A basic guide to speaking a few words in Russian:

http://www.waytorussia.net/WhatIsRussia ... Part2.html

Cheers, Ade.

Just remembered to salvage all this from the old Sovforum...

Cyrillic Alphabet (courtesy of James Evans)

а= "a" as in apple
б= "b" as in box
в= "v" as in van
г= "g" as in get
д= "d" as in dog
е= "ye" as in yet
ё= "yo" as in your
ж= "s" as in pleasure
з= "z" as in zoo
и= "ee" as in feet
й= "y" as in boy
к= "k" as in kit
л= "l" as in love
м= "m" as in may
н= "n" as in not
о= "o" as in top
п= "p" as in pot
р= "r" as in rot (rolled) called an alveolar trill if yer being technical!
с= "ss" as in set
т= "t" as in to
у= "oo" as in moon
ф= "f" as in fit
х= "ch" as in loch (scottish)
ц= "ts" as in vets
ч= "ch" as in chin
ш= "sh" as in shin
щ= "shch" as in pushchair
ь= soft sign (makes no noise)
ы= "y" as in physics
ъ= hard sign (makes no noise)
э= "e" as in yet
ю= "yu" as in yule
я= "ya" as in yap

Unfortunatly there is no quick and easy way to learn all this.

You have to sit down and try and memorise it. And do it over and over again. It's a no brainer to say this, but the more you try and read Russian the easier it becomes. Eventually though, you get the magic moment when you catch youself genuinely reading Cyrillic text rather than decoding it in your head first.

So for now, the stuff below has been transcribed into Latin script .


Basic conjugations of regular verbs

I listen - Ya slooshyoo

You listen (inf) - Tuy shlooshyesh

He listens - On shlooshyet

We listen - Muy shlooshyeem

You listen (form) - Vuy shlooshyet'ye

They listen - On'ee shooshyoot


Past and future tenses


Okay, putting things in past tense is even more straightforward. 'Л' or 'L' does the trick for most things. Like 'd' on the ends of words in English.

So;

Present

I fire - Ya strelayoo
You fire (inf) - Tuy strelayesh
He fire - On strelayet
We fire - Muy strelayeem
You fire (for) - Vuy strelayete
They fire - Onee strelayoot

Past

I fired - Ya strelyal
You fired (imf)- Tuy strelyal
He fired - On strelyal
We fired - Muy strela'lee
You fired (for)- Vuy strela'lee
They fired - Onee strela'lee

The all purpose fixer to use if you want to put something into the future tense is 'Boodyet' or 'will' and this goes like so;

I will shoot - Ya boodyoo strelyat
You will shoot (imf) - Tuy booshyesh strelyat
He will shoot - On boodyet strelyat
We will shoot - Muy boodyem strelyat
You will shoot (form) - Vuy bootyet'ye strelyat
They will shoot - On'ee boodoot streylat


Verbs of motion


There are two words for 'going' in Russian - 'Edtee' and 'Yec'hat'

So quickly going through the declensions of these, I'll explain what that's all about in turn.

Edtee

I go - Ya eedoo
You go (inf) - Tuy eedyosh
He goes - On eedyot
We go - Muy eedyom
You go (form) - Vuy eedyot'ye
They go - Onee eedyoot

Now - this is only used to describe someone going by shanks pony. E.G;

Ya eedoo f'Moskvoo - or - I go (by walking) to Moscow - notice that the noun 'Moskva' takes on the accusative ending 'oo'.

so 'Moskva' becomes 'f'Moskvoo' - to Moscow

I'll get on to that whole barrel of fun another time.

However - walking all the way to Moscow is rather arduous - so much better to find some kind of transport!

Yec'hat

I travel - Ya yedoo
You travel (imf) -Tuy yedyesh
He travels - On yedyet
We travel - Muy yedeem
You travel (form) - Vuy yedyetye
They travel - Onee yedoot

So if you were to go to Moscow in your trusty Polutorka you would say;

'Ya yedoo f'Moskvoo' - I am travelling to Moscow.

If one is talking about the means of transport itself going somewhere then 'Edtee' is used - eg.

'Ya yedoo f'Moskvoo' - I am travelling (in the Polutorka) to Moscow.

Polutorka eedyot f'Moskvoo. - The Polutorka is travelling (under it's own power) to Moscow.


Gender forms (This came from Rick - Mr Gulimov)

On - he

Ona - she

Ono - it

Anee - they

Q: Gdye Vodka? [Where (is the) vodka]
A: Bot ona. [There she (is)]

Q: Gdye Vladimir? [Where (is) Vladimir]
A: Bot on [There he (is)]

Q: Gdye Takshi? [Where (is the) taxi]
A: Bot ono [There it (is)]


Numbers

Adeen -1
Dva - 2
Tree - 3
Chet'tere'ye -4
Pyat - 5
Shyest - 6
Syem - 7
Voshyem - 8
Dyev'yat - 9
Desyat -10

Of course, you could always pretend to be a Volga German (ja!!)

"Bot" in my example should be pronounced as "Vot" of course


Rick aka Mr_Gulimov

_________________

Hi Folks,

I hope you will find this link (pdf) interesting

http://english-tutor.ru/translation/military.pdf

_________________
SI VIS VIVERE - NOLI RUSSIAM TANGERE

I wonder, Folks, if the Cyrillic font would be displayed correctly on your screens?

Не стреляйте!

Я сдаюсь!

Не бейте меня, я всё скажу!

_________________
SI VIS VIVERE - NOLI RUSSIAM TANGERE

Yes, cyrillic appears perfectly on our screens (mine, anyway).

_________________
Radu Raduvich Himea
Yefreytor
Captain's Orderly

http://www.2ndguards.com/index.html


DEATHSPOON

Thank you, Rob

_________________
SI VIS VIVERE - NOLI RUSSIAM TANGERE

Michael,
It appears fine to me as well.

_________________
Howard

Gennady Gavrilovich Milanov
Red Army Guardsman

" Gaiety is the most outstanding feature of the Soviet Union. "
J.V Stalin

" Sometimes - history needs a push."
Vladimir Lenin

Do you know the meaning of THESE short phrases, Gennady?

_________________
SI VIS VIVERE - NOLI RUSSIAM TANGERE

Something along the lines of Don't shoot, I surrender, I'll tell you everything !

_________________
Howard

Gennady Gavrilovich Milanov
Red Army Guardsman

" Gaiety is the most outstanding feature of the Soviet Union. "
J.V Stalin

" Sometimes - history needs a push."
Vladimir Lenin

Yes!!!
Да!!!
Well done!
Молодец!

_________________
SI VIS VIVERE - NOLI RUSSIAM TANGERE

Thank you Michael, obviously a member of the 2nd Guards would never say such a thing ( I hope )

_________________
Howard

Gennady Gavrilovich Milanov
Red Army Guardsman

" Gaiety is the most outstanding feature of the Soviet Union. "
J.V Stalin

" Sometimes - history needs a push."
Vladimir Lenin

Folks,
Let's consider the following stuff together and find the best translation.

From Alexander Werth, Russia at War, page 131.
Quotation:

"After the signing of the Soviet-Yugoslav Pact Gabrilovic, Yugoslav Ambassador in Moscow (as he later told me himself), asked Stalin: 'What will happen if the Germans turn on you?' To which Stalin replied: 'All right, let them come!'

The same excerpt from this book in Russian:
"После подписания советско-югославского договора югославский посланник в Москве Гаврилович (как он мне сам об этом рассказывал) спросил у Сталина: "А что будет, если немцы повернут против вас?" На что Сталин ответил: "Что ж, пусть попробуют!"

It seems to me that "All right, let them come!" is not a sufficient variant of translation of Stalin's words uttered in Russian.
The Russian verb "попробовать" in the given context has somewhat sense of "to dare".
Stalin's phrase in Russian: "Что ж, пусть попробуют!" implies the promise of retribution for the German assault, if they would dare to attack.

My question is:
Would it be a correct English phrase: "Well, let them dare to come!"?
What about: "Well, let'em dare to!"?
Or what?

Being a Russian I cannot feel the "correctness" of this or that phrase, you know.
So, I need your help.
Your proposals of better translation would be much appreciated, comrades!

Cheers, Michael

_________________
SI VIS VIVERE - NOLI RUSSIAM TANGERE

How about: "Just f*cking try it you German bastards! Go on I bloody dare you, you f*cking nazi f*ckers".


This is a very loose, coloquial translation.

_________________
Saninstruktor Iosef Trofimovich Grushenko
or
Voennii Vrach Ibrahim Ibrahimovich Shapiro

Either's good.

I have drinking been.

_________________
Saninstruktor Iosef Trofimovich Grushenko
or
Voennii Vrach Ibrahim Ibrahimovich Shapiro

Either's good.

"Paschol na khuy, tuy pizda" will pretty much cover that one!

_________________
"Okay, dig out yer best booze and lets talk about me 'till the car comes."

And "Yob tvayu mat' " to you and all.

_________________
Saninstruktor Iosef Trofimovich Grushenko
or
Voennii Vrach Ibrahim Ibrahimovich Shapiro

Either's good.

Remember though - don't use any of these phrases out in Russia.

The strength of Russian swearwords compared to their English ones is like the difference between Diet Coke and Samagon home-brew.

_________________
"Okay, dig out yer best booze and lets talk about me 'till the car comes."

I don't drink diet coke. I am a vimto man.

_________________
Saninstruktor Iosef Trofimovich Grushenko
or
Voennii Vrach Ibrahim Ibrahimovich Shapiro

Either's good.