Russian For Dummies

The fast and easy way to learn to speak Russian If you′re looking to reach a comfort level in conversational Russian, this hands–on, friendly guide gets you speaking like a native. Here, you′ll find expanded coverage of the necessary grammar, major verb tenses, and conjugations that beginners need to know. Plus, you′ll get a fully updated audio CD that includes real–life conversations, a refreshed and expanded mini–dictionary, plenty of useful practice opportunities, and more. Russian 101 — learn to recite the alphabet, get a crash course on grammar, and start saying some basic Russian expressions It′s easy as odin, dva, tri (1, 2, 3) — hone your small–talk skills and discover how to communicate effectively in everyday situations, like asking for directions, ordering food, and more Happy trails — take your Russian on the road and discover how to plan a trip, make arrangements for a place to stay, discuss transportation, and exchange money for local currency Take care of business — grasp the essential Russian language skills you need to talk on the phone and perform everyday tasks at the office Open the book and find: Common words and phrases in Cyrillic Basic grammar, Russian cases, and common expressions Formal and informal greetings Information on numbers, time, and measurements Pointers for describing everyday activities in Russian Tips for making small talk, asking for directions, and more Fun activities to help you practice your Russian skills Expanded Russian–English and English–Russian dictionaries Audio CD Includes More than 30 conversations that reinforce lessons from the book See appendix for complete system requirements. Learn to: Speak conversational Russian with ease Make sense of grammar, verb conjugations, and pronunciations Identify Cyrillic letters CD includes real–life conversations by native speakers

Introduction 1 Part I: Getting Started 7 Chapter 1: Russian in a Nutshell 9 Chapter 2: Checking Out the Russian Alphabet 17 Chapter 3: Warming Up with Russian Grammar Basics 33 Chapter 4: Getting Started with Basic Expressions 69 Chapter 5: Getting Your Numbers, Times, and Measurements Straight 81 Chapter 6: Speaking Russian at Home 99 Part II: Russian in Action 117 Chapter 7: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 119 Chapter 8: Asking for Directions 133 Chapter 9: Dining Out and Going to the Market 145 Chapter 10: Shopping Made Easy 157 Chapter 11: Going Out on the Town 173 Chapter 12: Taking Care of Business and Telecommunications 185 Chapter 13: Recreation and the Great Outdoors 203 Part III: Russian on the Go 219 Chapter 14: Planning a Trip 221 Chapter 15: Dealing with Money in a Foreign Land 231 Chapter 16: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and More 241 Chapter 17: Finding a Place to Stay 255 Chapter 18: Handling Emergencies 271 Part IV: The Part of Tens 289 Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Pick Up Russian Quickly 291 Chapter 20: Ten Things Never to Say in Russian 295 Chapter 21: Ten Favorite Russian Expressions 301 Chapter 22: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Fluent in Russian 305 Part V: Appendixes 311 Appendix A: Mini–Dictionary 313 Appendix B: Verb Tables 333 Appendix C: On the CD 339 Appendix D: Answer Keys 341 Index 345

Andrew Kaufman , PhD, is a published scholar and an award–winning teacher of Russian language, literature, and culture at some of the country′s top universities. Serafima Gettys , PhD, is a Coordinator of the Foreign Language Program at Lewis University, where she also teaches Russian.