Learn basic Russian vocabulary for occupations
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| продавец (prodavets) |
| инженер (inzhener) |
| программист (programmist) |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn Russian vocabulary for occupations. |
| Before we start, did you know that in a Russian office, calling your boss by their first name can be considered an insult? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| сотрудник (sotrudnik) |
| "employee" |
| [SLOW] сотрудник (sotrudnik) |
| сотрудник (sotrudnik) |
| Сотрудник literally means "co-laborer." The со- part means "together," and труд means "labor" or "work." It shows Russians value working together! |
| Anna and Steve discuss their work environment. |
| Anna: Сотрудники любят свою работу. (Sotrudniki lyubyat svoyu rabotu.) |
| Steve: Здорово! (Zdorovo!) |
| продавец (prodavets) |
| "salesperson" |
| [SLOW] продавец (prodavets) |
| продавец (prodavets) |
| If you’re at a small market and see a woman behind the counter, the female version of продавец (prodavets) is prodavshchitsa. |
| Tom talks to Sergey about a recent visit to a car dealership. |
| Tom: Продавец показал мне много машин. (Prodavets pokazal mne mnogo mashin.) |
| Sergey: Тебе что-нибудь понравилось? (Tebe chto-nibud' ponravilos'?) |
| инженер (inzhener) |
| "engineer" |
| [SLOW] инженер (inzhener) |
| инженер (inzhener) |
| Инженер (inzhener) is a masculine noun, but is used for both male and female engineers. |
| Lina discusses a friend's career with Susan. |
| Lina: Моя подруга очень умная. Она хороший инженер. (Moya podruga ochen' umnaya. Ona khoroshiy inzhener.) |
| Susan: Инженерия — это сложно. Наверное, у неё талант. (Inzheneriya — eto slozhno. Navernoye, u neyo talant.) |
| программист (programmist) |
| "programmer" |
| [SLOW] программист (programmist) |
| программист (programmist) |
| Программист (programmíst) is also masculine, but it can describe any programmer, regardless of gender. |
| Steve tells Victoria about a recent issue at work. |
| Steve: У нас была проблема с сайтом, но программист её устранил. (U nas byla problema s saytom, no programmist yeyo ustranil.) |
| Victoria: Я рада, что теперь всё в порядке. (Ya rada, chto teper' vsyo v poryadke.) |
| фермер (fermer) |
| "farmer" |
| [SLOW] фермер (fermer) |
| фермер (fermer) |
| Фермер (férmer) is an easy one because it’s a loanword from English “farmer.” |
| Tom tells Roman about a visit to a farm. |
| Tom: Вчера я ездил на ферму. У фермера много коров. (Vchera ya yezdil na fermu. U fermera mnogo korov.) |
| Roman: Похоже, это большая ферма. (Pokhozhe, eto bol'shaya ferma.) |
| секретарь (sekretar') |
| "secretary" |
| [SLOW] секретарь (sekretar') |
| секретарь (sekretar') |
| Секрета́рь (sekretar’) ends in -ь but is a masculine noun: this is an exception you need to remember. |
| For a female secretary, Russians often say секрета́рша, which is common but slightly informal. |
| Valeria tells Yakov about her workplace. |
| Valeria: Наш секретарь постоянно занят. (Nash sekretar' postoyanno zanyat.) |
| Yakov: Важно иметь хорошего секретаря. (Vazhno imet' khoroshego sekretarya.) |
| банкир (bankir) |
| "banker" |
| [SLOW] банкир (bankir) |
| банкир (bankir) |
| Банкир (bankír) is another loanword, very close to English “banker.” |
| Grammatically, it is masculine, but the masculine form is commonly used for both men and women. |
| Sergey discusses financial matters with Anna. |
| Sergey: Я спросил банкира о займе. (Ya sprosil bankira o zayme.) |
| Anna: И что он сказал? (I chto on skazal?) |
| 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 "employee"? |
| сотрудник (sotrudnik) |
| сотрудник (sotrudnik) |
| And how to say "salesperson"? |
| продавец (prodavets) |
| продавец (prodavets) |
| How about "engineer"? |
| инженер (inzhener) |
| инженер (inzhener) |
| Do you remember how to say "programmer"? |
| программист (programmist) |
| программист (programmist) |
| And how to say "farmer"? |
| фермер (fermer) |
| фермер (fermer) |
| Let's try "secretary"! |
| секретарь (sekretar') |
| секретарь (sekretar') |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "banker"? |
| банкир (bankir) |
| банкир (bankir) |
| Did you know that in a Russian office, calling your boss by their first name can be considered an insult? |
| You must use their "patronymic"—a special name derived from their father's first name (like Ivanovich)—to show proper professional respect! |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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