Learn everything you need to know to be able to function in a Russian social situation
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Oxana: [Привет всем, я Оксана!] |
| Eddie: Eddie here. Gengo Russian Season 1, Lesson 16. Fitting in and making friends. Several sure-fire phrases to help your social life. So let the drinking begin. |
| Oxana: Oh yes, welcome to the business meeting. |
| Eddie: Well, it should loosen the lips a little. I say we allow a little more time for the vodka to really start doing its job and we take a couple of minutes to review the last lesson. |
| Oxana:Well, one useful expression e learned was [разрешите представить]. |
| Eddie: Yes, the phrase “let me introduce”. For example, [Разрешите представить, это Оксана]. |
| Oxana:Thank you, Eddie. Although I introduced myself 15 lessons ago. |
| Eddie: I haven’t finished yet. [Это мой друг и партнёр по работе] |
| Oxana: That’s right. I'm your friend and work partner. But as your friend I still don’t know one simple thing about you. [Тебе нравится русская кухня.] |
| Eddie: Oh, do I like Russian food? [ну...] |
| Oxana: [Ну]? Ok, I'm not going to make you feel awkward and keep digging. |
| Eddie: But I know how to order it, and if we were in a restaurant I would say [давай закажем блины]. |
| Oxana:Ok, Eddie, let’s order some pancakes. I suppose we should call for [девушка] here. |
| Eddie: But the only girl in this place is you now and I don’t expect you to bring me any pancakes. So we’ll have to stop this mouth-watering conversation and get back to John and his new Russian friends. |
| Oxana: Ok. Well, the food has arrived. |
| Eddie: And John is turning into a bit of a party sideshow. Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Виктор: [За встречу, за знакомство.] |
| Victror: Za vstrechu, za znakomstvo. |
| Игорь Иванович: [Всем приятного аппетита.] |
| Igor’ Ivanovich: Vsem priyatnogo appetita. |
| Виктор: [Джон,попробуйте шашлык.] |
| Victror: John, poprobuite shashluk. |
| Джон: [Очень вкусно.] |
| John: Ochen’ vkusno. |
| Виктор: [Джон, а вы завтра свободны?] |
| Victror: John, a vy zavtra svobodny? |
| Джон: [Думаю, да.] |
| John: Dumayu, da. |
| Виктор: [Мы едем в Санкт-Петербург на один день. Не хотите с нами?] |
| Victror: My edem v Sankt - Peterburg na odin den’. Ne hotite s nami? |
| Джон: [С удовольствием.] |
| John: S udovol’stviem. |
| Виктор: [Тогда жду вас на вокзале в 7 утра. Вот мой телефин на всякий случай. До завтра.] |
| Victror: Togda zhdu vas na vokzake v sem’ utra. Vot moi telefon na vsyakiy sluchai. Do zavtra. |
| Джон: [До завтра.] |
| John: Do zavtra. |
| Eddie: Once again, more slowly. |
| Oxana: Еще раз, медленнее. |
| Виктор: [За встречу, за знакомство.] |
| Victror: Za vstrechu, za znakomstvo. |
| Игорь Иванович: [Всем приятного аппетита.] |
| Igor’ Ivanovich: Vsem priyatnogo appetita. |
| Виктор: [Джон,попробуйте шашлык.] |
| Victror: John, poprobuite shashluk. |
| Джон: [Очень вкусно.] |
| John: Ochen’ vkusno. |
| Виктор: [Джон, а вы завтра свободны?] |
| Victror: John, a vy zavtra svobodny? |
| Джон: [Думаю, да.] |
| John: Dumayu, da. |
| Виктор: [Мы едем в Санкт-Петербург на один день. Не хотите с нами?] |
| Victror: My edem v Sankt - Peterburg na odin den’. Ne hotite s nami? |
| Джон: [С удовольствием.] |
| John: S udovol’stviem. |
| Виктор: [Тогда жду вас на вокзале в 7 утра. Вот мой телефин на всякий случай. До завтра.] |
| Victror: Togda zhdu vas na vokzake v sem’ utra. Vot moi telefon na vsyakiy sluchai. Do zavtra. |
| Джон: [До завтра.] |
| John: Do zavtra. |
| Eddie: Once again, with the translation. |
| Oxana: Еще раз с переводом. |
| Oxana:[За встречу.] |
| Eddie: To our meeting. |
| Oxana:[За знакомство.] |
| Eddie: To the new acquaintance. |
| Oxana: [Всем приятного аппетита.] |
| Eddie: Enjoy your meal, everybody! |
| Oxana:[Джон, попробуйте шашлык.] |
| Eddie: John, have a bite of this kebab. |
| Oxana: [Очень вкусно.] |
| Eddie: Very tasty. |
| Oxana:[Джон, а вы завтра свободны?] |
| Eddie: John, are you free tomorrow? |
| Oxana: [Думаю, да.] |
| Eddie: I think so. |
| Oxana:[Мы едем в Санкт-Петербург на один день. Не хотите с нами?] |
| Eddie: We’re going to St. Petersburg for the day. Would you like to join us? |
| Oxana: [С удовольствием.] |
| Eddie: With pleasure. |
| Oxana: [Тогда жду вас на вокзале в 7 утра. ] |
| Eddie: Well then I’ll wait for you at the railway station at 7 o’clock. Here’s my phone number just in case. See you tomorrow. |
| Oxana: [До завтра.] |
| Eddie: See you tomorrow. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Eddie: Well, there’s no better foundation for a butting friendship than a booze-filled evening of debauchery. |
| Oxana:Yes, but you don’t want to wake up with a vodka headache. When someone proposes a toast at a Russian dinner, it is customary to clink glasses with everyone at the table then down the entire drink in one go. |
| Eddie: Yes, everyone needs to come and share some tips for getting out of drinking on the site. It’s a skill that you may well want to hone. |
| Oxana:Speaking of which, the first vocabulary word we hear in the dialogue is the first reason for this vodka fest. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Eddie: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| Oxana:[Встреча.] |
| Eddie: Meeting. |
| Oxana:[Встреча.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana:[Знакомство.] |
| Eddie: Acquaintance. |
| Oxana: [Знакомство.] |
| Eddie: And next. |
| Oxana: [Приятного аппетита.] |
| Eddie: Enjoy your meal. |
| Oxana: [Приятного аппетита.] |
| Eddie: And next. |
| Oxana:[Попробовать.] |
| Eddie: To have a try, |
| Oxana: [Попробовать.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana: [Шашлык.] |
| Eddie: Kebab. |
| Oxana: [Шашлык.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana:[Очень.] |
| Eddie: Very, very much. |
| Oxana:[Очень.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana: [Вкусно.] |
| Eddie: Tasty, delicious. |
| Oxana: [Вкусно.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana:[Завтра.] |
| Eddie: Tomorrow. |
| Oxana:[Завтра] |
| Eddie: And next. |
| Oxana: [Свободный.] |
| Eddie: Free, not busy. |
| Oxana:[Свободный.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana:[Думать.] |
| Eddie: Think. |
| Oxana:[Думать.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana: [Мы.] |
| Eddie: We. |
| Oxana: [Мы.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana: [Ехать.] |
| Eddie: To go (by transport). |
| Oxana:[Ехать.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana: [Хотеть.] |
| Eddie: To want. |
| Oxana:[Хотеть.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana:[С удовольствием.] |
| Eddie: With pleasure. |
| Oxana:[С удовольствием.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana:[Тогда.] |
| Eddie: Then. |
| Oxana: [Тогда.] |
| Eddie: And next. |
| Oxana: [Ждать.] |
| Eddie: To wait. |
| Oxana: [Ждать.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana:[Вокзал.] |
| Eddie: Railway station. |
| Oxana: [Вокзал.] |
| Eddie: Next. |
| Oxana:[Утро.] |
| Eddie: Morning. |
| Oxana:[Утро.] |
| Eddie: And next. |
| Oxana: [На всякий случай.] |
| Eddie: Just in case. |
| Oxana:[На всякий случай.] |
| Eddie: And next. |
| Oxana:[До завтра.] |
| Eddie: See you tomorrow. |
| Oxana:[До завтра.] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Eddie: Ok, so toast me, Oxanna. |
| Oxana: [За встречу!] |
| Eddie: I will drink at [встреча] if I don’t have to drink vodka. |
| Oxana:I don’t believe you made it out of Russia without a vodka shot or two. |
| Eddie: After several “no thank you’s” I just stopped counting the glasses which were poured down my throat. |
| Oxana: Eddie, “no thank you” never works. It just shows your modesty and nothing else. This modesty works against you most of the time. For Russians it’s like a red rag for a bull, it’s an attack signal. |
| Eddie: Yes, I should’ve been more assertive. Maybe I’d even have remembered some of my parties. |
| Oxana:It’s ok, you can practice with me. But you should also practice some more toasts like [за знакомство]. |
| Eddie: Where [за знакомство] means “an acquaintance” and [за] is just “to” in English. So let’s repeat our toasts. |
| Oxana:[За встречу, за знакомство!] |
| Eddie: Then Igor Ivanovich adds a toast. |
| Oxana:[Всем приятного аппетита.] |
| Eddie: [всем] means “to everyone”. It’s just the pronoun [все], “everyone”, put into the dative case. |
| Oxana:And [приятного аппетита] is something you have to remember and use wherever and with whoever you share your meal. So if you have at least one person besides you at the table, don’t forget to wish him a good appetite before you start eating. Just say [приятного аппетита]. |
| Eddie: Where [приятный] means “nice” or “pleasant” and [аппетит] is “an appetite”. Next we have Victor telling John to try some kebab. |
| Oxana: [Джон, попробуйте шашлык.] |
| Eddie: [попробуйте] “here” came from the verb [пробовть] and is used in a polite command form. And [шашлык] is the word for Russian kebab. |
| Oxana: Well, the word itself is Turkish, I think, and the dish came to Russia from Asia, countries like Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, somewhere from there. But I don’t know a single Russian who wouldn’t like [шашлык] or a single Russian restaurant that wouldn’t serve it. In a word, it’s one of the most populist dishes in Russia. |
| Eddie: John seems to like it too. What does he say there? |
| Oxana: [Очень вкусно.] |
| Eddie: “Very tasty.” And Victor keeps trying hard to make good friends with John. He asks him about his plans for tomorrow. |
| Oxana: [Джон, а вы завтра свободны?] |
| Eddie: “John, are you free tomorrow?” |
| Oxana: [Свободны] is used in a polite form here to correspond with [вы], but if I wanted to ask it less formally I would say Eddie [ты завтра свободен?]. |
| Eddie: And the word for Oxanna should be different too. Oxanna, [Оксана, ты завтра свободна?]? |
| Oxana:No, I'm not free tomorrow. But John thinks he is. [Думаю, да.] |
| Eddie: So why didn’t he just say “yes”. He said “I think yes”. |
| Oxana: Well, he didn’t want to sound too desperate and easy to get. He’s a businessman after all, not a girl who’s been waiting for an invitation for her invitation for her first date for years, right? |
| M1: Ok, so the word [думаю] literally means “I think” and comes from the verb [думать] meaning “to think”. How would you say “you think”, Axanna? |
| Oxana: [Ты думаешь] And to make it a question like “Do you think…” you just raise your intonation. You can use it in all the cases you’d use the English verb “thinking”. Even like “you think?” which in Russian is [ты думаешь?]. |
| Eddie: So, satisfied with John’s answer, Victor says… |
| Oxana:[Мы едем в Санкт-Петербург на один день.] |
| Eddie: We’re going to St. Petersburg for one day. |
| Oxana:[Мы] is the word for “we” so apparently there will be a company there. [едем] means “go” or “going” and can only be used with [мы]. If you say “I'm going” you should say [я еду]. |
| Eddie: And then we have an expression for “one day”. |
| Oxana: “For” is [на] in Russian. Literally it means “on” and the whole phrase sounds like “on one day” but the translation is “for”. [Один] means “one” and [день] stands for “day”. |
| Eddie: And what if I want to say that I came to Moscow for a week? |
| Oxana:You say [На неделю]. Ok, next we have the invitation itself - [Не хотите с нами?]. |
| Eddie: Which literally means “don’t you want with us?” The negative form of the question makes the question softer and more polite as if you don’t want to insist or pressure the person. |
| Oxana: [Хотите] comes from the verb [хотеть] meaning “to want”, used in a form appropriate for the polite pronoun “you”. If you want to say “I want”, you should say [Я хочу]. |
| Eddie: Then we have [с нами] which means “with us” and John exclaims… |
| Oxana: [С удовольствием!] |
| Eddie: Literally “with pleasure”. |
| Oxana:Having heard a positive answer, Victor says [Тогда жду вас на вокзале в 7 утра.]. |
| Eddie: Which means “Then I'm waiting for you at the railway station at 7 o’clock”. The first word [тогда] means “then”. It’s used just like the English “then” indicating either the time, not now but then, or a consequence, serving as an adverb in the meaning “for that reason”. |
| Oxana: The word [жду] comes from the word [ждать] meaning “to wait” and means “I wait” or “I'm waiting” here. You can find the forms of this verb with other pronouns in our PDF materials. Next we heard [На вокзале в 7 утра.]. |
| Eddie: All familiar words and structures to us, as well as the next phrase we had. |
| Oxana: [Вот мой телефон.] |
| Eddie: “Here’s my phone or phone number,” but this is followed by a new and very interesting phrase. |
| Oxana:[На всякий случай.] |
| Eddie: Which literally means “on any occasion”. Just remember it as it is, it’s a set phrase and won’t change under any circumstances. So what was the whole phrase again, Oxanna? |
| Oxana:[Вор мой телефон, на всякий случай.] |
| Eddie: Great. And the parting words we heard were… |
| Oxana: [До завтра!] |
| Eddie: Literally “till tomorrow” or just “see you tomorrow”. |
| Oxana: But before we say goodbye, I think we can review a grammar point we learned earlier, just in a different context now to really burn it into your brains. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Eddie: You really will enjoy today’s grammar. Basically, it’s just learning some new toasts that will come in handy in Russia. First we have to remember the preposition [за] which in toasts means “to”, and here are some very popular short toasts themselves. |
| Oxana: [За тебя! За вас!] |
| Eddie: To you. |
| Oxana: [За здоровье!] |
| Eddie: To your health. |
| Oxana: [За встречу!] |
| Eddie: To the meeting. |
| Oxana:[За знакомство!] |
| Eddie: To the new acquaintance. |
| Oxana: [За дружбу!] |
| Eddie: To friendship. |
| Oxana: [За любовь!] |
| Eddie: “To love.” The nouns after [за] are put into the accusative case where only the feminine nouns change their endings from [а] to [у]. |
| Oxana: [встреча] “meeting” because [встречу], and [дружба] “friendship” because [дружбу]. |
| Eddie: We also want to remind you about verb conjugations in the Russian language. |
| Oxana:The verbs [думаю] and [жду], “I'm thinking” and “I'm waiting” respectively, are used in the forms suitable for the first person only - the pronoun “I”. Let’s see how we can use them with different pronouns. |
| Eddie: First person singular, [я]. |
| Oxana: [думаю/жду] |
| Eddie: Second person singular, [ты]. |
| Oxana:[думаешь/ждешь] |
| Eddie: Third person singular, [он/она/оно]. |
| Oxana: [думает/ждёт] |
| Eddie: First person plural, [мы]. |
| Oxana: [думаем/ждём] |
| Eddie: Second person plural, [вы]. |
| Oxana: [думаете/ждёте] |
| Eddie: Third person plural, [они]. |
| Oxana: [дуают/ждут] |
| Eddie: Of course, these forms only work for the present or present progressive tenses. There’s one other word worth mentioning here - [свободен]. |
| Oxana: Alright. [свободен] is a short adjective. The adjective that we use after the noun, but not before, to describe it. For example, “a man is free” or “a place is free”. For man it sounds like [свободен]. For women, [свободна]. For neutral nouns, like “place”, it’s [свободно]. For example, [место свободно]. “The place or seat is free”. |
Outro |
| Eddie: That just about does it for today. Ok, [До свидания!]. |
| Oxana: [До новых встреч. Пока!] |
| Eddie: [Пока!] |
| -- |
| Виктор: [За встречу, за знакомство.] |
| Victror: Za vstrechu, za znakomstvo. |
| Игорь Иванович: [Всем приятного аппетита.] |
| Igor’ Ivanovich: Vsem priyatnogo appetita. |
| Виктор: [Джон,попробуйте шашлык.] |
| Victror: John, poprobuite shashluk. |
| Джон: [Очень вкусно.] |
| John: Ochen’ vkusno. |
| Виктор: [Джон, а вы завтра свободны?] |
| Victror: John, a vy zavtra svobodny? |
| Джон: [Думаю, да.] |
| John: Dumayu, da. |
| Виктор: [Мы едем в Санкт-Петербург на один день. Не хотите с нами?] |
| Victror: My edem v Sankt - Peterburg na odin den’. Ne hotite s nami? |
| Джон: [С удовольствием.] |
| John: S udovol’stviem. |
| Виктор: [Тогда жду вас на вокзале в 7 утра. Вот мой телефин на всякий случай. До завтра.] |
| Victror: Togda zhdu vas na vokzake v sem’ utra. Vot moi telefon na vsyakiy sluchai. Do zavtra. |
| Джон: [До завтра.] |
| John: Do zavtra. |
Comments
Hide