Learn some basic Russian, it will help a lot!

[SANDRO43]

Скажите пожалуйста как проехать в центр?   = Could you tell me how to get to the center? (downtown area is usually referred to as "the center" in Russian cities)

To many Americans you should first explain the European concept of city center . When I asked that question in Florida, for instance, people would reply: "The shopping center, you mean?"

[Eduard]

медленно [myeh-dlehn-nah] = slowly
быстро [byh-straw] = fast or quickly

[acctBill]

To many Americans you should first explain the European concept of city center . When I asked that question in Florida, for instance, people would reply: "The shopping center, you mean?"

Sandro I've spent at lot of time in Italy and I've found if the person's Italian accent is strong enough it might be possible that an English language speaker has mistaken city for shopping or they just don't understand the term "city centre". 

[SANDRO43]

Sandro I've spent at lot of time in Italy and I've found if the person's Italian accent is strong enough it might be possible that an English language speaker has mistaken city for shopping or they just don't understand the term "city centre". 

The latter was my point, since I do NOT speak English with a 'strong Italian accent' and 'city' - however badly pronounced - can hardly be misheard as 'shopping' by anybody, IMO.

"City centre" - I'll use your British spelling - is a familiar concept to Europeans, most of whose cities grew concentrically around the local 'seats of power' - palace, cathedral, etc. The only Italian city with a grid-like layout is Turin, because it evolved from a Roman military camp (Castra Taurinorum, camps of bulls - later dedicated to Emperor Augustus as Augusta Taurinorum) established there around 30 BC, and inherited its orderly pattern:

(1) Principia; (2) Via Praetoria; (3) Via Principalis; (4) Porta Principalis Dextra;
(5) Porta Praetoria (main gate); (6) Porta Principalis Sinistra; (7)Porta Decumana (back gate).

Most US cities are rather short on palaces and cathedrals, for better or for worse .

[Eduard]

Я планирую поездку [yah   plah-nee-roo-you   pah-yest-koo] =  I'm planning a trip

[Eduard]

А Вы откуда  [ah  vy  aht-koo-dah] = And where are you from?

[Eduard]

Она очень хорошенькая!  [ah-nah   awe-chyen'   hah-raw-shyen'-kah-yah] = she is very cute!

Although the word "хорошенькая" is derived from "хорошo" (well or good), it means "cute" in this particular context and form.

[Eduard]

Передавай привет маме!  [pyeh-ryeh-dah-vaj   pree-vyet   mah-myeh] = say hello to your mom!

[OmegaSupreme]

Ohh, I haven't been here in a while...

I'll agree 110% with everyone who has stated that learning at least a little of the language can go a loooong way. I've learned a bit myself, and although I'm far from fluent, all of the Russian women I know have been very appreciative of it.

One thing that's been scoring some brownie points for me. 

I like to address my Russian female friends in the following manner:

Здравствуй, моя прекрасная <name>...

This means "Hello, my beautiful <name>".

This will change depending on the name, but if their name ends with an "a" (as the vast majority of Slavic women names do), the words will be spelled and pronounced the same way. For instance, one of the first Russian women I started corresponding with, Natasha, has become one of my best friends (yes, seriously, she's awesome). So I always address her this way:

Здравствуй, моя прекрасная Наташа!

Never fails to put a smile on her face.

Also...learn the difference between "ты" and "вы" (pronounced "ty" and "vy"). They both mean "you", but "вы" is used in a formal setting, whereas "ты" is informal. For instance, someone you are talking to for the first time will usually be "вы", but will become "ты" once you have reached a familiarity or have established some kind of a personal relationship with them. Important people and elders are almost always addressed as "вы". Your friends and family will be "ты". The "unspoken rules" governing when to switch from one to the other can be confusing, and I'll admit I'm still a bit confused myself. However, this is something important to know. I'm sure the native Russian speakers here can explain this far better than I can.

[Eduard]

Good post, Omega! Thanks for chipping in!

I thought we could have a little fun here. This is a short Russian joke that utilizes play on words. Can any of our WM members, who speak Russian figure it out?

Она была сложена хорошо, только рука торчала из чемодана )

[TwoBitBandit]

On my last trip I learned this useful sentence:

Я путешествовал в Россию, знакомился с хохлушкой, и бухал по чёрному!

It means something like, "I went to Russia, met this Ukrainian chick and drank until I was so drunk I couldn't stand up."

I recommend you don't say this to any girls you meet.  

[SANDRO43]

The "unspoken rules" governing when to switch from one to the other can be confusing, and I'll admit I'm still a bit confused myself.

It can be confusing to an English speaker because your language:

- Lost its 2nd person singular (Thou) sometime during the XVII century, replacing it with the 2nd person plural (You) .
- Only differentiates the 3rd person singular in its verbal declination of the present tense (by adding a final s).

Except for Arabic, most other languages have 2 forms of address:

1. Familiar/friendly, using the 2nd person singular.
2. Polite/respectful, using:
-- the 2nd person plural (e.g. Russian вы, French Vous, Portuguese Você), 
-- the 3rd person singular (e.g. Spanish Usted, Italian Lei),
-- the 3rd person plural (e.g. German Sie), etc.   

This is reinforced by any verbs in the used sentence, which are in numerical concordance (except in German).

The "rules" for switching from initial polite/respectful to familiar/friendly are rather universal and depend on the achieved degree of intimacy: at a certain point, one of the two will offer the equivalent of "Please stop calling me Mr. Smith, call me John" (the respected one) or "Mr. Smith, may I call you John?" (the respectful one).

IIRC, Japanese goes a step further: it always uses the 2nd person singular (Anata-wa, 貴女) but its verbs come in 3 modes (normal, respectful, deferential).

[Eduard]

I'm surprised that no one tried translating that joke yet 

Here is a word that can have 3 different meanings: "Острый" [awe=stry]  = sharp

 Острый ум  - clever
 Острый when used to describe food = spicey

[Eduard]

Just saw this pearl in a RW's profile: "Деньги меня не волнуют. они меня успокаивают...)" = Money doesn't worry me, it calmes me down...)

[Eduard]

You just can't make this stuff up! This is a menu at a nice restaurant in Irkutsk. Sounds yummy!

[Kunstkammer]

I'm not exactly sure how helpful teaching people to parrot exact phrases is.  There is a novelty factor for being able to say greetings I guess, but after that you are treading into territory that murky.  It also sets the stage for horrendous grammatical mistakes, not to mention, if you are teaching someone to ask "Could you tell me how to get to the center?" in Russian, what happens to the person who has just been learning to parrot phases gets a response in Russian like "Вам нужно пройти до следующего перекрестка, и там свернуть налево, пройти два квартала, и сесть на троллейбус номер 2 или 36, также автобус номер 7 вам подойдет. Проедете три остановки, на четвертой выйдете и вы на месте!" and has to stand there with a dumb confused look on their face.

I think basic Russian that would be more helpful would be learning to recognize words like these: Аптека, Вход, Выход, Милиция, Больница Продукты, Автобус, Троллейбус, Трамвай, Билет, Цена, Помощь, Паспорт, or probably Цветы.  Or to say something like "Будьте добры счет" or "счет, пожалуйста"

Much more helpful than learning how to ask questions you won't understand the answer to.

Oh and to whoever back in September said men don't move to Russia, I'm an American that is a legal resident of Russia.  I have my permanent registration stamped in my passport and a tax ID number and everything...

[ML]

German troops stationed in France, a postwar first
10 December 2010 | Associated Press

For the first time since World War II, German combat troops are being stationed in France, part of a conscious effort to show the two EU powers have forever buried former hatreds.

A German battalion in a French-German military brigade officially took up arms Friday at a symbolism-rich ceremony in eastern France attended by the two countries' defense ministers.

Because of its international role, the French ministry said, the brigade's "working language" is English for exercises and missions.

[Daveman]

To many Americans you should first explain the European concept of city center . When I asked that question in Florida, for instance, people would reply: "The shopping center, you mean?"

yeah, that's true.  For here, City Center would be a building rather than a geographical area.  Most southerners would say something like "the down town area".  I'm not even sure where the center area is for Atlanta.  Probably around old "Underground Atlanta". Obviously we need to put up big statues of Lenin so I can find it.

[Eduard]

Где ты родилась? [gdye ty rah-dee-lahs'] = where were you born?  (this is how you would be asking a woman)
Я родилась в [Ярославле] [yah rah-dee-lahs' v Yah-rah-slahv-lyeh] = I was born in [Yaroslavl] (this is how a woman would respond)

[Kuna]

You just can't make this stuff up! This is a menu at a nice restaurant in Irkutsk. Sounds yummy!

Love the first one Ed...     Yum Yum!

We were dining in a nice restaurant in Dnepropetrovsk one time (Pastoral) and I had to chuckle when seeing the cocktail menu.  They had a Harvey Wallbanger transliterated into Russian with the English explanation, "Man named Harvey hitting head on wall"...