So, you have decided to learn Russian language. But you don’t know where to start. Well, you are at the right place. But if you haven’t learned Russian alphabet yet, I recommend you to read my post on Russian alphabet with a free video lesson.
Here is a list of basic Russian phrases for beginners:
Как тебя́ зову́т? (What is your name?)
There are 2 ways to address a pronoun “You” in Russian: an informal (ты, тебя́, тебе́, тобо́й) and formal / polite / plural form (вы, вас, вам, ва́ми). So, if you want to turn this question into a formal one, you would say “Как вас зову́т?” [kak vas zavut].
Меня́ зову́т… (My name is…)
To reply to a previous question and to present yourself you will need to use this simple construction. Меня зовут ___ and your name. This is the most common way to introduce your name. If you want to learn more on how to introduce yourself and other people in Russian, you can watch a free Russian video lesson “How to introduce yourself and others in Russian”.
Я учу́ ру́сский язы́к (I am learning Russian language)
This is a way to let someone know that you are a beginner and a native Russian speaker needs to speak slowly. Don’t hesitate to speak in Russian. Russian people respect a lot those who wish to learn Russian language as they believe that this the most difficult language in the world .
Я не понима́ю (I don’t understand)
Don’t be afraid to say that you don’t understand something. The majority of Russian language speakers will be happy to give you explanations. During a conversation, you can also say “Я не по́нял” (I didn’t understand) which is a past form of this phrase. Infinitive form of this verb is “понима́ть” [paw-nee-MAHT’] – to understand and “поня́ть”[paw-NYAHT’] – short action with a result.
Как дела́? (How are you?)
Asking “How are you?” in Russian is not just a mere act of politeness. If you ask a Russian person “Как дела́?” you should expect an honest and often detailed answer. Russian people believe that if you ask this question, it means that you genuinely care about them and they will tell you everything that is going in their life.
Хорошо́ (good)
“Хорошо́” is one of the most common ways to respond to a question “Как дела́?” in Russian. Please, note that we don’t pronounce two first vowels “о” as they are writter. Insted, they are pronounced as “A” because they are not stressed. The rule is that if a vowel “о” is unstressed in a word, it should be pronounced as “А”. The word “Хорошо́” can also be used as a way to agree to something, meaning OK.
Пло́хо (Bad)
Пло́хо (bad) is an opposite of Хорошо́ (good, well). I hope that you won’t need to use this word when someone asks you how are you doing. However, you might hear it a lot from Russian people. And not only because it can be true. Russian people are quite depressive at times, it is in our nature to like suffering. Have you ever read any books by Dostoyevsky? Well, read and you will understand what I mean.
Спаси́бо (Thank you)
Did you know that this word actually derives from a phrase “Спаси тебя Бог” (God save you). If not, I recommend you to watch my free Russian video lesson “How to be polite in Russian” where I not only teach you polite Russian words but also explain some interesting cultural insights and origin of Russian words.
Пожа́луйста (Please / You are welcome)
The Russian word “Пожалуйста” actually has several meanings: please, thank you, here you are and go ahead. Don’t worry, you will be able to understand its meaning from the context. But you should start using this word as soon as possible.
Да / Нет (Yes / No)
These are the key words to respond to questions and even to ask questions by using correct intonation. By the way, if you are invited to a Russian house, you should not say “Нет”, you will offend Russian people. The same is for drinking vodka. Don’t say “Нет” if you still want to be friends with these people because refusing is seen as a sign of disrespect in Russia. So, you should rather say “Да” =)
Great, you have learned some basic Russian words and phrases that will give you “a taste” of Russian language. Try to already start using these words in your everyday life. Even if you don’t have Russian friends and you don’t live in a Russian speaking country, there are always some ways to practice your Russian: social groups on Internet, language exchange websites and apps. Practice makes perfect! And what about watching my free Russian video lessons for beginners?
If you have recently started to learn Russian language, you should absolutely have my free guide ‘Essential Russian Words and Expressions to Understand Spoken Russian’.
It’s also very important to know how to pronounce Russian words correctly as not every Russian letter is pronounced the same way as it’s written. There are certain Russian pronunciation rules that are really easy to learn.
If you wish to speak Russian, you should absolutely learn how to use Russian cases. Check the most comprehensive guides to Russian cases:
