The Basic Patterns of the Russian Language

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About the author (me) I was born in the Soviet Union (Russia) and currently live in the USA. I’ve been teaching Russian to English speakers since 2012, as well as doing translations, podcast, voice-over, subtitles, and writing books & movie scripts. You can find my professional profile on Linkedin.com and read many recommendations from my clients: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larisagolubeva/ My email address is [email protected] I also offer Russian classes (online, in-person, or over the phone) and you can find more information here: https://russianlessons.livejournal.com/1597.html and/or you can email me. You can also buy ALL LESSONS (or a few ones) that I use for tutoring my students. All lessons (1011 documents & podcasts in 31 folders - see the photo) are in MS Word + PDF (so you can customize them for yourself), have explanations, common words & phrases, charts / tables, some have podcasts. All Russian words have their stressed vowels marked in red or in bold (black). Some lessons for very beginners have English phonetical transliteration. The price for ALL LESSONS is $300 (negotiable). You can find more info here: https://russianlessons.livejournal.com/19603.html

And finally, I can also record (for a small fee) an English-Russian podcast (audio) of any words & phrases of your choice. Please, email me at [email protected] if you're interested. About my books You can see the list of my books here: https://russianlessons.livejournal.com/20164.html They are in PDF format (E-Books) and can be read on any electronic device, have pictures, marked stressed vowels, and electronic tables of contents.

THE PRICES ARE NEGOTIABLE (I understand that everyone makes a different amount of money that differs a lot, especially from country to country). How to buy: 1. You can email me at [email protected] and let me know what book or books you'd like to buy. 2. To pay, please, go here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/LarisaGolubeva here: https://venmo.com/larisa-golubeva or Zelle to [email protected] 3. Email me at [email protected] what books you've purchased, and I'll email them to you along with podcasts :) About this book This little book will give you a jump start in learning my language. Here, you can find the most common & basic speech patterns that will help you hold a simple conversation. All phrases are in English & Russian, and all Russian stressed vowels are marked in bold. + Before each section, there’s a link to its English-Russian podcast / audio recording. For those who is already aware of what’s going on in the Russian language, here is a small list of abbreviations that I used: m – masculine, f – feminine, n – neuter, pl – plural, / - or Notes: 1. The Russian words in the parenthesis can be omitted. 2. To make a feminine form of a past tense verb, add (a) given in the parenthesis. 3. For the formal or plural form of the imperative form of a verb, add (те) given in the parenthesis. And before you start reading, I’d like to disclose… The #1 SECRET of the Russian pronunciation:

For a very few exceptions, unstressed “o” always reads like “a”. And for the very-very-very beginners: We don’t have any articles like “a”, “an”, or “the”. Nope. Yay!

Copyright © 2022, Larisa Golubeva. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, stored in a database, and/or published in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.

Happy learning! The Basic Patterns of The Russian Language Table of Contents IT, THIS, THESE – ЭТО

to WANT – ХОТЕТЬ, ЗАХОТЕТЬ

WOULD LIKE

CAN, to BE ABLE to – МОЧЬ

HAVE to, MUST, SHOULD, OUGHT to

to HAVE CONSTRUCTION

to LIKE – НРАВИТЬСЯ, ПОНРАВИТЬСЯ

to LOVE – ЛЮБИТЬ, ПОЛЮБИТЬ

to NEED to GET - ??? to UNDERSTAND – ПОНИМАТЬ, ПОНЯТЬ ☹



IT, THIS, THESE – ЭТО audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oZ0B43VK4q8Hk8KUMf5BL59AmzVnHnzT/view? usp=sharing This is a Russian salad. – Это русский салат. It’s me. – Это я. This is Larisa. – Это Лариса. These are my Russian friends. – Это мои русские друзья. It’s interesting. – Это интересно. It’s tasty / delicious. – Это вкусно. (FKUSNA) What is it? – Что это? Who is this? – Кто это? Where is it? – Где это? Note: In Russian, all nouns have genders and are referred to according to their genders as he – он, she – она, a neuter pronoun – оно, or they – они. This is a table. - Это стол. (masculine noun) It’s new.= He is new. – Он новый. _________________

to WANT – ХОТЕТЬ, ЗАХОТЕТЬ audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rq73egRKdI_ZD92zPY3CQWSA5XglDjZ/view?usp=sharing All pronouns are in the Nominative (Dictionary) case. I want - Я хочу We want - Мы хотим I want to eat, to drink and to sleep. – Я хочу есть, пить и спать. I want this and this. – Я хочу вот это и вот это. I don’t want it. – Я не хочу это. I want ice cream. – Я хочу мороженое. We want to go there tomorrow. – Мы хотим завтра туда пойти. (on foot or in general) / поехать. (by transport, animal, device) Do you want? – (Ты) хочешь? (informal, to one person) / (Вы) хотите? (formal, or to more than one person) Do you want this? – Ты хочешь это? (informal, to one person) / Вы хотите это? (formal, or to more than one person) What do you want? – Что ты хочешь? (informal, to one person) /

Что вы хотите? (formal, or to more than one person) What do you want to do? – Что ты хочешь делать? (informal, to one person) / Что вы хотите делать? (formal, or to more than one person) _________________

WOULD LIKE audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1srZcZGovYtpdBjPlvnARKu7xjkBG2fZs/view? usp=sharing would – бы All pronouns are in the Nominative (Dictionary) case. I’d like = I’d wanted – Я бы хотел(а) We’d like = We’d wanted – Мы бы хотели I’d like this one and this one. (when ordering or buying) – Я бы хотел(а) вот это и вот это. We’d like to have a look at this. – Мы бы хотели это посмотреть. I’d like to speak Russian well. – Я бы хотел(а) хорошо говорить по-русски. I’d like to understand everything. – Я бы хотел(а) всё понимать. _________________

CAN, to BE ABLE to – МОЧЬ audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16tAfVBPDAWIAVG5jMjiOSGS9ZBVw7AZl/view? usp=sharing All pronouns are in the Nominative (Dictionary) case. I can – Я могу I can do it. – Я могу это сделать. I can’t – Я не могу Sorry, but I can’t do it. – Извини(те), но я не могу это сделать. We can – Мы можем We can go there tomorrow. – Мы можем туда завтра пойти. (on foot or in general) / поехать. (to go by transport, animal, or device). I can’t (meet, do something, etc.) today. – Я не могу сегодня. But I can tomorrow. – Но я могу завтра. - Can you…? – Ты можешь …? (informal, to one person) / Вы можете …? (formal, or to more than one person) - Yes, I can. - Да, (я) могу. /

- No, sorry, but I can’t. - Нет, извини(те), но я не могу. _______________

HAVE to, MUST, SHOULD, OUGHT to audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18ahlPUafQMMOwrumMuKSeForaxk4qmH3/view? usp=sharing Instead of all above English verbs, we use short adjectives that correspond with a gender of a subject: должен (m), должна (f), должно (n), должны (pl). All pronouns are in the Nominative (Dictionary) case. I have to / must / should / ought to – Я должен (m) / должна (f) We - Мы / You (plural or formal) - Вы / They - Они have to / must / should – должны I have to do it. – Я должен (m) / должна (f) это сделать. I have to see it. – Я должен (m) / должна (f) это увидеть. I have to learn this. – Я должен (m) / должна (f) это выучить. We have to go there. – Мы должны туда сходить.(to go on foot or in general) / съездить. (to go by transport, animal, or device). It must be very interesting. – Это должно быть очень интересно. Also: How much do I owe? – Сколько я должен? (m) / должна? (m)

How much do we owe? – Сколько мы должны? ____________

to HAVE CONSTRUCTION audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QcyzoNIoQ_wHoaBneZZCrJcggLYCeGFG/view? usp=sharing In “to Have Construction”, the verb есть is a modification of an old Russian “there is, there are”. Don’t confuse it with the infinitive form of to eat - есть. In “to Have Construction”, есть is only used when it’s necessary to emphasize that someone has something. Very Important: Есть is always used in “Do you have…?” questions. Without it, you’ll be making a statement. Here, the pronouns are in the Genitive case. Note: Нет in Russian, means No or There is not / There are not. I have - У меня (есть) + object in the Nominative (Dictionary) case I don’t have – У меня нет + object in the Genitive case I have a car. – У меня есть машина. I don’t have a car. – У меня нет машины. We have – У нас (есть) + object in the Nominative (Dictionary) case We don’t have – У нас нет + object in the Genitive case We have Russian friends. – У нас есть русские друзья. We don’t have Russian friends. – У нас нет русских друзей.

- Do you have + object in the Nominative (Dictionary) case? – У тебя есть …? (informal, to one person) / У вас есть …? (formal, or to more than one person) - Yes, I have. = Yes, there is. - Да, есть. / - No, I don’t have. = No, there is not. - Нет, нет. - Do you have a car? – У тебя есть машина? (informal, to one person) / У вас есть машина? (formal, or to more than one person) - Yes, I have a car. – Да, у меня есть машина. - No, I don’t have a car. – Нет, у меня нет машины. - Can you (meet, do something, etc.) today? – Ты можешь сегодня? (informal, to one person) / Вы можете сегодня? (formal, or to more than one person) - Sorry, but I don’t have time today. – Извини(те), но сегодня у меня нет времени. But I can tomorrow. – Но я могу завтра. ______________

to LIKE = to APPEAL - НРАВИТЬСЯ, ПОНРАВИТЬСЯ audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s5VbKQhPX90xOoFjPoHTATLuqpEDPal/view?usp=sharing Here, we’ll be using the pronouns in the Dative case. I like = To me appeals - Мне нравится We like = To us appeals - Нам нравится I like it. = To me this appeals. - Мне это нравится. I don’t like (it) – Мне (это) не нравится. I like this one. – Мне нравится вот это. I like it very much. – Мне это очень нравится. We like everything. – Нам всё нравится. Note: don’t really / not really = not very - не очень I don’t really like it. – Мне (это) не очень нравится. Do you like …? – Тебе нравится …? (informal, to one person) / Вам нравится …? (formal, or to more than one person) - Do you like it? – Тебе это нравится? (informal, to one person) /

Вам это нравится? (formal, or to more than one person) - Yes, very much. - Да, очень. / - No, not really. = No, not very. - Нет, не очень. I like this book very much. – Мне очень нравится эта книга. What kind of movies, songs and books do you like? – Какие тебе нравятся фильмы, песни и книги? (informal, to one person) / Какие вам нравятся фильмы, песни и книги? (formal, or to more than one person) You’ll like it! – Тебе понравится! (informal, to one person) / Вам понравится! (formal, or to more than one person) I liked it. – Мне понравилось. We liked it. – Нам понравилось. I liked everything. – Мне всё понравилось. I didn’t really like (it). – Мне (это) не очень понравилось. We didn’t like anything. – Нам ничего не понравилось. - Did you like (it)? – Тебе понравилось? (informal, to one person) / Вам понравилось? (formal, or to more than one person) - Yes, very much. I liked (it) very much. –

Да, очень. Мне (это) очень понравилось. - Not really. – Не очень. _______________

to LOVE – ЛЮБИТЬ, ПОЛЮБИТЬ audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uIQrQAaPuZKjKpzraoMflTDIxznEj7Uk/view? usp=sharing All pronouns are in the Nominative (Dictionary) case. I love (interchangeable with to Like) - Я люблю We love - Мы любим I love it very much. – Я это очень люблю. I don’t love it. – Я это не люблю. I don’t really love it. – Я это не очень люблю. - Do you love …? – Ты любишь …? (informal, to one person) / Вы любите …? (formal, or to more than one person) - Yes, very much. - Да, очень. I very much love … - Я очень люблю … / - No, not really = not very. – Нет, не очень. I don’t really love … - Я не очень люблю … What do you love to eat and to drink? – Что ты любишь есть и пить? (informal, to one person) / Что вы любите есть и пить? (formal, or to more than one person)

What do you love doing on your free time? – Что ты любишь делать в свободное время? (informal, to one person) / Что вы любите делать в свободное время? (formal, or to more than one person) ____________

to NEED audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SpnBu0_xBAkONAAuy2q1e5YZNz17iW7b/view? usp=sharing In Russian, instead of a verb, we use four short adjectives, and one predicative (it’s just a word that expresses a condition). Short adjectives (they depend on a gender & singular or plural form on a needed object): нужен (m), нужна (f), нужно (n, in general or about an action), нужны (pl). The predicative is *надо (used to express more demanding, assertive and even aggressive requests). More about надо is in the end of this chapter. The first four forms of the Russian need (the short adjectives) - нужен, нужна, нужно, нужны depend on a gender and a singular or plural form of an objects that one needs. In other words, they correspond with an object that someone needs in gender and number (singular or plural form). If you need a masculine object, you’ll have to use нужен, when you need a feminine one – нужна, with a neuter object, speaking generally, or when you talk about doing something – нужно. Also, use нужно with it, this - это, adverbs of quantity (a few, etc.), and with numbered nouns,. And when you need more than one object use нужны. Note: If you don’t know which form to use, just use нужно. (It’s OK ��) All those short adjectives are combined with the pronouns in the Dative case.

I need this. – Мне это нужно. I need it very much! - Мне это очень нужно! I don’t need it. – Мне это не нужно. I need this and this. – Мне нужно вот это и вот это. I need to think. – Мне нужно подумать. I need to rest a little bit. – Мне нужно немного отдохнуть. I need to go. – Мне нужно идти. or It’s time for me to go. – Мне пора идти. I need (to go) to the supermarket. – Мне нужно в супермаркет. I need to memorize this. – Мне надо это запомнить. We need - Нам нужно We need (to go) home. – Нам нужно домой. Do you need this? – Тебе это нужно? (informal, to one person) / Вам это нужно? (formal, or to more than one person) What do you need? – Что тебе нужно? (informal, to one person) / Что вам нужно? (formal, or to more than one person) I need one ticket. – Мне нужен один билет. (masculine form) I need help. – Мне нужна помощь. (feminine form) I need a few minutes. – Мне нужно несколько минут. (neuter form with an adverb of quantity)

We need two tickets. – Нам нужно два билета. (neuter form with numbered nouns) We need fruits and vegetables. – Нам нужны фрукты и овощи. (plural form) I need + object – Мне нужен (m) / нужна (f) / нужно (n & it, this - это) / нужны (pl) Do you need…? – Тебе (informal, to one person) / Вам (formal, or to more than one person) нужен (m) / нужна (f) / нужно (n, infinitives, it / this - это, adverbs of quantity, numbered nouns, more than one object) / нужны (pl)…? I need + verb’s infinitive – Мне нужно I need to work. – Мне нужно работать. *Надо is used when expressing more assertive requests. I need to be there at 5! – Мне надо там быть в 5 (пять)! I need to learn Russian! – Мне надо выучить русский! I need it very much! – Мне это очень надо! _____________

to GET - ??? In Russian, we don’t use the above verb the same way it’s used in English. Instead, in each case, we specify, and use a bunch of other verbs, like: to understand – понимать, понять to take – брать, взять to buy – покупать, купить to board or to get on a car, train, etc. – садиться, сесть (literally means to sit down) to find – находить, найти, to reach, to obtain - доставать, достать, etc. _____________________

to UNDERSTAND – ПОНИМАТЬ, ПОНЯТЬ ☹ audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h9XfZmjWZtd8wt3YXEhb6BcyPVHC_lwZ/view? usp=sharing Do you understand? – Ты понимаешь? (informal, to one person) / Вы понимаете? (formal, or to more than one person) Yes, I understand. – Да, я понимаю I understand everything. - Я всё понимаю. I understand a little bit. – Я немного понимаю. No, I don’t understand. – Нет, я не понимаю. I don’t understand anything! - Я ничего не понимаю!

THIS IS IT! – ЭТО ВСЁ!