Thread: Book

У нас этот вопрос часто звучит так - "Время есть?" Я обычно отвечаю "Да, до обеда/вечера/утра"

А, ну да, "Время есть?" -- иногда так действительно говорят.

Okay, I have been pouring over Pimsleur tapes, and felt good about reaching the end of the 1st level with some amount of understanding...Now, you say that it isn't proper to say "Katori sea-chess chess" when you want to know the time??

You mean Которы сейчас час? I don't know, I've always imagined (I don't have any Russian tapes, just Living Language's Russian Coursebook) сейчас and час being pronounced with a long 'a' sound instead of like "chess." Is this right?

It's not a *long* a sound ... as for example 'hard' or 'car'
but a short a sound - like 'hat' or 'cat'
so : chass

i find it rather bizarre the way everyone says час all the time here, meaning 'just a second' or 'just a minute' .. why do they use the word for hour to express this meaning?! 'just an hour' would sound pretty funny in English

Not «час» but «щас» (pronounced «щяс»). It is shortened form of «сейчас» (now, right now).

Eh? you kind of lost me there...

sure, it's a shortening of сейчас - this i understood already.

but why would the shortening of сейчас be щяс?
I hear it about 50 times an hour here and it sounds exactly like час to me
but i never asked anyone to spell it