Learn essential Russian vocabulary for leisure activities
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| шахматы (shakhmaty) |
| игральные карты (igral'nyye karty) |
| чтение (chteniye) |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn Russian hobby-related words. |
| Before we start, did you know that millions of Russians go on a "Silent Hunt" every autumn? Can you guess what we are hunting for? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| хобби (khobbi) |
| "hobby" |
| [SLOW] хобби (khobbi) |
| хобби (khobbi) |
| The word хобби (khobbi) is a loanword from English, which makes it easy to remember! A great grammar shortcut is that this word is indeclinable. This means its spelling never changes, no matter what its function is in the sentence. |
| Steve discusses hobbies with Jack during a coffee break. |
| Steve: В свободное время я люблю читать. Чтение — моё любимое хобби. (V svobodnoye vremya ya lyublyu chitat'. Chteniye — moyo lyubimoye khobbi.) |
| Jack: Здорово. Какие книги тебе нравятся? (Zdorovo. Kakiye knigi tebe nravyatsya?) |
| шахматы (shakhmaty) |
| "chess" |
| [SLOW] шахматы (shakhmaty) |
| шахматы (shakhmaty) |
| Chess is central to Russian culture. During the Soviet era, it was a state-sponsored activity. This led to a famous, rigorous training system that produced a dynasty of World Champions, including Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. |
| Steve talks to Oscar about his mother. |
| Steve: Моя мама преподаёт шахматы. (Moya mama prepodayot shakhmaty.) |
| Oscar: Это впечатляет. Умение играть в шахматы — это отличный навык. (Eto vpechatlyayet. Umeniye igrat' v shakhmaty — eto otlichnyy navyk.) |
| игральные карты (igral'nyye karty) |
| "playing cards" |
| [SLOW] игральные карты (igral'nyye karty) |
| игральные карты (igral'nyye karty) |
| Playing cards were so popular among the Russian nobility that famous writers like Pushkin wrote stories about them. The most popular card game is Durak, which literally means "Fool." |
| Susan accidentally drops a deck of cards, and Lina helps her. |
| Susan: Ой, прости, не поможешь мне поднять эти игральные карты? (Oy, prosti, ne pomozhesh' mne podnyat' eti igral'nyye karty?) |
| Lina: Конечно. (Konechno.) |
| чтение (chteniye) |
| "reading" |
| [SLOW] чтение (chteniye) |
| чтение (chteniye) |
| Reading is central to Russian culture. For centuries, Russians have been famous for being some of the world's most devoted readers, a passion often linked to the long, cold winters! |
| Victoria and Tom discuss their favorite pastimes at a cafe. |
| Victoria: Чтение расслабляет. (Chteniye rasslablyayet.) |
| Tom: Согласен. Нет ничего лучше хорошей книги. (Soglasen. Net nichego luchshe khoroshey knigi.) |
| пикник (piknik) |
| "picnic" |
| [SLOW] пикник (piknik) |
| пикник (piknik) |
| The word пикник (piknik) is a simple loanword! Fun fact: originally a classic Russian picnic featured a samovar which is a "tea kettle" for drinking hot tea outside. |
| Susan asks Tom about his plans for tomorrow. |
| Susan: Что ты будешь делать завтра? (Chto ty budesh' delat' zavtra?) |
| Tom: Завтра мы пойдём на пикник. (Zavtra my poydyom na piknik.) |
| шашки (shashki) |
| "checkers" |
| [SLOW] шашки (shashki) |
| шашки (shashki) |
| Shashki is one of Russia's oldest games. During the Soviet era, the government promoted it, like chess, to show the nation's intellectual strength, making it a very popular and serious national sport. |
| Susan suggests a game to play with Lina. |
| Susan: В какую настольную игру мы можем поиграть вместе? (V kakuyu nastol'nuyu igru my mozhem poigrat' vmeste?) |
| Lina: А как насчёт шашек? (A kak naschyot shashek?) |
| шашлык (shashlyk) |
| "shashlik" |
| [SLOW] шашлык (shashlyk) |
| шашлык (shashlyk) |
| Shashlik, the Russian version of shish kebab, is a significant national tradition and a favorite outdoor food to grill with friends and family. |
| Lina and Victoria talk about what they ate over the weekend. |
| Lina: Что ты ела на выходных? (Chto ty yela na vykhodnykh?) |
| Victoria: Я ела вкусный шашлык. (Ya yela vkusnyy shashlyk.) |
| чаепитие (chayepitiye) |
| "tea party" |
| [SLOW] чаепитие (chayepitiye) |
| чаепитие (chayepitiye) |
| Чаепитие (chayepitiye) is often centered around the samovar, a metal container, to keep water hot. The host serves zavarka, a strong tea concentrate, which guests dilute with the hot water. Tea is always served with sweet snacks. |
| Lina and Victoria chat about the previous day. |
| Lina: В кафе вчера было много народа. (V kafe vchera bylo mnogo naroda.) |
| Victoria: У них было чаепитие. (U nikh bylo chayepitiye.) |
| катание на санках (kataniye na sankakh) |
| "sledding" |
| [SLOW] катание на санках (kataniye na sankakh) |
| катание на санках (kataniye na sankakh) |
| Sledding is a classic winter pastime. Russians today often ride colorful inflatable tubes they nickname vatrushki, meaning "cheesecakes," due to their round, fluffy shape. |
| Tom and Valeria chat about winter activities. |
| Tom: Дети обрадовались снегу в прошлые выходные? (Deti obradovalis' snegu v proshlyye vykhodnyye?) |
| Valeria: Да! Им очень понравилось катание на санках. (Da! Im ochen' ponravilos' kataniye na sankakh.) |
| баня (banya) |
| "Russian sauna" |
| [SLOW] баня (banya) |
| баня (banya) |
| The Russian Banya is much more than a sauna; it is a vital part of social life and an ancient ritual that has been around for centuries. |
| Jack asks about Steve's friends. |
| Jack: Чем твои друзья занимались в России? (Chem tvoi druz'ya zanimalis' v Rossii?) |
| Steve: Они часто отдыхали в бане. (Oni chasto otdykhali v bane.) |
| дача (dacha) |
| "dacha" |
| [SLOW] дача (dacha) |
| дача (dacha) |
| The word дача (dacha) derives from the verb давать (davat'), "to give," as Tsar Peter the Great originally "gave" these country plots to his nobles. Today, escaping the city to the countryside is a major Russian cultural tradition. |
| Tom talks about Russian summer traditions with Oscar. |
| Oscar: Чем русские занимаются летом? (Chem russkiye zanimayutsya letom?) |
| Tom: На выходных многие ездят на дачу. (Na vykhodnykh mnogiye yezdyat na dachu.) |
| домино (domino) |
| "dominoes" |
| [SLOW] домино (domino) |
| домино (domino) |
| Dominoes have been a very popular game in Russia, especially during the Soviet era. The most famous Russian version is called Matador. |
| Lina asks Steve about what game to play at a party. |
| Lina: В какую игру будем играть на вечеринке? (V kakuyu igru budem igrat' na vecherinke?) |
| Steve: Думаю, с друзьями будет весело сыграть в домино. (Dumayu, s druz'yami budet veselo sygrat' v domino.) |
| 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 "hobby"? |
| хобби (khobbi) |
| хобби (khobbi) |
| And how to say "chess"? |
| шахматы (shakhmaty) |
| шахматы (shakhmaty) |
| How about "playing cards"? |
| игральные карты (igral'nyye karty) |
| игральные карты (igral'nyye karty) |
| Do you remember how to say "reading"? |
| чтение (chteniye) |
| чтение (chteniye) |
| And how to say "picnic"? |
| пикник (piknik) |
| пикник (piknik) |
| Let's try "checkers"! |
| шашки (shashki) |
| шашки (shashki) |
| What about "shashlik"? |
| шашлык (shashlyk) |
| шашлык (shashlyk) |
| Now, let's see if you remember how to say "tea party"! |
| чаепитие (chayepitiye) |
| чаепитие (chayepitiye) |
| Another one! What about "sledding"? |
| катание на санках (kataniye na sankakh) |
| катание на санках (kataniye na sankakh) |
| Do you remember how to say "Russian sauna"? |
| баня (banya) |
| баня (banya) |
| And how to say "dacha"? |
| дача (dacha) |
| дача (dacha) |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "dominoes"? |
| домино (domino) |
| домино (domino) |
| Did you know that millions of Russians go on a "Silent Hunt," or tikhaya okhota every autumn? Can you guess what they are hunting for? |
| They are foraging for wild mushrooms! This is a national obsession where families compete to find the best spots and preserve their "catch" for the long winter. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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