On the one hand in Russian
A fifth-floor balcony in the evening, an argument about moving in Russian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Предлагаю менять квартиру до осени, потом дороже.» — I suggest changing apartments before autumn; later it will be more expensive; «Хотя цены растут, у нас нет накоплений.» — Though prices are rising, we have no savings.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a fifth-floor balcony in the evening, an argument about moving. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Предлагаю менять квартиру до осени, потом дороже.Predlagayu menyat kvartiru do oseni, potom dorozhe.I suggest changing apartments before autumn; later it will be more expensive.
- Хотя цены растут, у нас нет накоплений.Khotya tseny rastut, u nas net nakopleniy.Though prices are rising, we have no savings.
- На мой взгляд, через год будет ещё дороже.Na moy vzglyad, cherez god budet eshchyo dorozhe.In my view, in a year it will be even more expensive.
- Отчасти согласен, однако не могу поддержать ипотеку на двадцать лет.Otchasti soglasen, odnako ne mogu podderzhat ipoteku na dvadtsat let.I partly agree, still I cannot support a twenty-year mortgage.
- Зато я и говорю: лучше сейчас, чем потом переплачивать.Zato ya i govoryu: luchshe seychas, chem potom pereplachivat.That's just my point: better now than overpaying later.
- Это спорно: половина соседей будет против таких трат.Eto sporno: polovina sosedey budet protiv takikh trat.That is debatable: half of the neighbors will be against such spending.
- Пусть против. В конце концов, жить тут нам, а не соседям.Pust protiv. V kontse kontsov, zhit tut nam, a ne sosedyam.Let them be against. In the end it is us who live here, not the neighbors.
- Коротко говоря, завтра считаем бюджет и решаем.Korotko govorya, zavtra schitaem byudzhet i reshaem.Briefly: tomorrow we count the budget and decide.
Lines one by one
| Russian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Предлагаю менять квартиру до осени, потом дороже. | Predlagayu menyat kvartiru do oseni, potom dorozhe. | I suggest changing apartments before autumn; later it will be more expensive. |
| Хотя цены растут, у нас нет накоплений. | Khotya tseny rastut, u nas net nakopleniy. | Though prices are rising, we have no savings. |
| На мой взгляд, через год будет ещё дороже. | Na moy vzglyad, cherez god budet eshchyo dorozhe. | In my view, in a year it will be even more expensive. |
| Отчасти согласен, однако не могу поддержать ипотеку на двадцать лет. | Otchasti soglasen, odnako ne mogu podderzhat ipoteku na dvadtsat let. | I partly agree, still I cannot support a twenty-year mortgage. |
| Зато я и говорю: лучше сейчас, чем потом переплачивать. | Zato ya i govoryu: luchshe seychas, chem potom pereplachivat. | That's just my point: better now than overpaying later. |
| Это спорно: половина соседей будет против таких трат. | Eto sporno: polovina sosedey budet protiv takikh trat. | That is debatable: half of the neighbors will be against such spending. |
| Пусть против. В конце концов, жить тут нам, а не соседям. | Pust protiv. V kontse kontsov, zhit tut nam, a ne sosedyam. | Let them be against. In the end it is us who live here, not the neighbors. |
| Коротко говоря, завтра считаем бюджет и решаем. | Korotko govorya, zavtra schitaem byudzhet i reshaem. | Briefly: tomorrow we count the budget and decide. |
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?
“Предлагаю менять квартиру до осени, потом дороже.” (Predlagayu menyat kvartiru do oseni, potom dorozhe.) — I suggest changing apartments before autumn; later it will be more expensive. 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.