Thread: PART I: Using the Language - Finally!

Hi everyone!

After memorising every example sentence in The New Penguin Russian Course, I am about to take the plunge and begin using the language. I should probably have started doing this a long time ago but, oh well, better late than never. I aim to make a new 100-word post on this website in Russian every day. The content of what I write might not necessarily be true and I probably will sound like an oaf!

All comments and corrections are welcome.



Привет! Меня зовут мистер Смит.
Hi! My name is Mr Smith.

Мне Двадцать лет и я из Оксфорда.
I am 20 year old and from Oxford.

Я работаю в университете Оксфорда.
I work at the University of Oxford.

Англии мне не нравится. Это слышком холодно и серый.
I Don't like England. It is too cold and grey.

Хотя, летом иногда красиво!
Although/ however, it is sometimes beautiful during the summer.

Это редко, но время от времени Англии солнечная страна!
It is rare, but occasionally England is a sunny country!

Я хочу переехать куда-нибудь жарко. Где-ниьудь похож на Испанию, но я точно ещё не знаю гле!
I want to move somewhere hot. Somewhere like/ similar to Spain, but I still do not know exactly where!

Я изучаю русский язык уже шесть - семь месяцев.
I have been studying Russian for six or seven months.

Хотя, в точение времени, Я никогда ни с кем не говорил.
Although/ however, during that time, I did not speak with anyone.

Меня только читать мало.
I only read a little.

Когда я прочитаю "Анну Каренину", Я буду писать о книге/ о её.
When I finish reading "Anna Karenina", I will write about the book/ about it.

Когда я напишу в "Скип", я буду разговаривать с кем-то из России сегодня вечером в часу.
When I sign up to/ subscribe to SKYPE, I will converse with someone from Russia for an hour this evening.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Additional questions:

1. Are the following pairs of sentences interchangeable and do they convey the same meaning? I understand the first in each pair is perfective and the second is multidirectional. However, both pairs seem to convey the same meaning of a completed round trip. Perhaps the perfective examples emphasise each trip's completion?

Мы съезлили в Париж на три дня
Мы езлили в Париж на три дня

В прошлом году я съездил в Нью Йорк
В прошлом году я ездил в Нью Йорк


2. Are the following variances of the same sentence acceptable and am I interpreting them correctly?

Дети бегали во дворе. - The children were running (around) in the yard. - imperfective, incomplete multidirectional action.
Дети побегали во дворе. - The children did a bit of running in the yard. - perfective, по- prefix also indicates limited action.
Дети бегали по двору. - The children were running around the yard. - imperfective, greater emphasis on multidirectional element of sentence.
Дети побегали по двору. - The children did a bit of running around the garden. - perfective with greater emphasis on running around the garden in.

Большое спасибо за помощь!

Oh, there's so much work, but it's an exteremely good success for a 6-year-learner)

Originally Posted by Mr Smith

Hi everyone!

After memorising every example sentence in The New Penguin Russian Course, I am about to take the plunge and begin using the language. I should probably have started doing this a long time ago but, oh well, better late than never. I aim to make a new 100-word post on this website in Russian every day. The content of what I write might not necessarily be true and I probably will sound like an oaf!

All comments and corrections are welcome.



Привет! Меня зовут мистер Смит.
Hi! My name is Mr Smith.

Мне двадцать лет и я из Оксфорда. (Do not capitalise anything except names.)
I am 20 year old and from Oxford.

Я работаю в Оксфордском университете.
I work at the University of Oxford.

Я не люблю Англию/ В Англии мне не нравится.
I Don't like England. It is too cold and grey.

Хотя, летом иногда красиво! (Commas ain't placed here)
Although/ however, it is sometimes beautiful during the summer.

Это происходит/случается редко, но ,время от времени, Англия - солнечная страна!
It is rare, but occasionally England is a sunny country!

Я хочу переехать куда-нибудь, где тепло. Во что-то, похожее на Испанию, но я до сих пор не знаю точно, куда.
I want to move somewhere hot. Somewhere like/ similar to Spain, but I still do not know exactly where!

Я изучаю русский язык уже шесть-семь месяцев.
I have been studying Russian for six or seven months.

Хотя, в течение этого времени, я ни с кем не говорил. (Again, capitals)
Although/ however, during that time, I did not speak with anyone.

Я только читал немного.
I only read a little.

Когда я закончу читать Анну Каренину, я напишу про неё.
When I finish reading "Anna Karenina", I will write about the book/ about it.

Когда я зарегистрируюсь в Скайпе, я поговорю часик с кем-нибудь из России. (Names, such as Skype, Google etc. translates how they sound originally)
When I sign up to/ subscribe to SKYPE, I will converse with someone from Russia for an hour this evening.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Additional questions:

1. Are the following pairs of sentences interchangeable and do they convey the same meaning? I understand the first in each pair is perfective and the second is multidirectional. However, both pairs seem to convey the same meaning of a completed round trip. Perhaps the perfective examples emphasise each trip's completion?

Мы съезлили в Париж на три дня.
Мы ездили в Париж на три дня.
In this context, I mean without any other sentences, they do mean the same. BUT, the 2nd can be used when you, for example, are saying that you used to went to Paris for three days each year of a period in the past. But without any addings they mean the same

В прошлом году я съездил в Нью Йорк
В прошлом году я ездил в Нью Йорк
They have the same meaning here (you added 'last year', for once occuring action they mean the same.


2. Are the following variances of the same sentence acceptable and am I interpreting them correctly?

Дети бегали во дворе. - The children were running (around) in the yard. - imperfective, incomplete multidirectional action.
Дети побегали во дворе. - The children did a bit of running in the yard. - perfective, по- prefix also indicates limited action.
Дети бегали по двору. - The children were running around the yard. - imperfective, greater emphasis on multidirectional element of sentence.
Дети побегали по двору. - The children did a bit of running around the garden. - perfective with greater emphasis on running around the garden in.
Yes, they are correct as well as the interpritation6 I think.

Большое спасибо за помощь! You're welcome any time)

Англии мне не нравится. Это слышком холодно и серый.

Англия мне не нравится. она слишком холодная и серая.

As you know words in Russian can be of three genders, the pronouns that you use as a substitution have to be of the same gender with the words they substitute. "Англия" is feminine and "она" should be used when you speak about it.

Это редко, но время от времени Англии солнечная страна!

Редко, но Англия бывает солнечной/Редко, но в Англии бывает солнечно.

Russian word order is more flexible then English, very often subjects or predicates can be ommited. Where you have "it", we have nothing.
It is important that... - Важно, чтобы... It is well-known that... - Хорошо известно, что...

Also we have different attitude towards the repetition of the same words or the words with the same meaning. It happens often in English but in Russian it is a mistake called tautology and should be avoided. In your sentence "rare" and "occasionally" mean the same and should be translated as one word.

Я хочу переехать куда-нибудь жарко. Где-ниьудь похож на Испанию, но я точно ещё не знаю гле!

Я хочу переехать куда-нибудь, где жарко. Куда-нибудь, типа/вроде Испании, но я точно ещё не знаю, куда.

If you mean a movement (a direction), you should use "куда". If you mean a place where you stay, you should use "где".
Ты куда? В кино. = Ты куда идешь? Я иду в кино.
Ты где? В кино. = Ты где находишься? Я нахожусь в кино.

Хотя, в точение времени, Я никогда ни с кем не говорил.

Хотя, в течение этого времени, я никогда ни с кем не говорил.

Do not capitalise russian "я".

Меня только читать мало.

Я только немного читал.

If "I" is a subject, then it is always in the Nom case "Я".
When you say "мало" it means "not enough", in the meaning "a little" should be used "немного"
Я немного его знаю -I know him a little. Я мало его знаю - I don't know him enough

Когда я прочитаю "Анну Каренину", Я буду писать о книге/ о её.

Я буду писать о ней.

But you shouldn't use "ней" in this case, because both "a book" and "Анна Каренина" are feminine and there will be a misunderstanding if you are going to write about a book or about the woman.

Когда я напишу в "Скип", я буду разговаривать с кем-то из России сегодня вечером в часу.

Когда я создам аккаунт в Скайпе, я буду разговаривать вечером в течение часа с кем-то из России.

Additional questions:

1. Are the following pairs of sentences interchangeable and do they convey the same meaning? I understand the first in each pair is perfective and the second is multidirectional. However, both pairs seem to convey the same meaning of a completed round trip. Perhaps the perfective examples emphasise each trip's completion?

Мы съезлили в Париж на три дня
Мы езлили в Париж на три дня

В прошлом году я съездил в Нью Йорк
В прошлом году я ездил в Нью Йорк

For me it is like the difference between the past simple and past perfect. when you tell a story of your trip you don't use the perfect tense, but use the simple one. "I went to Oxford, saw students puntin on the river and smelled roses in the garden next to it." the same i would say in russia "я ездила в Париж на три дня.." and then I expect to hear a story about it. But when you say "I have been to Oxford" there is no story following it. The same is true for me when I hear in Russian "Я съездил в Париж на три дня". Though still you may here a story next. But it is the feeling I have about your examples. The second sentences emphasise the fact that action actually happend, it is not important why and when. Still in the real life other factors may elso be important, for example intonation.

2. Are the following variances of the same sentence acceptable and am I interpreting them correctly?

Дети бегали во дворе. - The children were running (around) in the yard. - imperfective, incomplete multidirectional action.
Дети побегали во дворе. - The children did a bit of running in the yard. - perfective, по- prefix also indicates limited action.
Дети бегали по двору. - The children were running around the yard. - imperfective, greater emphasis on multidirectional element of sentence.
Дети побегали по двору. - The children did a bit of running around the garden. - perfective with greater emphasis on running around the garden in.

What do you mean saying "incomplete"? When subject or predicate is omited then sentence is called incomplete. The predicate can be incomplete if it misses its part. We don't know if action was finished or not.
I'd say the rest you understand correctly.

Ооль! Не сырая, а серая)

Originally Posted by Daniel_Brackley

Ооль! Не сырая, а серая)

Спасибо за замечание, видимо сказывается мое персональное мнение об Англии
Пойду исправлю =)
Орфографию тоже можешь причесать, у меня с ней совсем беда, аж стыдно

Орфография вроде норм.

Originally Posted by Hoax

What do you mean saying "incomplete"? When subject or predicate is omited then sentence is called incomplete. The predicate can be incomplete if it misses its part. We don't know if action was finished or not.
I'd say the rest you understand correctly.

Thanks for your help! I meant imperfective when I said "incomplete" i.e. an ongoing, incomplete action.