How to ask for anything in Russian without sounding blunt: the four-rung politeness ladder, the particle бы that makes the conditional, the complete ты/вы switch, извините against простите, and the four frames that report a problem and get it fixed.
Say these aloud before you start. They come from earlier lessons.
Russian has no verb form for "could". There is no auxiliary to reach for and no subjunctive to memorise, so politeness is built out of four separate levers instead — the вы register, the particle бы, the negative question, and пожалуйста in the right place. You can pull one of them or all four at once, and the rung you choose tells the listener exactly how big the favour is and how well you know them.
From most direct to softest, the four rungs are these. (1) An imperative plus пожалуйста: «Скажите, пожалуйста, где аптека.» This is not rude — it is the ordinary way to ask a stranger for something small and quick, and the пожалуйста is doing all the softening. (2) «Можно» plus an infinitive: «Можно войти?» You are asking permission rather than requesting an action, which is why this is the default in shops, offices and doorways, anywhere you might be intruding. (3) «Я хотел бы» or «Я хотела бы»: you state a wish instead of giving an order, and the verb agrees with you, the speaker, not with the listener. This is the rung for cafés, ticket desks and anything formal. (4) «Не могли бы вы» plus an infinitive: a negative question about the other person's ability, in the conditional. It is the softest thing Russian has, and it is what you use for a real favour.
One warning about пожалуйста, because English speakers put it in the wrong place every time. In Russian it goes after the verb or at the very end of the request — «Помогите мне, пожалуйста» — and it never opens the sentence the way English "Please," does. «Пожалуйста, помогите мне» is perfectly understandable and sounds translated. On its own, of course, пожалуйста means "you're welcome" or "here you are", which you have known since Lesson 1.
бы is a single syllable and it does the whole job of English "would". It attaches to a PAST tense form and never to a present one, and that is the only rule you really need: я хотел бы, я купил бы, не могли бы вы. There is no such thing as «я хочу бы», and no amount of wanting will get бы next to a present-tense verb. The past form here has lost its pastness — хотел бы is not "wanted" but "would like" — which is the same trick the conditional plays in English.
Its position is fixed, and this is where learners go wrong constantly. бы is a clitic: an unstressed word with no stress of its own, so it has to lean on the word in front of it. It sits immediately after the finite verb and can never open a clause. In «Я хотел бы кофе», «Не могли бы вы помочь?» and «Вы не могли бы сказать ещё раз?» it is glued to хотел and могли every time. Notice what you ARE free to move: the pronoun. «Не могли бы вы…» and «Вы не могли бы…» mean the same thing, the first a shade more formal. What you cannot do is pull бы away from the verb.
Two more facts and you have the whole particle. Only one бы per clause — Russian never doubles it. And the conditional is really half of a bigger construction whose other half is "if": to say "if I had time, I would help" you need a Russian word for "if", and that word arrives with the whole connector kit in Lesson 20, which is where the full counterfactual sentence is built. Until then, use бы only inside the two formulas you have just met — the wish, «я хотел бы», and the request, «не могли бы вы». Between them they cover very nearly everything a visitor has to ask for. One honest label: the conditional with бы sits a step past the A1 minimum, and Lessons 17 to 24 are where this course goes past it. It is worth the climb early, because these two formulas are the difference between sounding like a phrasebook and sounding like a person making a request.
Lesson 3 introduced вы as the polite singular and Lesson 16 drilled the -те imperative. This lesson closes the topic, because politeness is where the two registers actually meet — and the point worth making is that the switch is never one word. It runs through the whole sentence: the pronoun, the verb ending, the imperative, the possessive, the apology and the request. Change one of them and you have to change all of them.
The first matrix below is the whole system on one page. Read it across rather than down: «Скажи мне твой номер» and «Скажите мне ваш номер» are the same sentence in two registers, and so are «Прости, я не знал» and «Простите, я не знал». Mixing them — «Скажите, где твой дом?» — is the most revealing foreigner mistake there is, far more than a wrong case ending, because it happens in the first five words of the conversation and it is impossible to hear as anything but a mistake.
Two rules of use. вы is the default with any adult you do not know well, with anyone noticeably older than you, and with anyone providing you a service — shop assistants, drivers, doctors, officials. ты is for friends, family, children, students of the same age, and anyone who has offered it. That offer, «Давайте на ты», always comes from the older or more senior of the two; making it upwards is a social blunder. And вы carries one more job that has nothing to do with politeness: it is also the ordinary plural "you". So «вы хотите кофе» can be one person addressed formally or four people addressed casually, and only the situation tells you which.
Four words do almost all of the work, and all four are imperatives. Извини and извините come from the perfective verb извинить; прости and простите come from the perfective простить. The -те is the вы ending you built in Lesson 16, so извините is polite and plural at the same time. The fact that Russians apologise in the imperative — literally "excuse me!" — is worth noticing once and then not thinking about again.
The two verbs are not interchangeable, and the difference is one of weight. Извините is light and social: you brush past someone on the metro, you interrupt, you catch a stranger's attention in the street — «Извините, где метро?» is "excuse me" rather than "I'm sorry". Простите is heavier and personal: you have actually done something to this person and you are asking them to forgive you. One step above it again is «Прошу прощения», literally "I ask forgiveness", formal and a little old-fashioned, and exactly right when you have made a real mistake in front of someone you do not know. Add пожалуйста to any of them and the apology gets warmer rather than more urgent.
The grammar is easy and worth getting right. Both verbs take «за» plus the accusative for the thing you are sorry about: «Извините за ошибку», «Простите за звонок». Russian then needs no "that"-clause to give the reason — a comma and a plain statement is the natural shape, «Простите, я не понял», and the «…, что …» construction is Lesson 20. The imperfective partners exist too. Извинять is rare, because apologising is a single completed act, but прощать is common: you will hear «Я тебя прощаю», and «Прощайте!» survives as a farewell that implies you may not meet again.
When something goes wrong, Russian reaches for four frames, and between them they cover very nearly everything. «Это не работает» — it does not work; работать is Lesson 2 and the negative is the ordinary не in front of the verb. «У меня проблема с…» — I have a problem with something, where с is the preposition from Lesson 10 and it demands the instrumental ending: с телефоном, с компьютером, с картой. «Я потерял…» or «Я потеряла…» — I have lost something, accusative. And «Мне нужна помощь» — I need help.
Of the four, «У меня не работает телефон» is the most idiomatic, and it is worth seeing why it is built the way it is. The у меня frame from Lesson 4 means "at my place, in my possession"; the thing that has broken stays in the nominative because it is the grammatical subject; and не работает is simply said about it. The sentence means, very literally, "at my place the phone is not working". You can say «Мой телефон не работает» and be perfectly grammatical, but you will sound like a textbook. Say «У меня не работает телефон» and you sound Russian.
«Мне нужна помощь» needs one new form. Нужна is the short form of нужный, and short adjectives agree with the thing that is needed, never with the person who needs it: нужен (masculine), нужна (feminine), нужно (neuter), нужны (plural). The person goes in the dative — мне, нам, вам — and the thing stays in the nominative: «Мне нужен врач», «Мне нужна вода», «Нам нужно время». Lesson 20 takes short adjectives much further; this one set is enough to ask for anything. On the telephone a whole call is three moves: say who you are («Здравствуйте, это Марина»), give the frame, and close («Спасибо за помощь»). In writing it is the same three, and the polite acknowledgement that a message has arrived is «Я получил ваше письмо».
| Form | ты — one person you know well | вы — one stranger, or any number of people |
|---|---|---|
| местоимение — the pronoun | ты | вы |
| настоящее время — the present tense | ты хо́чешь · ты мо́жешь · ты зна́ешь | вы хоти́те · вы мо́жете · вы зна́ете |
| повелительное — the imperative | скажи́ · помоги́ · дай · извини́ | скажи́те · помоги́те · да́йте · извини́те |
| притяжательное — the possessive | твой но́мер · твоя́ кни́га · твоё письмо́ | ваш но́мер · ва́ша кни́га · ва́ше письмо́ |
| просьба с бы — a request with бы | не мог бы ты … · не могла́ бы ты … | не могли́ бы вы … |
| желание — a wish | я хоте́л бы · я хоте́ла бы | я хоте́л бы · я хоте́ла бы |
| несколько человек — more than one person | — ты is never plural in modern Russian | вы — always, whoever they are and however well you know them |
Read the matrix across, not down. Скажи мне твой номер and Скажите мне ваш номер are one sentence in two registers, and so are Извини, я не знал and Извините, я не знал. The switch is never a single word: pronoun, verb ending, imperative, possessive and request all move together, and mixing them is the fastest way to be heard as a foreigner, because it happens in the first five words of the conversation. Two rows are traps. The wish row does not change at all — я хотел бы is the same whoever you are talking to, because the past tense agrees with the speaker, and a woman says я хотела бы. And the last row is not about politeness: вы is also the ordinary plural "you", so вы хотите кофе can be one person addressed formally or four people addressed casually, and only the situation says which.
| Form | 1 · повели́тельное + пожа́луйста | 2 · мо́жно + инфинити́в | 3 · я хоте́л бы + … | 4 · не могли́ бы вы + инфинити́в |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| пример — an example | Скажи́те, пожа́луйста, где апте́ка. | Мо́жно войти́? | Я хоте́ла бы ча́шку ко́фе. | Не могли́ бы вы мне помо́чь? |
| что вы на самом деле просите — what you are really asking for | an action, directly, softened only by пожа́луйста | permission — may this happen at all? | you state a wish and leave the decision open | about the other person's ability, in the conditional, in the negative |
| кому и когда — who and when | everyday and small: directions, a shop counter, a quick favour | shops, offices, doorways, anywhere you might be intruding | cafés, ticket desks, travel, anything formal; it agrees with the speaker, never with the listener | a genuine favour from a person — a stranger, a colleague, someone senior |
| меняется ли с ты / вы? — does the register change it? | скажи́ · скажи́те | neither — мо́жно is impersonal, so there is no person in it to change | neither — хоте́л бы agrees with the speaker, not with the listener | не мог бы ты · не могли́ бы вы |
Climb only as high as the favour needs. Rung 1 with пожалуйста is perfectly polite for a small thing and is what Russians say most of the time; rung 4 is for a real favour, and using it to ask for a coffee would sound like a proposal of marriage. Rung 2 asks permission rather than action, which is why it is the one you use before you walk through a door. Rung 3 is the one English speakers reach for too early: it is formal, and in a café it can sound stiff, but at a desk, on the telephone, or with a surname it is exactly right. Only rungs 1 and 4 change between ты and вы; rungs 2 and 3 have no person in them to change. The rungs stack, and stacking is normal: «Извините, пожалуйста, не могли бы вы…» uses three of them at once and is not over-polite, only Russian.
| Form | форму́ла — the frame | паде́ж — what it governs | приме́р — an example |
|---|---|---|---|
| frame 1 — it is broken | Э́то не рабо́тает. | nothing — the broken thing is the subject, so nominative | Компью́тер не рабо́тает. |
| frame 2 — I have a problem with … | У меня́ пробле́ма с … | с + instrumental | У меня́ пробле́ма с компью́тером. |
| frame 2, the idiomatic version | У меня́ не рабо́тает … | nominative — and the thing is still the subject, not the object | У меня́ не рабо́тает телефо́н. |
| frame 3 — I have lost … | Я потеря́л · потеря́ла … | accusative | Я потеря́л кошелёк. |
| frame 4 — I need … | Мне ну́жен · нужна́ · ну́жно · ну́жны … | nominative — the short adjective agrees with the thing needed, and the person is dative | Мне нужна́ по́мощь. |
| the apology | Извини́те за … · Прости́те за … | за + accusative | Извини́те за оши́бку. |
| the thanks | Спаси́бо за … | за + accusative | Спаси́бо за по́мощь. |
Four of the seven rows are accusative, and they all answer the same question — за что? — because за in this sense means "for" and governs the accusative, exactly as it does for motion into a place in Lesson 6. The two nominative rows are the ones English speakers get wrong. In «У меня не работает телефон» the phone is the subject, not the object, so it stays in the nominative even though it is yours; the sentence means, literally, "at my place the phone is not working", and it is far more idiomatic than «Мой телефон не работает», which is grammatical but sounds translated. In «Мне нужна помощь» the help is the subject and the person who needs it goes in the dative. The instrumental after «проблема с» is the с of Lesson 10 — с кем? с чем? — and it is why the ending changes: с телефоном, с компьютером, с картой.
Learn each word with its stress mark and its pronunciation. Nouns are given with their gender, animacy and their full six-case declension; verbs are given with their aspect and, where one exists, their partner verb.
| Russian | English | Gender / aspect | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| бы particle | would (the conditional particle) | particle | /bɨ/ BIH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: бы |
| извини́те interjection | sorry; excuse me (polite or plural) | interjection | /ɪzvʲɪˈnʲitʲə/ ih-zvih-NEE-tyuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: извините |
| прости́те interjection | forgive me; I'm sorry (heavier) | interjection | /prɐˈsʲtʲitʲə/ pruh-STEE-tyuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: простите |
| извини́ть perfective | to excuse, to pardon (perfective) | perfective Aspect partner: извиня́ть | /ɪzvʲɪˈnʲitʲ/ ih-zvih-NEET | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: извинить |
| извиня́ть imperfective | to excuse (imperfective) | imperfective Aspect partner: извини́ть | /ɪzvʲɪˈnʲatʲ/ ih-zvih-NYAT | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: извинять |
| прости́ть perfective | to forgive (perfective) | perfective Aspect partner: проща́ть | /prɐˈsʲtʲitʲ/ pruh-STEET | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: простить |
| проща́ть imperfective | to forgive (imperfective) | imperfective Aspect partner: прости́ть | /prɐˈɕːatʲ/ pruh-SHCHAT | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: прощать |
| бу́дьте добры́ phrase | would you be so kind (formal) | phrase | /ˈbudʲtʲə dɐˈbrɨ/ BOO-tyuh duh-BRIH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: будьте добры |
| бу́дьте любе́зны phrase | would you be so kind (formal) | phrase | /ˈbudʲtʲə lʲʉˈbʲeznɨ/ BOO-tyuh lyoo-BYEH-znih | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: будьте любезны |
| алло́ interjection | hello (on the telephone) | interjection | /ɐˈlo/ uh-LOH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: алло |
| проще́ние neuter · inanimate | forgiveness, pardon | neuter · inanimate | /prɐˈɕːenʲɪjə/ pruh-SHCHEH-nih-yuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: прощение |
| поло́мка feminine · inanimate | breakdown, (mechanical) fault | feminine · inanimate | /pɐˈlomkə/ puh-LOHM-kuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: поломка |
| жа́лоба feminine · inanimate | complaint | feminine · inanimate | /ˈʐaləbə/ ZHAH-luh-buh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: жалоба |
| звоно́к masculine · inanimate | call (on the phone); ring, bell | masculine · inanimate | /zvɐˈnok/ zvuh-NOHK | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: звонок |
| сообще́ние neuter · inanimate | message | neuter · inanimate | /səɐˈpɕːenʲɪjə/ suh-up-SHCHEH-nih-yuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: сообщение |
| помо́чь perfective | to help (perfective) | perfective Aspect partner: помога́ть | /pɐˈmotɕ/ puh-MOHCH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: помочь |
| ну́жный adjective | necessary; needed | adjective | /ˈnuʐnɨj/ NOOZH-niy | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: нужный |
| мо́жно adverb | may, it is allowed — можно? = may I? | adverb | /ˈmoʐnə/ MOHZH-nuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: можно |
| нельзя́ adverb | must not, it is forbidden, it is impossible | adverb | /nʲɪlʲˈzʲa/ nil-ZYAH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: нельзя |
| пожа́луйста particle | please; you are welcome | particle | /pɐˈʐalujstə/ puh-ZHAH-luy-stuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: пожалуйста |
| хоте́ть imperfective | to want | imperfective | /xɐˈtʲetʲ/ khuh-TYET | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: хотеть |
| мочь imperfective | can, to be able to | imperfective | /motɕ/ MOHCH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: мочь |
| быть imperfective | to be | imperfective | /bɨtʲ/ BIHT | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: быть |
| пробле́ма feminine · inanimate | problem | feminine · inanimate | /prɐˈblʲemə/ pruh-BLYEH-muh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: проблема |
| оши́бка feminine · inanimate | mistake, error | feminine · inanimate | /ɐˈʂɨpkə/ uh-SHIHP-kuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: ошибка |
| телефо́н masculine · inanimate | telephone, phone | masculine · inanimate | /tʲɪlʲɪˈfon/ tih-lih-FOHN | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: телефон |
| письмо́ neuter · inanimate | letter (written message) | neuter · inanimate | /pʲɪˈsʲmo/ pih-SMOH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: письмо |
| звони́ть imperfective | to ring, to phone (someone — dative) | imperfective | /zvɐˈnʲitʲ/ zvuh-NEET | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: звонить |
| помога́ть imperfective | to help (someone — dative) | imperfective | /pəmɐˈɡatʲ/ puh-muh-GYAT | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: помогать |
| сказа́ть perfective | to say, to tell | perfective | /skɐˈzatʲ/ skuh-ZYAT | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: сказать |
| получи́ть perfective | to receive, to get | perfective | /pəlʊˈtɕitʲ/ puh-loo-CHIHT | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: получить |
| но́мер masculine · inanimate | room (in a hotel); number | masculine · inanimate | /ˈnomʲɪr/ NOH-mihr | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: номер |
| по́мощь feminine · inanimate | help, assistance; aid | feminine · inanimate | /ˈpoməɕː/ POH-mushch | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: помощь |
| потеря́ть perfective | to lose (perfective); to have lost | perfective | /pətʲɪˈrʲatʲ/ puh-tih-RYAT | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: потерять |
Each case is listed with the question word that selects it. Find the question you are answering and the ending follows.
| Form | проще́ние (n) | поло́мка (f) | жа́лоба (f) | звоно́к (m) | сообще́ние (n) | пробле́ма (f) | оши́бка (f) | телефо́н (m) | письмо́ (n) | но́мер (m) | по́мощь (f) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom · Кто? Что? | проще́ние | поло́мка | жа́лоба | звоно́к | сообще́ние | пробле́ма | оши́бка | телефо́н | письмо́ | но́мер | по́мощь |
| gen · Кого? Чего? | проще́ния | поло́мки | жа́лобы | звонка́ | сообще́ния | пробле́мы | оши́бки | телефо́на | письма́ | но́мера | по́мощи |
| dat · Кому? Чему? | проще́нию | поло́мке | жа́лобе | звонку́ | сообще́нию | пробле́ме | оши́бке | телефо́ну | письму́ | но́меру | по́мощи |
| acc · Кого? Что? | проще́ние | поло́мку | жа́лобу | звоно́к | сообще́ние | пробле́му | оши́бку | телефо́н | письмо́ | но́мер | по́мощь |
| instr · Кем? Чем? | проще́нием | поло́мкой | жа́лобой | звонко́м | сообще́нием | пробле́мой | оши́бкой | телефо́ном | письмо́м | но́мером | по́мощью |
| prep · О ком? О чём? | проще́нии | поло́мке | жа́лобе | звонке́ | сообще́нии | пробле́ме | оши́бке | телефо́не | письме́ | но́мере | по́мощи |
| Form | проще́ние (n) | поло́мка (f) | жа́лоба (f) | звоно́к (m) | сообще́ние (n) | пробле́ма (f) | оши́бка (f) | телефо́н (m) | письмо́ (n) | но́мер (m) | по́мощь (f) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom · Кто? Что? | — | поло́мки | жа́лобы | звонки́ | сообще́ния | пробле́мы | оши́бки | телефо́ны | пи́сьма | номера́ | по́мощи |
| gen · Кого? Чего? | — | поло́мок | жа́лоб | звонко́в | сообще́ний | пробле́м | оши́бок | телефо́нов | пи́сем | номеро́в | по́мощей |
| dat · Кому? Чему? | — | поло́мкам | жа́лобам | звонка́м | сообще́ниям | пробле́мам | оши́бкам | телефо́нам | пи́сьмам | номера́м | по́мощам |
| acc · Кого? Что? | — | поло́мки | жа́лобы | звонки́ | сообще́ния | пробле́мы | оши́бки | телефо́ны | пи́сьма | номера́ | по́мощи |
| instr · Кем? Чем? | — | поло́мками | жа́лобами | звонка́ми | сообще́ниями | пробле́мами | оши́бками | телефо́нами | пи́сьмами | номера́ми | по́мощами |
| prep · О ком? О чём? | — | поло́мках | жа́лобах | звонка́х | сообще́ниях | пробле́мах | оши́бках | телефо́нах | пи́сьмах | номера́х | по́мощах |
Извини́те, пожа́луйста.
I'm so sorry. / Excuse me, please.
IPA /ɪzvʲɪˈnʲitʲə pɐˈʐalujstə/
Say it ih-zvih-NEE-tyuh, puh-ZHAH-luy-stuh.
The standard "I'm so sorry", and also the standard way to stop a stranger in the street before you ask anything of them. The пожалуйста here does not mean "please" — it warms the apology. To one person you know well, the same sentence is «Извини, пожалуйста».
Не могли́ бы вы мне помо́чь?
Could you help me?
IPA /nʲɪ mɐˈɡlʲi bɨ vɨ mnʲe pɐˈmotɕ/
Say it NYEH muh-GLEE BIH VIH muh-NYEH puh-MOHCH?
The softest rung of the ladder: a negative question about the other person's ability, in the conditional. помочь governs the DATIVE, so "me" is мне and never меня. бы stays glued to могли; what you may move is the pronoun — «Вы не могли бы мне помочь?» means exactly the same thing.
Вы не могли́ бы сказа́ть ещё раз?
Could you say that once more?
IPA /vɨ nʲɪ mɐˈɡlʲi bɨ skɐˈzatʲ ɪˈʂːo ras/
Say it VIH NYEH muh-GLEE BIH skuh-ZYAT yih-SHCHOH RAHS?
The same rung with the pronoun in front, which is the order you will hear most often and is a shade less formal. ещё carries ё, and ё is always stressed, so it never takes an extra mark. сказать is the perfective partner of говорить (Lesson 13) and is the right one here: you want the sentence said again once, not talked at continuously.
Я хоте́л бы ча́шку ко́фе, пожа́луйста.
I'd like a cup of coffee, please.
IPA /ja xɐˈtʲel bɨ ˈtɕaʂkʊ ˈkofʲe pɐˈʐalujstə/
Say it YAH khuh-TYEL BIH CHAH-shkoo KOH-fyuh, puh-ZHAH-luy-stuh.
Rung three, said by a man. A woman says «Я хотела бы»; the past tense agrees with the speaker, not with the person being asked, which is why this rung does not change between ты and вы. чашку is the accusative of чашка (Lesson 10) and кофе is indeclinable, so it stays кофе in every case (Lesson 1).
Я хоте́ла бы купи́ть телефо́н.
I'd like to buy a phone.
IPA /ja xɐˈtʲelə bɨ kʊˈpʲitʲ tʲɪlʲɪˈfon/
Say it YAH khuh-TYEH-luh BIH koo-PEET tih-lih-FOHN.
The same rung said by a woman, and followed by an infinitive rather than a noun: «я хотела бы» takes either. купить is perfective (Lesson 13), which is what a purchase is — one completed act. The imperfective покупать would be about shopping as a habit.
Мо́жно войти́?
May I come in?
IPA /ˈmoʐnə vɐjˈtʲi/
Say it MOHZH-nuh vuy-TEE?
Rung two: an impersonal construction with no subject and no person to conjugate, asking whether something is permitted at all. The perfective войти (Lesson 15) asks about this one act of coming in; the imperfective входить would ask whether entering is allowed here as a rule. «Можно я войду?» is equally good Russian and a little more personal.
Мо́жно мне посмотре́ть?
May I have a look?
IPA /ˈmoʐnə mnʲe pəsmɐˈtrʲetʲ/
Say it MOHZH-nuh muh-NYEH puh-smuh-TRYET?
The same rung with the person who wants it added in the dative: можно мне. посмотреть is the perfective partner of смотреть (Lesson 13), and it is what you ask for in a shop when you want to handle the thing before you decide.
Мо́жно ваш но́мер телефо́на?
May I have your phone number?
IPA /ˈmoʐnə vaʂ ˈnomʲɪr tʲɪlʲɪˈfonə/
Say it MOHZH-nuh VAHSH NOH-mihr tih-lih-FOH-nuh?
A noun phrase with no verb in it at all, which Russian does happily once можно has set up the permission frame. номер takes the genitive of the thing it is the number OF — номер телефона — exactly like «чашка кофе». The possessive is ваш rather than твой, because можно is being used with someone you address as вы.
Бу́дьте добры́, скажи́те, где апте́ка.
Would you be so kind as to tell me where the pharmacy is.
IPA /ˈbudʲtʲə dɐˈbrɨ skɐˈʐɨtʲə ɡdʲe ɐˈptʲekə/
Say it BOO-tyuh duh-BRIH, skuh-ZHIH-tyuh, guh-DYEH up-TYEH-kuh.
The formal opener plus an ordinary imperative: «будьте добры» is not itself the request, it is the cushion in front of it, and what follows is the same скажите you have been using since Lesson 5. The indirect question keeps statement word order — «где аптека», never *«где есть аптека», because the present-tense copula is zero.
Бу́дьте любе́зны, помоги́те мне.
Would you be so kind as to help me.
IPA /ˈbudʲtʲə lʲʉˈbʲeznə pəmɐˈɡʲitʲe mnʲe/
Say it BOO-tyuh lyoo-BYEH-znih, puh-muh-GEE-tyuh muh-NYEH.
The interchangeable partner of «будьте добры», a touch more official. Notice what follows: an ordinary imperative, помогите, not an infinitive — these openers change the temperature of a request, never its grammar. помогать and помочь both govern the dative, so "me" is мне.
Прости́те, я не по́нял.
I'm sorry, I didn't understand.
IPA /prɐˈsʲtʲitʲə ja nʲe ˈponʲɪl/
Say it pruh-STEE-tyuh, YAH NYEH POH-nyul.
простите is the heavier of the two apologies, and here it is doing the work a British speaker does with "sorry" before admitting they have not followed. понять is perfective (Lesson 13) and its past is mobile: понял, but поняла, поняло, поняли. A woman says «я не поняла».
Прости́, я не зна́ла.
Sorry, I didn't know.
IPA /prɐˈsʲtʲi ja nʲe ˈznalə/
Say it pruh-STEE, YAH NYEH ZNAH-luh.
The ты form, and a woman speaking: the Russian past marks gender and number, not person, so знала rather than знал. Between friends this is the whole apology. Простите here would put back the distance the two of you have already agreed to drop.
Извини́те за оши́бку.
Sorry about the mistake.
IPA /ɪzvʲɪˈnʲitʲə zɐ ɐˈʂɨpkʊ/
Say it ih-zvih-NEE-tyuh zuh uh-SHIHP-koo.
The apology plus «за» with the accusative is how Russian names what it is sorry for. за in this sense means "for" and takes the accusative — the same preposition and case as «спасибо за помощь». The б of ошибка devoices to [п] before the к.
Извини́те за звоно́к.
Sorry to ring you.
IPA /ɪzvʲɪˈnʲitʲə zə zvɐˈnok/
Say it ih-zvih-NEE-tyuh zuh zvuh-NOHK.
How you open a call the other person was not expecting, or one you are making outside working hours. Literally "forgive me for the call". звонок loses its о in every other form, but here it keeps it: the accusative of an inanimate masculine noun equals the nominative.
Прошу́ проще́ния.
I beg your pardon.
IPA /prɐˈʂu prɐˈɕːenʲɪjə/
Say it pruh-SHOO pruh-SHCHEH-nih-yuh.
The most formal apology Russian has, literally "I ask forgiveness", and the right one when извините would be too light — you have trodden on somebody's foot, interrupted a meeting, got a name badly wrong. прошу takes the GENITIVE here, not the accusative: прощения.
Телефо́н не рабо́тает.
The phone isn't working.
IPA /tʲɪlʲɪˈfon nʲe rɐˈbotəɪt/
Say it tih-lih-FOHN NYEH ruh-BOH-tuh-yit.
Frame one, and the shortest useful sentence in this lesson. не goes straight in front of the verb and nothing else moves. The broken thing is the subject, so it is in the nominative: компьютер не работает, лифт не работает. Swap in any noun you know and the frame still works.
У меня́ пробле́ма с компью́тером.
I have a problem with the computer.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈna prɐˈblʲemə s kəmˈpʲjutʲɪrəm/
Say it oo mih-NYAH pruh-BLYEH-muh s kum-PYOO-tih-rum.
Frame two: the у меня possession frame from Lesson 4, then проблема, then «с» with the instrumental — the с of Lesson 10, с кем? с чем? That is why the ending is -ом: с компьютером, с телефоном, с картой. Get this case right and the whole sentence sounds native; get it wrong and correct grammar everywhere else will not save it.
У меня́ не рабо́тает телефо́н.
My phone isn't working.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈna nʲe rɐˈbotəɪt tʲɪlʲɪˈfon/
Say it oo mih-NYAH NYEH ruh-BOH-tuh-yit tih-lih-FOHN.
The most idiomatic of the four frames, and worth learning whole. телефон is in the NOMINATIVE because it is the grammatical subject: the sentence means "at my place the phone is not working". «Мой телефон не работает» is grammatical but sounds translated.
Я потеря́л кошелёк.
I've lost my wallet.
IPA /jə pətʲɪˈrʲal kəʂɨˈlʲok/
Say it YAH puh-tih-RYAHL kuh-shih-LYOHK.
Frame three, and the verb governs the accusative. кошелёк is inanimate, so the accusative equals the nominative and nothing changes. A woman says «я потеряла». The о of кошелёк is fleeting — it disappears in every other form, where the stress takes its place: кошелька, кошельку (Lesson 11).
Мне нужна́ по́мощь.
I need help.
IPA /mnʲe nʊʐˈna ˈpoməɕː/
Say it muh-NYEH noozh-NAH POH-mushch.
Frame four. The person who needs goes in the dative (мне) and the thing needed is the subject in the nominative (помощь), so the short adjective agrees with the THING: нужна, feminine. A man asking for a doctor says «мне нужен врач»; for time, «мне нужно время»; for money, «нам нужны деньги». Only the feminine short form moves its stress onto the ending.
Спаси́бо за по́мощь.
Thank you for the help.
IPA /spɐˈsʲibə zə ˈpoməɕː/
Say it spuh-SEE-buh zuh POH-mushch.
«За» with the accusative does duty for English "for" after thanks as well as after an apology: спасибо за письмо, спасибо за звонок, спасибо за помощь. The case is the same in both, and it is the one English speakers most often replace with the genitive, which is wrong here.
Я получи́л ва́ше письмо́.
I got your letter.
IPA /ja pəlʊˈtɕil ˈvaʂə pʲɪsˈmo/
Say it YAH puh-loo-CHIHL VAH-shih pih-SMOH.
The opening line of a written reply, and the polite way to acknowledge that a message has arrived. получить is perfective (Lesson 13): the letter is in your hands, so the result is what matters. ваше, not твоё, unless you are writing to a friend. Note the mobile stress of письмо — письмо here, but письма in the plural (Lesson 6).
Спаси́бо за сообще́ние.
Thank you for the message.
IPA /spɐˈsʲibə zə səɐˈpɕːenʲɪjə/
Say it spuh-SEE-buh zuh suh-up-SHCHEH-nih-yuh.
The closing line of the same exchange. сообщение is any message — a text, a post, a notification — and it is a neuter noun in -ие, which keeps its -и- in the oblique cases: сообщения, сообщению, о сообщении. The accusative here equals the nominative, so the word does not change.
Алло́! Здра́вствуйте, э́то Мари́на.
Hello! This is Marina.
IPA /ɐˈlo ˈzdrastvʲɪtʲə ˈɛtə mɐˈrʲinə/
Say it uh-LOH! ZDRAH-stvuy-tyuh, EH-tuh muh-REE-nuh.
How a caller opens a telephone conversation in Russian. алло is for the person making the call, or for an informal answer; a shop or an office picking up a work phone says «Слушаю» or «Слушаю вас» instead. You identify yourself with «это» plus the nominative, not with «я» — «это Марина» is the fixed formula for "this is Marina".
Marina rings the service desk about her phone. She has never spoken to Viktor before, so both of them use вы from start to finish — and the call runs in three moves: identify yourself, give the frame, close.
Алло! Здравствуйте, это Марина.
Hello! This is Marina.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Алло! Здравствуйте, это Марина.Здравствуйте, Марина. Я вас слушаю.
Hello, Marina. I'm listening.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Здравствуйте, Марина. Я вас слушаю.У меня проблема с телефоном. Он не работает.
I have a problem with the phone. It doesn't work.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: У меня проблема с телефоном. Он не работает.Извините. Скажите, пожалуйста, ваш номер.
I am sorry. Tell me your number, please.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Извините. Скажите, пожалуйста, ваш номер.Мой номер пять-два-три.
My number is five-two-three.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Мой номер пять-два-три.Спасибо. Я вижу проблему. Это не поломка, это ошибка в номере.
Thank you. I can see the problem. It isn't a breakdown, it's a mistake in the number.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Спасибо. Я вижу проблему. Это не поломка, это ошибка в номере.Очень хорошо. Спасибо за помощь!
Very good. Thank you for the help!
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Очень хорошо. Спасибо за помощь!Пожалуйста. Я вам напишу сегодня.
You're welcome. I'll write to you today.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Пожалуйста. Я вам напишу сегодня.Спасибо! До свидания.
Thank you! Goodbye.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Спасибо! До свидания.Thomas has a problem with his computer. He and Nina work in the same office but are not friends, so they use вы — and watch how the request climbs the politeness ladder as it goes.
Нина, извините, пожалуйста.
Nina, excuse me please.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Нина, извините, пожалуйста.Да, я вас слушаю.
Yes, I'm listening.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Да, я вас слушаю.Будьте добры, помогите мне. У меня не работает компьютер.
Would you be so kind as to help me. My computer is not working.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Будьте добры, помогите мне. У меня не работает компьютер.Давайте посмотрим.
Let's have a look.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Давайте посмотрим.Вот, смотрите.
Here, look.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Вот, смотрите.Я вижу проблему. Это не поломка, это ошибка.
I can see the problem. It isn't a breakdown, it's a mistake.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я вижу проблему. Это не поломка, это ошибка.Простите, я не понял. Вы не могли бы сказать ещё раз?
Sorry, I don't follow. Could you say that once more?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Простите, я не понял. Вы не могли бы сказать ещё раз?Вот ваш компьютер. Смотрите, он работает.
Here's your computer. Look, it's working.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Вот ваш компьютер. Смотрите, он работает.Спасибо за помощь!
Thank you for the help!
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Спасибо за помощь!Anya and Marco have worked in the same office for a month and still say вы to each other. Anya is the senior of the two, so the offer to switch is hers to make and not his.
Марко, извините, можно спросить?
Marco, excuse me, may I ask?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Марко, извините, можно спросить?Да, спрашивайте.
Yes, go ahead.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Да, спрашивайте.Вы работаете со мной уже месяц. Давайте на ты?
You've been working with me for a month now. Shall we switch to ты?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Вы работаете со мной уже месяц. Давайте на ты?Спасибо, давайте.
Thank you, let's.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Спасибо, давайте.Очень хорошо. Прости, Марко, я не знала твой номер телефона.
Very good. Sorry, Marco, I didn't know your phone number.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Очень хорошо. Прости, Марко, я не знала твой номер телефона.Ничего. Вот мой номер.
It's nothing. Here's my number.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Ничего. Вот мой номер.Спасибо. А это твой компьютер?
Thanks. And is this your computer?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Спасибо. А это твой компьютер?Нет, не мой. Мой там.
No, not mine. Mine is over there.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Нет, не мой. Мой там.Спасибо ещё раз!
Thanks again!
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Спасибо ещё раз!Answer actively — try to recall the Russian before you look at any hint.
Choose the correct form.
Fill the gap with the conditional particle.
Translate into Russian.
Choose the correctly stressed form.
Choose the correctly stressed form.
Give the informal imperative.
Give the "они" form of the perfective future.
Answer true or false.
Choose the correct form of телефон.
Choose the ending.
Choose the correct form of я.
Put the words in order.
Translate into Russian.
Translate into Russian.
Choose the correct sentence.
Answer true or false.
Fill the gap: "Would you be so kind, say that once more."
Rewrite using «не могли бы вы».
Change the register.
Give the four past-tense forms, separated by commas.
Choose the right aspect.
Pair the words.
Play the audio and type what you hear.
Play the audio and pick the match.
Recall the English meaning, then rate how well you knew it.
Recall the English meaning, then rate how well you knew it.
Translate into English.
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose the correct form of карта.
Choose the ending.
Translate into Russian.
Change the register, keeping the conditional.
Say each request aloud three times: slowly, at normal speed, then from memory. Then take one request of your own and climb the whole ladder with it — first as a bare imperative with пожалуйста, then with можно, then with «я хотел бы», then with «не могли бы вы» — and notice what each rung changes about what you are asking for. Change хотел to хотела if that is you, and say every one of them twice more: once to a friend with ты, once to a stranger with вы. If you can switch register without stopping to think, the lesson has done its job.
Before you move on, make sure you can do all of this without looking:
Go deeper: Register: ты and вы in every form · The imperative: -й, -и, -те, and будьте добры · мочь, хотеть and the impersonal можно · можно, нельзя, мне нужно and мне нужна помощь · Verb government: за + accusative, с + instrumental · Aspect in a request: помочь or помогать
