Learn Russian Pronunciation

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Welcome to episode 20 – the final exam. You should feel proud for having made it this far. It’s a small course, but still…you put in the time and effort. After this exam you should treat yourself to something..I recommend Russian blini. Ever try them? Блины are basically crepes—very thin pancakes, usually filled with some jelly or sweet cheese inside. They’re a Russian delicacy. In fact, try to say…

I want to cook (or, more literally, ‘prepare’) blini.

Я хочу приготовить блины.

Speaking of popular Russian foods, have you ever tried пельмени? They’re basically dumplings filled with meat…usually pork. Here’s the word again. пельмени

So try to say: I want to cook dumplings.

Я хочу приготовить пельмени.

With two words, ask your roommate: Want shishkabob?

Хочешь шашлык?

Want dumplings?

Хочешь пельмени?

He shrugs and says the Russian word for, Okay.

Хорошо.

Moving on: Try to say: My mother lives in Odessa.

Моя мама живёт в Одессе.

My dad lives in Kharkov.

Мой папа живёт в Харькове.

Anastasia is traveling to Dubai.

Анастасия едет в Дубай.

I’m traveling to Munich.

Я еду в Мюнхен.

Speaking of traveling, say: In New York I want to see Times Square.

В Нью Йорке я хочу увидеть Таймс Сквер.

Quick quiz on voicing and devoicing. Imagine these three Russian letters: В-С-Е

How will that word be pronounced? Will the ‘В’ be voiced?

все

It was devoiced because, if you remember that pattern, the last letter in a cluster determines whether your vocal cords are involved. Right? So, since the ‘S’ sound (С) is naturally devoiced, it affects the “v” sound that comes before it. So not “V-syeh” but an “F” sound: Fsyeh

And we’re going to need that word, which means “all”, in this next sentence.

I want to see all the main tourist sites in Paris.

Я хочу увидеть все достопримечательности в Париже

Try that again. I want to see all the main tourist sites in Amsterdam.

Я хочу увидеть все достопримечательности в Амстердаме.

I think that was the longest sentence in the whole course.

In your studies, you’ve probably encountered the word кафе, which is how Russians pronounce cafe. So try to say: I’m going to the cafe. (implying, on foot)

Я иду в кафе.

Now that word we use for “to” the cafe…it’s the letter В. But was it voiced or no? Say the phrase again: I’m going to the cafe.

Я иду в кафе.

So it was devoiced. But why? Because the letter that follows, the ‘k’ of cafe is naturally devoiced. And even though it’s a separate word, in Russian, prepositions like “to, from, for” and so on, are treated as if they are part of the word that follows. We do that in English too, right? We say:

I’m going t’McDonalds. We don’t say: I’m going **to** McDonalds. The word “to” basically gets absorbed into the beginning of McDonalds.

Say: I’m going to the park.

Я иду в парк.

Again, ‘В’ is devoiced because of the ‘П’ in парк. Now say…

I’m going to Burger King.

Я иду в Бургер Кинг.

There, the ‘В’ is voiced…В Бургер Кинг…because the ‘Б’ in Бургер is naturally voiced.

How will your friend ask: Where is Burger King located?

Где находится Бургер Кинг?

Tell her: Burger King is located downtown.

Бургер Кинг находится в центре.

Let’s try this. Two phrases: I’m going to the cafe. I want dumplings.

Я иду в кафе. Я хочу пельмени.

The word for a mini-market in Russian is an easy cognate. Listen…

мини-маркет

So try this: I want yogurt. I’m going to the mini-market.

Я хочу йогурт. Я иду в мини-маркет.

Before the word мини-маркет…was that В voiced?

I want a magazine. I’m going to the mini-market.

Я хочу журнал. Я иду в мини-маркет.

Next…Try to say: Taras was in St. Petersburg.

Тарас был в Санкт-петербурге.

Imagine that your friend is a violinist and she, somehow, misplaced her instrument. It’s not in the car, not in the hotel…and then she finds it. How will she say:

The violin was in the theater.

Скрипка была в театре.

Of course, because Скрипка ends with an “ah” sound, making it feminine, she used the feminine past tense—была—to match. (Or to rhyme, really.)

Let’s try that phrase again, but add an expression of relief.

Thank God. The violin was in the theater.

Слава Богу! Скрипка была в театре.

Next: How do we convey the idea that: I like rock…as in, rock music.

To me….is pleasing….rock.

Мне нравится рок.

Say: I like jazz.

Мне нравится джаз.

The final letter was a Z (З), which is normally voiced. But, being at the end of the word, Russians devoice it.

Say: I really like jazz. To me…very pleasing…jazz.

Мне очень нравится джаз.

One last example of devoicing the final consonant…What’s the Russian version of Oh, my God?

О, мой Бог.

That final letter is a G (Г)…normally voiced as.’guh’… but that’s the pattern in Russian. They get devoiced at the end of a word.

Speaking of endings…We’re at the end, not only of this exam, but of the whole course.

Hopefully, though, this isn’t goodbye. I have two other podcasts that you can get.

Russian Made Easy

…and my newest one…

Understanding Spoken Russian.

Or, if you want to really speed things up, then I hope you’ll join my Russian Accelerator course. We’ll get you conversational in Russian in just a few months. See you soon!

До встречи

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Welcome to episode 19 – our last new material before the final. Hopefully you’ve noticed that, as this course progressed, I tried to get you working on things that you’re likely to say. Again, this is why I veered away from mindless pronunciation drills and tongue twisters. With that goal of practicality firmly in mind, today we’ll be learning two new verbs.

Like

дать

играть

сказать

покупать

For

дат

..and

Those

говорить

купить

ездить

приготовить

All

Even

…or

I’m

Imagine

Я

How

I

You

Я

I

Я

Getting

смотреть

гулять

заснуть

видеть

Again,

Can

The

Fill

Now

For

So,

В

In

You

В

In

В

In

В

Let’s

быть

мыть

открыть

закрыть

Again,

…and

Let’s

Я

In

В

And

Igor

Игорь

Anastasia

Анастасия

One

I

Я

In

В

Veronika

Вероника

Robert

Роберт

I’m

Я

Did you catch the soft-sign at the end? If you did you have a great ear. Alright, be sure to visit the site for the transcripts and exercises, and I’ll see you in the next episode… the final exam!

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Alright,

Игорь

There’s

Игор

But

Игорь

Now

Игорь

That’s

So,

Тарас

Тарас

Careful

Тарас

Again,

Анастасия

Анастасия

Next:

Борис

Out

Квебек

In

Татьяна

Татьяна

Next:

Олег

Олег

Doing

Я

That

I’m

Я

еду

Игорь

Say:

Я

New

Сергей

So

Сергей

Now

Сергей

Next:

Try

Екатерина

Next…

Вероника

So

Вероника

What

Китай

China.

So

Артём

Next:

Daria

Дарья

Say:

Я

Mixing

Sasha

Саша

Roger

Роджер

My

Моя

Vova

Вова

I

To

Мне

Try

Мне

That’s a lot to absorb, so be sure to head over to the site, russianpronunciation.com to read the transcript and practice with all these names. And in the meantime, I’ll see you in Ep 19.

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Welcome

“Oh!

Place

Вашингтон

That

Вашингтон

The

You

Next:

Делавэр

Again,

Делавэр

So,

Уичито

See?

Another

Гавайи

Огайо

Бирмингем

The

Хьюстон

Оклахома

Айдахо

Go

Мичиган

Oddly,

Same

Чикаго

Russian

Sticking

Торонто

So,

And

Монреаль

No

Before

Я

Was

Я

Because

Now,

еду

For

Я

Our

Your

Я

I’m

Я

I’m

Я

Excellent.

Париж

Paris.

Осло

Oslo.

Again,

Next:

Санкт-Петербург

What

Or

Again,

But

Papa

Папа

Same

Mama

Мама

The

My

Мой

Hear

Try

Я

Let’s

Я

…to

Я

…to

Я

…to

Я

Speaking

Anyway,

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Today

Is

The

So

Я

That

Let’s

Я

Again,

волк…VOICED

вообще…VOICED

все…VOICELESS

вторник…VOICELESS

вполне…VOICELESS

взаимно…VOICED

вдали…VOICED

вместе…VOICED

What’s

все

Hmm…I

Take

Do

And

And

Similarly,

Then

And

For

Я

The

Я

It’s

How

Я

How

Я

What

Я

Now

Let’s

долго

дар

Дима

But

In

жар

жить

But

ложка

Again,

All

сад

сорт

сила

But

Since

These

Before

What

Я

Great

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Welcome to episode 15. Today we’ll be learning the chorus of a song called Май. The chorus is only three lines long, so let’s start with the first half of the first line.

А за окном май

That’s four words: A…за…окном…май

…which translates literally as: Beyond the window, it’s May. In simpler language: It’s May outside.

Say the line again: А за окном май

In Episode 13 we briefly learned the word for “life”…Do you recall it? It starts with a “zh” sound.

жизнь And although it doesn’t end with an ‘ah’ sound, it’s nevertheless secretly a feminine noun.

Which is why, to say “my life” we need the feminine version of “my.” Do you recall that word from the last lesson? моя

So say: My life…Моя жизнь

And what were the first four words of the chorus? А за окном май

Say it one more time? And now say: My life…. Excellent.

With that out of the way, now let’s listen to a minute or so of the song, and we’ll stop after the chorus. See if you can catch the word that comes after “моя жизнь”

( song clip )

What did you hear after “моя жизнь”? The word was рай which translates as paradise.

So she’s saying: Beyond the window it’s May, my life is paradise. Listen to her sing just that part.

Now you say it…or sing it…: А за окном май, моя жизнь – рай.

I found the lyrics for this song on like ten different sites, and the words were always identical, which tells me they’re all copying from whatever site posted them first. And though I’m not a native speaker, I think they’re missing one word. The online lyrics give four words for the next line:

Шепчет на ухо – обнимай.

…but I hear the word ‘Он’ before that. Он шепчет на ухо – обнимай.

Their version translates obscurely. Literally it would be: Whispers in the ear – hug.

Who whispers in the ear, you know? But if you add ‘он’ it makes more sense: He whispers in my ear…hug (me). But it’s not just that it makes more sense. I hear it. So, the heck with online lyrics, let’s try it my way: Он шепчет на ухо – обнимай.

That 2nd word is шеп — чет….(shep…chet)…whispers

That last word обнимай is a command ending with our Short E from the last lesson.

Let’s review what we have. Can you say the first line? It starts with А за…

And the second line? It starts with Он шепчет

Let’s listen to that part again, then try to echo it… (clip)

I have to do a real quick, random review because this is how memory works. So…What’s the Russian word for husband?

муж

And for wife?

жена

Meat cooked on a skewer is called…?

шашлык

And a hot herbal drink is called…

чай

In Russian, the fifth month of the year is called Май

Let’s get back to the song. This time I’ll give the English translation as a prompt.

Beyond the window it’s May

My life is paradise

He whispers in the ear (meaning my ear)

hug (me)

Let me play the song from a few lines prior to the chorus, and see if you can recite it or sing it along with her… (clip)

Alright, and now the last line of the chorus.

А я с ума….That’s four words: А я с ума

The next word, схожу is a hard one to crank out. You have an “s” sound, and then X.

That phrase “я с ума схожу” translates as “I’m going crazy.” Literally: I’m going out of my mind.

Because he’s whispering in her ear, asking for a hug. And so she says…А я с ума схожу ай-я-яй.

Let’s try that third line again: А я с ума схожу, ай-я-яй.

The whole chorus and I’ll prompt you with the first two words of each line. Ready?

А за…

Он шепчет….

А я…

Again, for memory’s sake, I need to test you on older material. How would you say:

I like tea.

Мне нравится чай.

I like yogurt.

Мне нравится йогурт.

Where is Starbucks located?

Где находится Старбакс?

Where is the cashier located?

Где находится касса?

My husband.

Мой муж.

My wife.

Моя жена.

Last one: Main tourist sites.

достопримечательности

Ok, back to the song. Again, let me give you the English translation as a prompt.

Beyond the window it’s May

My life is paradise

He whispers in the ear (meaning my ear)

hug (me)

I’m going out of my mind…ai-ya-yai

Here’s the song. Try the chorus with her…

If you join my Russian Accelerator course, this would be a great first recording to send in to your Success Coach. When you join the course, we assign you one of our coaches who reaches out via email within the first few days. And when she does, send her this, Just record yourself reciting the chorus—you don’t have to sing it—and then send her the file. Our coaches are used to working with total beginners, so if you send them this, I’m sure she’ll be blown away.

Anyway, keep working on it, and I’ll see you in the next episode.

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Welcome

This

йогурт,

And

Let’s

In

Try

Next:

Earl

In

And

шляпой

Again,

девушкой

тряпкой

с

с

с

Moving

ей

дней

детей

чьей

Quick

The

Let’s

I

The

After

I

Did

We’ll

О,

So

For

Мой

My

Мой

My

Мой

My

Мой

My

Мой

My

Мой

My

Мой

For

моя

So

моя

My

моя

My

моя

My

моя

Let’s

ай-я-яй

Russians

Next:

Or,

давай

кушай

обнимай

слушай

Again,

Some

построй

открой

закрой

стой

And

целуй

попробуй

рисуй

Let’s

шашлык

How

щи

And

цветок

How

жена

And

йогурт

йога

And

And

And

My

мой

My

моя

My

мой

My

моя

My

мой

My

моя

My

мой

My

моя

Alright.

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Welcome

Imagine

Next

In

Hear

The

Let’s

Newsweek

The

After

I

Being

Kevin

What

муж

жена

Do

Я

And

Я

So

Муж

How

Муж

My

Жена

Or

Жена

You might be wondering why we say ‘в банке’. Why is there that ‘yeh’ sound at the end? That’s a great question, but it’s beyond the scope of a pronunciation course. But I will tell you, it’s the very first topic we cover in my Understanding Spoken Russian podcast. By the end of Episode #1 you’ll be a master of what’s known as the prepositional case in Russian.

Meanwhile…Let’s

I

Я

I

Я

I

Я

I

Я

I

Я

Now

Хочешь

Want

Хочешь

Again,

When

род

It

жив

Not

круиз

Not

грабёж

Not

But

Speaking

During

“And

So

Let’s

жизнь

What

And

My

Use

Imagine

It’s

Every

I

You

Newsweek

The

After

I

What’s

Alright. Great job. Check out my Understanding Spoken Russian podcast, and I’ll see you in the next episode.

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Welcome

The

The

In

Try

The

The

Papa

Those

A

Now

фрукт

Again,

So

Apple…rose…orchid…banana….kiwi…lilly…

And

каша

And

шашлык

And

щи

And

борщ

Getting

The

For

The

In

Я

So

Я

And

Доброе

So,

Доброе

Say:

Нет,

Anyway….The

Папа,

For

цифра

тунец

церковь

капец

цикл

Кузнец

целый

конец

The

So

зум…ЦУМ

зап…цап

зол…цол

зон…цон

It’s

руз…руц

баз…бац

доз…доц

But

свет….цвет

The

The

Especially

The

…although

цветок

So

And

яйца

To

Yikes

And

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Welcome

Hi

Good

Now

If

Ok.

Do

“Хорошо.”

Now

So,

The

Me

What

People…English

So…Yes,

сегодня….его….хорошего….плохого….ничего

All

How

Moving on… Most of the of emails I get are from people wanting to know if they’re pronouncing some word correctly. And that’s such an important point. You’re studying Russian on your own, learning words and phrases, but you have no one to practice with and so you’re understandably worried that you’re not saying things right. That’s what everyone worries about, I think: Will they understand me?

If for no other reason, that is why I encourage you to join my Russian Accelerator course. Because along with lifetime access to the course, you get a full year of our Success Coaching. There you can send in recordings of yourself speaking Russian, and our native speaking coaches will listen and let you know that they understood you, and give helpful feedback so you can get even better. It’s one of the reasons Russian Accelerator is so popular, because it’s highly interactive. You study one of the lessons, send in your recording…then you can move on with confidence. You’ll know that Yes, people understand me. I’m saying this right.

Moving

On

шу

ша

ши

ше

And

щу

ща

щи

ще

Let’s

шу

ша

ши

ше

To

щи

борщ

Those

щи

борщ…is

Next

When

And

Let’s

Beet

Meat

And

Alright.