phonetic transcriptions of Pimsleur level 1 lessons 1-10

Please forgive that this is in reverse order, but if you are looking for a particular word, just do a search of the text to find it. Hope this helps some people. If you find something you believe to be an error, I welcome all comments.


Нет, не в три часа.
nyet, niv thrrree chas-sah
No, not at 3 o'clock.
*Notice how the word не [not] is pronounced in this sentence as if it is connected to the next word, в, to create something sounding like niv, as if it were all one word.

в три часа или в четыре?
v'thrrree chas-sah illiv chuh-tear-yee
At 3 o'clock or at 4?
*Notice how the word или [or] sounds like it is connected to the following word, в, in this sentence, to produce something sounding like illiv, as if it were all one word.

вместе с кем вы собираетесь пообыдать?
vih-missed-yuh skyem vih subby-rrryet-tus pie-be-yeh-dut
With whom are you going to have lunch?

вы собираетесь пообыдать позже.
Vih suh-bee-rrryet-tus pie-be-yeh-dut po-zhu
Are you going to have lunch later?

Я собираюсь поестъ позже.
Yeh suh-be-rrrye-use pie-yist po-zhu
I'm going to eat later.

дывять часов
divyuht chas-sov
nine o'clock
literally: nine hours

восемь часов
vosyem chas-sov
the y sound is pronounced very slightly
eight o'clock
literally: eight hours

сейчас четыре часов?
see-chyes pyet chas-sov
Is it now five o'clock?

сейчас четыре часов
see-chyes pee-yet chas-sov
it's now five o'clock
literally: now five hours

пять
pee-yet
five

сейчас четыре часа
see-chyes chuh-tearrr-yeh chas-sah
it's now four o'clock
literally: now four hours

который час?
kah-torrry chahs
meaning: what time is it?
literally: which hour?

конечно нет
con-yesh-nah nyet
certainly not
of course not

конечно
con-yesh-nah
certainly
of course

три
thrrree
three

четыре часа
chye-tearrr-yeh chas-sah
four o'clock
literally: four hours

часов
chas-sov
hours/o'clock
used for 5 o'clock and onward

часа
chas-sah
hours/o'clock
used for 2, 3, & 4 o'clock

четыре
chye-tearrr-yeh
four

в один час
vah-din chas
at one o'clock
literally: at one hour

один
ah-din
one

В котором часу?
v' kah-torrrem chas-sue
At what time/hour?
*I don't hear the speaker pronounce the
в sound at the beginning, but the narrator says it is there and means 'at'. 

это хорошо.
etuh huh-rrrah-shaw
That's okay. (lit. That okay)

сo мной
sah-muh-noy
with me

вместе с вами
vmyist-tyuh svahm-me
together with you

с кем?
ssskyem
with whom?

вместе
vmyist-tyuh
together,
along with,
at the same time as,
with another person

Я хочу купить что-нибудь.
cooh-pete
I want to buy something

в гостинице
vuh gah-steen-yit-suh
in the hotel

remember, the в at the beginning, and the е at the end are what mean 'in the'

Что вы хотите делать?
dyil-uht
what do you want to do?

или
illy
or

два
duh-vah
two

ресторан интурист.
rrris-tor-rrran in-tour-reast
Intourist Restaurant
Intourist is a large state-run agency serving the needs of foreign travelers in Russia.

пиво
pee-vuh
beer

вино
vee-no
wine

не хочу.
nee ha-chu
I don't want (to).

что
schto
what

В ресторане на Тверской улице.
Tuh-ver-skoy
In the restaurant on Tverskaya Street.
(normally Тверцкая)

в ресторанe
vrrr-isterrrran-ye
in the restaurant

ресторан
rrr-isterrrran
restaurant

пообедать
pie-be-yeah-duhht
(accentuate the breathy sound at the t)
to have lunch

С удовольствием.
sue-dah-volst-vee-yem
with pleasure.

На Пушкинской Улица
nah push-kin-skye ooh-letzuh
On Pushkin Street?
(Notice the ending of Pushkin Street changes when you say 'On Pushkin Street.' from Pushkin-skaya)

На
On

Где у вас?
g'dia ooh vos
Where's your place?

позже
po-zhuh
later

сейчас
see-chess
now

может бутъ
mo-zhut bweet
maybe

When addressing a foreigner, Russians will sometimes use whatever title applies in the person's native language. For example, 'Mister' or 'sir'. An American may be addressed as either Mr. or Mrs., but it's just as common for a Russian to use the Russian titles.

Когда вы хотите есть?
When do you want to eat?

когда?
cog-dah
when?

Russians usually ask 'and you? ' when they don't know what the answer will be. When they expect the person to agree with them. They ask 'you too?'

Я тоже хочу поестъ.
yeah toe-zhuch ha-chu pie-yeest
I too want to eat.

Я тоже
yeah toe-zhuh
me too
(I too)

у вас
ooh vos
at your place
literally: at you (polite)

у меня
ooh men-yah
at my place
literally: at me

у
ooh
at

Но без меня.
no biz men-yuh
Count me out.
literally 'But without me'

не хочо пить.
knee ha-chu pete
(I) don't want to drink.

пить
pete
to drink

поесть
puh-yest
to eat

кое-что
coy-schto
something

что-нибудь
schto-nee-boot
anything

Вы хотите
vih ha-t'itye
you want

Я хочу
yeh ha-chu
I want

In Russian, when you are giving a one or two word answer to a simple question, you can drop the words for I and you. But you can keep these words when you want to give emphasis to them.

(Я) не знаю
yeh neh zny-you
I don't know
*the я can be dropped in a
one or two word answer to a simple question

(Я) знаю
yeh zny-you
I know
*the я can be dropped in a
one or two word answer to simple question

Вы знаете Красная Площадь здесь?
(Do) you know (if) Red Square (is) here?

Вы знаете где Тверская Улица?
(Do) you know where Тверская St. (is)?

Вы знаете
vi zny-itcha
(Do) you know

Ничего
nee-chee-vo
never mind

там
tom
there, over there.

не здесь
n'izdis
not here

здесь
izdis
here
examples:
Тверская Улица здесь?
(Тверская St. is here?)

Красная Площадь
kross-naya plo-shut
red square

Площадь
plo-shut
city square

Где
guh-dia
"Where?" or "Where is..."

Скажите
skah-zheetye
Tell me

Улица
ooh-lets-suh
Street
abbreviated as: ул, which is the first 2 letters of
улица
(just like how we use the first 2 letters of the word street.)
examples:
Тверская Улица (Tverskaya St.)
Пушкин улица (Pushkin St.)

Я немного понимаю и говорю.
I understand and speak a little.*
used when saying:
a and b
understand and speak
When you want to list things without making a comparison, you use И.

*****
Notice the different placement of 'a little' versus 'only a little' in the following two examples:

Я говорю только немного.
I speak only a little.

Я немного говорю.
I speak a little.
*****

Я говорю
Yeah guhv-ar-you
I speak

Вы говорите
Voo/vih govahreetye
You speak

Да нет
of course you do.
(to contradict someone)

Вы говорите по-русски очень хорошо.
guhv-vuh-ree-tcheh
You speak (in) Russian very well.

Я немного понимаю по-английски.
I a little understand English. (I understand English a little.)

Вы понимаете, только по-русские?
You understand only (in) Russian?

Я понимаю,
не очень хорошо.
I understand not very well.

Пожалуйста
p | a | zha | a | l | oo | ooh-ih | s | t | a
Usually pronounced [pa-zhal-sta], without the уй (source: The New Penguin Russian Course)
please
you're welcome.
don't mention it.
certainly.
here you are (when handing something over)

А вы?
ah vwe
And you?

Я русский
yeh roo-skee
I am Russian. (male)

Я русская
yeah rrroo-skuh
the я at the end of this word seems to be silent.
I am Russian. (female)

но
no
but

до свидания
d | o : s | v | ee | d | a | n | ee | ya
dahs vuh-don-yuh
bye; literally 'until meeting'

очень хорошо, спасибо
oh-chen here-rah-shaw, spy-see-buh
very well, thank you

хорошо
gutteral hah-rah-shaw
well;
okay (as in agreement)

Господин
guhs-pah-deen
Mister

Госпожа
guhs-pah-zyah
Miss, Mrs., Ms.

In business and social circles, you usually refer to a woman you don't know well as misses.

there isnt a separate word for miss, miss and mrs are the same because all these words were banned and/or not used during communist times so some words didnt survive. but before 1917 and to a lesser extent up until 1950s the words "baryshnya" (bAhryshnia) and "sudarynya" (soodAhrynia) were used which would be the equivalents to miss or young lady (you would still hear them but they are used very rarely and usually by old people). in the 19th century upper middle class and upper class would use french words monsieur for mister, mademoiselle for miss and madame for mrs.

Как (Вы) поживаете?
cok puhz-zhia-vie-itch-chuh
literally 'how are you living?', the equivalent of 'how are you?' in English

Добрый день
doe-bree dyen
literally 'good day'

Вы американец?
vou uh-mare-ruh-kon-yitz
(Are) You American? (to a man)

Вы американка?
vou uh-mare-ruh-kon-kuh
(Are) You American? (to a woman)

Я немного понимаю.
I understand a little.
(literally I a little understand)

только
toll-kuh
(once again, the o at the end is unstressed and sounds like ah)
only

немного
nee-muh-no-guh
(the unstressed o at the end of this word is pronounced as ah)
a little

извините
ease-vuh-nee-tye
excuse me

по-английски
pahn-glee-ski
in English

по-русски
pah roos-ski
in Russian

Вы понимаете
vou poon-yuh-my-itch-uh
you understand

(Я) понимаю
yeh poon-you-my-you
I understand
*я is usually omitted in short answers

Да
dah
yes

нет
nyet
(nyet) = no

Не
nye
(nye) = not