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Lesson Transcript

Hello and welcome back to Russian Survival Phrases, brought you by survival phrase.com. Again, 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.
Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by SurvivalPhrases.com, click on Russian and there you will find the transcript of this lesson, the accompanying PDF, additional info in the post, and if you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.
In today's lesson, I'll introduce you to Russian national currency and its latest rate on the stock market. The currency used in Russia is the "rubl'", abbreviated as "RUB" and subdivided into 100 "kopeek". Paper currency includes 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000 ruble bills, and coins include 1, 5, 10 and 50 kopeek and 1, 2, and 5 rubles.
As of September 2009 the exchange rate is roughly 30.2 rubles to one U.S. dollar and roughly 44.5 rubles to one euro. Let's go over the words again and hear how they are pronounced.
Rubl'
Kapeyka
Now, the thing worth mentioning is that the words "rubl`" and "kapeika" will change according to the numbers. In order to avoid difficulties in understanding, let's learn how to use them in plural. You should be acquainted with the numbers by now, so just strain your memory a bit and apply it for today's lesson.
So, the word rubl` itself can only be used with the number one: "adin rubl'" or any other multiple digit ending with one.
With numbers from two to four, we use the word "rublya": dva rublya, tri rublya, chetyre rublya. Numbers five through twenty will modify the ruble into "rubley", as in pyat' rubley, shest` rubley, sem` rubley, vosem` rubley, devyat` rubley, desyat' rubley, dvatsat' rubley and so on. When using multiples of tens, hundreds and thousands, look at the last digit and use the form of ruble appropriate for it.
Now, the coins: "kapeika". Like rubl, the word "kapeika" can only be used with the number one: "adna kapeika" or any other multiple digit ending with one. With the numbers two to four we use the word "kapeiki": dve kapeiki, tri kapeiki, chetyre kapeiki. Numbers five through twenty will require a different form again: "kapeek": pyat' kapeek, desyat' kapeek, pyatnatsat' kapeek, dvatsat' kapeek.
And when using multiples of tens, hundreds or thousands, look at the last digit and use the form of kopeika appropriate for it.
The safest way to exchange money in Russia is through banks and ATMs. You will get a receipt after the operation and if you find your exchange incorrect, you can use the receipt to make further complaints. So it's a good idea to keep the receipt after the exchange until you make sure the money you received is correct. You will also find a lot of small booths on the streets with "exchange" signs, although a lot of them are still not completely trustworthy in terms of both real money and precise change. Also, try not to exchange money at the railway stations or even at airports, as the currency rate is usually the least profitable for those exchanging dollars to rubles.
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”!
One ruble……..adin rubl`
Three rubles…...tri rublya
Five rubles…..pyat' rubley
One kopeika…..adna kapeika
Thirty three kopeyka …...trittsat` tri kapeiki
Ten kopeek…...desyat` kapeek
Alright, that's going to do it for today. Remember to stop by SurvivalPhrases.com, pick up the accompanying PDF and a transcript of today`s lesson. And if you stop by, don't forget to leave us a comment.
See you tomorrow, which in Russian is da zaftra!

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