Russian Lesson 7
Седьмой Урок
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| Lessons | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
In Russian Lesson 7 you'll listen to a short dialog; learn about numbers in Russian; useful phrases for telephone conversation; unpaired consonants and spelling rules.
Contents on this lesson:
- Вы не тот номер набрали — You've got the wrong number
- 7А. Numerals from 0 - 12
- 7Б. Some Useful Telephone Phrases
- 7В. Unpaired Consonants and Special Spelling Rules
- 7B1. Mixed Hard or Soft - Depending on the Following Vowel: The Velars - К, Г, Х
- 7B2. Inherently Hard or Soft Consonants
- 7B3. Spelling Rules for Inherently Hard & Soft Consonants
Диалоги — Dialogues
Вы не тот номер набрали — You've got the wrong number
| Тамара | 1 | Алло? | Hello? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Гога | 2 | Алло, можно Диму? | Hello, may I speak to Dima? |
| Тамара | 3 | Вы не тот номер набрали. | You've got (dialed) the wrong number. |
| Гога | 4 | Это 7 4 2 9 0 8 5? | Is this 7 4 2 9 0 8 5 |
| Тамара | 5 | Нет, это 6 1 3 5 2 0 4 | No, it's 6 1 3 5 2 0 4 |
| Гога | 6 | Извините. | Sorry (Excuse me). |
Словарь — Russian Vocabulary
| 1 | алло | hello? (Used only when answering phone. Also note that many Russians pronounce both л's soft - аллё). |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | можно + | may I speak to (See grammar) |
| 3 | не тот | the wrong (lit. not that - masculine) |
| 3 | номер | telephone number |
| 3 | набпали | dialled (past plural). Best to memorise this phrase. |
Грамматика — Russian Grammar
7А. Numerals from 0 - 12
| Number | Spelling |
|---|---|
| 0 | ноль |
| 1 | один |
| 2 | два (related to dual) |
| 3 | три (related to tricycle) |
| 4 | четыре |
| 5 | пять |
| 6 | шесть |
| 7 | семь |
| 8 | восемь |
| 9 | девять |
| 10 | десять (related to decade) |
| 11 | одиннадцать |
| 12 | двенадцать |
Some spelling hints /mnemonics for the numbers
- Think of четыре four as an 'ы-sandwich' - an ы between two slices of 'e.'
- All of the numbers >= 5 end in a -ь
- Don't forget the two н's in the одиннадцать. Incidentally, 11 - 19 all end in -надцать, which is equivalent to '-teen.'
* Note 12 is двенадцать and not дванадцать as you'd expect.
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Some simple Russian maths to see if you are able to listen while you add the numbers.
- + плюс
- - минус
- = будет (there is a fancier word for equals which you'll learn later)
Example: 6 - 4 = 2 --> Шесть минус четыре будет два. This is a good practice to spell out the words. Listen to the recording and compare your answers below.
| 1 | 2 + 7 = | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5 - 1 = | |
| 3 | 8 + 3 = | |
| 4 | 12 - 7 = | |
| 5 | 6 + 4 = | |
| 6 | 11 - 3 = | |
| 7 | 12 - 0 = | |
| 8 | 2 + 3 = | |
* Note on numerals: Even though you've already seen a hint of the plural (родители, дети), you cannot simply put a number in front of the plural noun. It will be a while before you learn how to say 5 golden rings.
7Б. Some Useful Telephone Phrases
a) Answering a phone - Алло?
You can only use алло when answering a phone. Otherwise, to say hello use здравствуй(те) or привет (but you can't use здравствуй(те) or привет to answer the phone).
b) Asking for someone - Можно Сашу / Машу / Галю?
For now it's best to memorize this construction: можно + First Name (in accusative case - you'll learn more about the accusative case soon).
| Можно Жанну? | Можно Инну? | Можно Витю? | Можно Борю? |
| Can I speak to Zhanna? | Can I speak to Inna? | Can I speak to Bitya? | Can I speak to Borya? |
c) Reciting phone numbers
The dialog you heard in the beginign of this lesson is not absolutely realistic. Russians usually recite phone numbers as follows:
- 245-65-19
- 245 (two hundred fourty-five)
65 (sixty-five)
19 (nineteen) - 756-90-06
- 756 (seven hundred fifty-six)
90 (ninety)
06 (zero six)
There does seem to be a trend among Russian immigrants to mimic the American way of pronouncing each digit. Also, it's not completely unheard of for a Russian to say each number, though it's not the norm.
7В. Unpaired Consonants and Special Spelling Rules
You may have noticed in the last lesson on paired consonants (hard vs. soft) that several consonants were not mentioned. These consonants are are either always hard or always soft. There are two groups of unpaired consonants:
- mixed hard and soft
- inherently hard or soft.
7B1. Mixed Hard or Soft - Depending on the Following Vowel: The Velars - К, Г, Х
The consonants К, Г, Х are known as the Velars (since they are pronounced towards the velum, in the back top of the mouth).
In front of а, о, у, they are always pronounced hard. Only write:
- ка, га, ха, and not кя, гя, хя
- ко, го, хо, and never кё, гё, хё
- ку, гу, ху, and never кю, гю, хю
In front of е and и, they are always pronounced soft. Only write:
- ке, ге, хе, and never кэ, гэ, хэ
- ки, ги, хи, and never кы, гы, хы
Listen and Repeat
Канада (Canada), капуста (cabbage), галстук (necktie), характер (character), книга (book)
кот (cat), молоко (milk), город (city), говорить (to say), хор (choir), плохо (bad)
купить (to buy), откуда (from where), губа (lip), гулять (to stroll), худой (thin), хулиган (hooligan)
кем (by whom), кефир (kefir), гений, Гена, схема (diagram, chart), о мухе (about a fly)
кино (cinema), русский (Russian), гитара (guitar), строгий (strict), хитрый (sly), мухи (flies)
| HARD before а, о, у | SOFT before е, и |
| NEVER before я, ё, ю | NEVER before э, ы |
Notes About Velars:
- Velars can never precede 'ь'. There are no кь, гь, хь
- Velars are soft only before е and и
- These rules only apply to native Russian words. Foreign words can take any combination. Thus you have Гёте (Goethe), Кюрасао (Curacao), Кэррол (Lewis Carroll), Хэнкок (John Hancock).
7B2. Inherently Hard or Soft Consonants
The consonants that are either inherently hard or soft are the hushers (ж, ш, ч, щ), ц and й.
- Inherently hard consonants - Ж, Ш, Ц
- Ж, Ш, Ц are always pronounced hard (tongue down and somewhat back) regardless of the following vowel or soft sign.
- Inherently soft consonants - Ч, Щ, Й
- Ч, Щ, Й are always pronounced soft (tongue higher and forward) regardless of the following vowel.
| Always Hard | Always Soft |
|---|---|
| Ж, Ш, Ц | Ч, Щ, Й |
- Question
- If ш is always hard, how can there be a ь after it, as in the word шутишь? Is this an exception?
- Answer
- Very sharp eye. Here the ь is meaningless. It's just a spelling convention (sort of like the way you have to write u after q in English). It only happens with the second person singular ending on verbs (and a few other places) and has NO EFFECT on pronounciation.
You'll also find a ь after soft consonants, eg., вещь (thing). Again it has no effect on the pronounciation.
7B3. Spelling Rules for Inherently Hard & Soft Consonants
For historical reasons only certain vowels can be written after the inherently hard or soft consonants.
| After Ж, Ш, Ч, Щ, Ц * write only | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| а (never я) | е (never э) | и (never ы*) | у (never ю) | **о / е / ё |
* After ц, both и and ы can both be found. Sometimes the choice between и and ы is rather arbitrary, as we can see in these two last names: Ельцин (with и) versus Солженицын (with ы). In other places, there are rules you will learn later.
** These vowels е, ё, о are a little tricky. They appear interchangeably depending on stress and on hardness /softnes of the preceding consonant. The general rule for Ж, Ш, Ч, Щ, Ц is
- write о if the vowel is stressed; write е if the vowel in unstressed
So can only write either
- шо / жо / цо / чо / що when o is stressed, or
- ше / же / це / че / ще when unstressed.
| Stressed | свежо (fresh) |
хорошо (well) |
кольцо (ring) |
плечо shoulder) |
борщом (with borscht) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unstressed | свежее (fresh) |
хорошее (good) |
сердце (heart) |
вече ( assembly) |
овощем (with vegetables) |
As always there are exceptions to these rules. After Ж, Ш, Ч, Щ (and not Ц) you sometimes get ё which is always stressed. Examples:
о чём (about what), чёрт (devil), чёрный (black), шёпот (whispher), жёны (wives), течёт (flows), ещё (still, yet), Хрущёв (former Soviet leader)
After ц, you only have stressed o, never ё. For example: лицо (face), кольцо (ring).
Misleading Russian Spellings
Because of these rules, the spelling of vowels after these consonants can be very misleading. It means you have to write the soft-indicating vowels и and е after inherently hard ж, ш, ц, and hard-indicating vowels а, у after inherently soft ч, щ.
Do note that the spelling does not alter the pronunciation of these inherently hard or soft consonants. Learners often mistakenly write ю and not у, and я not а, after hearing the soft ч, щ.
| Soft-Indicating Vowel after Inherently Hard Consonant | Hard-Indicating Vowel after Inherently Soft Consonant |
|---|---|
| живёт (it really sounds like жывёт) | часто often (sounds like чясто) |
| шест pole (sounds like шэст) | щадить to spare (sounds like щядить) |
| цирк circus (sounds like цырк) | чудо miracle (sounds like чюдо) |
| Permanently Hard Consonants | |
|---|---|
| ш | шахматы (chess), шест (pole), шил (he sewed), шок (shock), шум (noise) |
| ж | жаба (toad), жетон (token), жил (he lived), свежо (fresh), жулик (crook) |
| ц | царство (kingdom), центр (center), цыган (gypsy), цокот (clatter), цукат (candied fruit) |
| Inherently Soft Consonants | |
| ч | часто (often), через (through; within), чисто (clean), плечо (shoulder), чудо (miracle) |
| щ | щадить (to spare), щека (cheek), щи (cabbage soup), ещё (still; yet), щука (pike) |
Pronunciation of ш and щ
Finally compare the inherently hard ш and the inherently soft щ. In addition to the articulation (tongue low and back for ш, high and forward for щ), there is also (supposed to be) a difference in the length. Generally щ is about 1.5 times longer that ш. At least that's what all books on phonetics, written by Russians, say. You can judge for yourself.
| ша / ща | шар / щар |
| ше / ще | шест / щест |
| ши / щи | шит / щит |
| шо / щё | шоки / щёки |
| шу / щу | шука / щука |
Домашнее Задание — Homework
Упражнение 1 — Exercise 1
- Write out the following equations in Russian. Examples:
- 8 - 2 -- > Восемь минус два
будет шесть.
4 + 5 -- > Четыре плюс пять будет девять.
- 9 + 1
- 8 + 4
- 3 + 2
- 11 - 5
- 7 - 0
Compare your answers here.
Упражнение 2 — Exercise 2
Answer the following questions about unpaired consonants.
- Which consonants are 'mixed' with respect to hardness /softness? Before which vowels are they hard? soft?
- What are the inherently hard consonants?
- What are the inherently soft consonants?
- Which vowel letters may appear after inherently hard /soft consonants?
Compare your answers here.
Упражнение 3 — Exercise 3
Correct the impossible spellings. Write out the words correctly and explain the problem.
Examples:
| гость | OK | |
| хорошяя | хорошая | no я after ш |
| Word | Corrections, if any | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | книги | ||
| 2 | пожяр | ||
| 3 | хороший | ||
| 4 | цинк | ||
| 5 | часть | ||
| 6 | свежое | ||
| 7 | щадить | ||
| 8 | чясто | ||
| 9 | жюк | ||
| 10 | гюстой | ||
| 11 | хытрый | ||
| 12 | кантата | ||
| 13 | хорошее | ||
| 14 | шэсть | ||
| 15 | хорошое | ||
| 16 | плохёй | ||
| 17 | щука |
Compare your answers here.
Упражнение 4 — Exercise 4
Highlight the misleading spellings and explain your answers.
Examples:
| число | OK | you do expect a soft-indicating vowel и after ч |
| горячо | чо | ч is inherently soft, but o is a hard-indicating vowel |
| Word | Misleading spelling | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | хорошо | ||
| 2 | жёны | ||
| 3 | часто | ||
| 4 | следующий | ||
| 5 | свежий | ||
| 6 | свежая | ||
| 7 | ищут | ||
| 8 | шесть | ||
| 9 | Шура | ||
| 10 | Саши | ||
| 11 | чём | ||
| 12 | Ельцин |
Compare your answers here.
Answers
| 1 | 2 + 7 = 9 | Два плюс семь будет девять. |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5 - 1 = 4 | Пять минус один будет четыре. |
| 3 | 8 + 3 = 11 | Восемь плюс три будет одиннадцать. |
| 4 | 12 - 7 = 5 | Двенадцать минус семь будет пять. |
| 5 | 6 + 4 = 10 | Шесть плюс четыре будет десять. |
| 6 | 11 - 3 = 8 | Одиннадцать минус три будет восемь. |
| 7 | 12 - 0 = 12 | Двенадцать минус ноль будет двенадцать. |
| 8 | 2 + 3 = 5 | Два плюс три будет пять. |
Упражнение 1 — Exercise 1
- 9 + 1 --> Девять плюс один будет десять.
- 8 + 4 --> восемь плюс четыре будет двенадцать.
- 3 + 2 --> три плюс два будет пять.
- 11 - 5 --> Одиннадцать минус пять будет шесть.
- 7 - 0 --> Семь минус ноль будет семь.
Упражнение 2 — Exercise 2
- Which consonants are 'mixed' with respect to hardness /softness?
Before which vowels are they hard? soft?
The Velars К, Г, Х are mixed with respect to hardness /softness. They are hard before а, о, у. They are soft before е and и. See the Velars to refresh your memory. - What are the inherently hard consonants?
The inherently hard consonants are ж, ц, ш. - What are the inherently soft consonants?
ч, щ, й - Which vowel letters may appear after inherently hard /soft
consonants?
After inherently hard (ж, ц, ш) or soft (ч, щ, й) consonants you will only find these vowels:
а, е, и, у and not я, э, ы, ю. See Inherently Hard / Soft Consonants notes above.
Упражнение 3 - Exercise 3
| Word | Corrections, if any | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | книги | OK | |
| 2 | пожар | пожар (fire) | a after ж, never жя |
| 3 | хороший | OK | |
| 4 | цинк (zinc) | OK | |
| 5 | часть (part) | OK | |
| 6 | свежое | свежее (fresh) | o after ж only if stressed, else е |
| 7 | щадить (to spare) | OK | |
| 8 | чясто | часто (often) | a after ч, never чя |
| 9 | жюк | жук (beetle; bug) | y after ж, never жю |
| 10 | гюстой | густой (thick, dense) | y after г, never гю |
| 11 | хытрый | хитрый (sly) | и after х, never ы |
| 12 | кантата (cantata)* | OK | *musical composition based on religious text |
| 13 | хорошее | OK | |
| 14 | шэсть | шесть (six) | e after ш, never э |
| 15 | хорошое | хорошее | o after ш only if stressed, else е |
| 16 | плохёй | плохой (bad) | more on use of ё later |
| 17 | щука (pike)* | OK | freshwater fish with long snout |
Упражнение 4 - Exercise 4
| Word | Misleading spelling | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | хорошо | OK | inherent hard ш and hard-indicating vowel o |
| 2 | жёны | жё | inherently hard ж and soft-indicating ё |
| 3 | часто | ча | inherently soft ч and hard-indicating vowel a |
| 4 | следующий | OK | inherently soft щ and soft-indicating vowel и |
| 5 | свежий | жи | inherently hard ж and soft-indicating и |
| 6 | свежая | OK | inherent hard ж and hard-indicating vowel a |
| 7 | ищут | щу | inherently soft щ and hard-indicating vowel у |
| 8 | шесть | ше | inherently hard ш and soft-indicating е |
| 9 | Шура | OK | inherent hard ш and hard-indicating vowel у |
| 10 | Саши | ши | inherently hard ш and soft-indicating и |
| 11 | чём | OK | inherently soft ч and soft-indicating vowel ё |
| 12 | Ельцин | ци | inherently hard ц and soft-indicating и |
Acknowledgement
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