Transport in Russian
16 words in Russian on the topic “transport”: автобус — bus, ехать — to go (by vehicle), вокзал — train station, поезд — train.
16 words on the topic
- автобусavtobusbusThe international word, from Latin omnibus, "for all". Stress on the last syllable: avto-BUS.
- ехатьekhatto go (by vehicle)Riding: yedu na avtobuse, yedu v Moskvu. Its present also comes from a different root: yedu, yedesh, yedet.
- вокзалvokzaltrain stationThe word came from London: the Vauxhall pavilion outside Petersburg became the name for every station. English never found out — it says station.
- поездpoezdtrainFrom poyezdka and ekhat: the thing that rides. "Train" came from a different root, "to pull".
- таксиtaksitaxiFrom the French taximetre, with Latin taxa, "a fee". It does not decline: vyzval taksi, sel v taksi — and it is neuter.
- метроmetrometroShort for metropoliten, also French. It does not decline — na metro, bez metro — and the stress never moves.
- остановкаostanovkabus stopAvtobus stoit na ostanovke — "the bus stops at the stop" — the noun of stopping.
- пассажирpassazhirpassengerPassazhir pokazal bilet — "the passenger showed the ticket" — the international word with the stress on the end.
- сиденьеsideneseatNeuter, like most -e words. Moye sideniye u dveri — "my seat is by the door".
- порученьporuchenhandrailDerzhis za poruchen — "hold on to the handrail" — za plus the whom-what form of what you hold.
- контролёрkontrolyorticket inspectorKontrolyor proveryayet bilety — "the inspector checks the tickets" — the word carries its own stress: kontrol-YOR.
- плата за проездplata za proezdfareLiterally "the payment for the ride": plata za proyezd — dvadtsat rubley.
- переполненныйperepolnennyyovercrowded, packedAvtobus byl perepolnennyy — "the bus was packed" — pere- means "over".
- свободное местоsvobodnoe mestofree seatEto svobodnoye mesto? — "is this seat free?" — the question of every crowded car.
- билетный автоматbiletnyy avtomatticket machineBiletnyy avtomat prinimayet karty — "the ticket machine takes cards" — avtomat is any self-service machine.
- задержкаzaderzhkadelayU avtobusa zaderzhka desyat minut — "the bus is ten minutes late" — d in the middle is soft-spoken.
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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.
- Автобус ходит каждые десять минутAvtobus khodit kazhdye desyat minutThe bus runs every ten minutes
- Мы едем в город на автобусеMy edem v gorod na avtobuseWe are going to the city by bus
- Где ближайший вокзал?Gde blizhayshiy vokzal?Where is the nearest train station?
- Это мой поездEto moy poezdThis is my train
- Такси здесь, а автобус тамTaksi zdes, a avtobus tamThe taxi is here, and the bus is there
- Метро тоже там, у вокзалаMetro tozhe tam, u vokzalaThe metro is there too, by the station
What is worth knowing about these words
автобус (avtobus) — bus. The international word, from Latin omnibus, "for all". Stress on the last syllable: avto-BUS.
ехать (ekhat) — to go (by vehicle). Riding: yedu na avtobuse, yedu v Moskvu. Its present also comes from a different root: yedu, yedesh, yedet.
вокзал (vokzal) — train station. The word came from London: the Vauxhall pavilion outside Petersburg became the name for every station. English never found out — it says station.
поезд (poezd) — train. From poyezdka and ekhat: the thing that rides. "Train" came from a different root, "to pull".
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “bus” in Russian?
The international word, from Latin omnibus, "for all". Stress on the last syllable: avto-BUS.
- How do you say “passenger” in Russian?
Passazhir pokazal bilet — "the passenger showed the ticket" — the international word with the stress on the end.
- How do you say “ticket machine” in Russian?
Biletnyy avtomat prinimayet karty — "the ticket machine takes cards" — avtomat is any self-service machine.
- How do you say “metro” in Russian?
Short for metropoliten, also French. It does not decline — na metro, bez metro — and the stress never moves.
- How do you say “overcrowded, packed” in Russian?
Avtobus byl perepolnennyy — "the bus was packed" — pere- means "over".
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
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 “bus” in Russian?
«автобус», read “avtobus”. The international word, from Latin omnibus, "for all". Stress on the last syllable: avto-BUS. It is one of 16 words in the set “transport” — the rest are in the table above.
How many transport words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 16 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.