Tell me what is in the news in Russian
A kitchen in the evening, two people turn on the TV in Russian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Дай пульт, на первом канале новости.» — Give me the remote, there is news on channel one; «Опять? Все новости — одни слухи, только сказанные иначе.» — Again? All the news is the same rumors, just said differently.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a kitchen in the evening, two people turn on the TV. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Дай пульт, на первом канале новости.Day pult, na pervom kanale novosti.Give me the remote, there is news on channel one.
- Опять? Все новости — одни слухи, только сказанные иначе.Opyat? Vse novosti — odni slukhi, tolko skazannye inache.Again? All the news is the same rumors, just said differently.
- Наоборот, этот ведущий всегда называет источник.Naoborot, etot vedushchiy vsegda nazyvaet istochnik.On the contrary, this anchor always names the source.
- По-моему, они преувеличивают: из мелкого происшествия делают скандал.Po-moemu, oni preuvelichivayut: iz melkogo proisshestviya delayut skandal.In my opinion they exaggerate: they turn a small incident into a scandal.
- Отчасти согласен, однако репортаж с места был сильный.Otchasti soglasen, odnako reportazh s mesta byl silnyy.I partly agree, still the report from the scene was strong.
- Коротко говоря, главное — не верить всему подряд.Korotko govorya, glavnoe — ne verit vsemu podryad.Briefly, the main thing is not to believe everything at once.
- Я проверил по двум источникам, и оба совпали.Ya proveril po dvum istochnikam, i oba sovpali.I checked two sources, and both matched.
- Ладно, включай. Только переключи, когда пойдёт реклама.Ladno, vklyuchay. Tolko pereklyuchi, kogda poydyot reklama.Fine, turn it on. Just switch over when the ads come on.
Lines one by one
| Russian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Дай пульт, на первом канале новости. | Day pult, na pervom kanale novosti. | Give me the remote, there is news on channel one. |
| Опять? Все новости — одни слухи, только сказанные иначе. | Opyat? Vse novosti — odni slukhi, tolko skazannye inache. | Again? All the news is the same rumors, just said differently. |
| Наоборот, этот ведущий всегда называет источник. | Naoborot, etot vedushchiy vsegda nazyvaet istochnik. | On the contrary, this anchor always names the source. |
| По-моему, они преувеличивают: из мелкого происшествия делают скандал. | Po-moemu, oni preuvelichivayut: iz melkogo proisshestviya delayut skandal. | In my opinion they exaggerate: they turn a small incident into a scandal. |
| Отчасти согласен, однако репортаж с места был сильный. | Otchasti soglasen, odnako reportazh s mesta byl silnyy. | I partly agree, still the report from the scene was strong. |
| Коротко говоря, главное — не верить всему подряд. | Korotko govorya, glavnoe — ne verit vsemu podryad. | Briefly, the main thing is not to believe everything at once. |
| Я проверил по двум источникам, и оба совпали. | Ya proveril po dvum istochnikam, i oba sovpali. | I checked two sources, and both matched. |
| Ладно, включай. Только переключи, когда пойдёт реклама. | Ladno, vklyuchay. Tolko pereklyuchi, kogda poydyot reklama. | Fine, turn it on. Just switch over when the ads come on. |
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?
“Дай пульт, на первом канале новости.” (Day pult, na pervom kanale novosti.) — Give me the remote, there is news on channel one. 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.