Food and drink in Russian

170 words on the topic

• кофе

  kofe

  coffee

  Masculine against all expectations: odin kofe, "one coffee". The word is not declined in the ordinary sense, and the stress stays put.
• чай

  chay

  tea

  The word traveled out of China by two roads: the northern one gave tea, the southern one chay. Chai is the same journey.
• вода

  voda

  water

  Feminine: odna voda. Its forms live a life of their own — khochu vodu, net vody — and the course table keeps them.
• хлеб

  khleb

  bread

  A native word with no relatives in English. The voiced b at the end goes voiceless, so you hear "khlep".
• молоко

  moloko

  milk

  Neuter: goryacheye moloko. A distant cousin of "milk" — both come from the same ancient root for milking, though it takes etymology to see it.
• пить

  pit

  to drink

  The present tense reshapes the consonant: pyu, pyosh, pyot. Its result twin is vypit — the same verb with a prefix for "down to the bottom".
• сыр

  syr

  cheese

  After numbers it takes the of-many form: dva syra. English "cheese" found no relatives for it in Europe.
• мясо

  myaso

  meat

  Neuter, like moloko. A distant cousin of "meat" — same ancient root, though in English the word widened to mean food in general.
• рыба

  ryba

  fish

  Feminine: dve ryby, pyat ryb. The steak cut served in restaurants has its own name — steik.
• салат

  salat

  salad

  Came eastward through Italian insalata — "salted things", with the salt hidden inside. It names both the dish and the leaf.
• суп

  sup

  soup

  Borrowed from French soupe in the era of Peter the Great. Before it, dinner started with pokhlyobka — the village broth that never left.
• соль

  sol

  salt

  Feminine, ending in a soft sign. A cousin of sal, salt and sel — one of the most durable words in Europe; salat is kin to it too.
• есть

  est

  to eat

  Conjugated from a different root, like "to go" in many languages: yem, yesh, yest. Do not mix it with the "there is" of possession — that one is a lone form.
• яблоко

  yabloko

  apple

  Neuter: krasnoye yabloko. A cousin of "apple" — the same word across thousands of years, and the apple of discord in both cultures.
• сахар

  sakhar

  sugar

  Came through Greek from Sanskrit sharkara, "a grain of grit". Zucchero and sugar traveled the same road.
• вкусно

  vkusno

  tasty

  From vkus, "the sense of taste". The compliment to the cook: ochen vkusno! — "very tasty!".
• свежий

  svezhiy

  fresh

  Khleb svezhiy, a ryba net — "the bread is fresh, the fish is not". The same word means "cool" about a breeze.
• спелый

  spelyy

  ripe

  Kilogramm yablok byl spelyy — the apple ready to eat. Its opposite is nezrelyy.
• завтрак

  zavtrak

  breakfast

  Zavtrak — kofe i khleb: "breakfast is coffee and bread". The verb of eating it is zavtrakat.
• обед

  obed

  lunch

  The main meal of the day, taken in the early afternoon — bigger than a sandwich at a desk. Obed byl vkusnyy.
• ужин

  uzhin

  dinner, supper

  The evening meal, lighter than obed. Uzhin — sup i salat.
• жевать

  zhevat

  to chew

  Zhevat molcha — eto vezhlivo: "chewing silently is polite" — table wisdom from the course.
• глотать

  glotat

  to swallow

  Tabletku trudno glotat — "the pill is hard to swallow". The small swallow is glotok.
• аппетит

  appetit

  appetite

  The international word with the stress on the end: appe-TIT. U rebyonka khoroshy appetit.
• кусок

  kusok

  piece, chunk

  Kusok syra, pozhaluysta — "a piece of cheese, please". Its diminutive kusochek is the polite one.
• запах

  zapakh

  smell, scent

  Zapakh supa — na vsyu kvartiru: "the smell of the soup fills the whole apartment".
• после еды

  posle edy

  after meals

  Eda is food; its of-form is yedy. Tabletka — posle yedy: "the pill goes after meals".
• повар

  povar

  cook, chef

  Povar rabotayet v kafe — "the cook works at a café". The restaurant version is shef-povar.
• масло

  maslo

  butter

  U menya maslo i khleb — "I have butter and bread" — the same maslo as the motor oil; the dish decides.
• картофель

  kartofel

  potato

  U menya kartofel i sol — "I have potatoes and salt" — kartoshka is its folksy twin.
• мука

  muka

  flour

  U menya muka i sol — "I have flour and salt" — watch the stress: muKA bakes, MUKA suffers.
• мёд

  myod

  honey

  U menya myod i chay — "I have honey and tea" — the yo is always written, and always spoken.
• орехи

  orekhi

  nuts

  Ya lyublyu orekhi — "I love nuts" — the of-form plural is orekhov.
• лук

  luk

  onion

  One syllable, two kinds: luk is the onion, luk in the forest is a bow. Ya ne lyublyu luk.
• морковь

  morkov

  carrot

  U menya morkov i luk — "I have carrots and onion" — morkovka is the diminutive of the soup pot.
• перец

  perets

  pepper (spice)

  Ya lyublyu perets — "I love pepper" — the same word as the bell pepper; the dish tells them apart.
• фасоль

  fasol

  beans

  Ya ne lyublyu fasol — "I do not love beans" — a feminine noun in a soft sign.
• специи

  spetsii

  spices

  Ya lyublyu spetsii — "I love spices" — always plural in the kitchen talk.
• готовить

  gotovit

  to cook, to prepare

  Ya khochu gotovit — "I want to cook" — gotov is what the dish becomes.
• мыть

  myt

  to wash

  Ya khochu myt nozh — "I want to wash the knife" — myu, myyesh: the letter i carries the wash.
• нож

  nozh

  knife

  Eto moy nozh — "this is my knife" — the g softens into zh in the plural: nozhi.
• варить

  varit

  to boil, to cook (in water)

  Ya khochu varit sup — "I want to make soup" — the pot-and-water verb.
• жарить

  zharit

  to fry

  Ya khochu zharit rybu — "I want to fry the fish" — zhar is the heat that does it.
• печь

  pech

  to bake

  Ya khochu pech khleb — "I want to bake bread" — the oven is pechka, the same root.
• резать

  rezat

  to cut

  Ya khochu rezat morkov — "I want to cut the carrot" — the everyday knife work.
• кастрюля

  kastryulya

  pot, saucepan

  Kastryulya tam, na plite — "the pot is there, on the stove" — the location form of plita.
• сковорода

  skovoroda

  frying pan

  Eto moya skovoroda — "this is my frying pan" — skovorodki come in pairs in every kitchen.
• плита

  plita

  stove

  Plita byla v dome — "the stove was in the house" — gas or electric, the cooking top.
• тарелка

  tarelka

  plate

  Eto moya tarelka — "this is my plate" — tarelki stack in every cupboard.
• чашка

  chashka

  cup

  U menya chashka i chay — "I have a cup and tea" — its saucer partner is blyudtse.
• стакан

  stakan

  glass (tumbler)

  U menya stakan i voda — "I have a glass and water" — stakany nest in every cupboard; stakan is the glass of water too.
• ложка

  lozhka

  spoon

  Lozhka byla v chashke — "the spoon was in the cup" — the everyday spoon of every soup.
• вилка

  vilka

  fork

  U menya vilka i nozh — "I have a fork and a knife" — vilitsa to fork, one sound away.
• бутылка

  butylka

  bottle

  U menya butylka vody — "I have a bottle of water" — the of-form names what is inside.
• салфетка

  salfetka

  napkin

  Salfetka na tarelike — "the napkin is on the plate" — the French serviette, shortened.
• чайник

  chaynik

  kettle

  Chaynik tam, na plite — "the kettle is there, on the stove" — chay, tea, inside.
• поднос

  podnos

  tray

  Podnos byl zdes — "the tray was here" — the waiter carries podnosy.
• горячий

  goryachiy

  hot (temperature)

  Chay goryachiy — "the tea is hot" — the adjective; zharkiy is the weather.
• холодный

  kholodnyy

  cold (adjective)

  Voda kholodnaya — "the water is cold" — the adjective; kholodno is the weather.
• голодный

  golodnyy

  hungry

  Ya golodnyy — "I am hungry" — golod is the hunger; a woman says ya golodnaya.
• вкус

  vkus

  taste

  Vkus byl solyonyy — "the taste was salty" — vkusno is the compliment it earns.
• солёный

  solyonyy

  salty

  Sup byl solyonyy — "the soup was salty" — sol, salt, inside the participle.
• кислый

  kislyy

  sour

  Yabloko bylo kisloye — "the apple was sour" — kislyy khleb is sourdough.
• горький

  gorkiy

  bitter

  Chay byl gorkiy — "the tea was bitter" — gorka is a hill; gorkiy is the taste.
• острый

  ostryy

  sharp, spicy

  Nozh byl ostryy — "the knife was sharp" — and the sauce is ostroya too: sharp on the tongue.
• сытый

  sytyy

  full, sated

  Ya syt — the short form of the fed state; sytost is its noun. A woman says ya syta.
• пробовать

  probovat

  to try, to taste

  Ya ne khochu probovat fasol — "I do not want to try the beans" — the tasting and the attempting share the verb.
• меню

  menyu

  menu

  Neuter, and unchanging: menyu tam, u ofitsianta — "the menu is there, with the waiter".
• официант

  ofitsiant

  waiter

  Ofitsiant byl dobryy — "the waiter was kind" — ofitsiantka is the waitress.
• заказ

  zakaz

  order

  Moy zakaz — sup — "my order is soup" — zakazat is the verb that made it.
• заказать

  zakazat

  to order

  Ya khochu zakazat sup — "I want to order soup" — za- plus kazat: to call it in.
• блюдо

  blyudo

  dish (food)

  Blyudo bylo goryacheye — "the dish was hot" — the neuter word of the plated dish.
• порция

  portsiya

  portion

  Portsiya byla malenkaya — "the portion was small" — the international word, stressed on the end.
• столик на двоих

  stolik na dvoikh

  table for two

  Stolik na dvoikh, pozhaluysta — "a table for two, please" — na plus the of-form plural of dva.
• десерт

  desert

  dessert

  Desert byl malenkiy — "the dessert was small" — one s, stressed on the end: des-SERT.
• без мяса

  bez myasa

  without meat

  Ya khochu sup bez myasa — "I want soup without meat" — bez plus the of-form, the phrase of every vegetarian order.
• торт

  tort

  cake

  Tort na stole — "the cake is on the table" — one final t, stressed: tort.
• макароны

  makarony

  pasta, macaroni

  Always plural: rebyonok ochen lyubit makarony — "the child loves pasta" — the Italian word made domestic.
• йогурт

  yogurt

  yogurt

  Utrom ya yem yogurt — "in the morning I eat yogurt" — the Turkish word that traveled everywhere.
• сливки

  slivki

  cream

  Slivki v kofe — eto vkusno — "cream in coffee is delicious" — always plural: the cream pours in drops.
• мороженое

  morozhenoe

  ice cream

  Rebyonok khochet morozhenoye — "the child wants ice cream" — the neuter word of the frozen sweet.
• шоколад

  shokolad

  chocolate

  Ya yem shokolad vecherom — "I eat chocolate in the evening" — the Aztec word by its French road.
• печенье

  pechene

  cookies, biscuits

  Pechene i moloko — eto vkusno — "cookies and milk are delicious" — neuter, from pech, the oven.
• говядина

  govyadina

  beef

  V supye govyadina — "there is beef in the soup" — the location form of sup.
• баранина

  baranina

  mutton, lamb

  Baranina ochen vkusnaya — "the mutton is very tasty" — baran, the ram, inside.
• креветки

  krevetki

  shrimp (plural)

  Segodnya v magazine krevetki — "there are shrimp at the shop today" — the plural of krevetka.
• виноград

  vinograd

  grapes

  Ya lyublyu vinograd, a ne yabloki — "I love grapes, not apples" — a collective, like the bunch it grows in.
• огурец

  ogurets

  cucumber

  V salate ogurets — "there is cucumber in the salad" — ogur- is the Greek for "unripe": once eaten green.
• капуста

  kapusta

  cabbage

  Ya ne lyublyu kapustu — "I do not love cabbage" — the head of every vegetable garden.
• чеснок

  chesnok

  garlic

  V supye chesnok i sol — "there is garlic and salt in the soup".
• тыква

  tykva

  pumpkin

  Ya khochu sup iz tykvy — "I want pumpkin soup" — iz plus the of-form of the vegetable.
• баклажан

  baklazhan

  eggplant, aubergine

  V salate baklazhan i ogurets — "there is eggplant and cucumber in the salad" — the Turkish word for the Persian apple.
• лимон

  limon

  lemon

  V chaye limon — "there is lemon in the tea" — the Asian word by its Arabic road.
• арбуз

  arbuz

  watermelon

  Arbuz ya lyublyu, a mama net — "I love watermelon; mom does not" — the melon of the summer.
• клубника

  klubnika

  strawberry

  Rebyonok ochen lyubit klubniku — "the child loves strawberries" — klub, the ball, it rolls like.
• груша

  grusha

  pear

  Utrom ya yem grushu — "in the morning I eat a pear" — grusha also serves the bell of the door.
• персик

  persik

  peach

  Ya khochu persik, a ne yabloko — "I want a peach, not an apple" — Persia traveled inside the name.
• рецепт

  retsept

  recipe

  U mamy yest retsept supa — "mom has a soup recipe" — the same retsept as the doctor's prescription.
• почистить овощи

  pochistit ovoshchi

  to peel the vegetables

  Ya pochistil ovoshchi — "I peeled the vegetables" — po- plus chistit: cleaned them up.
• кипятить

  kipyatit

  to boil (water)

  Ya kipyachu vodu — the clean form is kipyachu
• перемешать

  peremeshat

  to stir, to mix

  Ya peremeshal sup — "I stirred the soup" — pere- moves it through.
• посолить

  posolit

  to add salt

  Mama posolila sup — "mom salted the soup" — sol, the salt, in verb form.
• разогреть

  razogret

  to reheat, to warm up

  Ya razogrela moloko — "I warmed the milk up" — raz- spreads the heat through.
• остудить

  ostudit

  to cool down (something)

  Ostudi chay — rebyonok khochet pit — "cool the tea; the child wants a drink" — the result verb of cooling.
• взбить яйца

  vzbit yaytsa

  to beat the eggs

  Ya vzbita yaytsa — "I beat the eggs" — a woman says ya vzbita; a man, ya vzbit.
• добавить воды

  dobavit vody

  to add water

  Dobav vody v sup — "add some water to the soup" — the of-form for the unmeasured amount.
• жарить на гриле

  zharit na grile

  to grill

  My zharim myaso na grile — "we grill the meat on the grill" — na plus the location form.
• срок годности

  srok godnosti

  expiration date

  U moloka srok godnosti — pyat dney — "the milk's shelf life is five days" — pyat, five, kept.
• испортился

  isportilsya

  it went bad, spoiled

  Moloko isportilos — "the milk went bad" — the result verb of spoiling.
• банка

  banka

  jar

  Banka vody zdes — "there is a jar of water here" — the glass jar; the bank is bank, not banka.
• добавка

  dobavka

  second helping

  Rebyonok khochet dobavku — "the child wants seconds" — the addition to the plate.
• на вынос

  na vynos

  to go, takeaway

  Kofe na vynos, pozhaluysta — "coffee to go, please" — na plus the whom-what form of the carrying-out.
• без сахара

  bez sakhara

  no sugar, sugar-free

  Ya puyu chay bez sakhara — the clean form is ya pyu — "I drink my tea without sugar".
• я вегетарианец

  ya vegetarianets

  I am a vegetarian

  Ya vegetarianets — myaso ya ne yem — "I am a vegetarian; I do not eat meat" — the two-sentence form of the diet.
• приятного аппетита

  priyatnogo appetita

  bon appétit, enjoy your meal

  Priyatnogo appetita! — "enjoy your meal!" — the of-form of the wish, said before every meal.
• жирная еда

  zhirnaya eda

  fatty food

  Zhirnaya eda tyazhela dlya pecheni — "fatty food is hard on the liver" — food full of fat, from zhir; and a zhirnyy font, bold face, is simply thicker and darker than the rest.
• конфета

  konfeta

  candy (small)

  Na tarelke lezhat konfety k chayu — "there are candies on the plate for tea" — sweets in wrappers, given in boxes and handed to children; Greek for a prepared medicine, which sugared fruit once was.
• национальное блюдо

  natsionalnoe blyudo

  national dish

  Kakoe zdes natsionalnoe blyudo? — "what is the local national dish?" — the food a people is known by; natsiya is the people: the dish is the people's own, not the restaurant's.
• уличная еда

  ulichnaya eda

  street food

  Na ploshchadi prodavali ulichnuyu edu — "street food was sold on the square" — food on the go from a stall: patties, hot corn; ulichnaya from ulitsa, the street: the table stands right on the pavement.
• свинина

  svinina

  pork

  From svinya, "a pig". Sup so svininoy — "soup with pork"; the meat takes the with-form after s.
• курица

  kuritsa

  chicken

  The live bird and the dish on the table share one word. Kuritsa i kartofel na uzhin — "chicken and potatoes for dinner".
• утка

  utka

  duck

  The bird, and then the roast. Utka v dukhovke — "the duck is in the oven".
• фарш

  farsh

  minced meat

  From German farsch, "stuffing". V farsh luk i sol — "into the mince go onion and salt".
• ветчина

  vetchina

  ham

  Feminine. Khleb s vetchinoy na zavtrak — "bread with ham for breakfast".
• сосиска

  sosiska

  sausage (frankfurter)

  The small boiled sausage of every kiosk. Goryachiye sosiski na skovorode — "hot sausages in the pan".
• тунец

  tunets

  tuna

  The fish of every salad bar. Salat s tuntsom — the noun takes the with-form after s.
• лосось

  losos

  salmon

  Losos — dorogaya ryba: "salmon is an expensive fish". English "salmon" is a cousin of the same word.
• креветка

  krevetka

  shrimp

  Small in size, plural by habit on menus: salat s krevetkami.
• морепродукты

  moreprodukty

  seafood

  Literally "sea products" — more ("sea") plus produkty — glued into one word.
• слива

  sliva

  plum

  Spelaya sliva — "a ripe plum". The dried one, prunos, is a different word.
• малина

  malina

  raspberry

  Malina s sakharom — "raspberries with sugar". Also the old word for a hideout of outlaws, "raspberry" heaven.
• дыня

  dynya

  melon

  Bolshaya dynya na stole — "a big melon on the table". The stress stays on the first syllable in every form.
• гранат

  granat

  pomegranate

  Also the garnet stone and the hand grenade — one Latin word for all three, granatus, "seeded".
• ананас

  ananas

  pineapple

  The international word with the stress on the last syllable: ana-NAS.
• мандарин

  mandarin

  tangerine

  Named after the mandarins who wore its orange. Zimoy my yedim mandariny — "in winter we eat tangerines".
• киви

  kivi

  kiwi

  The bird, the fruit and the New Zealander in one word — borrowed straight, no declension: zelenyy kivi.
• авокадо

  avokado

  avocado

  The international word, unchanging in every case: avokado v salate.
• изюм

  izyum

  raisins

  The Turkish road again: izyum is literally "grapes" dried. Izyum i orekhi v pakiye.
• инжир

  inzhir

  fig

  The fig by its Turkish name. Inzhir spelyi i dostatochno nyezhnyi na osyaz — "ripe and soft to the touch".
• перец

  perets

  pepper (vegetable)

  One word for the bell pepper and black pepper alike; the dish names which. Krasnyy perets v salate.
• кабачок

  kabachok

  zucchini

  A diminutive of kabak, "a gourd" — the little cousin on the pan: kabachki na skovorode.
• свёкла

  svyokla

  beetroot

  The yo here is pronounced and written: SVYOK-la. Iz svyokly krasnyy salat — the of-form after iz.
• редис

  redis

  radish

  The small red root of every spring salad. Redis i luk v salate.
• зелень

  zelen

  fresh herbs

  A collective word with no plural row: dill, parsley and green onion all fold into zelen.
• укроп

  ukrop

  dill

  The herb every soup gets. Ukrop i luk dlya supa — "dill and onion for the soup".
• петрушка

  petrushka

  parsley

  The herb — and, spelled the same, the puppet Pulcinella of street shows: two words wearing one spelling.
• имбирь

  imbir

  ginger

  Ends in a soft sign, so it is masculine. Imbir dlya chaya — "ginger for the tea".
• кукуруза

  kukuruza

  corn

  The stress holds on the middle: kuku-RU-za. Kukuruza dlya salata.
• шпинат

  shpinat

  spinach

  Zelenyy shpinat dlya supa — "green spinach for the soup".
• булка

  bulka

  bun

  From Polish, via the German for "little ball". Svezhaya bulka k zavtraku.
• пирог

  pirog

  pie

  The baked pie with a filling inside; pirozhok is its small handheld cousin, and pirozhnoye a pastry with no kinship at all.
• пирожное

  pirozhnoe

  pastry

  Looks like pirog, but it is a sweet cream pastry — the cake of café counters. Pirozhnoye i kofe.
• пончик

  ponchik

  doughnut

  The fried doughnut dusted with sugar. Ponchik s sakharom k kofe.
• выпечка

  vypechka

  baked goods

  From vypekat, "to bake out": everything the oven produced, in one collective word.
• джем

  dzhem

  jam

  The English word borrowed whole. Dzhem i maslo na khleb — "jam and butter on bread".
• сироп

  sirop

  syrup

  The international word with the stress on the end: si-ROP. Sirop dlya tarta.
• попкорн

  popkorn

  popcorn

  The American word borrowed without translation; it does not decline.
• чипсы

  chipsy

  chips

  Crisps, not fries — the thin salted kind. Solyonyye chipsy na tarelike.
• жвачка

  zhvachka

  chewing gum

  From zhvat, "to chew": the chewing thing. Zhvachka posle obeda.
• лимонад

  limonad

  lemonade

  Once any fruit soda, now any sweet fizzy drink. Kholodnyy limonad v butylke.
• минеральная вода

  mineralnaya voda

  mineral water

  The full name of the water with minerals in it; on a menu, voda alone usually means this.
• газированная вода

  gazirovannaya voda

  sparkling water

  Gazirovannaya — "gassed up", the fizzy one. Its opposite is bez gaza, "without gas".
• коктейль

  kokteyl

  cocktail

  The international word, stress on the end: kok-TEYL. Kokteyl v vysokom stakane.
• какао

  kakao

  cocoa

  The drink and the powder, unchanging in every case. Goryacheye kakao s molokom.
• растворимый кофе

  rastvorimyy kofe

  instant coffee

  Rastvorimyy — "dissolvable": the jar of powder every office keeps. Utrom ya pyu rastvorimyy kofe.
• чайный пакетик

  chaynyy paketik

  tea bag

  A diminutive of paket, "a bag": the little one that goes into the cup. Chaynyy paketik v chashke.
• кипяток

  kipyatok

  boiling water

  From kipit, "to boil over": water at the boil, ready for tea. Kruzhka kipyatka.
• алкоголь

  alkogol

  alcohol

  The international word; for a single drink the everyday word is napitok poslabnee. Alkogol nelzya za rul.
• напиток

  napitok

  drink, beverage

  From pit, "to drink": anything drinkable. Kakoy napitok ty khochesh?
• сок

  sok

  juice

  Short and hard: sok. Utrom ya pyu sok, a vecherom chay.

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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.

• Один кофе и одну воду, пожалуйста

  Odin kofe i odnu vodu, pozhaluysta

  One coffee and one still water, please
• Чай или кофе?

  Chay ili kofe?

  Tea or coffee?
• Я хочу воду без газа

  Ya khochu vodu bez gaza

  I want still water
• Хлеб, сыр и молоко, пожалуйста

  Khleb, syr i moloko, pozhaluysta

  Bread, cheese and milk, please
• Молоко и хлеб — мой завтрак

  Moloko i khleb — moy zavtrak

  Milk and bread are my breakfast
• Утром я пью кофе

  Utrom ya pyu kofe

  In the morning I drink coffee

What is worth knowing about these words

кофе (kofe) — coffee. Masculine against all expectations: odin kofe, "one coffee". The word is not declined in the ordinary sense, and the stress stays put.

чай (chay) — tea. The word traveled out of China by two roads: the northern one gave tea, the southern one chay. Chai is the same journey.

вода (voda) — water. Feminine: odna voda. Its forms live a life of their own — khochu vodu, net vody — and the course table keeps them.

хлеб (khleb) — bread. A native word with no relatives in English. The voiced b at the end goes voiceless, so you hear "khlep".

Test yourself

Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.

How to learn the set instead of just reading it

A menu, a market, a shop sign, the question “what is this?”. Food is the most frequent subject of the first weeks and the safest excuse to start talking.

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 times
  Adesope, 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 times
  Mawson & 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.

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