An argument at the office in Russian
A small firm, two people argue about whether to raise the price in Russian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Я предлагаю поднять цену на десять процентов.» — I suggest raising the price by ten percent; «Не спеши. Какой у тебя аргумент?» — Don't rush. What is your argument?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a small firm, two people argue about whether to raise the price. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Я предлагаю поднять цену на десять процентов.Ya predlagayu podnyat tsenu na desyat protsentov.I suggest raising the price by ten percent.
- Не спеши. Какой у тебя аргумент?Ne speshi. Kakoy u tebya argument?Don't rush. What is your argument?
- Расходы выросли. Это факт, а не мнение.Raskhody vyrosli. Eto fakt, a ne mnenie.The expenses have grown. That is a fact, not an opinion.
- Клиенты будут недовольные. Я против.Klienty budut nedovolnye. Ya protiv.The clients will be unhappy. I am against.
- Я настаиваю: цена не менялась два года.Ya nastaivayu: tsena ne menyalas dva goda.I insist: the price has not changed for two years.
- Тогда давай спросим клиентов. Устроим опрос.Togda davay sprosim klientov. Ustroim opros.Then let's ask the clients. We'll run a survey.
- Согласен. И учти: если опрос за, меняем сразу.Soglasen. I uchti: esli opros za, menyaem srazu.Agreed. And note: if the survey is for it, we change at once.
- Решение приняли. В понедельник объявим всем.Reshenie prinyali. V ponedelnik obyavim vsem.The decision is made. On Monday we will announce it to everyone.
Lines one by one
| Russian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Я предлагаю поднять цену на десять процентов. | Ya predlagayu podnyat tsenu na desyat protsentov. | I suggest raising the price by ten percent. |
| Не спеши. Какой у тебя аргумент? | Ne speshi. Kakoy u tebya argument? | Don't rush. What is your argument? |
| Расходы выросли. Это факт, а не мнение. | Raskhody vyrosli. Eto fakt, a ne mnenie. | The expenses have grown. That is a fact, not an opinion. |
| Клиенты будут недовольные. Я против. | Klienty budut nedovolnye. Ya protiv. | The clients will be unhappy. I am against. |
| Я настаиваю: цена не менялась два года. | Ya nastaivayu: tsena ne menyalas dva goda. | I insist: the price has not changed for two years. |
| Тогда давай спросим клиентов. Устроим опрос. | Togda davay sprosim klientov. Ustroim opros. | Then let's ask the clients. We'll run a survey. |
| Согласен. И учти: если опрос за, меняем сразу. | Soglasen. I uchti: esli opros za, menyaem srazu. | Agreed. And note: if the survey is for it, we change at once. |
| Решение приняли. В понедельник объявим всем. | Reshenie prinyali. V ponedelnik obyavim vsem. | The decision is made. On Monday we will announce it to everyone. |
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?
“Я предлагаю поднять цену на десять процентов.” (Ya predlagayu podnyat tsenu na desyat protsentov.) — I suggest raising the price by ten percent. 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.