The city and its places in Russian
79 words in Russian on the topic “the city and its places”: город — city, улица — street, аптека — pharmacy, толпа — crowd.
79 words on the topic
- городgorodcityOne root with gorodit, "to fence in": a fenced place — kin to "garden" and its Latin grandparent. The course table keeps v gorode and goroda.
- улицаulitsastreetSaid with na, not v: na ulitse — "on the street". In an address the street name goes first: ulitsa Tverskaya, 5.
- аптекаaptekapharmacyA cousin of "apothecary": Greek for "a storeroom". The green cross on the sign is the same as in the rest of Europe.
- толпаtolpacrowdA collective with a mind of its own: tolpa — eto mnogo chelovek.
- светофорsvetofortraffic lightLiterally "light-bearer": smotri, svetofor krasnyy — "look: the light is red".
- велосипедvelosipedbicycleLiterally "fast legs": ya yedu na velosipede — "I am riding a bike"; na plus the location form of the ride.
- остановка автобусаostanovka avtobusabus stopOstanovka avtobusa — zdes — "the bus stop is here"; the of-form names the bus.
- проездной билетproezdnoy bilettransit passU menya yest proyezdnoy bilet — "I have a transit pass" — the pass that rides with you all month.
- маршрутmarshrutrouteMarshrut avtobusa — nomer pyat — "the bus route is number five" — pyat, five, kept.
- пешеходный переходpeshekhodnyy perekhodcrosswalkLiterally "the pedestrian crossing": peshekhodnyy perekhod — pryamo.
- пробка на дорогеprobka na dorogetraffic jamProbka! Ya yedu na metro — "a jam! I am taking the metro" — probka is literally a cork.
- парковкаparkovkaparking lotParkovka zdes, za magazinom — "the parking lot is here, behind the shop".
- заправкаzapravkagas stationZapravka za gorodom — "the gas station is outside town" — from zapravit, the filling-up verb.
- паркparkparkPark ryadom s domom — "the park is next to the house" — the international word.
- библиотекаbibliotekalibraryBiblioteka ryadom s domom — "the library is next to the house" — the house of books.
- музейmuzeymuseumMuzey ryadom s parkom — "the museum is next to the park" — the final e is spoken.
- театрteatrtheaterVecherom my idyom v teatr — "in the evening we go to the theater" — v plus the whom-what form of the destination.
- кинотеатрkinoteatrcinemaKinoteatr tam, za teatrom — "the cinema is there, behind the theater" — kino glued to theater.
- церковьtserkovchurchTserkov na ulitse, ryadom s parkom — "the church is on the street, near the park".
- стадионstadionstadiumStadion bolshoy i novyy — "the stadium is big and new" — the international word.
- перекрёстокperekryostokcrossroads, intersectionOkolo perekryostka apteka — "there is a pharmacy by the intersection" — the crossing of the streets.
- тротуарtrotuarsidewalk, pavementPo trotuaru idut deti — "children walk on the sidewalk" — po plus the to-form of the walking.
- проспектprospektavenue, boulevardNasha kvartira na prospekte — "our apartment is on the avenue" — the wide street of the big city.
- переулокpereulokside street, laneMagazin v malenkom pereulke — "the shop is in a small lane" — the little cross-street.
- набережнаяnaberezhnayaembankment, waterfrontVecherom my gulyayem po naberezhnoy — "in the evening we walk along the embankment" — the built-up bank.
- мостmostbridgeCherez reku idyot most — "a bridge crosses the river" — cherez plus the whom-what form of the span.
- тоннельtonneltunnelPoyezd idyot cherez tonnel — "the train goes through the tunnel" — cherez again, for the under.
- фонарьfonarstreet lamp, lanternVecherom pod fonaryom svetlo — "in the evening it is light under the lamp" — the pool of light.
- скамейкаskameykabenchNa skameyke v parke dedushka s gazetoy — "on a park bench grandpa sits with his newspaper".
- урнаurnalitter binBumagu nuzhno brosat v urnu — "paper goes in the bin" — nuzhno, the impersonal must.
- водитель автобусаvoditel avtobusabus driverVoditel zhdyot na ostanovke — "the driver waits at the stop" — the man of the wheel.
- конечная остановкаkonechnaya ostanovkalast stop, terminusEto moya ostanovka ili konechnaya? — "is this my stop or the last one?" — the end of the line.
- номерnomerroute numberKakoy nomer u avtobusa v aeroport? — "what number is the airport bus?" — the number at the front.
- час пикchas pikrush hourV chas pik avtobus dolgo stoit — "at rush hour the bus stands a long time" — the hour of the peak.
- расписание автобусовraspisanie avtobusovbus scheduleNa ostanovke yest raspisaniye — "there is a schedule at the stop" — the timetable of the buses.
- оплатить проездoplatit proezdto pay the fareOplatit proyezd mozhno kartoy — "you can pay the fare by card" — the ride paid for.
- занять местоzanyat mestoto take a seatYa zanyal mesto u okna — "I took the seat by the window" — the seat claimed.
- вызвать таксиvyzvat taksito call a taxiVecherom my vyzvali taksi — "in the evening we called a taxi" — the calling-out of the cab.
- выйти на следующейvyyti na sleduyushcheyto get off at the next stopYa vyydu na sleduyushchey ostanovke — "I will get off at the next stop" — the everyday phrase of the bus.
- районrayondistrict, neighborhoodV nashem rayone yest park — "our district has a park" — the district of the address.
- центр городаtsentr gorodacity centerKvartira v tsentre goroda dorogaya — "an apartment in the city center is expensive" — the center of it all.
- окраинаokrainaoutskirtsNa okraine doma deshevle — "on the outskirts the houses are cheaper" — the edge of the city.
- стройкаstroykaconstruction siteVozle stroyki gryazno ves den — "by the construction site it is muddy all day" — the building of the new.
- ремонт дорогиremont dorogiroad worksRemont dorogi idyot vsyo leto — "the road works run all summer" — the eternal repair.
- указательukazatelsignpost, pointerNa doroge ukazatel k ozeru — "on the road there is a signpost to the lake" — the pointing sign.
- общественный туалетobshchestvennyy tualetpublic toiletObshchestvennyy tualet yest na vokzale — "there is a public toilet at the station" — the shared necessity.
- чистыйchistyycleanV reke chistaya voda — "the water in the river is clean" — the adjective of the swimming hole.
- грязныйgryaznyydirtyPosle dozhdaya botinki gryaznyye — "after the rain the shoes are dirty" — the twin of chistyy.
- многолюдноmnogolyudnocrowded, busyV voskresenye na rynke mnogolyudno — "on Sunday the market is crowded" — many-people in one word.
- деревняderevnyavillage, countrysideLetom my zhivyom v derevne — "in summer we live in the village" — the countryside of the dacha.
- столицаstolitsacapital cityStolitsa vstrechaet gostey paradom — "the capital greets guests with a parade" — the main city of the country, from stol, the throne the power sat on; English capital is from the head.
- общественный транспортobshchestvennyy transportpublic transportObshchestvennyy transport khodit do vechera — "public transport runs until evening" — what everyone rides together: bus, tram, metro; obshchestvennyy, belonging to society, the shared thing.
- детский садdetskiy sadkindergartenDetskiy sad otkryvaetsya v sem — "the kindergarten opens at seven" — a garden because children must grow there like plants; English kindergarten is the same German image.
- детская площадкаdetskaya ploshchadkaplaygroundDetskaya ploshchadka za domom shumit do vechera — "the playground behind the house is noisy until evening" — slides, swings and sand; a small square, ploshchadka, for the small people.
- фонтанfontanfountainFontan byot pryamo iz kamnya — "the fountain jets straight out of the stone" — water that dances upward, from Italian for spring; children love fountains more than museums.
- кладбищеkladbishchecemeteryKladbishche za derevney, u reki — "the cemetery is outside the village, by the river" — the place of last rest, Greek for sleeping room; English cemetery is the same Greek.
- пожарная машинаpozharnaya mashinafire truckPozharnaya mashina proekhala s sirenoy — "the fire truck drove by with its siren" — the red truck with the ladder; pozharnaya, for the fire, and everyone yields the road to it.
- кварталkvartalcity blockFrom chetverty, "fourth": the block of four sides. Also "a quarter of a year" — one word, two city lives.
- скверskversmall parkThe little green square, from English "square" by way of a garden. Deti igrayut v skvere.
- башняbashnyatowerBashnya staraya, kak sam gorod — "the tower is as old as the city itself".
- пригородprigorodsuburbPri- plus gorod: "by the city". My zhivyom v prigorode, no rabotayem v gorode.
- посёлокposyoloksettlement, villageFrom posadit, "to settle": the place people settled. Posyolok ryadom s gorodom.
- прохожийprokhozhiypasser-byFrom prokhodit, "to pass by": the one walking past. Prokhozhiy pokazal mne dorogu.
- пешеходpeshekhodpedestrianA walking-goer: peshkom plus khodit. Ya ne voditel, ya pesekhod.
- вывескаvyveskasign, signboardWhat hangs out over the shop door. Vyveska magazina novaya.
- урнаurnalitter binOn the street it is the litter bin; the voting box shares the word. Ne musori, musor — v urnu.
- уличный фонарьulichnyy fonarstreet lampUlichnyy — "of the street"; fonar is the lamp itself, and fonarshchik the lamplighter of old.
- газонgazonlawnThe French word for the strip of grass. U doma zelenyy gazon.
- клумбаklumbaflower bedThe round bed of flowers by an entrance. U vkhoda kruglaya klumba.
- крыльцоkryltsoporch, front stepsDiminutive of krylo, "a wing": the little wing of the house. Deti igrayut na kryltse.
- ступенькаstupenkastep (of stairs)A diminutive of stupen. Stupenka kryltsa slomalas — "a porch step broke".
- номер домаnomer domahouse numberNomer is the international word; doma is the of-form of dom. Kakoy u vas nomer doma?
- название улицыnazvanie ulitsystreet nameFrom nazvat, "to name": nazvanie is the name a thing carries. Ya ne pomnyu nazvaniya ulitsy.
- столбstolbpost, poleVelosiped stoit u stolba — "the bicycle stands by the post"; the of-form after u.
- старый городstaryy gorodold townThe historic center every city keeps. Turisty gulyayut v starom gorode — the adjective agrees with gorod.
- жилой домzhiloy domresidential buildingZhiloj — "for living in", from zhit. Nash zhiloj dom novyy.
- тишинаtishinasilence, quietThe noun of tihiy, "quiet". Nochyu v dome tishina — "at night the house is quiet", no verb needed.
- зданиеzdaniebuildingNeuter, stress on the end: zda-NI-ye. Shkola v starom zdanii — the location form swallows the ending.
- залzalhallKontsert v bolshom zale — "a concert in the big hall"; the location form of zal.
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.
- В городе метро, автобус и таксиV gorode metro, avtobus i taksiThe city has a metro, buses and taxis
- На какой улице ты живёшь?Na kakoy ulitse ty zhivyosh?Which street do you live on?
- Где ближайшая аптека?Gde blizhayshaya apteka?Where is the nearest pharmacy?
- Толпа — это много человекTolpa — eto mnogo chelovekA crowd is a lot of people
- Смотри: светофор красный.Smotri: svetofor krasnyy.Look: the traffic light is red
- Я еду на велосипеде.Ya edu na velosipede.I am riding a bike
What is worth knowing about these words
город (gorod) — city. One root with gorodit, "to fence in": a fenced place — kin to "garden" and its Latin grandparent. The course table keeps v gorode and goroda.
улица (ulitsa) — street. Said with na, not v: na ulitse — "on the street". In an address the street name goes first: ulitsa Tverskaya, 5.
аптека (apteka) — pharmacy. A cousin of "apothecary": Greek for "a storeroom". The green cross on the sign is the same as in the rest of Europe.
толпа (tolpa) — crowd. A collective with a mind of its own: tolpa — eto mnogo chelovek.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “city” in Russian?
One root with gorodit, "to fence in": a fenced place — kin to "garden" and its Latin grandparent. The course table keeps v gorode and goroda.
- How do you say “transit pass” in Russian?
U menya yest proyezdnoy bilet — "I have a transit pass" — the pass that rides with you all month.
- How do you say “library” in Russian?
Biblioteka ryadom s domom — "the library is next to the house" — the house of books.
- How do you say “sidewalk, pavement” in Russian?
Po trotuaru idut deti — "children walk on the sidewalk" — po plus the to-form of the walking.
- How do you say “bench” in Russian?
Na skameyke v parke dedushka s gazetoy — "on a park bench grandpa sits with his newspaper".
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Street, square, pharmacy, bank. An address is built out of these, and an address is something you have to both say and understand.
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 “city” in Russian?
«город», read “gorod”. One root with gorodit, "to fence in": a fenced place — kin to "garden" and its Latin grandparent. The course table keeps v gorode and goroda. It is one of 79 words in the set “the city and its places” — the rest are in the table above.
How many street and place words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 79 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.