Learning “Toddler” Russian
The Russian alphabet is known as the Cyrillic alphabet and there are 33 letters in the Russian alphabet; 11 vowels, 20 consonants, and 2 pronunciation signs, thus making it VERY difficult to learn. One of the most important things we did before we traveled to Russia was learn what we like to call “Toddler Russian”. We were able to give AJ simple commands and understand some of the words that the doctors and caregivers were saying.
Photo credit: Eileen Emch in Rostov-on-Don, Russia
We learned this by using phonetics (yes, we “hooked on”) and using flashcards. I copied the English translation on one side of the card and the Russian/English phonetic translation on the other side. It was extremely helpful.
Here are some of the words we used (and I hope they are right);
The two most important words you will learn in Russian are please and thank-you. You can just add these to any sentence to make it more polite.
- Yes = Da
- No = Net
- Thank you = Spasibo
- Thank you very much = Bolshoe spasibo
- You’re welcome = Pazhaluista
- Please = Pazhaluysta
- Excuse me = Izvinite
- Hello = Zdravstvuyte
- Goodbye = Do svidaniya
- So long = Poka
- Good morning = Dobroe utro
- Good afternoon = Dobry den
- Good evening = Dobry vecher
- Good night = Spokoynoy nochi
- Good = Horosho
- Bad = Ploho
- So so = Tak sebe
- Wife = Zhena
- Husband = Muzh
- Daughter = Doch
- Son = Syn
- Mother = Mat
- Father = Otets
- Friend = Drug
Toddler Essentials
Poop = Kaka (I have some very funny stories about this word)
Pee = pee-zits
Sit down = syee -Dee (we heard this as “se dee”)
Settle Down = spuh-KOY-nuh
shhh! = tyee-khuh (heard this as tee ha)
sleep/nap = spat
juice= sohk
apple juice=(Yah-blu-kuh sohk)
water = vuh-DAH
drink = PYEETY
eat = yisty
cookie=
all done? = f-shyoh
It is forbidden= nyil-ZYAH
Calm Down = spuh-KOY-nuh
Give it to me! = DAI m -NYEH!
Don’t touch! = nyee troh- GAI!
bye= pah-KAH
I love you= yah-tyi-BYAH lyoob-Lyoo
Good Boy= Horochee MAHL-chik
cat = KOHTCH-kuh
dog = suh- BAH-kuh
Let’s go =pah- SHLYEE
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POSTED IN: Countries and Domestic, Russia
4 opinions for Learning “Toddler” Russian
Eileen
Mar 27, 2008 at 8:37 am
Well, what a pleasant surprise - I DO recognize that alphabet! Glad you could use it (wish I had edited the photo a bit more for you. . .) Great idea to have this “toddler Russian.” Not many adoptive parents actually do that, so you certainly set yourselves apart with being so ambitious with the language. You know what, Marcie. You gave me an idea. Maybe I could make a quick little cassette of pronouncing these words and then people could get copies of it (from you?) . It’s difficult to represent the Russian sounds in the English alphabet but you did it well….But of course nothing can beat actually Hearing it in Russian.
I plan to be in the US soon (as in April 4th) ~ would be neat if we could communicate. I’m based out of Dallas but also time in Ohio, etc.. .
Thanks for your love for Russia. You put so much effort into your blogs.
OH. Really interesting write-up at the RussiaToday website “US Baby Death Threatens Russian Adoption.” Balanced write-up, directly related to your blog.
Bless you . . . E
Marcie
Mar 27, 2008 at 8:52 am
I do have to credit the source…a lof of the translations came from FRUA where there is a wealth of information on that kind of thing.
Wow…and another independent adoption? From what I understand those were really stopped after Peggy Hilt.
Great idea about the tapes but I don’t have much personal contact with traveling parents anymore unless people would request it via the site. I could put a poll up here though…
Hevel
Mar 27, 2008 at 5:27 pm
I think–from experience of my adoptive parents–learning to read Russian is not that difficult. When one submits the dossier just learning one letter a day makes one able to read most every word in the dictionary in a month. And, as my Russian friends keep telling me, the pronounciation won’t be any more butchered than with the American transliterations. Especially if there is a tape that matches up the letters and then some words written and heard gives practice!
I also found it extremely difficult to do Cyrillic-to-English transliterations, while it’s abszolutely easy to do Cyrillic-to-Hungarian.
(That said, IPA signs work well. Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that America is pretty much the only country that refuses to acknowledge the International Phonetic Alphabet, making Linguistics such an awfully confusing subject.)
Hevel
Mar 27, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Eileen, when my brother was little there was a tape he had with a tale “Tyirim tyirimok kto v tyereme zhivot?” was an important part. He used to love this tale, and when we first moved to Hungary, it was a tale practically every Hungarian knew–they had to memorize parts of it in 5th grade. But since compulsory Russian education was eliminated in 1990, hardly anyone knows it any more. I’d love to get a copy (written, mp3, anything) for Yuriy, if you know what I’m talking about. It had a bunch of animals who lived in this hut.
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