Learn essential Russian vocabulary for cities
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| Варшава (Varshava) |
| Берлин (Berlin) |
| Токио (Tokio) |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn Russian words for cities. |
| Before we start, did you know that the longest railway in the world is in Russia? Do you know which cities it connects? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| Торонто (Toronto) |
| "Toronto" |
| [SLOW] Торонто (Toronto) |
| Торонто (Toronto) |
| I find it interesting that Canada is a very large country, but due to its territorial and natural features, its population is relatively small. In fact, a quarter of the population lives within 160 km of Toronto! |
| Susan and Tom chat about Canadian cities. |
| Susan: Какой город в Канаде самый большой? (Kakoy gorod v Kanade samyy bol'shoy?) |
| Tom: Торонто. (Toronto.) |
| Берлин (Berlin) |
| "Berlin" |
| [SLOW] Берлин (Berlin) |
| Берлин (Berlin) |
| In my experience, Berlin has one of the most convenient transportation systems in the world. You can easily switch between the metro, buses, and trains and usually end up right near your destination. |
| Oscar tells Tom about a recent trip to Germany. |
| Oscar: Я побывал в известном немецком городе. (Ya pobyval v izvestnom nemetskom gorode.) |
| Tom: В Берлине? (V Berline?) |
| Токио (Tokio) |
| "Tokyo" |
| [SLOW] Токио (Tokio) |
| Токио (Tokio) |
| Did you know that the Tokyo Metro is one of the busiest in the world? It is known for its high passenger density. Shinjuku Station alone sees over 3.5 million passengers every day! |
| Jack quizzes Steve on capital cities. |
| Jack: Какой город является столицей Японии? (Kakoy gorod yavlyayetsya stolitsey Yaponii?) |
| Steve: Токио. (Tokio.) |
| Вашингтон (округ Колумбия) (Vashington (okrug Kolumbiya)) |
| "Washington, D.C." |
| [SLOW] Вашингтон (округ Колумбия) (Vashington (okrug Kolumbiya)) |
| Вашингтон (округ Колумбия) (Vashington (okrug Kolumbiya)) |
| Oh, Washington, D.C. is one of my favorite cities in the U.S. It is very beautiful and calm, and the atmosphere there is incredibly pleasant and friendly. |
| Jack quizzes Steve on capital cities. |
| Jack: Какой город является столицей Соединённых Штатов Америки? (Kakoy gorod yavlyayetsya stolitsey Soyedinyonnykh Shtatov Ameriki?) |
| Steve: Столица Соединённых Штатов Америки - Вашингтон (округ Колумбия). (Stolitsa Soyedinyonnykh Shtatov Ameriki - Vashington (okrug Kolumbiya).) |
| Пекин (Pekin) |
| "Beijing" |
| [SLOW] Пекин (Pekin) |
| Пекин (Pekin) |
| By the way, in Russian, the capital of China is pronounced the same as the city's old name in Chinese – Пекин (Pekin). |
| Jack quizzes Steve about capital cities. |
| Jack: Какой город является столицей Китая? (Kakoy gorod yavlyayetsya stolitsey Kitaya?) |
| Steve: Пекин. (Pekin.) |
| Улан-Батор (Ulan-Bator) |
| "Ulaanbaatar" |
| [SLOW] Улан-Батор (Ulan-Bator) |
| Улан-Батор (Ulan-Bator) |
| Ulaanbaatar is officially recognized as the coldest capital in the world. In winter, temperatures can sometimes drop to -40°C. At the same time, in summer, temperatures of +40°C are quite common. |
| Lina and Oscar plan a trip to Mongolia. |
| Lina: С чего начнём знакомство с Монголией? (S chego nachnyom znakomstvo s Mongoliyey?) |
| Oscar: Давай начнём с Улан-Батора. Это столица Монголии. (Davay nachnyom s Ulan-Batora. Eto stolitsa Mongolii.) |
| Киев (Kiyev) |
| "Kiev" |
| [SLOW] Киев (Kiyev) |
| Киев (Kiyev) |
| Kyiv is a very old city. The exact date of its founding is not established, but Kyiv is about 1,500 years old! It is a very beautiful city located on the Dnieper River. |
| Oscar asks Tom about a recent trip. |
| Oscar: В каком европейском городе ты побывал? (V kakom yevropeyskom gorode ty pobyval?) |
| Tom: Я побывал в Киеве. Это город в Украине. (Ya pobyval v Kiyeve. Eto gorod v Ukraine.) |
| Братислава (Bratislava) |
| "Bratislava" |
| [SLOW] Братислава (Bratislava) |
| Братислава (Bratislava) |
| Bratislava has had different names over time — Pressburg in German, Pozsony in Hungarian, and now Bratislava in Slovak. |
| Jack and Steve chat about different cities. |
| Jack: Где находится Братислава? (Gde nakhoditsya Bratislava?) |
| Steve: В Словакии. (V Slovakii.) |
| Прага (Praga) |
| "Prague" |
| [SLOW] Прага (Praga) |
| Прага (Praga) |
| Prague is famous for its beer culture! It leads the world in beer consumption per capita and is full of cozy bars and restaurants serving Czech beer. |
| Oscar shares his travel experiences with Tom. |
| Oscar: На прошлой неделе я побывал в Праге. Это столица Чехии. (Na proshloy nedele ya pobyval v Prage. Eto stolitsa Chekhii.) |
| Tom: Это замечательно! Как впечатления? (Eto zamechatel'no! Kak vpechatleniya?) |
| Варшава (Varshava) |
| "Warsaw" |
| [SLOW] Варшава (Varshava) |
| Варшава (Varshava) |
| In Russian, the city is pronounced the same as in Polish – Варшава (Varshava). Warsaw was almost completely destroyed but was rebuilt with great accuracy, especially the Old Town, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. |
| Valeria and Anna plan a trip to Poland. |
| Valeria: С какого города нам начать путешествие по Польше? (S kakogo goroda nam nachat' puteshestviye po Pol'she?) |
| Anna: Давай сначала посетим Варшаву. Это столица Польши. (Davay snachala posetim Varshavu. Eto stolitsa Pol'shi.) |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in Russian. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "Toronto"? |
| Торонто (Toronto) |
| Торонто (Toronto) |
| And how to say "Berlin"? |
| Берлин (Berlin) |
| Берлин (Berlin) |
| How about "Tokyo"? |
| Токио (Tokio) |
| Токио (Tokio) |
| Do you remember how to say "Washington, D.C."? |
| Вашингтон (округ Колумбия) (Vashington (okrug Kolumbiya)) |
| Вашингтон (округ Колумбия) (Vashington (okrug Kolumbiya)) |
| And how to say "Beijing"? |
| Пекин (Pekin) |
| Пекин (Pekin) |
| Let's try "Ulaanbaatar"! |
| Улан-Батор (Ulan-Bator) |
| Улан-Батор (Ulan-Bator) |
| What about "Kiev"? |
| Киев (Kiyev) |
| Киев (Kiyev) |
| Now, let's see if you remember how to say "Bratislava"! |
| Братислава (Bratislava) |
| Братислава (Bratislava) |
| Another one! What about "Prague"? |
| Прага (Praga) |
| Прага (Praga) |
| And finally do you remember how to say "Warsaw"? |
| Варшава (Varshava) |
| Варшава (Varshava) |
| Did you know that the longest railway in the world is in Russia? Do you know which cities it connects? |
| The Trans-Siberian Railway runs from Moscow all the way to Vladivostok. It's the longest train track in the world, stretching over more than 9,000 kilometers! This huge railway crosses eight different time zones as it travels across Russia. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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