Learn how to introduce yourself
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| Hello and welcome to Russian Survival Phrases. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Russia. So join us for Russian Survival phrases. You will be surprised at how far a little Russian will go. |
| There's no impression like the first. In today's lesson we'll work on leaving a first impression that will last. |
| In Russian, “how do you do, nice to meet you” is “kak pazhyvaete, priyatna s vami paznakomitsa”. Let`s break it down by syllable: kak pa-zhy-va-e-te, pri-yat-na s va-mi paz-na-ko-mi-tsa Now, let`s hear it once again: kak pazhyvaete, priyatna s vami paznakomitsa. |
| The first word “kak” means “how”. Let`s break down this word and hear it one more time: kak and kak. This is followed by “pazhyvaete”, which in English is “live”: pazhyvaete, pa-zhy-va-e-te and pazhyvaete. So, to recap here we have: “kak pazhyvaete”. Literally this means “how live”. |
| Let's take a look at the next “priyatna”, which means “nice”: pri-yat-na and priyatna. Then comes “s vami”, which means “with you”: s va-mi and s vami. The last part is “paznakomitsa”, which means “meet”: paz-na-ko-mi-tsa and paznakomitsa. So, altogether we have: “kak pazhyvaete, priyatna s vami paznakomitsa”. Literally this means “how you live, nice meet you”. |
| Now, for the next phrase we'll need a name, so I will use mine. In Russian “I am Alex” is “Menya zavut Aleks”. Let`s break it down by syllable: Me-nya za-vut A-leks. Now, let`s hear it once again: Menya zavut Aleks. The first word “menya” means “I” or “me”. Let`s break down this word and hear it one more time: me-nya and menya. This is followed by “zavut”, which in English is “called”: za-vut and zavut. So, to recap here we have: “Menya zavut…”. Literally this means “I'm called”. Let's take a look at the next “Aleks”, which means “Alex”: A-leks and Aleks. So, altogether we have: “Menya zavut Aleks”. Literally this means “I'm called Alex”. |
| And finally, “nice to meet you” in Russian is “priyatna s vami paznakomitsa”. Priyatna s vami paznakomitsa. Let`s break it down by syllable: pri-yat-na s va-mi paz-na-ko-mi-tsa Now, let`s hear it once again: priyatna s vami paznakomitsa. |
| The first word “priyatna” means “nice”. Let`s break down this word and hear it one more time: pri-yat-na and priyatna. This is followed by “s vami”, which in English is “with you”: s va-mi and s vami. And the last word is “paznakomitsa”, which in English is “to meet”: paz-na-ko-mi-tsa and paznakomitsa. So, altogether we have: “priyatna s vami paznakomitsa”. Literally this means “nice with you to meet”. |
| The ways people introduce themselves differ according to age and place. Young people are likely to say their first names only, exactly as the way we learned today. People over 30 tend to say both last and first names, or: “Menya zavut Ivanof Sergey”, which in English is “I am Ivanov Sergey”. Others introduce their middle name and are expecting you to call them by using their first and middle names. When you hear someone introducing himself as “I am Ivanov Sergey Vladimiravich”, then you should call the person “Sergey Vladimiravich”. |
| Usually people specify the way they want to be called, because sometimes to call a person by his last name is considered to be rude and creates distance between people. If you are lost, then just ask “kak vas mozhna zvat'”, which means “how can I call you”. Do not hesitate to confirm, it would be one step closer to friendship. |
| Between men, introductions are accompanied by handshake. It's also OK to take the hand of a woman and shake it very gently, sometimes even unnoticeably. But do not hold it for a long time as it could express an inappropriate interest. Kisses on cheeks are not good either. Such a behavior is considered as a trespass of an intimate space and can incur a negative reaction. |
| To close out today`s lesson we'd like for you to practice what we`d just learnt. I will provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for saying it aloud. You'll have a few seconds before I`ll give you the answer. Udachi! That means “good luck”! Ok, here we go! |
| how do you do, nice to meet you……..kak pazhyvaete, priyatna s vami paznakomitsa |
| I am Alex……..Menya zavut Aleks. |
| Nice to meet you…...Priyatna s vami paznakomitsa |
| Alright, that's going to do for today. See you tomorrow, which in Russian is da zaftra! |
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