Enrolling in the first year in Russian
The admissions office window at the university, the last day to apply in Russian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Добрый день! Я хотел бы поступить в университет.» — Good afternoon! I would like to enroll in the university; «Какую специальность вы выбрали?» — Which major have you chosen?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: the admissions office window at the university, the last day to apply. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Добрый день! Я хотел бы поступить в университет.Dobryy den! Ya khotel by postupit v universitet.Good afternoon! I would like to enroll in the university.
- Какую специальность вы выбрали?Kakuyu spetsialnost vy vybrali?Which major have you chosen?
- Историю. Что нужно для поступления?Istoriyu. Chto nuzhno dlya postupleniya?History. What is needed to apply?
- Покажите сертификат и диплом школы.Pokazhite sertifikat i diplom shkoly.Show your certificate and school diploma.
- Вот, всё здесь. А когда будут занятия?Vot, vsyo zdes. A kogda budut zanyatiya?Here, everything is here. And when do classes start?
- Первого сентября. Спрашивали про общежитие?Pervogo sentyabrya. Sprashivali pro obshchezhitie?On the first of September. Did you ask about the dormitory?
- Да, можно общежитие? Я не из Москвы.Da, mozhno obshchezhitie? Ya ne iz Moskvy.Yes, is a dormitory possible? I am not from Moscow.
- Общежитие есть. Вы всё подали вовремя.Obshchezhitie est. Vy vsyo podali vovremya.There is a dormitory. You submitted everything on time.
Lines one by one
| Russian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Добрый день! Я хотел бы поступить в университет. | Dobryy den! Ya khotel by postupit v universitet. | Good afternoon! I would like to enroll in the university. |
| Какую специальность вы выбрали? | Kakuyu spetsialnost vy vybrali? | Which major have you chosen? |
| Историю. Что нужно для поступления? | Istoriyu. Chto nuzhno dlya postupleniya? | History. What is needed to apply? |
| Покажите сертификат и диплом школы. | Pokazhite sertifikat i diplom shkoly. | Show your certificate and school diploma. |
| Вот, всё здесь. А когда будут занятия? | Vot, vsyo zdes. A kogda budut zanyatiya? | Here, everything is here. And when do classes start? |
| Первого сентября. Спрашивали про общежитие? | Pervogo sentyabrya. Sprashivali pro obshchezhitie? | On the first of September. Did you ask about the dormitory? |
| Да, можно общежитие? Я не из Москвы. | Da, mozhno obshchezhitie? Ya ne iz Moskvy. | Yes, is a dormitory possible? I am not from Moscow. |
| Общежитие есть. Вы всё подали вовремя. | Obshchezhitie est. Vy vsyo podali vovremya. | There is a dormitory. You submitted everything on time. |
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?
“Добрый день! Я хотел бы поступить в университет.” (Dobryy den! Ya khotel by postupit v universitet.) — Good afternoon! I would like to enroll in the university. 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.