Basic Russian Terms for your trip to Moscow

June 30, 2007

Moscow

If you are planning a trip to Russia, you need to make an effort to prepare yourself. Practicing drinking vodka is a good start, but you will need to know some basic Russian terms.

Basic Russian Terms for Your Trip To Russia
Russia is a unique and amazing country. Having lived there for a year, I can tell you it is like nothing you will experience in Europe or anywhere else. The culture is entirely different as is the language. The language, in particular, is the first hurdle you will face.

The Russian language is based on the Cyrillic Alphabet. From the sound of individual letters to their combined essence, everything is different than what you are used to. If you try to wing it, you are going to be in for big trouble. To help you out, here are some basic words and phrases you should know.

The first phrase I mastered while in Russia was “ya ne gavaru puruski.” This phonetic mess can be translated to “I don’t speak Russian.” Trust me, you should learn this. I became so good at ripping it off that many people thought I actually spoke Russian, but was just being a jerk! [Read more]