Emergencies — Russian Phrasebook

Помоги́те!

Help!

IPA /pəmɐˈɡʲitʲə/

Say it puh-muh-GEE-tyuh!

The вы imperative, which is also the form you shout at a crowd. Помогите! alone is a complete, standard call for help.

emergency emergency politeness

Помоги́те мне, пожа́луйста.

Help me, please.

IPA /pəmɐˈɡʲitʲə ˈmnʲe pɐˈʐalʊjstə/

Say it puh-muh-GEE-tyuh muh-NYEH, puh-ZHAH-luy-stuh.

помогать and помочь take the dative: помогите мне, помоги мне.

emergency emergency politeness

Мне нужна́ по́мощь.

I need help.

IPA /ˈmnʲe nʊʐˈna ˈpoməɕː/

Say it muh-NYEH noozh-NAH POH-mushch.

нужна is the feminine short form, agreeing with помощь. The word order is fixed in practice: Мне нужна помощь.

emergency emergency

Вы́зовите поли́цию!

Call the police!

IPA /ˈvɨzəvʲɪtʲə pɐˈlʲitsɨjʊ/

Say it VIH-zuh-vih-tyuh puh-LEE-tsih-yoo!

полиция is feminine and takes the accusative here: вызовите полицию, вызовите скорую.

emergency emergency

Вы́зовите скору́ю!

Call an ambulance!

IPA /ˈvɨzəvʲɪtʲə skɐˈrujʊ/

Say it VIH-zuh-vih-tyuh skuh-ROO-yoo!

The full term is скорая помощь, "fast help"; everyone shortens it to скорая and the adjective keeps the feminine ending.

emergency emergency

Пожа́р!

Fire!

IPA /pɐˈʐar/

Say it puh-ZHAHR!

Shouted as a bare noun. The fire service is пожарная охрана or, in speech, пожарные.

emergency emergency

Осторо́жно!

Careful!

IPA /əstɐˈroʐnə/

Say it uh-stuh-ROHZH-nuh!

Also the word printed on tram and metro doors. It is an adverb used as an exclamation, so it never changes form.

emergency emergency

Я потеря́лся.

I am lost.

IPA /ˈja pətʲɪˈrʲalsʲə/

Say it YAH puh-tih-RYAHL-syuh.

A man says потерялся; a woman must say потерялась. The past tense of a reflexive verb still agrees with the subject in gender.

emergency emergency

Мой па́спорт пропа́л.

My passport has gone missing.

IPA /ˈmoj ˈpaspərt prɐˈpal/

Say it MOY PAH-spuhrt pruh-PAHL.

пропасть means to disappear of its own accord. Я потерял паспорт admits that you lost it yourself.

emergency emergency objects

У меня́ укра́ли кошелёк.

My wallet has been stolen.

IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa ʊˈkralʲɪ kəʂɨˈlʲok/

Say it oo mih-NYAH oo-KRAH-lih kuh-shih-LYOHK.

Literally "at me they stole the wallet". The doer is the indefinite third person plural and is never named.

emergency emergency beyond-course

У меня́ алле́ргия на оре́хи.

I am allergic to nuts.

IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈnʲa ɐˈlʲerʲɡʲɪjə nə ɐˈrʲexʲɪ/

Say it oo mih-NYAH uh-LYER-gih-yuh nuh uh-RYEH-khih.

Say this before ordering, not after. на + accusative names the trigger: на орехи, на молоко, на penicillin.

emergency emergency health food

Здесь ну́жен врач.

A doctor is needed here.

IPA /ˈzʲdʲesʲ ˈnuʐɨn ˈvratɕ/

Say it ZDYES NOO-zhin VRAHCH.

emergency emergency health

Ребёнок потеря́лся.

A child is lost.

IPA /rʲɪˈbʲonək pətʲɪˈrʲalsʲə/

Say it rih-BYOH-nuk puh-tih-RYAHL-syuh.

ре- is written with ё and the stress falls there; a child is masculine grammatically, so the verb is потерялся.

emergency emergency family beyond-course

Где ближа́йшее посо́льство?

Where is the nearest embassy?

IPA /ˈɡdʲe blʲɪˈʐajʂɨjə pɐˈsolʲstvə/

Say it guh-DYEH blih-ZHAY-shih-yuh puh-SOHL-stvuh?

посольство is neuter, so the adjective is ближайшее. A consulate is консульство.

emergency emergency place questions beyond-course