# Russian/Lesson 4

Russian language · Русский язык :
| Lessons | Introduction · Alphabet · Lesson 1 · Lesson 2 · Lesson 3 · Lesson 4 · Lesson 5 | (view) |
| Reference | Numbers · Cases (Nom. · Gen. · Dat. · Acc. · Inst. · Prep.) · Adjectives · Prepositions · Verbs (Aspect · Past · Future) · Pronouns (Personal · Possessive · Interrogative) · Cursive | |
| Appendices | Appendix · Alphabet · Internet · Cheat Sheet | |

## Russian Mental Picture Dictionary

These memory aids aren't true! They're nonsense made up to help you remember the meanings of Russian words.
| Russian word | Part of speech | English meaning | Pronunciation |

### А

| А | | Yes but… | Ah |
| Авиа | noun | Air | Aveea |
| Avia aerobics shoes have air soles. ||||
| Авиабилет | noun | Airplane ticket | Aveea beelyet |
| Автор | noun | Author | Avtor |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Актёр | noun | Actor | Aktyehr |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Алфавит | noun | Alphabet | Alfaveet |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Америка | noun | America | Amyehreeka |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Американец | noun | American man | Amyehreekanyets |
| American men are nuts. ||||
| Американка | noun | American woman | Amyehreekanka |
| When a Russian girl named Anya misbehaves, her mother calls her "Anka." ||||
| Англия | noun | England | Angleeya |
| Английский | noun | English (language) | Angleeskee |
| English people use angled skis. That's why they're such bad skiers. ||||
| Англичанин | noun | Englishman | Angleechaneen |
| "Channing" is one of those names that only an Englishman would name his son. An eccentric English angler (fisherman) named his son "Angle Channing." ||||
| Англичанка | noun | Englishwoman | Angleechanka |
| Анкета | noun | Questionnaire | Ankyehta |
| Russian questionnaires come with an answer kit. ||||

### Б

| Балерина | noun | Ballerina | Ballyehreena |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English) ||||
| Банан | noun | Banana | Banan |
| Банджо | noun | Banjo | Bandzho |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| белый | adjective | White | Byehlee |
| Билет | noun | Ticket | Beelyeht |
| A billet is a short letter or ticket ordering a private home to provide lodging and food to a soldier. ||||
| Бизнесмен | noun | Businessman | Beezneesmyehn |
| Бизнесменка | noun | Businesswoman | Beezneesmyehnka |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Блузка | noun | Blouse | Bloozka |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Ботинки | noun (plural) | Men's shoes | Boteenkee |
| Russian men remember their moms calling their cute little boots "booteenkees." ||||
| Брюки | noun (plural) | Pants | Bryoukee |
| Britches. ||||

### В

| В, Во | | In | Veh, Vo |
| "Во" is used for words beginning with two consonants if the first consonant is В or Ф. ||||
| Варежки | noun (plural) | Mittens | Varyehzhkee |
| Russian mittens make you sing far off key. ||||
| Вы | pronoun | You (formal or plural) | Vee |
| Ваша | | Your (formal or plural, feminine) | Vasha |
| Ваша машина means "your car" is a washing machine. Think of a car with a washing machine where the engine should be. ||||
| Введение | | Introduction | Vvehdyehneeyeh |
| Don't confuse with До свидания (good-bye, dos veedaneeyah). ||||
| Велосипед | noun | Bicycle | Veloseepyehd |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and French). ||||
| Версия | noun | Version | Verseeyah |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Виза | noun | Visa | Veeza |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Волосы | noun | Hair | Volosih |
| Russians like big shiny hair, so they use shampoo that gives volume and polish. ||||
| Вот | | Here, here is | Vot |
| Show something to someone. ||||
| Всё | | All, everything, that's all | Vsyo |
| That's all, the show's over. ||||

### Г

| Галстук | noun | Necktie | Galstook |
| Газета | noun | Newspaper | Gazyehta |
| Don't confuse with журнал (magazine, zhoornal). A person who writes a newspapers and a person who writes a magazine are both a журналист (zhoornalist). In other words, "journalist" is a more prestigious job title because magazines are more prestigious, so newspaper writers want to be called "journalist" even though they should be called a "gazettist." ||||
| Где | | Where | G'dyeh |
| Australians are always late. The Australian greeting "G'day" doesn't mean "Good day," it means "Where were you?" ||||
| Гитара | noun | Guitar | Geetara |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Голова | noun | Head | Gollova |
| In A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess changed this to "gulliver," as in Gulliver's Travels, as in "we kicked him in the gulliver." Think of a picture of Gulliver tied down by the Lilliputians, with the little people dancing around his head. ||||
| Голос | noun | Voice | Golloss |
| Russians have glossy voices. That's why they can make those sliding R's. ||||
| Город | noun | City | Gorod |
| Novgorod is a city between Moscow and St. Petersburg. It means "new city." ||||
| Грамматика | noun | Grammar | Grammateeka |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Грязь | noun | Dirt | Gryahz |
| Grass grows in dirt. ||||
| Грязный | adjective | Dirty | Gryahznee |

### Д

| Да | | Yes | Da |
| Давайте | | Let's | Davaytyeh |
| It's divine to do this together! ||||
| Декларация | noun | Declaration | Deklaratseeyah |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Для | | For | Dlyah |
| Ask the dealer for anything you want. ||||
| Джинсы | noun | Jeans | Jeensih |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Диалог | noun | Dialogue | Deealog |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Дипломат | noun | Diplomat | Deeplomat |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Доброе утро | | Good morning | Dobroyeh utro |
| Добрый день | | Good afternoon | Dobreey dyehn |
| Добрый вечер | | Good evening | Dobreey vyehchyehr |
| "Dobry den" is Russian for "hello." ||||
| Note that "good morning" rhymes, ending in o's. The other "good's" end in "ee." ||||
| Документ | noun | Document | Dokoomyehnt |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||
| Дом | noun | House | Dom |
| Дома | adverb | At home | Doma |
| До свидaния | | Good-bye | Do sveedahneeyah |
| "Sweet on ya" ||||
| Драма | noun | Drama | Dramah |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||

### Е

| Есть | To eat; is; there is, there are | Yehst |
| That eat and is are homonyms suggests that "to be" and "to eat" are the same to a Russian. Or perhaps "you are what you eat"? ||||
| Ещё | Still; yet; else; also; more; another | Yehschyo |
| Ешё looks like "ewe." Picture a female sheep, standing still. Also picture another female sheep. And picture more female sheep&#151;a whole flock of ewes. ||||

### Ж

| Жаба | noun | Toad (Bufo sp.) | Zhaba |
| Жена | noun | Wife | Zhena |
| Женщина | noun | Woman | Zhensheena |
| Russian women use hair color that gives them sheen. Also note that жен and жить are the start of many words about women and living, so think of Old World gender roles where a woman's place was in the home. ||||
| Живой | adjective | Alive, lively, active | zheevoi |
| Picture a lively boy, who lives in cottage in the French countryside. ||||
| Жить | verb | Live (e.g. where you live) | Zheet |
| A cognate with the French word "gîte," pronounced "zheet," which is a country cottage you rent by the week. When asking where a Russian lives, picture that he or she rents a cottage in the French countryside. Remember that Жить conjugates by changing the т to в, then the next vowel is ё: я живу, ты живёшь, он/она живёт, мы живём, вы живёте, они живут. ||||
| Жук | noun | Bug, beetle | Zhook |
| Журнал | noun | Magazine | Zhoornal |
| Cognate with "journal." Don't confuse with Газета (newspaper). ||||

### З

| Задание | noun | Task, assignment | Zadaneeyeh |
| "Is it done yet?" ||||
| Запись | noun | Recording | Zapees |
| Здесь | | Here | Zdyes |
| Здравствуйте | | Greetings (formal) | Zdrastvooytye |
| Здравствуй | | Greetings (informal) | Zdrastvooy |
| Значит | particle | So, then | Znacheet |
| Значить | v.impfv. | To mean, signify | Znacheet |
| "So" and "meaning" are homonyms. ||||
| зовут | noun | Name | Zovoot |
| Зуб | noun | Tooth | Zoob |

### И

| И | | And | Ee |
| Игра | noun | Game, acting | Eegra |
| Имя | noun | First name | Eemyah |
| Институт | noun | Institute | Eensteetoot |
| A cognate (same word in Russian and English). ||||

### Л

| лесной | adjective | Forest | Lesnoy |
| Russians walk silently in forests. They make less noise than Americans. ||||

### С

| Стол | noun | Table | Stol |
| (Russian chairs are Стул, stool) |
| Скрипка | noun | Violin | Scripka |
| When Russians play violin it screeps or screeches. ||||

### Т

| Твой | | Your (informal) | Tvoy |
| Товарищ | n. | Comrade | Tovarishch |