Reading the contract in Russian
Two people sit over a lease: one rents the apartment out, the other reads such a text for the first time in Russian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Прежде чем подписать, хочу прочитать все условия.» — Before signing, I want to read all the terms; «Конечно. Второй пункт договора — про срок оплаты.» — Of course. The second clause of the agreement is about the payment date.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two people sit over a lease: one rents the apartment out, the other reads such a text for the first time. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Прежде чем подписать, хочу прочитать все условия.Prezhde chem podpisat, khochu prochitat vse usloviya.Before signing, I want to read all the terms.
- Конечно. Второй пункт договора — про срок оплаты.Konechno. Vtoroy punkt dogovora — pro srok oplaty.Of course. The second clause of the agreement is about the payment date.
- А если мне придётся расторгнуть договор раньше?A esli mne pridyotsya rastorgnut dogovor ranshe?And what if I have to end the agreement early?
- Тогда платите за один месяц, и всё.Togda platite za odin mesyats, i vsyo.Then you pay for one month, and that is all.
- Мне нужен оригинал или хватит копии?Mne nuzhen original ili khvatit kopii?Do I need the original or is a copy enough?
- Каждому свой оригинал, с подписью и печатью.Kazhdomu svoy original, s podpisyu i pechatyu.Each side gets their own original, with a signature and a stamp.
- А договорённость про парковку была только устно.A dogovoryonnost pro parkovku byla tolko ustno.And the arrangement about parking was only verbal.
- Хорошо, запишем её письменно третьим пунктом.Khorosho, zapishem eyo pismenno tretim punktom.Good, we will write it down as the third clause.
Lines one by one
| Russian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Прежде чем подписать, хочу прочитать все условия. | Prezhde chem podpisat, khochu prochitat vse usloviya. | Before signing, I want to read all the terms. |
| Конечно. Второй пункт договора — про срок оплаты. | Konechno. Vtoroy punkt dogovora — pro srok oplaty. | Of course. The second clause of the agreement is about the payment date. |
| А если мне придётся расторгнуть договор раньше? | A esli mne pridyotsya rastorgnut dogovor ranshe? | And what if I have to end the agreement early? |
| Тогда платите за один месяц, и всё. | Togda platite za odin mesyats, i vsyo. | Then you pay for one month, and that is all. |
| Мне нужен оригинал или хватит копии? | Mne nuzhen original ili khvatit kopii? | Do I need the original or is a copy enough? |
| Каждому свой оригинал, с подписью и печатью. | Kazhdomu svoy original, s podpisyu i pechatyu. | Each side gets their own original, with a signature and a stamp. |
| А договорённость про парковку была только устно. | A dogovoryonnost pro parkovku byla tolko ustno. | And the arrangement about parking was only verbal. |
| Хорошо, запишем её письменно третьим пунктом. | Khorosho, zapishem eyo pismenno tretim punktom. | Good, we will write it down as the third clause. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Russian in this situation?
“Прежде чем подписать, хочу прочитать все условия.” (Prezhde chem podpisat, khochu prochitat vse usloviya.) — Before signing, I want to read all the terms. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.