Russian For Dummies

266 Part III: Russian on the Go

The imperfective verb klast’ (klahst’; to put) has the perfective pair polozhit’ (puh-lah-zhih’). Because the two verbs sound nothing like each other, and the frequency of their usage in conversation is so high, a good number of native speakers of Russian attempt to form the imperfective from polozhit’ and use it in conversation. You may hear it a lot, but don’t be tempted to pick it up; this form is both the most common and the most frowned upon grammatical mistake made by Russians themselves. (For more information on imperfective and perfective verbs, see Chapter 2.)

When filling out deposit slips, you’re asked for the summa vklada (soo-muh fklah-duh; deposit amount) and nomyer schyota (noh-meer sh’oh-tuh; account number).

Now that you have some money in your account, you can:

snyat’ dyen’gi so schyota (snyat’ dyen’-gee sah sh’oh-tuh; withdraw money from an account)

pyeryevyesti dyen’gi na drugoj schyot (pee-ree-vees-tee dyen’-gee nuh droo-gohy sh’oht; transfer money to a different account)

poslat’ dyenyezhnyj pyeryevod (pahs-laht’ dyen-neezh-nihy pee-ree- voht; to wire money, Literally: to send a money transfer)

And, finally, if you no longer need your bank account, you can just zakryt’ schyot (zuhk-riht’ sh’oht; to close the account).

Heading to the ATM

The fastest way to access your account is the bankomat (buhn-kah-maht; ATM). Bankomaty (buhn-kah-mah-tih; ATMs) are less ubiquitous in small cities; they’re usually found in banks. Remember that you have to pay a komissiya (kah-mee-see-ye; ATM fee) each time you use a bankomat that belongs to a bank other than your own. The komissiya is usually 1.5 percent of the sum you’re withdrawing, but no less than $3–$6 depending on the type of card. So, it probably makes sense to withdraw larger sums of money to avoid numerous komissii (kah-mee-see-ee; commissions) for smaller withdrawals.

Before inserting your card, make sure that the logotip (luh-gah-teep; symbol) of the card you’re about to use (such as Visa or American Express) is on the bankomat. Otherwise, the bankomat may not recognize the card and may even swallow it for security purposes.

Here’s your guide to the phrases you see on the bankomat screen:

vstav’tye kartu (fstahf’-tee kahr-too; insert the card)

vvyeditye PIN-kod (vee-dee-tee peen-koht; enter your PIN)

vvyeditye summu (vee-dee-tee soo-moo; enter the amount)

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Another way to avoid sky-rocketing Moscow prices is to shop na rynkye (nuh rihn-kee; at the open market) rather than v supyermarkyetye (f soo- peer-mahr-kee-tee; at a supermarket), and of course, don’t forget to torgovat’sya (tuhr-gah-vah-tseh; to bargain)!

To inquire about the price of any item, ask Skol’ko stoit . . . ? (skohl’-kuh stoh-eet?; How much does . . . cost?) After you hear the price, you may want to specify your question to avoid the confusion:

Za kilogram? (zuh kee-lahg-rahm; Per kilo?)

Za shtuku? (zuh shtoo-koo; Per item?)

Za yash’ik? (zuh ya-sh’eek; Per box?)

When you’re buying several items or paying for your meal at a restaurant, a good phrase to use is Skol’ko s myenya? (skohl’-kuh s mee-nya; How much do I owe?)

For more information on inquiring about prices and paying for items, see Chapter 6.

Using cash

Nalichnyye (nuh-leech-nih-ee; cash) is still widely used in Russia. Many stores and ticket offices accept cash only, as do such places as the rynok (rih-nuhk; market) or a small kafe (kuh-feh; café). The general rule of thumb is the following: The fancier and more expensive the place is, the higher the chances that you’re able to pay with a credit card (see the following section). Otherwise, prepare a stack of those rubles before you head out! To find out whether you can pay with cash, ask U vas mozhno zaplatit’ nalichnymi? (oo vahs mohzh-nuh zuh-pluh-teet’ nuh-leech-nih-mee; Can I pay with cash here?)

Russian rubles come both in kupyury (koo-pyu-rih; bills) and monyety (mah- nye-tih; coins). Kopecks always come in coins, but they’re virtually extinct now (see “Rubles and kopecks” earlier in this chapter for more info). Here’s a list of Russian bills and coins in use (so you know to be a little suspicious if you receive change in 15-ruble bills and 25-kopeck coins):

kupyury (koo-pyu-rih; bills)

•dyesyat’ rublyej (dye-seet’ roob-lyey; ten rubles)

•pyat’dyesyat rublyej (pee-dee-syat roob-lyey; fifty rubles)

•sto rublyej (stoh roob-lyey; one hundred rubles)

•pyat’sot rublyej (peet’-soht roob-lyey; five hundred rubles)

•tysyacha rublyej (tih-see-chuh roob-lyey; one thousand rubles)

Chapter 15

Where Is Red Square?

Asking Directions

In This Chapter

Using “where” and “how”

Receiving precise directions

Discussing distances

For a traveler, asking for directions (and understanding them) is an indispensable skill. In this chapter we give you the words and phrases you

need when asking how to get to your destination and not get lost in the process. As exciting as it may be, being lost in a strange city can be scary and may even create panic. To avoid experiencing these unpleasant sensations, carefully read this chapter.

Asking “Where” and “How” Questions

When in doubt, just ask! In Russia, most passers-by, who at first may seem to be preoccupied with their own business, are actually very happy to help you. As a matter of fact, you may even be doing them a favor by distracting their attention from their routine duties and sometimes unhappy thoughts. In the following sections you discover how to ask for directions with two simple words: “where” and “how.”

Where is it?

Russian uses two words to translate the English “where” — gdye (gdye; where) or kuda (koo-dah; where). But you can’t use the two words interchangeably. The following is what you need to know about these words:

272 Part III: Russian on the Go

If “where” indicates location rather than direction of movement and you aren’t using the so-called verbs of motion (to go, to walk, to drive, and so on), use the word gdye (where).

If “where” indicates direction of movement rather than location, or in other words is used in a sentence with verbs of motion (to go, to walk, to drive, and so on), use the word kuda (where).

When we say “verbs of motion,” we mean all kinds of motion: going, walking, running, jogging, swimming, rowing, crawling, climbing, getting to . . . in other words, any verb associated with motion. For more info on verbs of motion, see Chapter 12.

Imagine you’re looking for the nearest bus stop to get to a museum that’s first on the list of places you want to see in a certain city. Here you are, helplessly standing on the corner of a crowded street and looking for a person with the friendliest expression to approach with your question. This young woman seems nice. Why not ask her?

Hold on! What exactly do you intend to ask her? If you’re planning to ask “Where is the nearest bus stop?” think first how you’re going to translate the word “where.” Are you inquiring about location or destination here? Obviously, your question is about location — the location of the bus stop. Go back to the rule we just provided you. In a sentence or question asking about location, you use gdye (where). Now you can go ahead and ask your question:

Gdye blizhayshaya ostanovka avtobusa? (gdye blee-zhahy-shuh-ye uhs- tuh-nohf-kuh uhf-toh-boo-suh; Where is the nearest bus stop?)

Did you notice that you don’t have translate the verb “is” here and that the phrase indicating what you’re looking for — the bus stop, in this case — is in the nominative case?

Look at another example. This time you’re looking for a library. This is what you say in Russian:

Gdye bibliotyeka? (gdye beeb-lee-ah-tye-kuh; Where is the library?)

Now, imagine a slightly different situation. You’re at the bus station. A bus has just arrived and you want to know where it’s going. The best person to ask is probably the driver himself: He should know where the bus is headed, even if today is his first day on the job. Before you ask your question, think first how you’re going to begin it: with gdye (where) or with kuda (where)? Is your question “Where is the bus going?” about location or destination? Yes, you’re asking a question about the destination! Go back to the earlier rules: If the main point of your question is destination, you should use the word kuda (where). Here’s your question:

Kuda idyot etot avtobus? (koo-dah ee-dyot eh-tuht uhf-toh-boos; Where is this bus going?)