Ever wanted to learn another exotic language? Try and guess which land’s language this one is: it’s Indo-European, it’s the largest native language in Europe, and it distinguishes between consonant phonemes with palatal secondary articulation and those without (huh?). Russian is the national language of Dostoevsky and vodka, and probably one of the most distinctive and difficult languages to get to grips with if you’re trying to learn it. So to give you a helping hand, here are some phrases that may come in useful:
1. To say “Hi”, say – privEt
2. If someone sneezes, bless them by saying – bUte zdarOvy
3. And if you’re looking for John say – Ya ichU DzhOna
If this whets your linguistic appetite then why not learn some more “Tender Russian Words and Phrases”. This seventeen chapter online phrasebook gives you all you need to know for a little Russian affection. To let everyone know that you’re fluent in this East Slavic language why not wear a Russian text t-shirt? These ingenious creations are designed by Artemy Lebedev and look oh so complicated with lines of Russian script across the chest…but no one needs to know that what they actually say is “Um, well, ya know”, or “Some witty saying”.
Um, well, ya know
