A loan at the bank in Russian
A consultant desk at a bank branch in Russian. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Здравствуйте! Я хочу открыть счёт в вашем банке.» — Hello! I want to open an account with your bank; «Хорошо. Вы будете класть деньги каждый месяц?» — Good. Will you be depositing money every month?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a consultant desk at a bank branch. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Здравствуйте! Я хочу открыть счёт в вашем банке.Zdravstvuyte! Ya khochu otkryt schyot v vashem banke.Hello! I want to open an account with your bank.
- Хорошо. Вы будете класть деньги каждый месяц?Khorosho. Vy budete klast dengi kazhdyy mesyats?Good. Will you be depositing money every month?
- Да. И ещё вопрос: у меня есть кредит.Da. I eshchyo vopros: u menya est kredit.Yes. And one more question: I have a loan.
- Смотрите: здесь платёж и срок оплаты.Smotrite: zdes platyozh i srok oplaty.Look: here is the payment and the due date.
- А сколько у вас проценты?A skolko u vas protsenty?And what interest do you have?
- Девять. Платить можно и онлайн.Devyat. Platit mozhno i onlayn.Nine. You can also pay online.
- Отлично. Тогда я быстро погашу кредит.Otlichno. Togda ya bystro pogashu kredit.Great. Then I will pay off the loan quickly.
Lines one by one
| Russian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Здравствуйте! Я хочу открыть счёт в вашем банке. | Zdravstvuyte! Ya khochu otkryt schyot v vashem banke. | Hello! I want to open an account with your bank. |
| Хорошо. Вы будете класть деньги каждый месяц? | Khorosho. Vy budete klast dengi kazhdyy mesyats? | Good. Will you be depositing money every month? |
| Да. И ещё вопрос: у меня есть кредит. | Da. I eshchyo vopros: u menya est kredit. | Yes. And one more question: I have a loan. |
| Смотрите: здесь платёж и срок оплаты. | Smotrite: zdes platyozh i srok oplaty. | Look: here is the payment and the due date. |
| А сколько у вас проценты? | A skolko u vas protsenty? | And what interest do you have? |
| Девять. Платить можно и онлайн. | Devyat. Platit mozhno i onlayn. | Nine. You can also pay online. |
| Отлично. Тогда я быстро погашу кредит. | Otlichno. Togda ya bystro pogashu kredit. | Great. Then I will pay off the loan quickly. |
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?
“Здравствуйте! Я хочу открыть счёт в вашем банке.” (Zdravstvuyte! Ya khochu otkryt schyot v vashem banke.) — Hello! I want to open an account with your bank. 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.