Below, you’ll find some examples or sentences that include pairs of verbs of motion. Read the sentences and try to understand why one or another verb is used. If you have any questions, you are welcome to post them in the comments.

Pay attention to the use of the imperfective verbs in the examples below. In a addition to the cases that we discussed in the previous lesson, you will also find out that they are often used in such situations as: invitations to do something (Imperative mood), as an instruction for many people (do or don’t do that!), and when talking about the nearest future.

Also remember, that the perfective verbs have no Present tense. So, if the sentence is in the Present tense, you can be sure you need to use an imperfective verb.

In the pairs below, the first verb is imperfective (or multidirectional) and the second one is perfective (or unidirectional).

ходи́ть – идти́ (to go)

Ты ходи́л в шко́лу в сегодня?
Did you go to school today?
(you are already back, multidirectional)

Он идёт в шко́лу.
He is going to school.
(happening now, unidirectional)

входи́ть – войти́ (to come in)

Мо́жно войти́?
Can I come in?
(one-time action, perfective)

Входи́те, пожа́луйста!
Come in, please!
(invitation, imperfective)

You can also say:

Войди́те!
Come in! (perfective)

But in this case it sounds more like a command and not like an invitation.

выходи́ть – вы́йти (to come out, to get out)

Вы́йди из ко́мнаты!
Get out of the room!
(one-time action, perfective)

Выходи́те по одному́!
Come out one by one!
(instruction to many people, imperfective)

приходи́ть – прийти́ (to come)

Он приходи́л вчера́.
He came yesterday.
(but already left, the result of the action is not valid anymore, imperfective)

Он пришёл вчера́.
He came yesterday.
(and stayed, successfully finished action, perfective)

убега́ть – убежа́ть (to run away)

Престу́пник убежа́л от поли́ции.
The criminal run away from the police.
(finished action, perfective)

Престу́пник убега́л от поли́ции.
The criminal was running away from the police.
(unfinished action, imperfective)

перебежа́ть – перебега́ть (to cross running)

Он перебежа́л доро́гу в неполо́женном ме́сте.
He crossed the road in the wrong place.
(finished action, perfective)

Он перебега́л доро́гу в неполо́женном ме́сте и чуть не попал под машину.
He was crossing the road in the wrong place and almost got hit by a car.
(he WAS crossing when something else happened, he is already in a different place, imperfective)

е́здить – е́хать (to go by vehicle)

Вчера́ мы е́здили на да́чу.
Yesterday we were going to the dacha.
(we are already back, multidirectional)

Мы е́хали на да́чу, когда́ у нас ло́пнуло колесо́.
We were going to the dacha when the tire blew out.
(one-way movement, unidirectional)

уезжа́ть – уе́хать (to leave)

Он уе́хал вчера́.
He left yesterday.
(one-time past action, perfective)

Он уезжа́ет за́втра.
He is leaving tomorrow.
(nearest future, imperfective)

You can also say:

Он уе́дет за́втра.
He will leave tomorrow.
(perfective)

Using the perfective verb уедет will make it sound like the fact that he will be gone tomorrow is more important than anything else.

приезжа́ть – прие́хать (to come / to arrive)

Когда́ ты приезжа́ешь?
When are you coming/arriving?
(nearest future, imperfective)

Когда́ ты прие́дешь?
When will you come?
(that fact of coming is more important than anything else, perfective)

отводи́ть – отвести́ (to lead, to take aside, to take somewhere)

Отведи́ ребёнка в де́тский сад.
Take the child to kindergarten.
(one-time action, perfective)

Он ка́ждый день отво́дит брата в де́тский сад.
He takes his brother to the kindergarten every day.
(repeatable action, imperfective)

проводи́ть – провести́ (to lead, to conduct)

Мы провели́ встре́чу с уча́стниками клу́ба.
We had (conducted) a meeting with the participants of the club.
(finished, perfective)

Мы регуля́рно прово́дим встре́чи с уча́стниками клу́ба.
We regularly meet (conduct meetings) with the participants of the club.
(repeatable action, imperfective)

заплыва́ть – заплы́ть (to swim far, to get by swimming)

Он заплы́л за буйки́.
He swam beyond the buoys.
(finished action, perfective)

Заплыва́ть за буйки́ нельзя́.
It’s not allowed to swim beyond the buoys.
(instruction to many people, repeatable, imperfective)

залеза́ть – зале́зть (to climb, to get into)

Куда́ ты зале́з?
Where did you get into?
(finished action, perfective)

Не залеза́й туда́!
Don’t climb there!
(don’t do it ever, action with no indication of the start and the end, imperfective)

You can also say:

Не лезь туда!
Don’t climb there!
(unidirectional)

Using a unidirectional verb лезть adds a meaning “don’t climb right now, at this exact moment”.

An this is it for this lesson. Practice the verbs and the sentences of this lesson with the audio track. Practice your Russian pronunciation by reading the sentences out loud.

You can check yourself with the test verbs of motion with prefixes.

The post 161 – Verbs of motion: practice appeared first on Learn Russian Step by Step.

About the prefixes

In the Russian language, the prefixes are used to change the meaning of the words. By adding a prefix (a few extra letters in the beginning of the word) you can change the meaning of each of the verbs we’ve learned in the previos lesson. Here is list of possible prefixes:

Prefixed verbs of motion

Now let’s have a look at how it works with the verbs идти́ / ходи́ть.

Keep in mind, that both these verbs are irregular. When we add a prefix to the verb идти́, the base with which we work changes to -йти.

Pay attention that now, when we added a prefix, we are dealing not with the unidirectional or multidirectional verbs but with perfective and imperfective verbs respectively. So when you are pondering which verb of the pair to choose, follow the logic of the verb aspects, which is:

– The Imperfective aspect describes the actions that are taking place at the moment of speaking, actions with no indication of the start and the end, and actions that haven’t finished yet or repeat.

– The Perfective aspect is used to talk about the actions that happened or were supposed to happen once, actions that have finished with success. The Perfective aspect, due to the fact that it implies a finished action, is never used in the Present tense.

More examples

нести́ / носи́ть – to carry (unprefixed)

Он несёт су́мку.
нести́ – to carry
He is carrying a bag.
(in one direction: unprefixed, unidirectional, Present tense)

Он принесёт су́мку.
принести́ – to bring
He will bring the bag.
(one-time action: prefixed, perfective, Future tense)

Он унесёт су́мку.
унести́ – to take away
He will take the bag away.
(one-time action: prefixed, perfective, Future tense)

Я всегда́ ношу́ с собо́й па́спорт.
носи́ть – to carry
I always carry my passport with me.
(repeated action: unprefixed, multidirectional, Present tense)

Мы прино́сим ему́ е́ду ка́ждый день.
приноси́ть – to bring
We bring him food every day.
(repeated action: prefixed, imperfective, Present tense)

Он выно́сит му́сор в шесть часо́в.
выноси́ть – to take out
He is taking out the garbage at six o’clock.
(repeated action: prefixed, imperfective, Present tense)

лете́ть / лета́ть – to fly (unprefixed)

Смотри́, пти́ца лети́т.
лете́ть – to fly
Look, a bird flies.
(happening right now: unprefixed, unidirectional, Present tense)

В окно́ залете́ла пти́ца.
залете́ть – to fly in
A bird flew through the window.
(happened once: prefixed, perfective, Past tense)

Он прилете́л вчера́.
прилете́ть – to arrive by flying
He arrived (by plane) yesterday.
(happened once: prefixed, perfective, Past tense)

Самолёты лета́ют высоко́.
лета́ть – to fly
Planes fly high.
(in general: unprefixed, multidirectional, Present tense)

Самолёт взлета́ет.
взлета́ть – to take off
The plane is taking off.
(happening right now: prefixed, imperfective, Present tense)

Самолёт прилета́ет ско́ро.
прилета́ть – to arrive by flying
The plane arrives soon.
(action hasn’t finished yet: prefixed, imperfective, Present tense)

The audio for this lesson includes the table with the verbs and examples.

Exercises

Fill up the gaps with the correct prefixed verb if motion (choose from offered options) in the correct form:

1. Он … от меня́. (убежа́ть / убега́ть)
He run away from me.

2. Я … тебе́ докуме́нты ве́чером. (занести́ / заноси́ть)
I’ll bring the documents to you in the evening.

3. За буйки́ … нельзя́. (заплы́ть / заплыва́ть)
Swimming beyond the buoys is not allowed.

4. … к нам в го́сти. (зайти́ / заходи́ть)
Come to visit us (when you can).

5. Зайди́ ко мне на мину́тку. (зайти́ / заходи́ть)
Come to me for a minute (right now).

6. За́втра мы … (уе́хать / уезжа́ть)
Tomorrow we are leaving.

7. Он .. вчера́. (уе́хать / уезжа́ть)
He left yesterday.

The post 160 – Prefixed verbs of motion appeared first on Learn Russian Step by Step.

There are 14 pairs of Russian verbs you need to memorize among other things. They are the verbs of motion, i.e. the verbs what imply moving from one place to another. Which verb of a pair to choose depends on what type of trip one performs: in one direction (unidirectional) or a return trip (multidirectional).

The verbs of motion are divided into two groups, unprefixed and prefixed. Prefixed verbs are based on the 14 pairs of unprefixed ones but have a different meaning based of the type of the prefix attached to them.

In this lesson we’ll be looking at the unprefixed verbs of motion to understand the general idea, and in the next lesson we’ll cover the prefixed verbs.

The list of unprefixed verbs of motion in Russian

So how to use this table?

Use unidirectional verb when you talk about:
– moving in one direction,
– a one-time action,
– an action which is taking place at the moment you are talking

Use multidirectional verb when:
– you talk about moving in more than one direction,
– you talk about the actions that repeat,
– you talk about going to some place in general,
– the number of directions doesn’t matter.

Example sentences with verbs of motion

идти́ – ходи́ть

Куда́ ты идёшь? – Я иду́ в магази́н.
Where are you going to? – I’m going to the shop. (right now)

Я обы́чно хожу́ на рабо́ту че́рез парк.
I usually go to work through the park. (repeated action)

е́хать – е́здить

По доро́ге е́дет ско́рая по́мощь.
An emergency car is going down the road. (one direction)

Гора́здо прия́тнее е́здить на маши́не, чем в метро́.
It’s much more enjoyable to go by car than on the subway. (in general)

бежа́ть – бе́гать

Он бежа́л без огля́дки.
He was running as fast as he could. (in one direction)

Я реши́ла бе́гать по утра́м.
I decided I will jog every morning. (as a habit, in general)

нести́ – носи́ть

Он нёс большу́ю су́мку.
He was carrying a big bag. (in one direction, once)

Заче́м ты всё вре́мя но́сишь таку́ю большу́ю су́мку?
Why do you carry such a big bag all the time? (repeated action)

вести́ – води́ть

Куда́ ведёт э́та доро́га?
Where does this road lead to? (it can only lead to one direction)
Он во́дит маши́ну сли́шком бы́стро, это опа́сно.
He drives too fast, it’s dangerous. (all the time)

гнать – гоня́ть

Нам на́до гнать быстре́е, а то мы не успе́ем.
We have to drive faster or we’ll be late. (right now)

Он купи́л маши́ну, что́бы про́сто гоня́ть на ней.
He bought himself a car just for running around in. (repeated action)

Practice the verbs and examples of today’s lesson with the audio file and do some exercises below.

Exercises

Fill up the gaps with the correct verb of motion in the correct form:

1. Когда́ ты … в Барсело́ну?
When is your flight to Barcelona? (When do you fly to Barcelona?)

2. … напра́во, а пото́м пря́мо.
Go to the right and then straight. (formal)

3. Они́ ча́сто … за грани́цу.
They often travel (go by the means of transport) abroad.

4. Ты уме́ешь … маши́ну?
Can you drive a car?

5. Он уста́ло … по у́лицам.
He wandered tiredly through the streets.

6. Он ме́дленно … по направле́нию к до́му.
He walked slowly toward the house.

7. Де́ти … на у́лице.
Children are running on the street.

The post 159 – Russian verbs of motion appeared first on Learn Russian Step by Step.

Handwritten Russian alphabet

In the table below you’ll see the Russian letters along with their handwritten version. If you are new to our course and don’t know the Russian alphabet yet, we recommend you to start with the lesson #001.

Of course, this is just one way the handwritten Russian letters can look like. As you can guess, everybody has his own way of handwriting. Some people, for example, tend to mix printed version of the letters with the handwritten one.

Try to memorize the handwritten letters below, after this table you’ll be doing some interesting exercises.

А а
Б б
В в
Г г
Д д
Е е
Ё ё
Ж ж
З з
И и
Й й
К к
Л л
М м
Н н
О о
П п
Р р
С с
Т т
У у
Ф ф
Х х
Ц ц
Ч ч
Ш ш
Щ щ
ъ
ы
ь
Э э
Ю ю
Я я

Practice to read Russian writing

Below are a few examples of text in Russian written by hand. Your task is to read what’s written and to understand it. You can click on the image to see a bigger size version. The answers are available under the “Check answers” button.

Example 1 (easy one)

The text below is generated by a computer so it should be easy to read:

Example 2 (more difficult)

Now you have a more difficult task, the next note is written by a real person:

Example 3 (difficult as well)

Here is another handwritten note made by a real person:

Practice writing in Russian

If you want to practice Russian writing, download the PDF for practicing here. The PDF includes the letters of hand-written Russian alphabet and a few words in Russian.

The audio file below includes all the examples of today’s lesson. If you want to listen to the Russian alphabet, please go to the lesson #005.

Let us know in the comments if you managed to decipher the Russian handwriting!

The post 158 – Russian handwriting appeared first on Learn Russian Step by Step.

The pronoun весь changes in gender and number as follows:

весь – masculine
вся – feminine
всё – neuter
все – plural

Depending on the gender and number this pronoun can be translated as “all, everyone, everything, the whole of, the entire”. Let’s look at some examples:

– Весь день шёл дождь, я вся промо́кла.
– It rained all day, I got all wet. (masculine, feminine)

– Я потра́тила на э́то всё утро.
– I’ve spent the whole morning on this. (neuter)

– Всё за́няло 5 мину́т.
– Everything took 5 minutes. (neuter)

– Все уже́ ушли́.
– Everybody already left. (plural)

As you can see, when the pronoun in any of its form is followed by a noun or/and another pronoun, it’s translated as “all, the whole”.

Все (plural) by itself is translated as “everybody, everyone”.

Всё (neuter) by itself is translated as “all, everything”.

Declension of the pronoun весь

All the examples above are in the Nominative case. Now, let’s look at the declension of the pronoun весь.

Now let’s practice the pronoun весь in different cases:

Вдоль всей доро́ги стоя́ли рекла́мные щиты́.
There were billboards along the whole road.
вдоль чего́? – вдоль всей доро́ги (Genitive, feminine)

Он рассказа́л всю пра́вду.
He told the whole truth.
рассказа́л что? – всю пра́вду (Accusative, feminine)

По всей стране́ лю́ди пра́зднуют побе́ду в чемпиона́те.
Across the whole country, people celebrate winning the championship.
где? (по чему́?) – по всей стране́ (Dative, feminine)

Мы поздра́вили всех ро́дственников с пра́здником.
We congratulated all the relatives on the holiday.
поздра́вили кого́? – всех ро́дственников (Genitive, plural)

Он досмотре́л весь фильм до конца́.
He watched the entire movie to the end.
досмотре́л что? – весь фильм (Accusative, masculine)

Она́ потра́тила все де́ньги.
She spent all the money.
потра́тила что? – все де́ньги (Accusative, plural)

Он всем дово́лен.
He is happy with everything.
дово́лен чем? – всем (Instrumental, neuter)

Мы обо́ всём договори́лись.
We agreed about everything.
договори́лись о чём? – обо всём (Prepositional, neuter)

Good to know

Russians use the pronoun всё to finish a conversation or an action. For example:

– Ну всё, мне пора́.
– That’s it, I have to go.

– Всё, пошли́ уже́!
– Come on, let’s go already!

– Всё, дава́й!
– Alright, later! (this phrase is often used to say goodbye)

– На э́том всё.
– This is it.

Exercises

Read the sentences and fill in the gaps with the correct form of весь.

1. У нас … получи́лось.
We succeeded in everything.

2. Он не сказа́л … пра́вды.
He did not say the whole truth.

3. Во … го́роде не рабо́тает отопле́ние.
The heating does not work in the whole city.

4. Он переда́л вам … приве́т.
He sent his hello to all of you.

5. Мы жда́ли его́ … неде́лю.
We were waiting for him the whole week.

6. Он был … в по́ту.
He was all sweaty.

7. Ты … по́нял?
Did you understand everything?

8. Он … жизнь прожи́л в Петербу́рге.
He lived all his life in Petersburg.

The post 157 – Adjectival pronoun ВЕСЬ appeared first on Learn Russian Step by Step.

Basic vocabulary

кино́ [kee-nó] – movie, cinema
пойти́ [paî-tée] – to go
смотре́ть [smat-ryét’] – to see, to watch
фильм [feel’m] – film, movie
кинотеа́тр [kee-na-tyátr] – cinema
сеа́нс [see-áns] – seance, session
ка́сса [kás-sa] – cash register
биле́т [bee-lyét] – ticket
ме́сто [myés-ta] – seat
зал [zal] – hall, room
ряд [ryat] – row

Invite somebody to go with you

It’s always nicer to enjoy a movie with a friend or at least somebody you can discuss it with. To invite somebody to go with you, you can use the following phrases:

Дава́й пойдём сего́дня ве́чером в кино́?
Let’s go to the movies tonight.

Не хо́чешь пойти́ за́втра в кино́?
Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow?

Пошли́ за́втра в кино́?
Let’s go to the movies tomorrow.

Как насчёт пойти́ в выходны́е в кино́?
How about to go to the movies on weekend?

All the phrases above are in informal tone. If you are inviting somebody who you usually address in formal tone (your colleague or business partner), use the polite form of questions (from now on, we’ll be using the movie “Avatar” as an example):

Дава́йте пойдём в кино́, хоти́те?
Let’s go to the movies, do you want?

Вы не хоте́ли бы пойти́ в кино́?
Would you like to the movies?

Как вы смо́трите на то, что́бы пойти́ в кино́?
What do you think about going to the movies?

Хоти́те посмотре́ть но́вый “Авата́р”?
Would you like to see new “Avatar”?

Pay attention, that the word кино́ as many other words that came to Russian from other languages (for example, метро́ and ко́фе) does not change in cases.

Accept or decline the invitation

If you are happy to accept the invitation, you can say:

Коне́чно, дава́й!
Of course, let’s go! (informal)

Дава́йте!
Let’s do it! (formal)

Да, с удово́льствием!
Yes, with pleasure! (both)

If you need to decline the invitation for some reason, you can say:

К сожале́нию, я не могу́, я за́нят.
Unfortunately, I can’t, I’m busy. (for men)

К сожале́нию, я не могу́, я занята́.
Unfortunately, I can’t, I’m busy. (for women)

Не могу́, у меня́ дела́.
I can’t, I have some things to do.

Я бы с удово́льствием, но я обеща́ла сестре́ посиде́ть с племя́нницей, пока́ её нет.
I would gladly go, but I promised my sister to babysit my niece while she is gone. (for women)

Я не могу́, дава́й в друго́й раз?
I can’t, how about another time?

Я бы с удово́льствием, но я уже́ ви́дела э́тот фильм.
I would gladly go, but I already saw this movie. (for women)

Buying tickets

Here are the phrases you can use to buy tickets:

– Нам, пожа́луйста, два биле́та на “Авата́р” на четы́рнадцать три́дцать.
– Give us please two tickets for “Avatar” at two thirty.

– Бу́дьте до́бры, оди́н взро́слый и оди́н де́тский на Авата́р.
– Please, one adult and one child ticket for Avatar.

Pay attention, that the word биле́т (ticket) is omitted in the last example as it is obviously implied. The cashier might ask you:

– Где́ вы хоти́те сиде́ть?
– Where do you want to sit?

Sometimes they show you a plan of the room where you can choose your seats. You can reply:

– В четвёртом ряду́ где-нибу́дь посереди́не.
– In the fourth row, somewhere in the middle.

– Где-нибу́дь побли́же к экра́ну.
– Somewhere closer to the screen.

– Где-нибу́дь пода́льше.
– Somewhere a little farther.

– Ряд пя́тый, места́ четы́рнадцать и пятна́дцать.
– The fifth row, seats fourteen and fifteen.

Example dialogues

Below are some example dialogues that include the vocabulary that you just learned and much more.

Dialogue 1

– Сего́дня в кинотеа́тре пока́зывают но́вый фильм Таранти́но, хо́чешь пойти́?
– Коне́чно, а во ско́лько?
– Есть сеа́нсы в три, в шесть и в де́вять часо́в ве́чера.
– В де́вять сли́шком по́здно, а в три сли́шком ра́но. Дава́й в шесть?
– Дава́й, договори́лись. Тогда́ я за тобо́й зае́ду пол шесто́го.
– Отли́чно.

– There is a new Tarantino’s film in the cinema today, do you want to go?
– Of course, what time?
– There are sessions at 3 pm, 6 pm and 9 pm.
– At 9 pm is too late and at 3 pm is too early. Let’s go at 6 pm?
– Ok, agreed. I will come to pick you up at five thirty then.
– Cool.

Dialogue 2

– Пошли́ в суббо́ту в кино́?
– Я в суббо́ту не могу́, у меня́ заня́тия по испа́нскому.
– Тогда́ в воскресе́нье.
– Оке́й. А что пока́зывают?
– Но́вый Авата́р и боеви́к со Сталлоне.
– Лу́чше Авата́р.
– Я то́же так ду́маю. Ну договори́лись тогда́.

– Let’s go to the movies on Saturday?
– I can’t go on Saturday, I have my Spanish lessons.
– Then on Sunday.
– Ok, and what’s there?
– New Avatar and an action movie with Stallone.
– Avatar is better.
– I think so too. Agreed then.

Dialogue 3

– Будьте до́бры, дайте нам 3 биле́та на Авата́р на семна́дцать со́рок пять.
– На семна́дцать со́рок пять все биле́ты про́даны, сле́дующий сеа́нс че́рез два́дцать мину́т, хоти́те?
– Да, дава́йте.
– Вы́берите ва́ши места́, пожа́луйста.
– Ряд де́сять, места́ двена́дцать, трина́дцать и четы́рнадцать.
– Хорошо́. Вот ва́ши биле́ты, зал но́мер три.
– Спаси́бо.

– Give us please 3 tickets to Avatar at five forty five.
– At five forty five all the tickets are sold, the next session is in twenty minutes, would you like to go?
– Yes, ok.
– Choose your seats please.
– Row number ten, seats twelve, thirteen, and fourteen.
– Alright. Here are your tickets, hall number three.
– Thanks.

And that’s it for today. Before we finish, we’d like to remind you that in Russia, talking or chewing loudly in the cinema is considered to be very impolite to other people, as well as having your mobile phone on. Be polite, and we wish you a pleasant viewing!

The post 156 – Going to the movies appeared first on Learn Russian Step by Step.

Grammatically speaking, there are a couple of ways to formulate the birthday wishes (or any event wishes) in the Russian language:

1. With the verb желать

To start your wishes, you can say я жела́ю тебе́ (informal) or я жела́ю вам (formal), depending on who you talk to, or just жела́ю. Pay attention, that the words that come after желаю should be in the Genitive case (жела́ть чего́-то).

Usually we wish (the examples below are in the Genitive):

Я жела́ю тебе́ / я жела́ю вам …

… здоро́вья (health)
… сча́стья (happiness)
… любви́ (love)
… уда́чи (good luck)
… успе́хов (success)
… де́нег (money)
… исполне́ния всех жела́ний (all the dreams come true)
… благополу́чия (wealth)
… всего́ са́мого наилу́чшего (all the best)

Let’s look at all these options in detail:

Здоро́вье can be кре́пкое (strong), отме́нное (excellent), or even богаты́рское (from the word богаты́рь – a hero of Russian epics and fairy tales, a warrior of extraordinary strength, courage, and keenness of wit).

So you can say: я жела́ю тебе́/вам…

… кре́пкого здоро́вья (strong health)
… отме́нного здоро́вья (excellent health)
… богаты́рского здоро́вья (~epic health)

When it comes to сча́стье (happiness), here are the options you have (in the Genitive):

… сча́стья в ли́чной жи́зни (happiness in your personal life)
… безграни́чного сча́стья (boundless happiness)
… большо́го сча́стья (big happiness)
… сча́стья в семье́ (happiness in the family)
… сча́стья в любви́ (happiness in love)

As for the успе́х (success) and уда́ча (good luck), some of the available options are:
… успе́хов во всех начина́ниях (success in all endeavors)
… уда́чи во всех начина́ниях (good luck in all endeavors)
… успе́ха в карье́ре (success in the career)
… уда́чи в жи́зни (good luck in life)

As you might have noticed, we can wish успе́хов (in plural) or успе́ха (in singular, which is a bit more specific).

Since we are talking about the success in the career or business, this is what you can add (in the Genitive):

… мно́го де́нег (lots of money)
… большо́й зарпла́ты (big salary)

And, of course, we should not forget about such things as:

… мо́ре любви́ (sea of love)
… ми́ра и добра́ (peace and goodness)
… мно́го улы́бок (a lot of smiles)
… всего́, чего́ сам (и́ли сама́) себе́ пожела́ешь (everything you wish yourself)

Instead of the Genitive case, you can use an infinitive or a complex sentence with the conjunction что́бы (we have not covered the complex sentence in our course yet).

Examples with an infinitive:

– жела́ю вам никогда́ не боле́ть
– I wish you to never get sick

– жела́ю тебе́ всегда́ улыба́ться несмотря́ ни на что
– I wish you to always smile no matter what

– жела́ю тебе́ всегда́ остава́ться само́й собо́й
– I wish you to always stay yourself

Examples with the conjunction что́бы:

– жела́ю, что́бы все мечты́ сбыва́лись
– I wish that all your dreams come true

– жела́ю, что́бы тебе́ всегда́ свети́ло со́лнце и улыба́лась уда́ча
– I wish that the sun always shines for you and good luck follows you everywhere

– жела́ю, что́бы неуда́чи обходи́ли тебя́ стороно́й
– I wish that bad luck avoids you

Pay attention that you have to use the Past tense after the word чтобы.

In many cases you can omit the word желаю and it will still be clear what you mean.

2. With the particle пусть

Another way to wish something is to use the particle пусть which can be translated as “let”:

– пусть уда́ча улыба́ется тебе́ (lit. – let good luck smiles at you)
– пусть всегда́ тебе́ све́тит со́лнце (let the sun shines for you)
– пусть вам всегда́ везёт (may you always be lucky)
– пусть сбу́дутся все твои́ мечты́ (let all your dreams come true)

Examples of birthday wishes

Below are some examples of the Russian birthday wishes. They include the phrases that we just learned and a bit more. You can use them as they are or change them using the vocabulary that we’ve learned today:

1. Поздравля́ю с днём рожде́ния! Жела́ю отме́нного здоро́вья, любви́ и ми́ра в семье́, большо́го сча́стья.
1. Happy birthday! I wish you excellent health, love and peace in the family, a lot of happiness.

2. С днём рожде́ния! Пусть все мечты́ сбыва́ются, а уда́ча всегда́ улыба́ется тебе́!
2. Happy birthday! Let all your dreams come true and good luck follow us everywhere (lit. – always smiles at you)!

3. Поздравля́ю вас с днём рожде́ния! Здоро́вья и сча́стья вам!
3. I congratulate you on your birthday! Health and happiness to you! (formal)

4. Мы поздравля́ем тебя́ с днём рожде́ния и жела́ем всего́ са́мого наилу́чшего, а та́кже всего́, чего́ ты сама́ себе́ пожела́ешь.
4. We congratulate you on your birthday and wish you all the very best, as well as everything that you wish for yourself.

5. С днём рожде́ния! Уда́чи и сча́стья в ли́чной жи́зни!
5. Happy Birthday! Good luck and happiness in your personal life!

6. С днём рожде́ния, дорога́я! Жела́ю кре́пкого здоро́вья, уда́чи, благополу́чия, добра́, ра́дости, любви́, сча́стья, хоро́шего настрое́ния, улы́бок, я́рких впечатле́ний. Пусть тепло́ и ую́т всегда́ наполня́ют твой дом, пусть со́лнечный свет согрева́ет в любу́ю пого́ду, а жела́ния исполня́ются при одно́й мы́сли о них. Поздравля́ю с днём рожде́ния!
6. Happy birthday, my dear! I wish you good health, luck, prosperity, goodness, joy, love, happiness, good mood, smiles, vivid impressions. Let warmth and comfort always fill your home, let the sunlight warms you in any weather, and let your desires are fulfilled at one thought about them. Happy birthday!

7. Поздравля́ю с днём рожде́ния! Уда́чи тебе́ во всех начина́ниях, исполне́ния жела́ний, всегда́ све́тлого и хоро́шего настрое́ния, ве́ры в себя́ и продвиже́ния к свои́м це́лям. А ещё прекра́сного здоро́вья, бо́льше улы́бок и в пра́здники, и в бу́дни, и пусть ка́ждый день бу́дет напо́лнен сча́стьем и тепло́м.
7. Happy birthday! Good luck in all your endeavors, fulfillment of desires, always bright and good mood, faith in yourself and progress towards your goals. Also beautiful health, more smiles both on holidays and on weekdays, and let every your day be filled with happiness and warmth.

The post 155 – Happy birthday wishes in Russian appeared first on Learn Russian Step by Step.

This is actually quite simple:
– For the Past tense, just add было to the sentence as in the examples below. Change было in gender and number for должен and нужно.
– For the future tense, use будет in accordance with the gender and number.

Have a look at the examples:

Мне на́до бы́ло позвони́ть.
I needed to make a call.

Мне на́до бу́дет позвони́ть.
I will need to make a call.

Ему́ пора́ бы́ло уходи́ть на пе́нсию.
It was time for him to retire.

Ему́ пора́ бу́дет уходи́ть на пе́нсию.
It will be time for him to retire.

In some cases “надо было” is translated as “should have”, for example:

На́до бы́ло слу́шаться роди́телей.
(You) should have listened to (your) parents.

Нам на́до бы́ло оста́ться до́ма.
We should have stayed at home.

Masculine examples:

Ему́ ну́жен был сове́т.
He needed a piece of advice.

Ему́ ну́жен бу́дет сове́т.
He will need a piece of advice.

Feminine examples:

Ка́тя должна́ была́ э́то сде́лать.
Katya was supposed to do that.

Ка́тя должна́ бу́дет э́то сде́лать.
Katya will have to do that.

Neuter examples:

Э́то должно́ бы́ло оста́ться ме́жду на́ми.
It was supposed to stay between us.

Э́то должно́ бу́дет оста́ться ме́жду на́ми.
It will have to stay between us.

Plural examples:

Ему́ ну́жны бы́ли де́ньги.
He needed money.

Ему́ ну́жны бу́дут де́ньги.
He will need money.

Exercises

Let’s do some exercises. Fill up the blanks with the correct tense and the form of the words we’ve learned:

1. Ты … этого делать.
   You (feminine) didn’t have to do it.
2. … ваши документы.
   I will need your documents.
3. … мне сказать.
   (You) should have told me.
4. Ты … все убрать.
   You (masculine) will have to clean everything.
5. … твоя помощь.
   I needed your help.
6. … этого делать.
   You should not have done it. / You didn’t have to do that.
7. … всех предупредить.
   We’ll have to warn everyone. (Lit. – It will be needed to warn everyone.)

The post 154 – Можно, нельзя, надо, должен, пора in the Past and Future tense appeared first on Learn Russian Step by Step.

Надо / нужно

Both words надо and нужно are used to express that something must be done or one needs to do or to have something. In general, there is no big difference between these two words, in most cases they are interchangeable. Some Russian speakers might feel or think that надо is a bit more strict than нужно, but since a lot depends on the intonation it’s not always the case.

Examples:

На́до хорошо́ учи́ться.
It’s necessary to study well.

Цветы́ ну́жно полива́ть два ра́за в неде́лю.
Flowers need to be watered twice a week.

To say WHO needs or has to do something, use the Dative case (highlighted).

Нам на́до идти́.
Нам ну́жно идти́.
We have to go.

Па́пе на́до подстри́чься.
Па́пе ну́жно подстри́чься.
Dad needs a haircut.

Что тебе́ на́до?
Что тебе́ ну́жно?
What do you need?

For more information about the personal pronouns in the Dative case refer to this lesson.

When нужно is followed by a noun or pronoun, it agrees in the gender and number with the item that’s needed as follows:

ну́жен – masculine
нужна́ – feminine
ну́жно – neuter
нужны́ – plural

Examples:

Мне ну́жны но́вые ту́фли, э́ти совсе́м износи́лись.
I need new shoes, these one are totally worn out. (plural)

Тебе́ нужна́ э́та ру́чка?
Do you need this pen? (feminine)

Нам ну́жен 43-й авто́бус.
We need the bus #43. (masculine)

With negation:

Тебе́ не ну́жно приходи́ть.
You don’t have / don’t need to come.

Не на́до спо́рить.
Don’t argue. (No need to argue.)

Должен

Должен can express an obligation (have to, must) or expectation (should, expected, supposed). It agrees in gender and number with the subject as follows:

до́лжен – masculine
должна́ – feminine
должно́ – neuter
должны́ – plural

Examples:

Ты до́лжен извини́ться.
You have to apologize. (obligation, masculine)

Я должна́ там быть в семь у́тра.
I have to be there at 7 am. (obligation, feminine)

Они́ должны́ ско́ро прийти́.
They should come soon. (expectation, plural)

В э́тот раз всё должно́ срабо́тать.
This time everything should work. (expectation, neuter)

With negation:

Должен with negation (не должен) can be translated as “don’t have to” or “should not” depending on the context. For example:

Ты не должна́ э́того де́лать.
You don’t have to do that. / You should not do that.

Он не до́лжен здесь находи́ться.
He does not have to be here. / He is not supposed to be here (should not be here).

Пора

Пора is used to say that it’s time to do something. Actually, it’s a shortened version of пришла пора (the time has come), but it mostly used as just пора. Use it with the Dative case as in the previous examples:

Пришла́ пора́ подводи́ть ито́ги.
The time has come to summarize (to look at the results).

Нам пора́ уходи́ть.
It’s time for us to go. (We should be leaving now.)

Тебе́ пора́ на рабо́ту.
It’s time for you to go to work. (You should go to work now.)

That’s it for this lesson. Practice the lesson examples with the audio track and try yourself in the exercises below.

Exerices

Fill up the blanks with the words of today’s lesson in appropriate form:

1. Всё … быть хорошо́.
   Everything should be ok.
2. Не … повыша́ть го́лос.
   There is no need to raise your tone.
3. Вы … успоко́иться.
   You should calm down. (formal)
4. … не … в шко́лу?
   Isn’t it time for you to go to school?
5. Ната́ша … прийти́ сего́дня к 11-ти.
   Natasha is supposed to come today around 11 am.
6. … проща́ться.
   The time has come to say goodbye.
7. Ско́лько вре́мени …?
   How much time do you need?
8. Ты … держа́ть меня́ в ку́рсе обо всём.
   You have to keep me posted about everything.

The post 153 – Need, have to, must, should in Russian appeared first on Learn Russian Step by Step.

Можно

Можно means “allowed, one can, one may, it is possible”. It is a very useful word and in many cases it can help you to go through your day in Russia. Another good thing about this word is that it does not change in gender and number. Examples:

Мо́жно?
Can I? Possible?

Мо́жно войти́?
Can I come in?

Мо́жно вас на мину́тку?
Can I have you for a minute?

Здесь мо́жно фотографи́ровать?
Can I take pictures here?

К вам мо́жно?
Can I see you? / Can I come in? (lit. – To you can?)

Мо́жно здесь сесть? – Мо́жно.
Can I sit here? – Yes, you can.

If можно is applied to somebody (I can, you can), you need to put the noun or pronoun that represents that somebody in the Dative case (highlighted). For example:

Мо́жно мне ещё ко́фе?
Can I have more coffee?

Мари́не мо́жно моро́женое, а тебе́ нет.
Marina can have ice-cream, but you can’t.

For more information about the personal pronouns in the Dative case refer to this lesson.

Нельзя

Нельзя is the total opposite of можно. If something is нельзя, it is not possible, not allowed/prohibited, or very much not desirable/recommended. For example:

Здесь нельзя́ купа́ться.
It’s not allowed to swim here. (prohibited)

Нельзя́ чита́ть при плохо́м освеще́нии.
One should not read in poor light. (not recommended)

Нельзя́ вы́учить ру́сский за ме́сяц.
You can’t learn Russian in a month. (not possible)

As with можно, if нельзя is applied to somebody, use the Dative case for that “somebody”. Examples:

Ему́ нельзя́ встава́ть по́сле опера́ции.
He is not allowed to stand up after the surgery.

Тебе́ сюда́ нельзя́.
You are not allowed here.

Нельзя with perfective verbs usually means that something is impossible, with imperfective verbs – that something is not allowed. For example:

Нельзя́ есть гря́зными рука́ми!
Do not eat with dirty hands! (You are not allowed to eat with dirty hands!)

Нельзя́ забы́ть то, чего́ не зна́ешь.
You can’t forget what you don’t know (it is impossible).

Exerices

Answers are in the end of the lesson.

1. Fill up the gaps with можно and нельзя:

   a. … заброни́ровать сто́лик на пять часо́в?

   b. Здесь … кури́ть, запрещено́.

   с. … вас побеспоко́ить?

2. Fill up the gaps with можно and нельзя + respective pronouns in the Dative case (based on the translation):

   a. … пить, он бы́стро пьяне́ет.
   He should not be drinking, he gets drunk so fast.

   b. … быть с ва́ми открове́нной?
   Can I be frank with you?

   c. … идти́.
   You can go (informal, singular).

   d. … таска́ть тя́жести.
   You (formal) should not carry heavy weights.

This is it for this lesson. Practice all the examples with the audio track and leave your questions in the comment section. Until next time!

The post 152 – Можно and нельзя [(not) allowed/possible] appeared first on Learn Russian Step by Step.