Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Hello and welcome to Russian Survival Phrases. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Russia. So join us for Russian Survival phrases. You will be surprised at how far a little Russian will go.
Today's lesson is not only for all of the vegetarians out there but is also for anyone with an adversity to a particular food! There are many reasons for a person not to eat a particular food, and there may be instances when communicating this is necessary. So, today we'll go over some phrases to ensure you don't get any unwanted surprises on the plate.
In Russian “I am a vegetarian!” is “Ya vegetarianets!”. Ya vegetarianets! Let`s break it down by syllable: Ya ve-ge-ta-ri-a-nets! Now, let`s hear it once again: Ya vegetarianets!
The first word “ya” means “I”: ya. This is followed by “vegetarianets”, which in English is “vegetarian”: ve-ge-ta-ri-a-nets and vegetarianets. So altogether we have “Ya vegetarianets!”. Literally this means “I am vegetarian!”.
Another way you communicate you don't eat a particular food is by saying just that! In Russian “I don't eat meat!” is “Ya ne yem myasa!”. Ya ne yem myasa! Let`s break it down by syllable: ya ne yem mya-sa. Now, let`s hear it once again: ya ne yem myasa.
The first word “ya” means “I”: ya. This is followed by “ne yem”, which in Russian is “do not eat”: ne yem. So, to recap here we have: “Ya ne yem”. Literally this means “I do not eat”.
Let`s take a look at the next “myasa”, which means “meat”: mya-sa and myasa. So altogether we have “Ya ne yem myasa!”. Literally this means “I do not eat meat!”.
This sentence pattern can be used for foods other than meat by changing just one word! So let's take a look at some other possibilities. Let's try “sweets”, which in Russian is “sladkaye”. One more time: slatkaye, slat-ka-ye and slat-ka-ye. Now, let`s try the phrase with this word: “I don’t eat sweets!” which in Russian is “Ya ne yem slatkaye!”
Not all, but 80% of Russians love parties and even at modest dinner they gladly serve a bottle of some alcohol beverage. Despite of the fact, that Russians are world-wide associated with vodka, it could be something softer.
If you do not drink alcohol, you should say: “Ya ne p’yu spirtnoye!”, which in English means “I do not drink alcohol!”.
The phrase is the same as the one we’ve learned today about meat, but we change a word “yem”, which is “eat” in English, for “p’yu” , which is “drink” in Russian.
Russians are very hospitable nation and even in pure households tables are about to explode with dishes, when visitors come. Even if you confess in being a vegetarian, you would be kingly insisted to try this or that with the expression “Let’s start being vegetarians tomorrow!” :) But do not be afraid to resist as you are not going to hurt a host.
Ok, to close out today`s lesson we'd like for you to practice what we`d just learnt. I will provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for saying it aloud. You'll have a few seconds before I`ll give you the answer. Udachi! That means “good luck”! Ok, here we go!
I am a vegetarian!……..Ya vegetarianets!
I don't eat meat!……..Ya ne yem myasa!
I don’t eat sweets!........Ya ne yem slatkaye!
I do not drink alcohol…...Ya ne p’yu spirtnoye!
Alright, that's going to do for today. See you tomorrow, which in Russian is da zaftra!

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