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RIGHT PLACE
TO STAY

old name of hotel

[ goh-stee-nee-tsah ]
modern name of hotel [ oh-tehl' ]
room [ noh-mehr ]
to book [ broh-nee-roh-vaht' ]
booking [ brohn' ]
to rent [ snyat' ]
Moscow hotels are some of the most expensive in the
world
Less official and more risky options for accommodation are: hotels in apartments, apartments daily, and
rooms for rent. These are cheap, but not standard for
foreigners
If renting privately, make sure that you clearly understand all of the conditions
You often will not need a credit card to book a hotel
room you can book and cancel without any obligation
You will be asked for your passport upon check-in at
any legal hotel

?
Do you have any rooms available?
[Ooh vahs yehst' svoh-bohd-ni-yeh noh-meh-rah?]

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TRAVELLERS NOTES FOR
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WITH YOUR FELLOW
TRAVELLERS

FOR YOUR SAFETY & COMFORT

IN RUSSIAN - SPEAKING COUNTRIES

10 QUICK
TRAVELLERS NOTES

LEARNING
TO KNOW RUSSIAN

NAVIGATING IN
AN UNFAMILIAR CITY

bus [ ahf-toh-boos ]
bus stop [ ohs-tah-nohf-kah ]
taxi [ tahk-see ]
to the right [ nah-prah-voh ]
to the left [ nah-leh-voh ]
straight [ prya-moh ]
All directions and notifications in public transport are
in Russian only
Only big cities have a subway system, but almost
every city has buses, trams and trolleybuses
You can call a taxi by phone, or you can just go to the
road and raise your arm
If a taxi does not have a meter, you need to negotiate
the price before getting in
In an address, Russians say the street name first, and
then the house number: Moscow, Lenin Street, 10

? How to get to the subway?

[Kahk proy-tee k meht-roh?]
? How much will it cost?
[Skohl'-koh booh-deht stoh-eet'?]

DEALING
WITH MONEY
money [ dehn-gee ]
card [ kahr-tah ]
cash [ nah-leech-ni-yeh ]
ATM [ bahn-koh-maht ]
exchange office
[ ohb-mehn-ni-y poonkt ]
Use MasterCard or Visa other types of cards are not
common
You may be asked to show an identity document when
you pay with a card it's best to carry your passport,
always and everywhere!
Always have enough (but not too much) cash with you
Only roubles are officially accepted in Russia - paying
in dollars or euros is not official
Whenever possible, use only trustworthy ATMs and
the exchange offices in banks

10 roubles [ deh-syat' roob-ley ]

50 [ pyat'-deh-syat ]
100 [ stoh ]
500 [ pyat'-soht ]
1000 [ ti-sya-chah ]
5000 [ pyat' ti-syach ]

FOOD AND
DRINK IN A
FOREIGN LAND

restaurant [ reh-stoh-rahn ]
caf [ kah-feh ]
menu [ meh-noo ]
bill [ schot ]
food [ proh-dook-ti ]
poisoning [ oht-rah-vleh-nee-yeh ]
Moscow restaurants can be extremely expensive
check the prices in the menu
The belief that men always pay for women in restaurants is wrong: this is only appropriate on a romantic date
Leaving a tip in cafes and restaurants is welcome, but
is not a must
The biggest risk for food poisoning is in small street
booths selling fast food and in Japanese-style restaurants
Drinking vodka and beer in the streets or on public
transport is prohibited by law
Never agree to drink alcohol with a stranger it could
be part of a scam

alcohol [ ahl-koh-gohl ]
light meal, snack [ zah-koos-kah ]
I don't drink [ ya neh p'yooh ]

112
01
02
03

PLAN FOR
EMERGENCIES

JOURNEY OVER
A HUGE COUNTRY

airport [ ah-eh-roh-pohrt ]
plane [ sah-moh-loht ]
/ railway station [ zheh-deh voh-kzahl ]
train [ poh-yehzd ]
departure [ oht-prah-vleh-nee-yeh ]
arrival [ pree-bi-tee-yeh ]
In airports, all information is repeated in English.
When you are travelling by train, all the information is
in Russian (and often abbreviated)
Train travel across Russia can take up to a week
Verify what specific railway station your train is leaving from Moscow has 9 different stations
Timetables are usually stated in a 24-hour format
Beware of private taxi drivers and taxis without
meters fraud is possible

102? How can I find train number 102?

[ Kahk nahy-tee poh-yehzd noh-mehr stoh
dvah? ]
/ plane and railway tickets
[ Ah-vee-ah ee zheh-deh bee-leh-ti ]

GOING
SHOPPING

ambulance
[ skoh-rah-ya poh-mohsh' ]
police [ poh-lee-tsee-ya ]
fire [ poh-zhahr ]
help [ poh-moh-gee-teh ]
call a police
[ vi-zoh-vee-teh poh-lee-tsee-yooh ]

shop [ mah-gah-zeen ]
shopping centre

The numbers of the emergency services are: 01 fire

department, 02 police, 03 ambulance. Dial 010,
020, or 030 from a mobile phone
112 is a unified emergency number, but it works from
mobile phones only
Emergency service operators only speak Russian
In large cities it is not a problem to find someone
who speaks English
In complex situations, and when communicating with
officials, ask for an interpreter

Stores usually close at 10-12 o'clock at night or are

open 24/7Prices can be several times higher in airports,
city centres, and tourist places
if you are offered alcohol at night in a shop, it may be
illegal
Foreigners often have to buy warm clothing, but know
that temperatures in Russia vary from +50 to -50
Clothing at a souvenir store may be expensive and
sometimes funny looking
The market is the most economical option you can
negotiate the price, but trading rules are often violated

- I don't understand Russian

[ Ya neh poh-nee-mah-yooh poh-roos-kee ]
I need an interpreter
[ Mneh noo-zhehn peh-reh-voht-cheek ]

? How much does it cost?

[ Skohl'-koh eh-toh stoh-eet? ]
? Can I try it on?
[ Eh-toh mohzh-noh poh-meh-reet'? ]

For more information, visit www.learning-to-know.com

[ tohr-goh-viy tsehn-tr ]
market [ ri-nohk ]
24/7

[ kroog-loh-soo-tohch-noh ]
price [ tseh-nah ]
to buy [ koo-peet' ]

2014 Learning To Know PTY LTD

SOCIAL
SCENARIOS

MEDICAL AID

hello [zdrah-stvooy-teh]
hi [pree-veht]
goodbye [do-svee-dah-nya]
bye [poh-kah]
surname [fah-mee-lee-ya]
given name [ee-mya]

hospital [ bohl'-nee-tsah ]
clinic [ klee-nee-kah ]
dentist [ stoh-mah-toh-lohg ]
injury [ trahv-mah ]
medications [ leh-kahr-stvah ]
pharmacy [ ahp-teh-kah ]

Dont address people as tovarish - it is not used

anymore
The address of Gospodin (sir) or Gospozha (madam)
is suitable only in formal situations
Vy (formal you) is used with strangers, in formal
cases; Ty (informal you) by friends
Patronymic names are used less and less nowadays
A smile is not just a sign of polite communication, but
indicates sympathy
Address male strangers as man, and female strangers as woman it is widely used and not considered
to be rude

Calling an ambulance is free.

The phone number for an ambulance is 03 (or 030
from a mobile phone).
If you feel sick in a public place, dont passively wait
for someone to offer you help ask to call an ambulance
In large cities there are specialised 24/7 emergency
departments: ophthalmic, dental, etc.
Almost all medications, including antibiotics, can be
bought without a prescription

man [moo-schee-nah]
woman [zhehn-schee-na]

VITAL
COMMUNICATIONS
mobile [ phone ] [ moh-beel'-niy ]
phone [ tyeh-leh-fohn ]
number [ noh-mehr ]
Internet access
[ doh-stoop v Een-tehr-neht ]
free [ behs-plaht-niy ]
Russia has a GSM mobile network. CDMA phones
wont work in Russia
To connect to a local mobile operator, enter any
phone shop
To make an international call from a landline phone,
start with code 8-10; for an intercity call, 8
Russian mobile phone numbers start with 8 9. From
your non-Russian mobile phone and from abroad you
have to dial +7 9
Mobile Internet access is cheap. In large cities it is
easy to find free Wi-Fi

0 [nohl']
1 [oh-deen]
2 [dvah]
3 [tree]
4 [cheh-ti-reh]

5 [pyat']
6 [shehst']
7 [sehm']
8 [voh-sehm']
9 [deh-vyat']

I feel sick
[ Mneh ploh-khoh ]
I have acute pain
[ Ooh meh-nya oh-strah-ya bohl' ]

These NOTES are only a small

extract from the
Russian language learning program

LEARNING TO
KNOW RUSSIAN.
TRAVELLERS
NOTES
The full Travellers Notes program
is the combination of:
knowledge about the real Russia
what to expect in Russia?
a highly effective language learning
system what to say in Russian?

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www.learning-to-know.com

2014 Learning To Know PTY LTD