99 Russian
Survival
Phrases

The first в is silent. Use it with everyone you haven't met.

Friends and people your age only. Never to a police officer.

The safest greeting of all — works from 11:00 to dark.

Informal, same rule as привет.

One word, two jobs. Nobody pronounces all those letters.

Your opener for stopping a stranger.

Put your own name at the end — it doesn't change the rest.

Not small talk here. Ask it and you'll get an honest answer.

Swap in Англии (Britain), Канады, Австралии.

Start every difficult interaction with this.

Gets you warmth and slower speech. Worth learning first.

что is said “shto”, not “chto”.

Numbers and addresses — always ask for them in writing.

Point at a map or an address and say it. Где also starts anything else: Где касса? Где метро?

This is on foot. For transport ask как доехать (kak da-YÉ-khat). Swap вокзалу for any place you're heading.

The two words you'll hear back most often.

Swap билет for это and you can price anything, anywhere. Note: стоит means “costs”, стоит means “is standing” — identical spelling, stress alone tells them apart, and robot voices get it wrong constantly.

Put your own stop at the end. Two tickets: два билета (dva bi-LYÉ-ta).

Look for the red М — it's on the street, not underground.

Say it to a taxi or marshrutka driver.

Swap чай for кофе (coffee), суп, воду (water) — or just point at the menu.

Swap двоих for одного (one), троих (three), четверых (four).

Expect follow-up questions about whether fish counts.

Swap in молоко (milk), яйца (eggs), рыбу (fish), орехи (nuts), глютен (gluten). Look yours up before you fly — this one isn't optional.

Add без газа (bez GÁ-za) for still.

ё is always the stressed vowel, in every word.

Say this to whoever cooked. It lands every time.

Bills don't arrive on their own. You have to ask.

Said to strangers eating near you. Normal and expected.

In many Russian shops you pick at the counter and pay at a separate till. Asking this saves a lot of standing in the wrong queue.

Ends the shop assistant's attention politely.

Works for anything: У вас есть хлеб? У вас есть размер побольше?

Bags cost extra and are never automatic.

Номер means hotel room — and also number. Context sorts it.

Swap the last word for душ (shower), свет (light), лифт (lift).

Almost every hotel will hold luggage after checkout. Ask at reception and you get your last day back.

Emergency number from any phone: 112.

Literally “to me — bad”. Strangers will act on it.

Swap in живот (stomach), зуб (tooth), горло (throat), спина (back).

Green cross, open late, pharmacists give real advice.

Swap in кошелёк (wallet), телефон (phone).

Women say потеряла (pa-ti-RYÁ-la).

The г in сегодня is said as в. Always has been.

Also means “in a minute” — sometimes a long one.

Closes: закрывается (za-kry-VÁ-yit-sa).

The most useful word in the language. Point, say it, done.

The answer to можно when the answer is no. Don't argue.

Your reply when someone apologises to you.

Agreement, encouragement, and “deal” all at once.