Thread: What is someone answers the phone in Russian?

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)?"

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.