya. In order, at any moment, to easily recall this sequence, you
should just remember this simple phrase: «Разве можно верить пустым словам
балерины?» ["Would you believe empty words of ballerina?"]
22. Mnemonics are sometimes blamed for the fact that they teach us to a purely mechanical
memorizing without understanding the nature of the phenomenon. But one thing does not
exclude the other. No doubt, while researching any issue, we must first of all comprehend it,
make sense and get a feel of it. However, to understand the subject is one thing, whereas to
remember its details for a very long time is something completely different. Yes, these are
two different things.
23. You can fully understand the physical nature, say, of the discussed earlier number ¶ and
know how to get it, but you will not become calculating this number every time again and
again, nor will you want to search for the value of this number in some reference materials.
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You have to remember it. But how to remember a long set of numbers? Learn by rote?
Surely, this will be a very thankless task. And only mnemonic in this situation will be your
reliable and loyal friend.
24. Yes, the pattern which you follow while using mnemonic rules is purely superficial, it
neither discovers nor explains the world around you, but it helps to learn many of its laws -
to learn them quickly and for many years ahead.
25. I could talk on this subject much longer. However, I am sure that each of you can not
only use well known mnemonic rules, but also independently invent the new ones.
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SUBJECT 20. 100 MOST POPULAR RUSSIAN PROVERBS, IDIOMS, QUOTATIONS,
AND OTHER CATCH PHRASES
No. Russian Original (in alphabetical order)

and Comments & Explanations
its English Equivalent
1 А судьи кто? A famous piece from a play in verses

by Alexander Griboyedov "Woe from
Who are they to judge us? Wit" (1824). This expression has
become very popular in Russia
2 Ах, злые языки страшнее пистолета! As above.
Ah, evil tongues are more terrible than

a pistol!
3 Баба с возу - кобыле легче Proverb. Literal translation:

It's easier for the horse if the woman
Good riddance! gets off the cart
4 Бог троицу любит Proverb. Literal translation:

God loves threesome
Third time lucky
5 Большому кораблю - большое Proverb

плавание
A great ship needs deep waters
6 Быть или не быть? Вот в чём I believe no explanation is needed

вопрос. here
To be or not to be? That is the

question.
7 В каждой шутке есть доля правды Proverb.
There is a shard of truth in every joke
8 В тихом омуте черти водятся Proverb. Literal translation:

Devils live in a quiet slough
Still waters run deep
9 В чужой монастырь со своим Proverb. Literal translation:

уставом не ходят Don't come to the others monastery
with your own Charter
When at Rome, do as the Romans do
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10 В этой жизни умереть не трудно - Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote these
сделать жизнь значительно трудней lines when he learned that another
great Russian poet Sergei Esenin
It is not hard to die in this life - to make committed suicide in 1925 (at the time
life is a much more difficult task of his death he was only 30 years
old).
However, just 5 years later,

Mayakovsky, forgetting his own poetic
statement, also committed suicide.
11 Всё познаётся в сравнении This quote is attributed to a number of

famous people, such as Albert
Everything is relative Einstein, Leon Trotsky, Friedrich
Nietzsche's, etc.
12 Все счастливые семьи похожи друг Quote from a novel "Anna Karenina"
на друга, но каждая несчастная by Leo Tolstoy
семья несчастлива по своему.
All happy families resemble one

another, but each unhappy family is
unhappy in its own way
13 Всё хорошо, что хорошо кончается Proverb
All is well that ends well
14 Всё это было бы смешно, когда бы These lines are from poetry of Mikhail
не было так грустно Lermontov
All this would be funny, if it were not

so sad
15 Встать с левой ноги Literal translation of this idiom:

To get up from the bed putting down
Get up on the wrong side of the bed one's left leg first.
16 Где бы ни работать, лишь бы не A popular Soviet joke

работать
It doesn't matter where you work, as

long as you don't need to work
17 Головой надо думать, а не It is what my brilliant School teacher

ботинками of mathematics used to tell his
carefree students
You need to think by your head and
not by your shoes
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18 Дарёному коню в зубы не смотрят Proverb.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
19 Держать в ежовых рукавицах Idiomatic expression, which literally

means: to hold in the hedgehog
Handle without mittens gloves
Historically, these gloves made of thick

leather were convenient for lifting a
hedgehog, in order to move him to a
barn, basement, etc., so that he could
catch all the mice that lived there.
Some people also associate this

expression with the surname of the
People's Commissar of the NKVD in
1930s (Ежов) who was presiding
over mass arrests and executions
during Stalin's Great Purge and was
notorious for his extreme cruelty and
sadism toward innocently arrested
people.
20 Добавить ложку дёгтя в бочку мёда Proverb.
To add a spoon of tar in a barrel of

honey
21 Доверяй - но проверяй A Russian proverb, which was often

used by the former American
Trust but verify president Ronald Reagan when he
was discussing U.S. relations with the
Soviet Union.
22 Думайте сами, решайте сами: иметь This expression is borrowed from one
или не иметь of the songs performed in the
exceptionally popular Soviet film "The
Think for yourself, decide for yourself: Irony of Fate" (1975)
to have or not to have
23 Его дни сочтены Popular expression
His days are numbered
24 Если я не за себя, то кто же за меня? In the old Soviet Union, this

Но если я только за себя, то зачем expression was attributed to Maxim
же я? Gorky, however in fact it belongs to
Hillel, one of the greatest Jewish
If I am not for myself, who will be for sages of the past
320
me? But if I am only for myself, then
why am I needed?
25 Живу, как в сказке: чем дальше, тем A popular joke

страшнее
I live like in a fairy tale: the further I go,

the scarier it is.
26 Жизнь - это короткая прогулка перед This is one of many aphorisms of

вечным сном Faina Ranevskaya, a legendary
Russian actress of the 20th century
Life is a short walk before the eternal
sleep
27 Жизнь бьёт ключом - и всё по голове This joke is funnier in Russian,

because it plays with words. The thing
Life is in full swing, but each time the is that Russian word 'ключ' has a
latter hits me in the head double meaning: it can mean "a
spring brook", but also it can mean "a
key" - all depends on context.
28 Жизнь прожить - не поле перейти Proverb. Literal translation:

Living life is not like crossing a
Life is not a bed of roses meadow
29 За двумя зайцами погонишься - ни Proverb.

одного не поймаешь
If you run after two hares, you will

catch neither
30 Забивать козла Idiom. Its literal translation: "To kill a

goat", which seemingly has nothing to
Play dominoes do with the meaning of this expression.
However, there are various stories (true
or false) which are trying to explain the
origin of this idiom. One of these stories
tells us that in exceptionally violent
times of old Russia (before Peter the
Great), the loser in this game was
forced to dress in a goatskin and then
was beaten with sticks (usually to
death). Therefore this barbaric process
was called "killing a goat".
31 Завтрак съешь сам, обед подели с This proverb gives recommendation

другом, а ужин отдай врагу of a healthy nutrition
Eat breakfast yourself, share dinner

321
with your friend, and give supper to
your enemy
32 И если вы не живёте, то вам и не Quote from the same song as

умирать mentioned in item 22 above)
If you do not live, you will not need to

die
33 И жить торопится и чувствовать This catch phrase is taken from a

спешит poem "First snow" (1822) by Pyotr
Vyazemsky
He is in a hurry to live and feel the rush
34 Из двух зол выбирают меньшее Proverb
Of two evils choose the lesser
35 Кормят, как на убой Popular expression
They are fattening us up for the kill
36 Кто не работает - тот не ест This official Soviet slogan was very
popular after The Russian Revolution
He who does not work, neither shall he of October 1917, and it had become
eat one of the main principles of the
Soviet socialism. For a very long time,
the authorship of this phrase was
attributed to the Revolution Leader
Vladimir Lenin. However, Lenin did
not invent this phrase but borrowed it
from the Bible.(it seems quite ironic,
because during Soviet times religion
was very much oppressed by the
Soviet Government)
37 Купить кота в мешке Literal translation of the Russian

saying is "To buy a cat in a sack"
Buy a pig in a poke
38 Лиха беда начало! Proverb.
A good beginning is half the battle
39 Лучше быть идиотом, чем лысым - A popular joke

не так заметно
It is better to be an idiot than bald,

because it is less noticeable
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40 Лучше переспать, чем недоесть A popular joke
It is better to sleep more than eat less
41 Лучшее средство обороны - Proverb

нападение
The best defence is a good offence
42 Любви все возрасты покорны This line is borrowed from a novel in

verses "Eugene Onegin" by
Love all ages yield surrender Alexander Pushkin
43 Любить? Но кого же? На время не These lines are borrowed from poetry
стоит труда - а вечно любить of Mikhail Lermontov
невозможно
To love? But whom? For some limited

time - it is not worth the trouble, and to
love forever is impossible
44 Любовью дорожить умейте, From poetry by Stepan Shchipachev

С годами дорожить вдвойне.
Любовь - не вздохи на скамейке In the left column, you can see my
И не прогулки при луне attempt of poetic translation of
Shchipachev's beautiful lines,
Все будет: слякоть и пороша. whereas their literal translation would
Ведь вместе надо жизнь прожить. sound like this:
Любовь с хорошей песней схожа,
А песню не легко сложить Learn to cherish the love,
Over the years cherish twice as much.
Love isn't sighs on a park bench
We always need to cherish love, And not just walking in the moonlight.
With years cherish twice as much.
Don't drop affection as if it was a glove Everything might happen: newly-fallen
And don't break the heart as if it was a snow and slush.
branch After all, it is living a life together.
Love is like a beautiful song.
Love might be seen as a beautiful But it's hard to compose a truly good
song
song.
But path to create it is not always
sunny:
It could be bitter and could be long:
A barrel of pain and a teaspoon of
honey
45 Мал золотник - да дорог This proverb is usually referred to

people who are small in stature, but
A little body often harbours a great have a heart of gold and/or other
soul wonderful qualities.
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46 Мне грустно потому, что весело тебе Quote from Mikhail Lermontov's
poetry
I'm sad because you are cheerful
47 Мне нравится, что Вы больны не These lines have been written many
мной. years ago by one of the most talented
Мне нравится, что я больна не Вами. Russian poets Marina Tsvetaeva. Like
Esenin and Mayakovsky, she also
committed suicide (1941).
I like that you're crazy not about me.
I like that I'm crazy not about you. The poem containing these lines has
been turned into a very beautiful song
composed for the film already
mentioned above ("The Irony of Fate")
48 Мне это "нужно", как рыбе зонтик Saying. Literal translation:

I need this as much as a fish needs
Do I need make clothes for fishes? umbrella
49 Много будешь знать - скоро Proverb.

состаришься
if you know too much, you'll get old

too soon
50 Молчание — знак согласия Proverb.
Silence gives consent
51 На всякого мудреца довольно Proverb and the title of a famous

простоты comedy by Alexander Ostrovsky
(1868)
Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man
52 На свете два раза не умирать Quote from a poem "The son of an

artilleryman" by Konstantin Simonov.
Nobody in the world dies twice This expression has become a very
popular proverb
53 На том же месте в тот же час Catch phrase from a popular song by

Alexander Tsfasman "Unlucky Date"
At the same place and at the same time
54 Называй вещи своими именами Proverb
Call a spade a spade
55 Не боги горшки обжигают Proverb. Literal translation:

It is not gods who make pots
No one is born a master
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56 Не бойся гостя сидячего, а бойся This proverb is very much associated

гостя стоячего with the way of conduct of people in
Russia, when they are invited to visit
Do not be afraid of a seating guest, but someone (приглашены в гости). By
be afraid of a standing guest the end of the party, guests begin to
rise from their seats at the table, then
thank and farewell their hosts. But
more often than not it does not mean
that they will leave immediately after
that. Accompanied by the hosts, they
are walking toward the exit from the
apartment, and here, by the door, a
real talk just begins...
Therefore, people in Russia make a

joke about this situation, which says:
"English people can leave without
saying 'Goodbye', whereas Russian
people say 'Goodbye' and never
leave."
(Oh, well, they do eventually leave,
but after a very long time - standing
by the exit door and talking, talking,
talking...)
57 Не буди лиха, пока спит тихо Proverb. Literal translation:

Don't wake up trouble while it sleeps
Don't trouble trouble till trouble quietly
troubles you
58 Не всё золото, что блестит Proverb
Not all that glitters is gold
59 Не всё коту масленица Proverb and the title of a famous play

by Alexander Ostrovsky (1871),
Not every day is Sunday literally translated as "It's not all
Shrovetide for the cat"
60 Не подмажешь - не поедешь Proverb. In Russia, it was usually

referred to the necessity of giving a
Wheels don't run without oil bribe if you wanted to receive some
service (in addition to the legally
established cost of this service).
Therefore, another translation of this
proverb is "some palms need to be
greased"
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61 Не родись красивой, а родись Proverb (usually addressed to a
счастливой woman). Literal translation:
Don't be born beautiful, but be born
Better be born lucky than rich happy
62 Не тяни кота за хвост This is an idiom. If you try to translate

it literally, you will get the following:
Don't dilly-dally " Do not pull the cat's tail"
However, as you can see, the real

meaning has nothing to do with a cat.
63 Ни пуха, ни пера! This very common Russian

expression is said to a person who is
going for an important interview or to
Good Luck! OR Break a leg! sit an exam, or perform on a stage,
and so on.
The negative wish "Ни пуха, ни

пера!" was originated among hunters
and was based on a superstitious
notion that direct positive wishes ("И
пуха тебе, и пера!") will result in
casting an evil eye.
Перо means a feather and пух - fur

hair. Therefore, the expression "Ни
пуха, ни пера!" would have sounded
like a negative wish not to kill any
birds or fur animals, which was
supposed to confuse the evil eye and
distract its attention away from the
hunter.
In response to this "negative" wish, it

had become traditional to answer:
"Иди к чёрту!" ("Go to hell!")
64 Никогда не откладывай на завтра то, Proverb

что можно сделать сегодня
Never put off till tomorrow what you

can do today
65 О вкусах не спорят Proverb.
Everyone to his own taste
66 Один ум хорошо, а два - лучше Proverb. Literal translation:

One mind is good, but two - better.
326
Two heads are better than one
67 От великого до смешного только This great expression belonged to the

один шаг great man: Napoleon Bonaparte.
It is only a step from the sublime to the

ridiculous
68 Перековать мечи на орала Biblical expression
Beat swords into ploughshares
69 Переливать из пустого в порожнее Idiomatic expression which literally

can be translated as "To pour
Beat the air (something) from an empty (vessel) to
the other empty one."
70 Пойди туда - не знаю куда, принеси This expression is exact wording of an

то - не знаю что. impossible task given to main hero of
one of the most popular Russian fairy
Go somewhere, I don't know where, tales.
and get something, I don't know what
71 Посади свинью за стол - она и ноги Proverb

на стол
Allow a pig at table to sit and it'll put

on the table its feet
72 Посмотрит - рублём подарит Catch phrase from a poem by Nikolai

Nekrasov "Frost the Red Nose"
If she looks at you, it is as if she gives (1863).
you a fortune
This expression is taken from the
piece of the poem where Nekrasov
writes about beauty of Russian
women.
The literal translation of this Russian

expression is impossible
73 Поспешишь - людей насмешишь Proverb. Literal translation:

If you do something in a hurry, you
Haste makes waste will just make fun of yourself
74 Пришёл, увидел, победил. Both the Russian and English

versions of a Latin sentence "Veni,
I came, I saw, I conquered. vidi, vici" said by Julius Caesar in
47 BC, as a comment on his short war
with Pharnaces II of Pontus.
327
75 Работа не волк - в лес не убежит Proverb
Work is not a wolf: it will not run away

into the forest
76 Русский язык - язык, созданный для These words about the Russian
поэзии, он необычайно богат и language belong to Prosper Mérimée,
примечателен главным образом great French dramatist, writer and
тонкостью оттенков. historian
Russian language - the language

created for poetry, it is extraordinarily
rich and notable mostly by its shades
of subtlety.
77 С любимыми не расставайтесь, и These 3 lines are selectively (not

каждый раз навек прощайтесь, когда precisely in this sequence) borrowed
прощаетесь на миг. from a beautiful but rather tragic poem
"Ballad about a Smoke-Filled Wagon"
Don't ever part with your beloved ones, by Alexander Kochetkov (1935)
And say good-bye forever always,
Should you for just one moment part.
78 Семь раз отмерь ... и дай отрезать This is a humorous paraphrasing of

другому the following saying: "семь раз
отмерь, а один раз отрежь" ('you
You must measure seven times and must measure seven times before you
then ... ask someone else to cut start cutting') - basically: better be
safe than sorry.
The joke presented in the left column

obviously goes beyond this, referring
to a super cautious person
79 Скажи мне, кто твой друг - и я скажу, Proverb. Literal translation:

кто ты Tell me who your friends are - and I'll
tell you who you are
A man is known by the company he
keeps
80 Сказано - сделано This expression is used when

something, which was said, must be
Done as it's said done without any delay (more often
applied in fairy tales rather than in real
life.)
81 Скатертью дорога! This expression, prior to the 20th
century, had a positive meaning and
Good riddance! literally implied a wish that your road
will be a smooth like скатерть (a
tablecloth). However, nowadays,
328
these words convey negative
connotations and are often said in a
sarcastic way.
82 Сколько лет, сколько зим! Literal translation:

How many summers, how many
I haven't seen you for ages! winters (I have not seen you)!
83 Скоро сказка сказывается, да не This saying was very often used in

скоро дело делается Russian folk fairy tales
Easier said than done Literal translation:

A fairy tale is told fast, but the actual
things are done slowly.
84 Слуга двух господ A popular expression based on the

title of a comedy by the Venetian
Servant of two masters playwright Carlo Goldoni (written in
1743)
85 Сыграть в ящик An idiomatic expression, which

literally can be translated as "to play
To kick the bucket into the box"
86 Тише едешь, дальше будешь Russian proverb. Literal translation:

The slower you go, the further you
Slow and steady wins the race arrive
87 У кого что болит, тот о том и говорит Proverb
Everyone talks and complains of their

own problems and pains.
88 У сильного всегда бессильный Quote from a fable "The Wolf and the
виноват Lamb" " by Ivan Krylov. This
expression has become a very
The stronger always blames the popular proverb
weaker
89 Уйти в мир иной Euphemism, which literally means:
Go to another world
To die
90 Услужливый дурак опаснее врага Quote from a fable "The Hermit and
the Bear" by Ivan Krylov. This
An obliging fool is more dangerous expression has become a very
than an enemy popular proverb
91 Ученье - свет, а неученье - тьма Proverb
Knowledge is light while ignorance is

329
darkness
92 Хотели как лучше, а получилось как This expression is attributed to the
всегда former Prime Minister of Russia (1992
- 1998) Viktor Chernomyrdin.
We meant to do better, but it came out He is known in Russia and Russian-

as always. speaking countries for his unique
language style, containing numerous
malapropisms and syntactic errors.
Many of his sayings became
aphorisms and idioms in the Russian
language, and the one presented here
is probably most famous of all.
93 Цель оправдывает средства The origin of this expression is

attributed to Niccolo Machiavelli,
The end justifies the means Italian diplomat, philosopher and
writer
94 Человек человеку - друг, товарищ This joke is a humorous combination

и ...волк of 2 expressions:
Man to man is a friend, comrade, and... a The first was one of many Soviet
wolf slogans which actually did not reflect
reality, that stated: "Человек
человеку - друг, товарищ и брат"
("Man to man is a friend, comrade, and
brother"). And of course, this statement
was appropriate only for the happy
Soviet society.
For conditions in the "sick and rotting"

West, another aphorism was readily
available: "Человек человеку -
волк" ("Man to man is a wolf")
95 Чем меньше женщину мы любим, These 2 lines are taken from a novel
Тем легче нравимся мы ей in verses "Eugene Onegin" by the
greatest Russian poet Alexander
The less we show love to women, Pushkin
The more attracted they become
96 Чему быть, того не миновать Proverb.
Whatever will be, will be
97 Что дорого - то мило, что дёшево - то Proverb

гнило
Everything expensive is good,

everything cheap is rotten
330
98 Что имеем не храним, потерявши - Proverb
плачем
You never value what you have until

you lose it
99 Что у трезвого на уме, то у пьяного Proverb

на языке
What soberness conceals,

drunkenness reveals
100 Что упало, то пропало Proverb. Literal translation:

What fell down that was lost
it's not worth crying over spilt milk
331
SUBJECT 21. PLAYFUL LINGUISTICS
A. Tongue Twisters
According to Wikipedia, A скороговорка is a phrase that is designed to be difficult to
articulate properly, and can be used as a type of spoken (or sung) word game. I will give
you here some examples of Russian tongue-twisters and would ask you to train yourself
in their pronunciation by repeating each of them many times: at first slowly, but then
faster and faster - until you feel absolutely comfortable in pronouncing them. It is not only
useful, but also you should have a great fun while doing this.
The Russian equivalent for a word "tongue twister" is "скороговоркa" which consists of
2 meaningful parts: "скоро" (which means "fast") and "говоркa" (which is originated
from verb "говорить" = to speak. Thus, "скороговоркa" is a phrase which designed
to speak fast, in spite of its specific difficulty to be articulated properly. Anyway, let's start
with our examples:
(a) Карл у Клары украл кораллы, а Клара у Карла украла кларнет (Carl stole corals
from Clara and Clara stole clarinet from Carl.)
(b) Чёрной галке чёрный дрозд подарил черники гроздь,
Чёрная галка чернику склевала, только спасибо дрозду не сказала.
(A blackbird gave a bunch of blueberries to a black jackdaw as a present.
The black jackdaw has pecked all blueberries, but did not say 'thank you' to the
blackbird).
332
(c) Не тот товарищу товарищ, Not thат comrade is a comrade to comrade
Кто товарищу товарищ, Who is a comrade, to one comrade,
А тот товарищу товарищ, But thат comrade is a comrade to comrade
Кто всем товарищам товарищ. Who is a comrade to all comrades.
(d) Пётр Петрович пошёл погулять, Pyotr Petrovich went for a walk,
Поймал перепёлку — пошёл продавать. Caught a quail and went to sell it.
Просил полтинник — He asked fifty dollars,
Получил подзатыльник But got a thick ear.
(e) Четыре чёрненьких чумазеньких чертёнка чертили чёрными чернилами чертёж
черезвычайно чисто четвертого числа.
(Four little black and grubby imps were drawing a drawing with black ink in an exceptionally
clean manner on the 4th of the month)
(f) Черепаха, не скучая, час сидит за чашкой чая.
(A turtle, not wasting her time, is sitting for an hour and drinking a cup of tea.)
B. Amusing and Confusing Verses
In this section, I will give you a couple of examples of some funny, confusing, absurd
little poems, where everything is put upside down. Try to change their sentences in such
a way, so that the commonsense and proper meaning will be restored. As a result of
your exercises, rhymes and rhythms will most definitely be lost, but your effort will help
333
you in understanding the meaning of these Russian sentences and even in correcting
their blunders.
Original Russian Text English Translation
(a) КАКИЕ БЫВАЮТ СЛОВА WHAT ARE WORDS!
Есть сладкое слово — ракета, There is a sweet word - a rocket,
Есть быстрое слово — конфета. There is a quick word - a candy.
Есть кислое слово — вагон, There is a sour word - a carriage,
Есть слово с окошком — лимон. There is a word with a window - a lemon.
Есть слово колючее — дождик, There is a prickly word - rain,
Есть слово промокшее — ёжик. There is a sodden word - a hedgehog.
Есть слово упрямое — ель, There is a stubborn word - a fir tree,
Есть слово зеленое — цель. There is a green word - the goal.
Есть книжное слово — синица, There is a book word - a tit,
Есть слово лесное — страница. There is a forestry word - a page.
Есть слово веселое — снег, There is a fun word - snow,
Есть слово пушистое — смех. There is a fluffy word - laughter.
(b)
Ехала деревня мимо мужика, A village was driving, passing a peasant.
Вдруг из под собаки лают ворота. Suddenly, from under a dog, the gates
started to bark.
Выбежала палка с тёткою в руке, A stick with a woman in its hand emerged
Начала дубасить ворота по башке. And began hitting the gates on the head.
Whoa! - Said the horse

Тпру! - сказала лошадь,
334
А мужик заржал, And the man neighed.
Лошадь пошла в гости, The horse went for a visit,
А мужик стоял. And the man was standing outside.
Лошадь ела шаньги, While the horse was eating Johnny Cakes,
А мужик овес. The man was eating oats.
Лошадь села в санки, The horse sat down in the sledge,
А мужик повез. And the man started to drive.
C. Ten Poetic Riddles
These exercises, apart from amusing you, will help you in analysing the structure of
some Russian words
No. Russian Original

and Comments & Explanations
its English Equivalent
1 Я с полки книгу взял, прибавил "А" I will give you a clue to solve this
И стало вдруг мучительно обидно: mystery. A large published work
От книги не осталось и следа, can be printed in several volumes,
И даже в микроскоп не видно. for example: Volume 1, Volume 2,
etc. Russian equivalent for word
"Volume" in this context is "Том"
I took а book from the shelf and added "A".
And, suddenly, I became extremely sad: What will happen if you add letter
The book was gone without a trace, А to word том? ...
And I could not see it even in a microscope.
2 Сидит дед Clue: Дед (the old man)

Во сто шуб одет. represents here some vegetable.
Кто его раздевает, Which one?
Тот слёзы проливает.
An old man sits

Dressed in 100 fur coats.
Whoever strips him,
335
Will shed tears.
3 Начало – нота. Clue:

Потом – оленя украшенье, Names of notes in Russian:
А вместе – место до, ре, ми, фа, соль, ля, си
Оживленного движенья.
At first, you have a note.

Then - deer's head decoration,
And together - a place
With a busy traffic
4 Начало – голос птицы, Clue: Think about a bird with

Конец – на дне пруда. voice hated by most people
А целое в музее найдете без труда
The first part is a bird's sound,

The second one lies at the bottom of a
pond.
And the whole thing you will easily find in
the Art Museum.
5 Задачу ты решишь свободно, This is easy, so try to solve this

Я – небольшая часть лица. riddle without any additional clue.
А если прочитать с конца –
Во мне увидишь, что угодно.
You will solve this riddle easily.

I am a small part of the face.
And if you read this word in reverse,
You can see in me anything at all.
6 Две ноты по порядку As above

Весной сажают в грядку.
Two notes in sequence

Are planted in Spring in a flower bed.
7 Предлог стоит в моем начале. Would it help, if I tell you a few

В конце же – загородный дом. possible meanings of this Russian
А целое мы все решали preposition? They are:
И у доски, и за столом. behind, beyond, on behalf of, in
favour of ,,,
First part of the word is preposition

And then you have a summer cottage.
336
The whole word is what we used to solve
Both on the blackboard and at a desk.
8 Мой первый слог на дереве, I think you can solve this riddle
Второй мой слог – союз. without any additional clue.
А в целом я – материя
И на костюм гожусь.
My first syllable is a tree branch,

My second syllable is a conjunction.
And as a whole, I am fabric
Suitable for a suit.
9 Известна я как блюдо, Clue: The dish in question is one

Но лишь добавить «м», of many Russian soups
Летать, жужжать я буду,
Надоедая всем.
I am known as a dish,
But as soon as you add "m"
I will start flying and buzzing,
And annoying everyone
10 Мой первый слог найдешь тогда, Clue: The whole word actually
Когда в котле кипит вода. describes school desks (in plural),
Местоименье – слог второй, rather than a single desk.
А в целом – школьный столик твой.
My first syllable can be found,

When the water boils in the kettle.
The second syllable is a pronoun.
The whole word describes your school
desk
337
D. Building New Words From One Initial Word
This is another useful exercise which helps in increasing your vocabulary and
remembering correct spelling of many Russian words. I will give here only one example,
but recommend you to do similar exercises as often as you can.
Let's select some Russian word and then, using letters available in this original word,
compose as many other actually existing Russian words as possible. But in order to keep
the total amount of newly composed words within some reason, I suggest to allow only
common singular nouns in the Nominative Grammar Case. We shall also reject all
diminutive or other non-generic forms of these nouns.
For the purpose of our example, I've selected word 'одуванчик' (dandelion).
From this one word, I have managed to compose the following known to me generic
common singular nouns in the Nominative Grammar Case. However, I will not be
surprised if some Readers of this book offer a few additional words to my list.
If you have some friends who share your interest in the Russian language, you can
suggest them to take part in this game: each of you in turn will be choosing some
Russian word (perhaps from a Russian-English or English- Russian Dictionary). Make
sure that everyone understands what kind of linguistic limitations they have during
composing new words from the selected one. For example, you can write on your piece
of paper word "вода", but not "водичка" or "водица". Even though all these nouns
exist in the Russian language, but the generic noun with the same root (вод) is only
вода.
338
Also, you will need to establish a time limit when starting this game with a new original
word. Everyone should stop when this time limit expires, and then you all will begin
checking who has managed to compose more correct words.
No. New Russian words composed English translations

from word 'одуванчик'
1 ад hell
2 анод anode
3 виадук viaduct
4 вид view
5 вино wine
6 внук grandson
7 внучка granddaughter
8 вода water
9 водка vodka
10 воин warrior
11 дачник cottager
12 диакон deacon
13 диван sofa
14 диво marvel
15 дно bottom
16 док dock
17 дочка daughter
18 ива willow
19 икона icon
20 инок coenobite
339
21 иод iodine
22 ион ion
23 иуда arch-traitor
24 кино cinema
25 код code
26 кон round of a card game
27 кочан cabbage-head
28 куча pile
29 наводчик gunner
30 надув inflating
31 начдив Division Commander
32 нива cornfield
33 овчина sheepskin
34 ода ode
35 очки glasses
36 увод withdrawal
37 удав boa
38 удочка fishing rod
39 чад fumes
40 чадо child
41 чан vat
42 чин rank
43 чудак weirdo
44 чудик crank
45 чудо miracle
340
From the Author
The first time idea of writing this book has crossed my mind about 20 years ago. During
all these years, I was putting aside my work on the book many times - not only because I
did not have much spare time for creative writing, but also because of a lot of doubts
how it should be written to become different from what other authors had been writing on
this subject before me. I wanted to make my book very much practical, informative and,
at the same time, amusing, so that everyone who is interested in the Russian language
and culture would really enjoy reading and, possibly, even rereading all or, at least, some
parts of this book.
Now, of course, it is up to my Readers to judge to what extent this book has become part
of their life and studies. I would greatly appreciate it, if you wrote me your thoughts: how,
in your opinion, this book can me improved in the future. I will seriously consider all your
suggestions before deciding which of them I should accept and take into account for the
book's 2nd edition.
Please send all your suggestions to matt.sundakov@gmail.com or

matt@bookwebtranslation.com
Thank you all for your interest in this book and sincerely wish everyone great progress in
your Russian studies, good health, prosperity, and personal happiness. Warm regards,
Matt Sundakov,
English>Russian and Russian>English translator, editor, consultant & teacher
Director: Comprehensive Book Translation Services - http://bookwebtranslation.com/
Melbourne, Australia
Business profile: http://www.proz.com/profile/21120

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1

ENJOY YOUR RUSSIAN

Chapter Title Page

Introduction. My Approach to Language Teaching 4

SUBJECT 10. 152

SUBJECT 11. 174

Chapter Title Page

SUBJECT 13. 212

SUBJECT 14. 232

SUBJECT 15. 252

SUBJECT 16. 261

INTRODUCTION. MY APPROACH TO LANGUAGE TEACHING

only about language, they are about many other things.

or pleasure). Then there could be a significant category of those “teach-yourself”

student in different practical situations, as if he/she were living in that country.

And if not, is it possible to learn a foreign language without knowing grammar?"

know the structure and rules of your language.

one-hour lessons a week).

least some subjects were taught in a foreign language).

master the language itself.

more fortunate people, who happened to be born in an English speaking country. As an

still continued for a long time after I hung up.

to achieve this: to try to do everything by myself, while overcoming the difficulties of a

new language and solving numerous problems of everyday practical situations.

hopefully, speaks for itself.

way of studying a foreign language is to make the emphasis on practical situations.

different practical situations, as though we were living in Russia.

time a very rich and fascinating language.

SUBJECT 1. RUSSIAN ALPHABET and BASIC GRAMMAR

always softens the preceding consonant.

Russian text even though you may not understand it at all.

caravan. Let's follow the procedure described above:

1. Divide the selected word into syllables: KA - PA - BAH.

2. Say together the letters contained in the first syllable.

3. Continue the same exercise with the two other syllables.

4. Say all these syllables quickly: one after another.

now record the correct pronunciation of the word in question: [ka-ra-`van].

words more than one stress may be required.

pronounced: mu-`ka) or anguish (if pronounced: `mu-ka)

[a], e.g. "ВОДА" (water) is pronounced: [va-'da].

"voiceless" consonants. For example, the Russian word садовод (a gardener) is

is pronounced 'kras-na-va (not 'kras-na-ga).

stress on the first syllable has a softer ending: ['ko-fye].

Grammar in comparison with the English ones:

require different endings for related pronouns or adjectives.

whatever you do with them!

1. Ya te-'bya lyu-'blyu (the meaning practically did not change);

2. Lyu-'blyu ya te-'bya (sounds more poetic);

darling did not notice or did not appreciate your love);

so watch out or else... )

'blyu? (Do I love you?)

becoming higher towards the end of the sentence.

sentences (only a negative particle не [nye], which means “not"). Furthermore, in

она не доктор [a-'na 'nye 'dok-tar] (negative statement).

of English tenses exceeds 20.

helpful grammar exercises.

SUBJECT 2. WHAT IS YOUR NAME? or HOW ARE YOU CALLED?

translated literally as "How are you called?"

equivalent for "you". There is another one: Вы.

People usually use ты in the following cases:

may use either ты or Вы depending on the age and degree of closeness in

(b) talking with their spouses, partners or friends;

(c) talking with children.

and/or would demonstrate their alienation.