RUSLAN RUSSIAN 1

A communicative course for beginners in Russian

John Langran and Natalya Veshnyeva Alphabet introduction and first lesson - free on the website

A1

Ruslan Limited www.ruslan.co.uk

Ruslan 1 Alphabet Introduction

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Ruslan Russian 1 fifth edition, 2012 ISBN 9781899785827 Published in the UK by Ruslan Limited www.ruslan.co.uk 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2012 Ruslan for the cartoons at the start of each lesson Anna Lauchlan Additional cartoons by Piers Sanford UK book trade distribution by Bay Foreign Language Books Limited www.baylanguagebooks.co.uk

Copyright notice Teachers using the Ruslan course with learners who have purchased the course book may copy and cut out the speaking exercise material to use as cue cards for group work and may copy the cartoons at the beginning of each lesson for classroom use. With these exceptions, no part of this book may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the copyright owner. Errata Any errors or amendments will be listed on the Ruslan website at: www.ruslan.co.uk/errata.htm

Ruslan 1 fifth edition textbook ISBN 9781899785827 Ruslan 1 fifth edition textbook with audio CD ISBN 9781899785834 Ruslan 1 fifth edition audio CD only ISBN 9781899785841 Ruslan 1 workbook with audio CD ISBN 9781899785223 Ruslan 1 CD-ROM ISBN 9781899785087 Ruslan 2 and 3 continue the course to intermediate and advanced levels and the Ruslan Russian Grammar brings together the grammar for all three levels. www.ruslan.co.uk

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Ruslan 1 Alphabet Introduction

RUSLAN RUSSIAN 1

A SUMMARY

Ruslan Russian 1 more than satisfies the requirements for Council of Europe foreign language assessment at A1 level. The alphabet introduction describes the sound of each letter and gives examples with international words for easy recognition. The ten lessons include: - a list of contents for you to check your progress. - a cartoon to introduce new vocabulary and also useful for practising questions and answers, and for revision. - dialogues to introduce new vocabulary and structures, following the adventures of Ivan, Vadim, Lyudmila and her family and friends. - lists of new words in the order in which they appear. - background information in English. - grammar explanations. - exercises based on the new language. - reading exercises with authentic material. - writing exercises to reinforce the grammar points. - listening exercises with texts printed at the back of the book. - speaking exercises with role-play situations and suggestions for pair work and language games. - reading texts extending the main story-line. - translation exercises. - some songs and poems for learners. At the end of the book you will find the texts of the listening exercises, a summary of the grammar covered in the course, a pronunciation guide and Russian to English and English to Russian dictionaries. Teachers notes, tests and work sheets linked to the course are free for teachers. Please go to www.ruslan.co.uk/teachers.htm. You will need a user name and password from Ruslan Limited. Support for learners and and a key to the exercises are at www.ruslan.co.uk/ruslan1.htm The Ruslan 1 Audio CD contains recordings of the Alphabet Introduction, all the dialogues, the listening exercises, texts, songs and poems. Ruslan Russian 1 Workbook 203 exercises to support Ruslan Russian 1. These can be used for individual learning or by groups with a teacher. Teachers may want to use the exercises orally in class, or for tests or for homework. Ruslan Russian 1 CDRom A full multimedia version of the Ruslan 1 course with 285 interactive exercises with sound and feedback, and including video exercises. This program has won a UK DTI award for Language Excellence.
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CONTENTS
Cyril and Methodius Stress in Russian The Russian alphabet Letters in words. Handwriting

11 11 12 14 16

Lesson 1 - APP - The airport No word for the or a No verb to be in the present tense How to ask a question by raising your voice Masculine and feminine nouns The possessive pronouns and , and The personal pronouns and Information: Moscow Reading: Igor at Pulkovo Airport, Saint Petersburg Song: ! Lesson 2 - A - The street and - I know and you know The prepositions and meaning to a place Imperatives: ! ! ! ! Neuter nouns. The personal pronoun The use of - there is Numbers 0-10 Information: Arbat. Bulat Okudzhava Reading: Igor in Saint Petersburg Photo gallery: Moscow and Saint Petersburg Lesson 3 - - The family The genitive singular of masculine and feminine nouns The genitive of pronouns , (, ) Spelling rule for the letters and The genitive to express of, after prepositions, after negatives and after numbers 2, 3, 4 Forms of and - you may, it is possible and - you may not Information: Russian names Reading:

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Lesson 4 - ? - Where were you? 56 The use of and - two forms of you The prepositional singular with and meaning at a place Recognition of infinitives Introduction to the past tense The full present tense of - to know Numbers 10-100. Months of the year Information: Russian national holidays Countries and languages Reading: Song: ... ? 14 Ruslan 1 Alphabet Introduction

Lesson 5 - CA - The hotel The preposition c with the meaning since Short adjectives: - open and - shut The present tense of - to speak Note on imperfective and perfective verbs The constructions and used for I have and you have The days of the week Information: Hotels in Russia. GUM - The Main Department Store Reading: . Lesson 6 - - The restaurant The verbs , and the imperatives , More about neuter nouns The accusative singular of nouns Adjectives in the nominative case The word for which - Information: Russian Food. A.S.Pushkin Reading: Lesson 7 - - About oneself The preposition o - about - taking the prepositional case Masculine and feminine nouns ending in a soft sign Neuter nouns ending in - Impersonal constructions: Nouns ending in - Numbers above 100 Information: The river Volga Reading: Song: Lesson 8 - - Time The time in whole hours The nominative and accusative plural of nouns and adjectives Short adjectives in the plural The genitive plural of masculine nouns The verb - to be able to Information: Using the telephone in Russia Reading: Lesson 9 - - The theatre Reflexive verbs in the present tense The dative singular of nouns The verbs - to love - and - to please The verb with and the accusative - to play a sport The use of - a time Information: Snegurochka Reading: Song:
Ruslan 1 Alphabet Introduction

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82

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Lesson 10 - - The house 132 The instrumental singular of nouns The spelling rule for the letter o The genitive plural of feminine and soft sign nouns The genitive plural of masculine nouns ending in -, -, - or - Masculine nouns with the prepositional ending in - or - The verb with and the prepositional - to play an instrument The verbs - to sleep, - to sing and - to drink The declension of personal pronouns The accusative after - thankyou for Information: Housing in Russia Reading: Song: Texts of the listening exercises Grammar Reference Russian Pronunciation Russian Punctuation English to Russian Dictionary Russian to English Dictionary Ruslan Russian materials Key to the exercises Internet support for learners Internet support for teachers
Items marked

146 147 150 154 155 156 166 176 www.ruslan.co.uk/ruslan1.htm www.ruslan.co.uk/ruslan1.htm www.ruslan.co.uk/teachers.htm

2 are recorded on the CD. The number is the number of the CD track. For items marked there are additional recordings at www.ruslan.co.uk/ruslan1.htm www
For items marked www you will find additional information or an additional exercise at www.ruslan.co.uk/ruslan1.htm

Abbreviations used: nom. Nominative acc. Accusative gen. Genitive dat. Dative instr. Instrumental prep. Prepositional imp. Imperfective perf. Perfective

m. f. n. pl. adj. ..

Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural Adjective etc.

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Ruslan 1 Alphabet Introduction


Cyril and Methodius Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which is named after Cyril and Methodius, two Greek holy men, now Saints. In the 9th century AD, Cyril and Methodius created an original alphabet called "Glagolitic", as part of a mission to convert the Slavic tribes to Christianity. The Cyrillic alphabet then evolved from this Glagolitic alphabet, with some additional influence from Greek and Hebrew. The Cyrillic alphabet was amended at the time of Peter the Great and some more small changes were made by Lenin in the 1920s. During the time of the USSR, the Cyrillic alphabet was obligatory in all the Soviet Republics. Today it is used in Russia, and, with a few minor differences, in Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria and Serbia.

INFORMATION

Cyril and Methodius

STRESS IN RUSSIAN
You do not need perfect pronunciation to be able to get by in basic Russian. However, if you want to progress beyond beginner level you should try to pronounce the words as correctly as you can. Russian pronunciation depends on the stress. In words of more than one syllable there is a stressed vowel which is pronounced more strongly than the others. This stressed vowel is marked with an acute accent. For example, the stress in the word for wine is on the last syllable - veenoh. But in the word for problem - - the is unstressed and therefore reduced. It sounds more like the English a in about.
(For the pronunciation of and use the Alphabet Introduction of the CDRom or audio CD, or check with your teacher.)

Stress is usually unpredictable, although there are some patterns. If you are a beginner it is best to learn the stress for each new word. When you go to Russia, or when you read original Russian texts or newspapers, the stress will not be marked for you. You need to learn it. There is some more detailed help with pronunciation on page 154.

Ruslan 1 Alphabet Introduction

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THE RUSSIAN ALPHABET

The Russian alphabet has 33 characters: 21 consonants, 10 vowels and 2 phonetic signs.

2

Six letters are similar in Russian and English. Examples in words:

Six letters are false friends. They look like English letters, but their sounds are different.

The remaining letters are unlike English letters.

3

The two phonetic symbols (the soft sign and the hard sign ) have no sound of their own. The soft sign has the effect of softening the previous consonant. The hard sign creates a buffer between a hard consonant and a soft vowel.

wine petrol chocolate Red Square

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Ruslan 1 Alphabet Introduction

The sounds of the letters in alphabetical order stressed: a in father, unstressed: a in about. b in bit. Sounds like p at the end of a word. v. Sounds like f at the end of a word. g in gate. Sounds like k at the end of a word. d. Sounds like t at the end of a word. stressed: ye in yes, unstressed: i in bit. yo - always stressed. Often hardened, as in . like the s in pleasure. z in zip. Sounds like s at the end of a word. like ee in eel. like the y in boy. k as in kill. l as in ball. m as in man. n as in new. stressed: o as in for, unstressed: a in about. p as in pan. a rolled r. s as in sit. t as in pat. like the oo in zoo.
Listen to the CD for the exact sounds of the letters! For additional explanations see page 154.

f as in far. like the ch in the German ach or the Scottish loch. like the ts in hats. like the ch in child. sh as in sheep. long sch as in borsch. Try to say ee, keep your tongue in the same place, and say sh instead. hard sign - quite rare and has no sound of its own. Used to separate a consonant from a soft vowel. There is no equivalent in English. Start with i as in bit, and then move your tongue lower and backwards. soft sign. Has no sound of its own. It has the effect of softening the preceding consonant. stressed: a hard e, like the e in when. Unstressed like i in bit a soft u, like the first u in usual. stressed: ya in yak, unstressed: more like the a in about.

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HANDWRITING. LETTERS IN WORDS

Letter Example Handwritten Translation

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atom luggage wine gram doctor evro New Year tree journal zoo idea yoghurt crisis lamp menu zero opera problem rouble sport
Ruslan 1 Alphabet Introduction

taxi street football ice hockey tsar tea chocolate cabbage soup object music control expert humour apple

The letter and the signs and are not used at the beginning of a word. The letter is only used together with a vowel. The stress marks and the dots over the letter are not normally used in authentic Russian texts. In handwriting, there are two versions of the letter Some letters that are tall letters in English, for example k, l, are short in Russian: , . They occupy just half the height of the line. In , , .
For more practice of the letters, use the Ruslan 1 Workbook.

the hook at the start of the letter is clearly defined.

Some letters can be quite different in upper and lower cases.

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LESSON 1

Ivan and Lyudmila meet on the plane from London and then arrive at Moscow Sheremetyevo airport. You will meet a number of words associated with travel and the airport, and some basic questions and answers. You will learn that: the Russians have no word for the or a the verb to be is not used in the present tense you can ask a question by changing the intonation. The grammar includes: some masculine and feminine nouns personal pronouns: - I - he or it possessive pronouns: (masculine) / (feminine) (masculine) / (feminine)

you she or it my or mine your or yours

You will learn: to read some notices at a Russian airport and to understand some place names to write some Russian letters and to write your name. There is some basic information on Moscow. The reading passage is about Igor at Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg, and there is a song for learners !
The Ruslan 1 workbook contains 19 additional exercises for this lesson, including 3 listening exercises. The Ruslan 1 CD Rom contains 23 additional exercises with sound. Lesson 1 is a free download from: www.ruslan.co.uk/demos.htm

Is this the fast or the slow bus to the airport?

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Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

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1
Ivan on the plane ! ! ? , ! , ? , . ? ... ... .

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Lyudmila and : : : : : : :

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Ivan at passport control : , . : , . : ? : , . . : ? : , . : X. . Ivan and Lyudmila by the baggage claim : ? : , . : ? : ? : , . : ? : , , . : ? : , . Ivan going through customs Official: . : ? ...? , . . Official: ? : ? . Official: ? : . . Official: . ? : , . . Official: ? : . . Official: ? : . Official: ? : . Official: , .

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Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

 . A Russian woman asks a British visitor about his bag : , ? : , , . , , ? : , . : -1 -2? : -! -D. ! ! / x / airport Hello! this Moscow yes Excuse (me)! and / but you male tourist female tourist businessman female journalist officer no and I not your / yours (m. / f.) passport please (please take it) / you are welcome good here is thank you suitcase my / mine (m. / f.) where (position) bag ticket he / it (m.) (customs) declaration she / it (f.) baggage what aspirin souvenir

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! -!

typical Englishman woman map Tell (me)! Sheremetyevo

(airport)

one or two No! (with emphasis)

Travellers to Russia who are carrying more than a certain amount of foreign currency and valuables have to fill out a customs declaration form and go through the red customs channel. The new terminals at Sheremetyevo airport use Latin letters in their names: -A, -B, -C, etc.

www

www

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www

Over 850 years old, Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation, and with more than 11.5 million inhabitants (2010) it is the largest city in Europe. It is the Port of Five Seas (which are linked to the city by rivers and canals). Moscow has three major airports, nine main stations, and a metro renowned for its efficiency, frequency and amazing architecture and decor.

www

English-speaking nationalities, male and female:

Russians sometimes use / to mean anyone from the British Isles!

There is a glossary of grammatical terminology at www.ruslan.co.uk/ruslan1.htm

Articles and the verb to be There are no articles (a or the) in Russian, and in everyday speech the verb to be is not used in the present tense (I am, you are etc.). This means that some basic sentences can be very simple: This is the airport. . I am a businessman. . This is my luggage. . You can ask a question by changing the intonation. The word order does not change. . ? This is Moscow.

(voice goes down)

Is this Moscow? (voice rises)

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Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

Russian nouns can be masculine, feminine or neuter You have only met masculine and feminine nouns in this lesson. Usually you can tell the gender by the last letter of the word. Most masculine nouns end in a consonant or -: / / / (tram) Most feminine nouns end in -, - or -: (visa) / (a girls name) /
In later lessons you will meet nouns with other endings. Nouns ending in - or - are almost always neuter. Nouns ending in - are neuter. Nouns ending in a soft sign - can be masculine or feminine.

Possessive pronouns / - my or mine and / - your or yours agree with the noun that they refer to. Here they are either masculine or feminine: Masculine Feminine

/ These mean he or she for people or animals, and it for things. is used to refer to a masculine noun: ? ? is used to refer to a feminine noun: ? ? ! ! ! !

! - Hello! To make this easier to pronounce, break it up into syllables. () / / ! The first is not pronounced.
English speakers often find this difficult. If you have a standard English accent, try thinking of your donkey! Say Does your ass fit yer fairly quickly and slurring the first Does. The result can be very close to !.

www

The Russian equivalent of Hi! is: ! and should only be used once a day, when you first meet. is only used informally, with people you know.

Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

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1. . . . . . . .

EXERCISES

Complete the blanks with the correct word _______ ? / _______ . / _______ . / ? _______. / ? _______. / ? _______. / ? _______. /

2. . . . . . . . . 3.

Choose the correct response ? ? ? . ? . ? ?

. , . , . . . , . , .

You have lost your passport. What might you say? ? ? . . Someone has found it. What might he / she say to you? . ? . . You thank him / her: X. . . . And he / she might respond: X. . . .

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Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

!
1.

READ!

Notices at the airport. Which is which?

www

Souvenirs - Transit - Check in - Baggage claim Perfumes - Red channel - No smoking - No exit Toilet - Passport control - Exit - Flight number 2. What might interest a Russian customs officer? Recognise the currencies! - - - - - Recognise the cars! Find three Russian cars! - - - - - - - - - - - ? - Which airport? Which airport(s) would you use for the USA, for Western Europe, for the Baltic countries, for Ukraine, for China? Which airport would you use for Northern Russia, Southern Russia, for Siberia, for the Far East of Russia. (Use the map on page 2)

3.

www

4.

www

5.

www -D: , , , , , , , , . -E: , , , -F: , : , , . : , , , -, , -, , -, .

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WRITE!

Here is part of the passenger list from Ivans flight to Moscow. . . Work out who the three non-Russians are. Add your own name in Russian handwriting, and the names of other people in your class.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

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Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

LISTEN!

Listen to the dialogue on the audio CD Lyudmila is going through customs: 1. Name the three items requested by the official for inspection. 2. What was the purpose of Lyudmilas trip? You can check your 3. Name the cities she visited. answers with the text 4. Has she any souvenirs? on page 147.

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!
1.

SPEAK!

Questions and answers about the cartoon on page 17 ? ? ? ? ? .. . , . . ! !

2.

Role-play (work in pairs) Use a piece of card as an imaginary passport. Write in your name in Russian and your status or profession: tourist (), business person () etc. Then you are at passport control. One person plays the border guard, the other plays a visitor. Border guard Ask to see passport. Check status. (tourist / business person etc). Check the name. Ask about luggage etc. Return the passport and visa and say thank you. Then change roles and do it again. Visitor Show your passport. Confirm your status. Confirm your name. Answer. Respond.

Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

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!
www

3.

Language game for a group Choose your profession from the following: journalist musician engineer

Then find the other people who have the same job as you, using Russian only, and using words you have learned in this lesson. , , ? , . . !

, ? , .
Use masculine forms of the professions. It would be unusual to use the feminine form in this situation. There is no feminine form of or .

4.

/ You will need a collection of objects or pictures. They should be either masculine or feminine. There are some pictures for you to use on the next page. Ask each other questions and point when you give the answer. - - - - - - - - ? ! ? !

5.

Using the pictures opposite, ask and answer questions such as: ? . ? ? .

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Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

 www
1 2

8 7 10

Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

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, -, . ? , . . ? . . . , ? : , . ? . . ? . ? !

Saint Petersburg terminal number passenger rucksack guitar musician

- Questions on the text . ? . ? . ? . ? . ? . ? . ?

- Translation Excuse me, is this your suitcase? Yes, it is my suitcase. Thank you. You're welcome. Where is my ticket? Here it is. And my visa? Here it is. This is not my guitar and this is not my rucksack. Sorry! Is this your guitar? Yes, this is my guitar. Thank you. And is this your rucksack? Yes, this is my rucksack. Thank you. Are you a tourist? No.

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Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

! , ? ? , . ! , , . , , ! : , . ? ? , : ! , , , . ? ? , : !
(m.) ! Goodbye briefcase already in the terminal bus Look! taxi driver

SONG

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Original song by L.M. OToole

Ruslan 1 Lesson 1

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TEXTS OF THE LISTENING EXERCISES

These are the texts of the listening exercises from each lesson. The dialogues are for general comprehension practice. They include some points that you will not have met in the lessons and some new words which you will find in the dictionary. 1. A ae: a cop, oca. a: o..., oca. ae: A e a eap? a: o. ae: a.. xopo. pxa A? a: a. ae: C a A? a: p. ae: ae opo oc? a: o, oo. a . ... pe oo: p, p, acep, op, ep... ae: o ac aa? a: Oa, cep, ooaap... ae: o a cop. poxoe.

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Ruslan 1 Listening Texts

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Learn more Russian with ... Ruslan Russian 2 10 lessons, continuing the storyline of Ruslan Russian 1. Council of Europe A2 level.
Ruslan 2 course book Ruslan 2 book with CD Ruslan 2 audio CD Ruslan 2 work book ISBN 9781899785483 ISBN 9781899785520 ISBN 9781899785490 ISBN 9781899785230

Ruslan Russian 3 10 lessons, with a wealth of historical and cultural information. The Ruslan characters are in Siberia and the story continues. Council of Europe B1 and B2.
Ruslan 3 course book ISBN 9781899785407 Ruslan 3 audio CD set ISBN 9781899785414

The Ruslan Russian Grammar An interactive presentation bringing together the grammar of the three levels of the Ruslan course and adding greater detail. 256 pages of explanations, pictures, songs, poems and exercises, with answers on the audio CD.
Ruslan Russian Grammar ISBN 9781899785742

The Ruslan Russian Songbook 24 folk songs, romances, war songs and songs from films of the 1930s and 1940s, sung by students from the Gnessins Music College in Moscow. Notes, vocabularies, translations and an audio CD.
Ruslan Russian Songbook ISBN 9781899785261

www.ruslan.co.uk

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