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Thread: Hurrah, I spoke Russian "for real" for the first time!

  1. #1
    Hanna
    Guest

    Hurrah, I spoke Russian "for real" for the first time!

    Today I spoke Russian "for real", for the first time.
    No mixing up with other languages, no fallback on English.
    I am in Chisinau, Moldova which is a bilingual (Russian/Moldovan) city.

    1) I spoke on the telephone with the hotel cleaner who called my room.
    She wanted to know when she could clean my room and I told her to do it later.

    2) I asked two people for directions to the hotel that I am staying at (because I got a bit lost). Luckily the hotel is well known and they pointed me in the right direction. I did not understand everything they said, but understood roughly.

    3) I asked for Colgate Total toothpaste in a pharmacy and was understood.

  2. #2
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mowcow, Russia
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    Congrats!

  3. #3
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Ukraine
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    5,073
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    Awesome!
    Speaking on the phone is especially difficult.

  4. #4
    Почтенный гражданин
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Phx, AZ, US
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    I'm jealous (in a good way)
    luck/life/kidkboom
    Грязные башмаки располагают к осмотрительности в выборе дороги. /*/ Muddy boots choose their roads with wisdom. ;

  5. #5
    Hanna
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by gRomoZeka View Post
    Awesome!
    Speaking on the phone is especially difficult.
    Yes, exactly! I haven't tried to practice Russian over Skype for that reason.

    Moldova has been a bit "cheating" though, because about 60% of signs on town are in Moldovan, not Russian.
    Moldovan is written with Latin letters and although I can't understand it when spoken, in written form it is a bit similar to Italian.... which is very similar to French/Spanish - which I can speak up to a point. So there are a lot of signs which are easier to read in Moldovan, than Russian, simply because they are in latin letters and sound like a French/Spanish/Italian word.... Food = Alimente comes to mind
    But if I see a Russian word I don't know - most of the time I can't guess what it means. Because of the greater difference between Slavic languages and Latin/Germanic languages.


    Today I am going to the Transdniestr (if they let me in without an excessive bribe!) and/or Odessa,

  6. #6
    Hanna
    Guest
    After my nice experiences today (see my travel blog in the Travel section) I like the Russian language and people more than ever and I will definitely try to find a Russian course to attend, maybe for 2 weeks or so.. Not sure where though. I haven't got a visa for Russia yet, so unless I can sort that out, it'll have to be in Ukraine or Belarus.

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