Thread: What is someone answers the phone in Russian?

I work for a piano tuner, who is Russian. He, therefore has several Russian-speaking clients. I called one today. (Looked at the phone number, not the name.) I was totally unprepared!

Here's my spiel in English:

Hi! My name is Christine. I am calling for Dmitriy Last Name, who tuned your piano over a year ago. Since pianos should be tuned every year, I was just checking to see if you want your piano tuned.

Here's what I've got so far:

Алло! Меня зовут Кристина. Я работаю для Дмитрия. Он настроил ваш пианино (или рояль) один год назад. (Then I skip the part about pianos needing to be tuned annually because I don't know how to say that.) Вы хотите чтобы Дмитрий настраивать
ваш пианино?

Then, if someone says "Yes". I have to schedule a date and time! I can do that in Russian

I can also say how much it costs

You say алло when you answer the phone but when you are makimg a call you can greet people in a usual way.
The one you are calling answers the phone, says "Алло" and you reply something like "Здравствуйте, меня зовут Кристина, я работаю на Дмитрия, который настраивал ваше пианино (ваш рояль) год назад. Пианино (рояли) нужно настраивать ежегодно(pianos should be tuned every year). Хотите, чтобы Дмитрий снова настроил ваше пианино (ваш рояль)?"

i think better to say:
здравствуйте! Меня зовут Кристина, я работаю на Дмитрия. Он занимался настройкой вашего пианино год назад. Такую процеду необходимо необходимо проводить каждый год.
(!) Не хотели бы Вы снова воспользоваться нашими услугами.

After this you will be know = yes or not.. If yes - you will say about time and money. If not = bye and sorry for disturbing

Не хотели бы Вы.. is perfect phrase for this case.!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by kozyablo

Не хотели бы Вы.. is perfect phrase for this case.!!!!!!!

Согласна

Originally Posted by Mashum

You say алло when you answer the phone but when you are makimg a call you can greet people in a usual way.
The one you are calling answers the phone, says "Алло" and you reply something like "Здравствуйте, меня зовут Кристина, я работаю на Дмитрия, который настраивал ваше пианино (ваш рояль) год назад. Пианино (рояли) нужно настраивать ежегодно(pianos should be tuned every year). Хотите, чтобы Дмитрий снова настроил ваше пианино (ваш рояль)?"

Спасибо! Поцему "Пианино и не пианина" in the sentence about pianos needing to be tuned every year?

Пианино, пальто, пенсне and some other words which were derived from other languages are neutral and indeclinable. Одно пианино, два пианино, одно пальто, два пальто. So it's always пианино.

Originally Posted by Mashum

Пианино, пальто, пенсне and some other words which were derived from other languages are neutral and indeclinable. Одно пианино, два пианино, одно пальто, два пальто. So it's always пианино.

Thanks! In school, I only learned рояль, but most people, including myself own a пианино. I think it's funny how my boss always makes the distinction in English. I think of either kind as just a piano.

Based on the Mashum version:

Здравствуйте, меня зовут Кристина, я звоню Вам от имени Дмитрия /Last Name/, который настраивал ваше пианино (ваш рояль) год назад. Обычно пианино (рояль) требует ежегодной настройки, поэтому мы Вам позвонили, чтобы узнать не хотели бы Вы, чтобы Дмитрий снова настроил ваше пианино (ваш рояль)?"

Without "обычно" the sentence looks as if you force the person to agree. While with "обычно" you keeps the final decision for the person.

Out of curiosity: How much does it cost to tune piano in your area. Here in Novosibirsk it is about 1000 Rub (~ $35) for basic tuning and can be up to 3000 Rub (~ $100) for extremely specific tuning (for guru musicians).

Originally Posted by CoffeeCup

Out of curiosity: How much does it cost to tune piano in your area. Here in Novosibirsk it is about 1000 Rub (~ $35) for basic tuning and can be up to 3000 Rub (~ $100) for extremely specific tuning (for guru musicians).

Wow! That's cheap! The guy I work for charges $89 for the basic tuning and extra for this, that, and the other. He's an excellent tuner. The lady in town charges $50, but before she leaves the house the piano is out of tune again. I know out in California 15 years ago the tuner was charging $100, but everything is less expensive in Utah.