Basic words in Russian
314 words in Russian on the topic “basic words”: да — yes, нет — no, и — and, а — and (contrasting).
314 words on the topic
- даdayesThe shortest word of agreement there is. The negation of a verb is a different word, ne: ne ponimayu, "I do not understand".
- нетnetnoSays "no" and also "there is not": menya net vremeni is literally "of me there is no time". A verb, by contrast, is negated by ne, a word of its own.
- иiandKeeps a list together even in front of the last item: khleb i moloko. It never changes shape, whatever it joins.
- аaand (contrasting)Compares rather than opposes: ya rabotayu, a ty? — "I work, and you?". English folds it into "and" or "but"; the contrast here is softer than no.
- хорошоkhoroshogood, fineBoth the adverb "well" and the standard reply to how-are-you. Stress it on the end: kha-ra-SHO.
- плохоplokhobad, badlyThe twin of khorosho. Often about how someone feels rather than a verdict: mne ploho means "I feel bad".
- отличноotlichnogreatKhorosho with a margin, from otlichit, "to tell apart" — also the top school mark. The bright answer to how-are-you.
- наnaon, atA chameleon of a preposition: na ulitse, na pochte, na dve nedeli. English splits it into on, at and for; this one does all three.
- вvin, intoOne letter, two cases: v gorode says where, v gorod says where to. Place and direction ride on the case, not on two prepositions.
- ноnobutArgues rather than compares: khochu, no nelzya. The twin of a: a compares, no stands against; English folds both into "but".
- оченьochenveryThe universal booster: ochen khorosho, ochen vkusno. Muy and "very" sit in exactly the same slot.
- можноmozhnomay I, it is allowedImpersonal: mozhno voyti? — no "I" anywhere. The personal "I can" is a different verb, mogu; permission and ability keep their distance.
- килограммkilogrammkilogramTwo m's, one word. Odin kilogramm yablok, pozhaluysta.
- половинаpolovinahalfPolovina khleba — moya: "half the bread is mine". The same pol- that lives inside polchasa and polnoch.
- мне не нужноmne ne nuzhnoI don't need itThe impersonal "to me it is not needed": the polite way to walk away from a stall.
- ещё одинeshchyo odinone moreEshchyo ("more") plus odin ("one"): the order for a repeat. Eshchyo odin kofe, pozhaluysta.
- достаточноdostatochnoenoughSpasibo, dostatochno — "thanks, that is enough" — the phrase that stops the scales.
- всегоvsegoin totalVsyo plus the with-form ending: the word the cashier says over the pile. Vsyo desyat rubley.
- очередьocheredline, queueThe national institution: ochered — desyat chelovek, "a line of ten people". Vstat v ochered — "to join it".
- размерrazmersizeSizes here run small to large by number: razmer desyat. Kakoy razmer?
- большеbolshemoreThe comparative of bolshoy. Khochu bolshe yablok — "I want more apples", the noun in the of-form.
- меньшеmenshelessThe comparative of malenkiy. Khochu menshe sakhara — "I want less sugar".
- тяжёлыйtyazhyolyyheavyPaket byl tyazhelyy — "the bag was heavy". The softer form is tyazholovaty.
- лёгкийlyogkiylight (not heavy)The yo after the l is the whole trick: LYOK-kiy. Sup byl lyogkiy — "the soup was light".
- новыйnovyynewNovyy magazin tam, a staryy zdes. The double consonant stays in every form.
- старыйstaryyoldStaryy drug — eto khorosho: "an old friend is a good thing" — old in the affectionate sense.
- сломанныйslomannyybrokenThe participle of slomat: the thing that got broken. Avtobus slomannyy, ya idu domoy.
- человекchelovekperson, humanThe plural is a different word, lyudi — like "person" and "people". But after numbers chelovek stays: desyat chelovek.
- видетьvidetto seeVizhu, vidish — the v- softens in the present. Khochu videt solntse.
- слышатьslyshatto hearThe soft sh- in the present: slyshu, slyshish. Lyublyu slyshat dozhd.
- спатьspatto sleepSpyu, spish, spit — the i stretches in the present. Deti khochut spat.
- нестиnestito carryCarrying on foot; on a vehicle it is vozit. Pomogi nesti paket.
- ставитьstavitto put (standing)Things that stand go with stavit: kuda stavit chay? Lying things take klast.
- ломатьlomatto breakDeti lyubyat lomat khleb — children break bread, and so does everyone at the table.
- строитьstroitto buildOtets khochet stroit dom — "father wants to build a house". Postroit is the done-deal twin.
- многоmnogomany, muchOne word for countable and uncountable: Zdes mnogo detey — the noun goes into the of-many form after it.
- малоmalofew, littleThe twin of mnogo. Zdes malo vody — "there is little water here".
- всё в порядкеvsyo v poryadkeeverything is fineLiterally "everything is in order": the reply that closes any alarm. Vsyo v poryadke, spasibo.
- мягкийmyagkiysoftSyr okazalsya sovsem myagkim — "the cheese was soft" — the word carries its own soft sign inside; myagche is its comparative, and bread is the same word as a gentle person.
- твёрдыйtvyordyyhard, firmThe opposite of soft. The bread was hard to bite.
- мокрыйmokryywetMoy paket mokryy — "my bag is wet". Its opposite is sukhoy.
- сухойsukhoydryKhleb sukhoy, no vkusno — "the bread is dry but tasty". Stress it on the end: suk-HOY.
- тонкийtonkiythinPaket byl tonkiy — "the bag was thin". For a thin person the polite word is khudoy or stroynyy.
- глубокийglubokiydeepSneg byl glubokiy — "the snow was deep". Also the deep thought and the deep breath.
- круглыйkruglyyroundStol byl kruglyy — "the table was round". The year is round too: kruglyy god — "all year round".
- кудаkudawhere to?The direction question, twin of gde: Kuda ty idyosh? — "where are you going?".
- вездеvezdeeverywherePosle dozhdaya voda vezde — "after the rain, water everywhere". One word covers the whole map.
- нигдеnigdenowhereNi plus gde, and the verb keeps its ne: Nigde net vody — "there is no water anywhere".
- всё хорошоvsyo khoroshoeverything is fineVsyo khorosho, spasibo — the phrase that closes the worry.
- одиннадцатьodinnadtsatelevenLiterally "one-on-ten": odin plus the -nadtsat tail, the same build as eleven after its own fashion. The tail runs through nineteen.
- двенадцатьdvenadtsattwelve"Two-on-ten" by the same recipe. After this row the tens begin, built on the same small numbers.
- тринадцатьtrinadtsatthirteenTri ("three") plus -nadtsat: three-on-ten, one word.
- четырнадцатьchetyrnadtsatfourteenChetyre ("four") plus -nadtsat, with the e of chetyre dropping out in the middle.
- пятнадцатьpyatnadtsatfifteenPyat ("five") plus -nadtsat. Like the whole teen row it is followed by the of-many form of the noun: pyatnadtsat minut.
- шестнадцатьshestnadtsatsixteenShest ("six") plus -nadtsat, one long word.
- семнадцатьsemnadtsatseventeenSem ("seven") plus -nadtsat, the soft sign tucked in the middle.
- восемнадцатьvosemnadtsateighteenVosem ("eight") plus -nadtsat, with a v surfacing after the s.
- девятнадцатьdevyatnadtsatnineteenDevyat ("nine") plus -nadtsat — the last of the teens; from here the tens take over.
- двадцатьdvadtsattwentyBuilt on dva ("two") plus a worn-down tail. Tens and units are written as two words: dvadtsat pyat, "twenty-five".
- тридцатьtridtsatthirtyBuilt on tri ("three"); tens take the of-many form after them: tridtsat minut.
- сорокsorokfortyThe odd one out: not built on chetyre at all. Sorok once meant a bundle of forty sable pelts — the fur paid the taxes.
- пятьдесятpyatdesyatfiftyPyat ("five") plus desyat ("ten") glued together; the second half wears off to -desyat in every ten.
- шестьдесятshestdesyatsixtyShest plus desyat. Shestdesyat minut — "sixty minutes", a whole hour said in one word.
- семьдесятsemdesyatseventySem plus desyat, the soft sign dropping out in the middle.
- восемьдесятvosemdesyateightyVosem plus desyat, the m wearing away as the two words fuse.
- девяностоdevyanostoninetyThe strangest of the tens: devya-nosto, with no -desyat ending to be seen. Only two forms exist, and both end in -o.
- стоstoone hundredOne word where English uses two. Prices with it are said straight: sto rubley.
- тысячаtysyachathousandFeminine, and it behaves like a noun: tysyacha rubley, "a thousand of rubles". The plural tysyachi names whole thousands.
- миллионmillionmillionThe international word, stress on the end: mil-LION. Million rubley — the same of-form after it.
- нольnolzeroAlso noly for the figure on the scoreboard. U menya nol rubley — "I have zero rubles".
- первыйpervyyfirstThe ordinal that goes with odin — no shared stem between them, just like "one" and "first" in English. The word builds its own phrase: "the day number one".
- второйvtoroysecondBuilt on dva, "two": the one after the one. The phrase counts them aloud: "coffee number two".
- третийtretiythirdFrom tri with a softening -tiy. Tretiy etazh, bez lifta — "the third floor, no elevator".
- последнийposledniylastPosle etogo avtobusa net — "this is the last bus" — the word says: beyond this one there is no other; the school year ends with the bell of the same name.
- сколькоskolkohow much, how manyOne word for both "how much" and "how many": skolko chelovek v ocheredi — "how many people in the line?".
- параparaa coupleThe everyday "a couple of": para minut — "a couple of minutes", meaning "in a moment".
- штукаshtukapiece, itemThe counting word for things: tri shtuki — "three of them". Chto za shtuka? — "what is this thing?"
- процентprotsentpercentThe international word, stress on the end: protsENT. Odin protsent — malo.
- каждыйkazhdyyeach, everyAgrees with the noun: kazhdyy den, kazhdaya nedelya. Ya yem yabloki kazhdyy den.
- ктоktowhoKto eto? — "who is this?" — and the answer needs no verb either: eto moy drug.
- почемуpochemuwhy (because of what)Po plus chemu, "for what reason": the question about the cause. Pochemu net vody? — "why is there no water?".
- зачемzachemwhat forZa plus chem: the question about purpose. Pochemu asks why it happened; zachem asks what it is for.
- какойkakoywhich, what kind ofBoth "which one" and "what...like": kakoy segodnya den?
- чейcheywhoseThe possessive question, agreeing with the thing owned: chey eto klyuch, chya eto kniga.
- никтоniktonobodyNi plus kto, and the verb keeps its ne: Nikto ne byl doma — two negatives, as grammar demands.
- что-тоchto-tosomething (unidentified)Chto plus -to, the tail of the unnamed: something you cannot place. Chto-to bolit — "something hurts".
- обаobabothFor a pair of males or mixed; for two feminine things it is obe. Oba rebyonka byli doma.
- не знаюne znayuI do not knowThe everyday shrug, and it needs no "I": Ne znayu does the whole job. Znat bends its stem: znayu, znayesh.
- вещиveshchithings, belongingsAlways plural. Moyi veshchi zdes — "my things are here" — the polite word for luggage.
- рискriskriskRisk slishkom velik dlya menya — "the risk is too great for me" — the to-form of the person who bears it.
- запасной планzapasnoy planbackup planYesli poyezdov ne budet, u nas yest zapasnoy plan — nochleg u sestry — "if there are no trains, we have a backup plan: a bed at my sister's".
- неприятностьnepriyatnostunpleasantness, mishapSmeyjsya nad nepriyatnostyami, inache oni smeyutsya nad toboy — "laugh at mishaps, or they laugh at you" — the course's proverb.
- причинаprichinacause, reasonU opozdaniya byla prichina: na pereyezde stoyal poyezd — "the lateness had a cause: a train stood at the crossing".
- результатrezultatresultRezultat analiza budet izvesten v chetverg — "the test result will be known on Thursday" — the Latin for what springs back.
- поэтомуpoetomutherefore, that is whyPozdno, poetomu ya poyekhal na taksi — "it was late, so I took a taxi" — po etomu, "by this", packs the consequence.
- потому чтоpotomu chtobecauseYa ne poshyol, potomu chto ustal — "I did not go because I was tired" — potomu chto is the full lock of the cause.
- из-за этогоiz-za etogobecause of thisIz-za etogo dozhdaya vsya obuv v gryazi — "because of this rain all the shoes are in mud" — the blame-prefix at work.
- зависеть отzaviset otto depend onPoyezdka zavisit ot pogody: v liven nikto ne poyedet — "the trip depends on the weather; in a downpour nobody goes" — ot plus the of-form.
- объяснить причинуobyasnit prichinuto explain the reasonObyasni prichinu opozdaniya odin raz i ne povtoryay — "explain the reason for the lateness once and do not repeat it".
- цельtselgoal, purposeTsel na god — doyekhat do morya na velosipede — "the goal for the year is to reach the sea by bicycle".
- смыслsmyslmeaning, senseV etoy poslovitse smysl glubzhe, chem kazhetsya — "the meaning in this proverb is deeper than it seems" — smysl is the sense of words and of life.
- выводvyvodconclusionPosle dvukh neudach vyvod odin: nuzhen zapasnoy klyuch — "after two failures the conclusion is one: you need a spare key" — dva, two, kept.
- возможностьvozmozhnostopportunity, possibilityEta poyezdka — vozmozhnost, kotoroy ne bylo pyat let — "this trip is an opportunity there has not been for five years" — pyat, five, kept.
- возможноvozmozhnopossibly, maybeVozmozhno, my priedem ranshe, yesli dorogi svobodny — "possibly we will come earlier, if the roads are free".
- невозможноnevozmozhnoimpossibleV odin den vsyo peredelat nevozmozhno, vyberi glavnoye — "it is impossible to redo everything in one day; choose the main thing".
- необходимостьneobkhodimostnecessityO neobkhodimosti zapasnogo klyucha my uznali v dekabre — "we learned of the necessity of a spare key in December" — the lesson of the locked door.
- обязательноobyazatelnodefinitely, without failZavtra obyazatelno pozvonyu, obeshchal yeshchyo v subbotu — "tomorrow I will definitely call; I promised on Saturday".
- мне придётсяmne pridyotsyaI will have toMne pridyotsya ostattsya v gorode na vykhodnyye — "I will have to stay in town for the weekend" — pridetsya is the impersonal have-to.
- разрешеноrazreshenoallowed, permittedFotografirovat vnutri zapreshcheno, a snaruzhi razresheno — "photography inside is forbidden; outside it is allowed".
- запрещеноzapreshchenoforbiddenZdes kupatsya zapreshcheno, techeniye silnoye — "swimming is forbidden here; the current is strong" — the sign of every river.
- выборvyborchoiceVybor nebolshoy, zato tseny chestnyye — "the choice is small, but the prices are honest" — the trade-off of every small shop.
- вариантvariantoption, variantRassmotri oba varianta do vechera, potom reshay — "consider both options by evening, then decide" — oba, both, kept.
- сомнениеsomneniedoubtBez somneniy ne prinimayetsya ni odno bolshoye resheniye — "no big decision is made without doubts" — the course's comfort.
- сомневатьсяsomnevatsyato doubtYa somnevayus, chto poyezdka okupitsya, no yedu — "I doubt the trip will pay off, but I am going" — the -sya verb of doubting.
- уверенuverensure, confidentYa uveren v tebe bolshe, chem ty sam — "I am more sure of you than you are" — the comparative of faith.
- вряд лиvryad lihardly, unlikelyVryad li on uspeyet: poyezd v sem, a rabota do vosmi — "he will hardly make it: the train is at seven, work until eight" — both kept.
- наверноеnavernoeprobablyOn, navernoye, zabyl pro vstrechu, no zvonit ne budu — "he has probably forgotten the meeting, but I will not call" — the word of the shrug.
- точноtochnoexactly, for sureOn tochno pridyot: za desyat let ni razu ne opozdal — "he will come for sure: in ten years he has never been late" — desyat, ten, kept.
- мне кажетсяmne kazhetsyait seems to meMne kazhetsya, ty putayesh vtornik s chetvergom — "it seems to me you are mixing up Tuesday and Thursday" — both kept.
- на самом делеna samom delein fact, actuallyNa samom dele ya ne zabyl, ya peredumal — "in fact I did not forget; I changed my mind" — the honest correction.
- предположитьpredpolozhitto suppose, to assumePredpolozhim, chto dozhd konchitsya k poludnyu, i poydyom — "let us suppose the rain ends by noon, and we will go" — the supposition of plans.
- я не уверенya ne uverenI am not sureYa ne uveren, chto uspeyu, no poprobuyu — "I am not sure I will make it, but I will try" — the honest opener.
- опытopytexperienceOpyt poyezdki s detmi izmenil nash spisok veshchey — "the experience of traveling with children changed our packing list".
- случайsluchaycase, occurrenceSluchay na trasse nas mnogomu nauchil — "the incident on the highway taught us a lot" — sluchay is the case, the chance, the incident.
- примерprimerexamplePrivedi primer — tak ponyatneye lyubykh pravil — "give an example; it is clearer than any rules" — the course's teaching creed.
- напримерnaprimerfor exampleVozmi frukty, naprimer yabloki i slivy — "take fruit, for example apples and plums" — the example opener.
- разницаraznitsadifferenceRaznitsa v tsene nebolshaya, a v kachestve — bolshaya — "the difference in price is small; in quality, big" — the pair of every purchase.
- сравнениеsravneniecomparisonPo sravneniyu s proshloy zimoy eta vydalas myagkoy — "compared with last winter this one turned out mild" — s plus the with-form.
- отличатьсяotlichatsyato differ, to be differentBliznetsy otlichayutsya golosom, a ne litsom — "the twins differ by voice, not by face" — the of-form of the difference.
- похожийpokhozhiysimilar, alikeOn pokhozh na deda v molodosti, vse tak govoryat — "he looks like grandpa in his youth, everyone says so".
- сходствоskhodstvoresemblanceSkhodstvo u nikh odno: oba nikogda ne opazdyvayut — "their one resemblance: neither is ever late" — odno, one, kept.
- изменениеizmeneniechange (of something)Izmeneniye raspisaniya uznali tolko na platforme — "we learned of the schedule change only on the platform" — the noun of the change.
- во-первыхvo-pervykhfirst of allVo-pervykh, ya ustal, vo-vtorykh, uzhe pozdno — "first I am tired; second, it is late" — the pair opens every argument.
- во-вторыхvo-vtorykhsecond(ly)Vo-vtorykh, bilety dorozhe po vykhodnym — "second, tickets cost more on weekends" — the second point of the list.
- прежде всегоprezhde vsegoabove all, first of allPrezhde vsego prover dokumenty, ostalnoye potom — "above all check the papers; the rest can wait".
- кроме тогоkrome togobesides, in additionKrome togo, doroga zakryta na remont — "besides, the road is closed for repairs" — the add-on argument.
- кстатиkstatiby the wayKstati, tvoy zont u menya s pyatnitsy — "by the way, your umbrella has been at my place since Friday" — the side-door into a topic.
- в общемv obshchemin general, all in allV obshchem, poyezdka udalas, khotya vsyo shlo vk riv — the clean form is vkriv — "all in all the trip worked out, though everything went crooked".
- коротко говоряkorotko govoryain short, brieflyKorotko govorya, my pereyekhali i ne zhaleyem — "in short: we moved and do not regret it".
- другими словамиdrugimi slovamiin other wordsLiterally "other words": drugiye slova — the phrase announces that a plainer version of the same thought follows. Drugimi slovami, nas zhdut v ponedelnik — "to put it another way, they expect us Monday".
- главноеglavnoethe main thingGlavnoye, vse doma i tsely, ostalnoye prilozhitsya — "the main thing: everyone is home and safe; the rest will follow".
- в конце концовv kontse kontsovin the end, after allV kontse kontsov sosed soglasilsya sdvinut zabor — "in the end the neighbor agreed to move the fence" — the end of all ends.
- хотяkhotyaalthoughKhotya bylo pozdno, chay pili do polunochi — "although it was late, the tea went on past midnight".
- затоzatobut then, on the plus sideKvartira malenkaya, zato u okna sad — "the flat is small, but then there is a garden at the window" — the fair trade.
- наоборотnaoboroton the contrary, the other way roundOn ne zabil, naoborot, vsyo zapisal v bloknot — "he did not forget; on the contrary, he wrote it all in the notepad".
- несмотря наnesmotrya nadespite, in spite ofNesmotrya na probki, my uspeli k nachalu — "despite the jams we made it in time" — na plus the whom-what form of the obstacle.
- однакоodnakohowever, yetDorogo, odnako vid togo stoit — "it is expensive; however, the view is worth it" — the bookish but.
- с одной стороныs odnoy storonyon the one handS odnoy storony, rabota blizhe, s drugoy — platyat menshe — "on the one hand the work is closer; on the other, the pay is lower".
- с другой стороныs drugoy storonyon the other handS drugoy storony, ryadom park, i eto mnogo stoit — "on the other hand there is a park nearby, and that is worth a lot".
- тем не менееtem ne meneeneverthelessTri raza peredumal i tem ne menee poyekhal — "he changed his mind three times and nevertheless went" — tri, three, kept.
- вместо этогоvmesto etogoinsteadVmesto etogo kupili udocki i sideli u reki — "instead they bought fishing rods and sat by the river".
- всё равноvsyo ravnoall the same, either wayMne vsyo ravno, gde uzhinat, lish by vmeste — "I do not care where we dine, as long as it is together".
- случайноsluchaynoby chance, accidentallyMy sluchayno vstretilis na vokzale cherez desyat let — "we met by chance at the station ten years later" — desyat, ten, kept.
- специальноspetsialnoon purpose, speciallyYa ne spetsialno, etot stul i sam stoyal krivo — "I did not do it on purpose; the chair stood crooked all by itself".
- неудачаneudachafailure, setbackNeudacha — eto ne konets — "a failure is not the end" — the course's comfort.
- шаг за шагомshag za shagomstep by stepShag za shagom delo idyot vperyod — "step by step the matter moves forward".
- порядок действийporyadok deystviyorder of stepsV instruktsii yest poryadok deystviy — "the manual has an order of steps" — the sequence of the doing.
- подробноpodrobnoin detailMne nuzhen podrobnyy otvet — "I need a detailed answer" — the answer with everything in it.
- своими словамиsvoimi slovamiin one's own wordsOn obyasnil vsyo svoimi slovami — "he explained everything in his own words".
- проще говоряproshche govoryasimply putProshche govorya, eto obyavleniye — "simply put, it is an announcement".
- приведи примерprivedi primergive an examplePrivedi primer, pozhaluysta — "give an example, please" — the teacher's request.
- покажи, как это делаетсяpokazhi, kak eto delaetsyashow how it is donePokazhi, kak eto delaetsya, yeshchyo raz — "show how it is done one more time".
- понятно?ponyatno?clear? understood?Esli ponyatno, idyom dalshe — "if it is clear, we move on" — the check of every lesson.
- теперь понятноteper ponyatnonow it is clearAga, teper ponyatno! — "ah, now it is clear!" — the little light that turns on.
- я запуталсяya zaputalsyaI got confusedYa zaputalsya i ne ponimayu, chto delat — "I got confused and do not know what to do".
- вспомнитьvspomnitto recall, to remember (once)Mne nuzhno vspomnit yego imya — "I need to recall his name" — the result verb of the memory.
- забытьzabytto forget (once)Ya zabyl telefon doma — "I left the phone at home" — the result verb of forgetting.
- намерениеnamerenieintentionU nego dobrye namereniya — "he has good intentions" — the mind bent on doing.
- передуматьperedumatto change one's mindYa peredumal idti v kino — "I changed my mind about the cinema" — the re-thinking.
- всё по плануvsyo po planueverything is on planNe perezhivay, vsyo po planu — "do not worry; everything is on plan" — the phrase of the calm.
- если получитсяesli poluchitsyaif it works outYa budu doma, yesli poluchitsya — "I will be home if it works out" — the hopeful if.
- пока не решилpoka ne reshilI have not decided yetYa poka ne reshil, kuda poyekhat — "I have not decided yet where to go" — the undecided.
- всё изменилосьvsyo izmeniloseverything changedPosle pereyezda vsyo izmenilos — "after the move everything changed" — the impersonal change.
- к лучшемуk luchshemufor the betterVsyo, chto ni delaetsya, — k luchshemu — "whatever happens, it is for the better" — the proverb of hope.
- к худшемуk khudshemufor the worseK khudshemu nado gotovitsya — "one should prepare for the worse" — the sober twin.
- принадлежатьprinadlezhatto belongEtot dom dolzhen prinadlezhat detyam — "this house must belong to the children" — to be someone's: the owner stands in the to-form, to whom; in speech simply, it is mine.
- чужойchuzhoysomeone else'sChuzhoy kot sam prishyol vo dvor — "someone else's cat came into the yard by itself" — not one's own; ancient kin of chudo, a miracle: the strange once seemed miraculous.
- общийobshchiysharedU nikh obshchiy schyot v banke — "they have a joint account at the bank" — ours for two or for all: a shared bill, a shared kitchen; the word of dormitories and of marriage.
- толкатьtolkatto pushDver nado tolkat ot sebya — "the door should be pushed away from you" — to move from yourself: doors, carts; otkuda tolchok, the push, and rastolkat, and English push is short and stern.
- тянутьtyanutto pullDver luchshe tyanut, a ne tolkat — "the door is better pulled, not pushed" — to move toward yourself: doors, time; tyaga is what pulls you, toward home or toward sweets.
- ударитьudaritto hitNe smey udarit kota — "do not dare hit the cat" — to strike once: the ball, the table; udarit po rukam, to strike hands together, is also the closing of a bargain.
- метрmetrmeterStol dlinoy v dva metra — "the table is two meters long" — the main measure of length, Greek for simply measure; not to be confused with metro, the underground road — this one is measured with a tape.
- сантиметрsantimetrcentimeterV odnom metre sto santimetrov — "one meter is one hundred centimeters" — the hundredth part of the meter; senti is Latin for hundred; the tailor measures with them and so does the school ruler.
- километрkilometrkilometerDo morya ostalos sorok kilometrov — "forty kilometers to the sea" — a thousand meters; kilo is Greek for thousand; road speeds go by them per hour, and every driver knows the sign.
- литрlitrliterKupi litr moloka, pozhaluysta — "buy a liter of milk, please" — the measure for liquids, a liter bottle of milk, a liter of petrol; a French word that first measured grain, not only water.
- граммgrammgramV odnom kilogramme tysyacha grammov — "one kilogram is a thousand grams" — the tiny measure of weight: recipes, medicines and gold are all counted in grams.
- весvesweightVes posylki — tri kilogramma — "the parcel weighs three kilograms" — how heavy a thing pulls on the scales; the vesy, the scales, are the device — ves is the property itself.
- длинаdlinalengthDlina komnaty — pyat metrov — "the length of the room is five meters" — how far a thing reaches; from dlinny, long, as shirina, width, is from shirokiy: one family of measures.
- ширинаshirinawidthThe width of the door is eighty centimeters
- высотаvysotaheightVysota etogo dereva — desyat metrov — "this tree is ten meters tall" — how far a thing reaches up; a person's height is a vysota too, and mountains are measured above the sea.
- глубинаglubinadepthGlubina reki v etom meste — dva metra — "the river is two meters deep here" — how far it goes down, of wells and rivers; and v glubine dushi, in the depth of the soul, is for feelings hidden far inside.
- примерноprimernoapproximatelyPrimerno cherez chas my budem doma — "in about an hour we will be home" — not exactly, but near: maybe two and a half; kin of mera, the measure: by measure, without precision.
- почтиpochtialmostRabota pochti zakonchena — "the work is almost finished" — just short of done: pochti gotovo, almost ready, the smallest bit left; it stands tight against its word.
- ровноrovnoexactlyRovno v sem my vykhodim iz doma — "at exactly seven we leave the house" — precisely, with nothing left over; a second sense is smooth: a rovnaya road, a rovny edge.
- в среднемv srednemon averageChelovek spit vosem chasov — "on average a person sleeps eight hours" — the average, not every case: everything summed and split evenly, the middle of the counts.
- в два разаv dva razatwice as muchKhleb teper stoit v dva raza dorozhe — "bread now costs twice as much" — twice over; the frame continues: v tri raza, v desyat raz, three times, ten times.
- цифраtsifradigit, numeralV nomere telefona desyat tsifr — "a phone number has ten digits" — the sign from zero to nine, ten of them all told; Arabic sifr, the empty one, first named zero and then every sign.
- четвертьchetvertquarterA quarter of an hour is fifteen minutes
- взвеситьvzvesitto weighThe seller weighed the cheese and named the price
- лишнийlishniyspare, extraU menya est lishniy bilet v kino — "I have a spare movie ticket" — what there is over and above need: a spare key, a spare ticket; lishniy chelovek was the name for a hero with no place in life.
- пустойpustoyemptyMoloko konchilos: butylka pustaya — "the milk ran out: the bottle is empty" — nothing inside: a bottle, a purse; and pustoy razgovor is all talk; pustynya, the desert, is of the same family.
- избегатьizbegatto avoidIzbegay ssor i dolgikh sporov — "avoid quarrels and long arguments" — to keep away; from begat, to run: literally to run past the thing sideways, and what you avoid stands in the of-form.
- фактfaktfactA fact is a fact: the train left without us
- вопросvoprosquestionU menya est odin vopros — "I have one question" — the phrase with the sign at the end, asked when one does not know; from voproshat, to ask loud and serious; bez voprosov means it is all clear.
- важныйvazhnyyimportantI have an important meeting tomorrow
- положительныйpolozhitelnyypositiveMy uslyshali polozhitelnyy otvet — "we heard a positive answer" — with the plus sign; from polozhit, to lay: what is laid to the plus; in test results the same word can mark exactly what you feared.
- отрицательныйotritsatelnyynegativeThe negative answer upset the whole team
- по сравнению сpo sravneniyu scompared withPo sravneniyu s proshlym godom stalo legche — "compared with last year it got easier" — next to this one; from sravnivat, to make equal for the sake of comparing; it asks s chem, with what.
- такой жеtakoy zhethe same (kind)U sestry takoy zhe ryukzak — "my sister has the same backpack" — one to one; takoy plus zhe, the same zhe as in tot zhe den, the same day: comparison without degree.
- преимуществоpreimushchestvoadvantageU etogo doma est odno preimushchestvo — tishina — "this house has one advantage: quiet" — what takes the top; pre plus imet, to have more than the rest; its pair is nedostatok, the shortcoming.
- недостатокnedostatokdrawback, shortcomingNedostatok sna srazu viden po glazam — "lack of sleep shows in the eyes at once" — what is not there in full; nedo- means not delivered: the thing came up short; dostatok, the enough, stands nearby.
- последствияposledstviyaconsequencesThe consequences of the storm were cleaned up all week
- учитыватьuchityvatto take into accountFactor in the travel time when you set the meeting
- скорее всегоskoree vsegomost likelySkoree vsego, on uzhe doma — "most likely he is already home" — more yes than no; the comparative shape: sooner than everything else together.
- навернякаnavernyakafor sureNavernyaka ona znaet otvet — "she surely knows the answer" — without any doubt; vernyak is a sure thing: surely, like a bet on the certain horse.
- вероятностьveroyatnostprobabilityVeroyatnost dozhdya segodnya vysokaya — "the probability of rain today is high" — how many chances in a hundred; from veroyatny, the believable: what one may believe.
- предположениеpredpolozhenieassumptionEto lish predpolozhenie, a ne fakt — "it is only an assumption, not a fact" — a thought without proof; pred plus polozhit: the thought laid down before the checking.
- похоже, чтоpokhozhe, chtoit looks likePokhozhe, chto budet groza — "it looks like there will be a storm" — judged by the signs; pokhozhe is from pokhozhest, resemblance: the signs look like last time.
- должно бытьdolzhno bytmust be, presumablyDolzhno byt, on prospal i opozdal — "he must have overslept and been late" — so it is bound to come out; no debt in it: a conclusion, not an order, and the comma after it is optional.
- не может бытьne mozhet bytit cannot beNe mozhet byt, chtoby on vsyo zabyl! — "it cannot be that he forgot everything!" — the cry at what cannot be believed; from moch, to be able: the believer has no room for it in the head.
- по крайней мереpo krayney mereat leastPo krayney mere, pozvoni i predupredi — "at least call and warn me" — the least that will do; the last measure is the final line below which one must not go.
- в любом случаеv lyubom sluchaein any caseV lyubom sluchae ya tebe pomogu — "in any case I will help you" — whatever comes of it; lyuboy is every one: all the cases counted over, and the outcome stands.
- на всякий случайna vsyakiy sluchayjust in caseVozmi zont na vsyakiy sluchay — "take an umbrella just in case" — for a margin; every case includes the one that hardly will happen: the spare will not hurt.
- если быesli byif (had)Esli by znal, pozvonil by tebe — "if I had known, I would have called you" — the thought of what never was; after the first by the second half of the sentence owes another by.
- при условииpri usloviion conditionSoglasen pri uslovii, chto zaplatyat vperyod — "I agree on condition they pay in advance" — the yes with a string on it; uslovie is what was talked through: one agrees under it.
- даже еслиdazhe eslieven ifDazhe esli poydyot dozhd, my poydyom — "even if it rains, we will go" — a concession made in advance: dazhe doubles down — let it turn out so, we go all the same.
- в таком случаеv takom sluchaein that caseV takom sluchae vstretimsya u vkhoda — "in that case let us meet at the entrance" — given that, then; such a case is the one that has taken shape, and one starts out from it.
- иначеinacheotherwisePotoropis, inache opozdaesh na poezd — "hurry, otherwise you will miss the train" — or else it goes badly; inache is the other way, from inoy, other.
- тогдаtogdathen, at that timeTogda ya zhil u babushki v derevne — "back then I lived with grandma in the village" — at that moment, or given that; to plus place: at that time, and in an argument then means in that case.
- для того чтобыdlya togo chtobyin order toOn vstal rano dlya togo, chtoby ne opozdat — "he got up early so as not to be late" — the purpose said out loud; a short chtoby alone carries the same meaning, nothing is lost.
- как будтоkak budtoas ifOn govorit, kak budto vsyo znaet — "he talks as if he knows everything" — appearance, not truth; budto is an old is it not so: seems so, and is not.
- вместо того чтобыvmesto togo chtobyinstead of (doing)Vmesto togo chtoby sporit, pomog by — "instead of arguing he could have helped" — one deed in place of another; vmesto is the change of places: one deed stood where the other stood.
- в основномv osnovnommainly, mostlyV osnovnom ya rabotayu iz doma — "mostly I work from home" — for the greater part; osnova is the main thing: you speak of the main chunk, not of all of it.
- как правилоkak praviloas a ruleKak pravilo, my uzhinaem v vosem — "as a rule we dine at eight" — the usual way of it; the pravilo here is not law but the habit of the majority.
- почти всеpochti vsealmost everyonePochti vse gosti prishli k sroku — "almost all the guests came on time" — everyone but a trifle; pochti stands tight against its word: almost all, almost never.
- исключениеisklyuchenieexceptionEst odno isklyuchenie: v ponedelnik zakryto — "there is one exception: closed on Mondays" — the one not under the common rule; no rules without exceptions, and isklyuchit is to take out of the list.
- и так далееi tak daleeand so onNam nuzhen khleb, moloko, chay i tak dalee — "we need bread, milk, tea and so on" — the list carried on in the head; in letters a short abbreviation with dots stands in its place.
- в отличие отv otlichie otunlikeV otlichie ot sestry ya ne lyublyu shum — "unlike my sister I do not love noise" — comparison with a minus; otlichie is the difference: differs in this and that; it asks from whom.
- кромеkromeexceptMagazin otkryt kazhdyy den, krome voskresenya — "the shop is open every day except Sunday" — all but one; the word of exception, it picks a single one out of the pile, while its neighbor pomimo adds on top.
- не совсемne sovsemnot quiteTvoy otvet ne sovsem vernyy — "your answer is not quite right" — so, but with a reservation; sovsem is wholly: not wholly, but in part.
- более или менееbolee ili meneemore or lessRemont bolee ili menee zakonchen — "the renovation is more or less finished" — both ways at once, the middle: bolee and menee cancel each other out and the halfway remains.
- с трудомs trudomwith difficultyStarik s trudom podnyalsya po lestnitse — "the old man climbed the stairs with difficulty" — barely, by effort; trud is an old word for strength: he managed by effort, hardly.
- стоит попробоватьstoit poprobovatit is worth tryingStoit poprobovat khot raz — "it is worth trying at least once" — the deed will pay for the try; stoit works like a price: the try is cheaper than the regret.
- надо былоnado byloone should haveNado bylo skazat mne srazu — "you should have told me at once" — the reproach after the fact; bylo sends it to the past: the time is gone, the advice stays.
- лучше всегоluchshe vsegobest of allLuchshe vsego seychas vyspatsya — "the best thing now is to sleep" — the top step of comparison; vsego stands against all the deeds at once, not only against other people's.
- хуже всегоkhuzhe vsegoworst of allKhuzhe vsego molchat i zhdat — "the worst thing is to keep silent and wait" — the worst there is; the pair of luchshe vsego: the steps go worse, worst of all.
- как можно быстрееkak mozhno bystreeas fast as possiblePozvoni mne kak mozhno bystree — "call me as fast as you can" — the top of speed; kak mozhno pushes to the limit: as fast, as much, as precisely as possible.
- зряzryain vainTy zrya perezhival: vsyo oboshlos — "you worried in vain: all was well" — for nothing, to no use; an old zara, in vain: labor and tears both happen zrya.
- справитьсяspravitsyato cope, to manageSpravishsya sam ili pozvat soseda? — "will you manage alone or call the neighbor?" — to master the deed; from pravo, the right: managed is done rightly; it asks with what.
- попыткаpopytkaattemptVtoraya popytka udalas — "the second attempt succeeded" — one run at the goal: the first failed, the second did not; from an old pyt, to try and to press for.
- то естьto estthat is, i.e.Pridu v vosem, to est posle uzhina — "I will come at eight, that is, after dinner" — said differently; it stands after what was said to restate it simpler and shorter.
- оказалосьokazalosit turned outOkazalos, klyuch lezhal v karmane — "it turned out the key was in the pocket" — so it came out in fact; okazat in the old days meant to show forth: it turned out, it came to light.
- в результатеv rezultateas a resultV rezultate sekonomili polovinu deneg — "as a result we saved half the money" — the outcome, not the process; rezultat is Latin for what sprang back: what bounced off the deed.
- приводит кprivodit kleads toNedosyp privodit k boleznyam — "lack of sleep leads to illness" — it leads by the hand: brings and leaves by the consequence; it always asks to what.
- благодаряblagodaryathanks toBlagodarya sosedyam kot nashyolsya k vecheru — "thanks to the neighbors the cat was found by evening" — the good came from someone; the shape of blagodarit, to thank, and only good things are said with it.
- с первого разаs pervogo razaon the first tryOn sdal ekzamen s 1-go raza — "he passed the exam on the first try" — it worked at once; the count goes on: so vtorogo, s tretego, whoever manages when.
- двестиdvestitwo hundredOne word where English uses two. After hundreds the noun stands in the of-many form: dvesto rubley.
- тристаtristathree hundredTri ("three") glued to sto ("hundred"); the noun after it again takes the of-many form.
- четырестаchetyrestafour hundredThe oddest of the hundreds: related to chetyre ("four") but reshaped beyond recognition.
- пятьсотpyatsotfive hundredPyat plus sot, the of-form of sto. From here the hundreds follow one pattern all the way up.
- шестьсотshestsotsix hundredShest plus sot, the soft sign tucked in the middle.
- семьсотsemsotseven hundredSem ("seven") plus sot — hundreds take the of-form sot, not the plain sto.
- восемьсотvosemsoteight hundredVosem plus sot, the m wearing off in the middle.
- девятьсотdevyatsotnine hundredDevyat plus sot, the last of the hundreds; after it the thousands begin.
- четвёртыйchetvyortyyfourthOrdinals behave like adjectives and agree with the noun. Ya zhivu na chetvyortom etazhe — the floor number stands in the location form.
- пятыйpyatyyfifthFrom pyat with the t softened. Segodnya pyatyy urok — "today is the fifth lesson".
- шестойshestoysixthShest plus -oy, the soft sign melting away. Shestoy den nedeli — subbota: the week starts on Monday here.
- седьмойsedmoyseventhSem plus -oy. Sedmoy den nedeli — voskresenye, literally "resurrection day" for Sunday.
- восьмойvosmoyeighthVosem plus -oy. On vosmoy v ocheredi — "he is eighth in the line".
- девятыйdevyatyyninthDevyat plus -yy, softening the t. Moya kvartira na devyatom etazhe.
- десятыйdesyatyytenthDesyat plus -yy. Desyatyy den zimy — "the tenth day of winter".
- сотыйsotyyhundredthFrom sto with a fattened tail: sot-yy. Etot moy sotyy urok — "my hundredth lesson".
- илиiliorThe everyday "or": Chay ili kofe? It never changes shape and stands where English puts it.
- тожеtozhetoo, alsoSits after what it agrees with: mne tozhe, "me too". In a negative sentence it teams up with ne instead.
- толькоtolkoonlyMarks what is left: u menya tolko desyat rubley, "I have only ten rubles". Stress it up front.
- ужеuzhealreadyThe soft sign stretches the u: u-zhe. Its opposite is eshchyo nyet, "not yet".
- ещёeshchyostill, yet, moreThree jobs in one word: "still", "yet" and "more". Eshchyo nemnogo chaya — "a little more tea, please".
- слишкомslishkomtoo (excessively)Always ahead of the word it pushes: slishkom dorogo, "too expensive". The "too" of "me too" is a different word entirely.
- вместеvmestetogetherV ("in") plus meste ("place"): being in one place is being together. My vmeste idyom domoy.
- нельзяnelzyanot allowedOne impersonal word for "it is not allowed": zdes nelzya kurit. The personal "I cannot" is a different verb altogether.
- надоnadoone must, needImpersonal like nelzya: mne nado domoy, "I have to go home". No subject and no helping verb in sight.
- словоslovowordPovtorite eto slovo — "repeat this word". Also "one's word" as a promise: dat slovo.
- числоchislonumber, dateBoth the abstract number and the date on the calendar: kakoye segodnya chislo? — "what is today's date?".
- делоdelomatter, businessOne of the busiest words in the course: a matter, a task, a lawsuit. U kazhdogo svoyo delo — "everyone has their own business".
- способsposobway, methodKakoy sposob luchshe? — "which way is better?" — from sposobit, "to fit, to suit".
- частьchastpartEnds in a soft sign, feminine. Staraya chast goroda — "the old part of the city", the of-form doing "of".
- серединаseredinamiddleSere- is the same stem as sreda, "Wednesday" — the middle of the week. Uzhe seredina avgusta.
- сторонаstoronasideU kazhdoy ulitsy yest svoya storona. Also "direction": vse storony — "every direction".
- путьputway, routeThe old word for a road, alive in idioms: put-kuryer, "a courier on the road". Pered nami ves put.
- дорогаdorogaroadBoth the road and the journey: doroga vedet k reke — "the road leads to the river". Po doroge — "on the way".
- сонsonsleep (noun)The noun; the verb is spat. Rebyonku nuzhen spokoynyy son — "a child needs quiet sleep".
- чтобыchtobyso that, in order toThe "to" of purpose said as its own word: vstan poranshe, chtoby ne opozdat, "get up earlier so as not to be late".
- еслиesliifThe plain "if": esli ustayesh, otdyhay. No tense shuffling follows it, as it does in English conditionals.
- покаpokawhileThe same poka as "bye", here doing the work of "while": poka chay kipit, "while the tea boils". Intonation tells the two apart.
- раз ужraz uzhsince, now that"Seeing that": raz uzhy ty zdes — two little words that grant the fact and draw the conclusion.
- лишь быlish byif onlyA wish with fingers crossed: lish by k pyatnitse vsyo vysskhlo, "if only everything dries by Friday".
- так чтоtak chtoso, thereforeLiterally "so that", but it draws conclusions: magazin zakryt, tak chto zakhodi zavtra, "the shop is closed, so come tomorrow".
- междуmezhdubetween"Between", with the nouns on both sides in the with-form: mezhdu aptekoy i rynkom, "between the pharmacy and the market".
- околоokoloaround, about"Around" in place and "about" in number: okolo mosta, "near the bridge"; okolo desyati, "about ten".
- вместоvmestoinstead ofV ("in") plus mesto ("place"): in the place of. The noun after it takes the of-form: vmesto lifta, "instead of the elevator".
- противprotivagainst"Against" in opinion and in place, the noun in the of-form: protiv kontrolnoy, "against the test".
- безbezwithout"Without", and the noun goes into the of-form: ya ostalsya bez bileta, "I was left without a ticket".
- дляdlyafor"For" in the sense of purpose, the noun in the of-form: dlya sna, "for sleep".
- проproaboutThe casual "about": rasskazhi pro poyezdku, "tell about the trip". In careful writing another word, o, is more at home.
- послеposleafter"After" in time, the noun in the of-form: posle draki, "after the fight"; posle zavtraka, "after breakfast".
- во времяvo vremyaduringLiterally "in the time of", the noun in the of-form: vo vremya grozy, "during the storm".
- из-заiz-zabecause ofIz ("out of") plus za ("behind"): the blame rolls out from behind something. Iz-za tumana — "because of the fog".
- вокругvokrugaround"Around" in space, with no case acrobatics to remember: vokrug doma rastut yolki, "fir trees grow around the house".
- черезcherezacross, in (after a while)"Across" a river, "through" a wall — and "in" a span of time: cherez chas, "in an hour".
- изнутриiznutrifrom insideIz ("from") plus vnutri ("inside"): the action comes from within. Garazh zapert iznutri.
- поблизостиpoblizostinearbyPo plus blizost ("closeness"): in the vicinity. Poblizosti net zapravki — "there is no gas station nearby".
- проблемаproblemaproblemThe international word, feminine, plural na -y: problemy. U menya problema s mashinoy.
- помощьpomoshchhelpEnds in a soft sign, so it is feminine. Nuzhna pomoshch? — "need help?" — is the short way to offer it.
- естьestthere isThe one surviving present form of "to be": it means "there is" and stands inside "I have". Zdes est apteka? — "is there a pharmacy here?".
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
The CSV contains spelling, reading guides, translations and links to word pages. Use the browser menu to save the printable sheet as a PDF.
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- Да, это яDa, eto yaYes, it is me
- Нет, спасибо, не надоNet, spasibo, ne nadoNo, thank you, no need
- Хлеб и молоко, пожалуйстаKhleb i moloko, pozhaluystaBread and milk, please
- Я работаю, а ты?Ya rabotayu, a ty?I work, and you?
- Хорошо, спасибо. А ты?Khorosho, spasibo. A ty?Fine, thank you. And you?
- Сегодня я плохо спалSegodnya ya plokho spalI slept badly today
What is worth knowing about these words
да (da) — yes. The shortest word of agreement there is. The negation of a verb is a different word, ne: ne ponimayu, "I do not understand".
нет (net) — no. Says "no" and also "there is not": menya net vremeni is literally "of me there is no time". A verb, by contrast, is negated by ne, a word of its own.
и (i) — and. Keeps a list together even in front of the last item: khleb i moloko. It never changes shape, whatever it joins.
а (a) — and (contrasting). Compares rather than opposes: ya rabotayu, a ty? — "I work, and you?". English folds it into "and" or "but"; the contrast here is softer than no.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “yes” in Russian?
The shortest word of agreement there is. The negation of a verb is a different word, ne: ne ponimayu, "I do not understand".
- How do you say “on, at” in Russian?
A chameleon of a preposition: na ulitse, na pochte, na dve nedeli. English splits it into on, at and for; this one does all three.
- How do you say “I don't need it” in Russian?
The impersonal "to me it is not needed": the polite way to walk away from a stall.
- How do you say “less” in Russian?
The comparative of malenkiy. Khochu menshe sakhara — "I want less sugar".
- How do you say “to see” in Russian?
Vizhu, vidish — the v- softens in the present. Khochu videt solntse.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “yes” in Russian?
«да», read “da”. The shortest word of agreement there is. The negation of a verb is a different word, ne: ne ponimayu, "I do not understand". It is one of 314 words in the set “basic words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many basic words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 314 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.