Russian word for tourist

Although most Russians are forced to learn English at school, no one can force them to remember any of it, so we put together this list of the most basic Russian words and phrases you need to make your Russian vacation both fun and language barrier free! Print this out and take it with you! Russians, like most people around the world, appreciate when foreigners try to learn their language.

1. Yes — Да — Dah

No — Нет — Nyet

None — Нету — NYE-too

“Yes” and “no” are completely universal words but there is another form of the word “no” that could be useful.

It is no surprise that “no” and “none” are very similar in English and the same is true for Russian. Although «NYE-too» is often used, the ‘word’ itself is a hot topic among Russians — whether it’s actually a real word or not!

Saying “nyet” makes it seem like you refuse even though you have money and cigs, NYE-too implies that you don’t have any to give, but you would do so if you could, which is super polite of you.

2. Where? — Где — Gdyeh

To where? — Куда — Koo-DAH

Russian is not crazy for having two words for “where”. If you are looking at a map trying to find where a metro station is, you would ask “gdyeh”.

However, if you are hopelessly lost and don’t know which direction to go in to get to the Kremlin you should ask “Kreml, Koo-DAH”. “Essentially which way should I go?”

In multiple syllable words on our Russian Cheat Sheet, the capitalized syllable gets the “emphasis” meaning it pronounced most strongly. So the “dah” in Koo-DAH needs some real pep when you say it.

This “punchiness” inherent to the Russian language is why Russians sound very agitated speaking English.

3. This/That — Это — EH-tah

This is the word that will help you get what you want at any store or draw someone’s attention to something you want in general. Just point at what you want and let out a hardy “EH-tah” and they will know that you want “this/that” instantly.  

4. Allow (me) — Разрешите — Raz-reh-SHEE-tyeh

May (I)? — Можно? — MOZH-nah

Just yelling the single world “allow” will magically make Russians in the Metro start to separate giving you the chance to escape a crowded train during rush hour. It is a long word that is hard to say but it sure gets the job done!

If you say MOZH-nah in an inquisitive way people will know that you want to walk past them, take a photo of them, pick up something from a store shelf etc. In Russian questions must sound like questions so use your best acting skills to add some powerful emotion of inquiry when saying this.    

5. (I) don’t need (this) —  Не надо — Nyeh NAH-dah

If someone is trying to offer you questionable food from the back of a truck, perfume that smells toxic or something you just plain don’t want, then bluntly say “Nyeh-NAH-dah”. This sends a clear signal that you are not going to buy this item no matter what the seller tries to say. 

This can also mean “don’t do this (to me)” in the sense that you don’t need any hassle, trouble, etc.

6. How much (does this cost)? — Сколько? — SKOL-kah?

You don’t need to know how to say numbers in Russian, most people can show you the price on a cash register or their smartphone’s calculator. But in order to get them to show you the price you have to ask for it so just say “SKOL-kah?” while pointing at the relevant item.

7. Please — Пожалуйста — Pah-ZHAL-stah

 Thank you — Спасибо —  Spah-SEE-bah

We should all mind our manners and these two words are more or less used like they are in English. The term Spah-SEE-bah has an interesting historical origin. Over time the expression «save (us) God» got said faster and faster until it smashed together into a single common word.

8. It’s Delicious! — Вкусно! — VKOOS-nah

Despite Russia having amazing food from all corners of its imperial past, there is surprisingly really only common one word for ‘tasty’, ‘delicious’ or ‘yummy’ in the Russian language. This is why Russians always say everything is “tasty” when they speak English.

9. I’m Sorry!/I Beg Your Pardon — Простите! — Prah-STEE-Tyeh

If you bump into someone, knock something over, or just do some typical awkward public foreigner mistake, just use this word to ask for forgiveness.

The “Tyeh” ending is removed when speaking to children, because Russian is a hardcore language with different endings on words to indicate who is equal/unfamiliar and who is inferior/familiar… and no snot-nosed kids are your equal! Take off that ending and show them who’s boss.

10. Check Please! — Cчёт, пожалуйста! — Shyot, pah-ZHAL-stah

Just saying the word “check” while gesturing that you are writing something is good enough for any waiter to understand what you want across a crowded cafe. Don’t be afraid to get their attention by force with wild arm waving because otherwise they just won’t bring you the bill.

If you drink a nice mug of kvass then you can ask “где туалет?” Gdyeh too-ah-LYET? (Where is the bathroom) so you can find relief. In Russian, the “toilet” refers to the entire bathroom, not the physical porcelain object. Also the “М” on the bathroom door means male (Мужской туалет — Moozh-SKOI  too-ah-LYET) and “Ж” means female (Женский туалет — ZHEN-skee too-ah-LYET).

11. I am from…  — Я из… — Yah Eez…

Russians are obsessed with foreigners and are a very curious sort. If you live in Russia, then literally every person you meet will immediately ask what country you are from. You will be asked this by every new person that you meet, which is fine for a short vacation but gets really annoying for expats who have been here for a decade.

So to answer where you are from you should say “Ya Eez + #NameOfCountry”

The name of your country in this context should have one of the Russian language’s cool case endings put onto it, but that is a topic for another day. As a tourist it is okay to say “Ya eez Amerika” and not the correct “Ya eez Ameriki”.

12. Hi! — Привет! — Pree-VYET!

Good-Bye! — Пока! — Pah-KAH!

Of course! — Конечно — Kah-NYESH-nah

Saying “hi” and “bye” requires no explanation, but the cool thing about Russian is that you can answer any reasonable question with a blunt “of course” regardless of the situation and it is surprisingly not rude at all to do so. This is a must-know word for those who don’t like answering questions.  

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Going to explore gorgeous Moscow Kremlin or travel back into the XIX century on the tiny cobblestone streets of Saint Petersburg? Or maybe you’re coming to study or work in Russia? Whatever your goal is, knowing useful Russian phrases for tourists will make your life easier in this snowy country.

If you’ve had trouble finding travel guides when having road trips in Russia, look no further. RussianPod101.com is here to help you learn Russian travel phrases in English, so that your stay in Russia will be much more enjoyable and comfortable.

Please note that hotel staff in Russia usually speak English, so we’re not going to cover hotel phrases in this article. But once you leave your hotel, it’ll become a little bit trickier to find a person who knows English. In Moscow and Saint-Petersburg you’ll probably find an English-speaking person to help you out, but in smaller cities this becomes a real challenge. Thus, it’s definitely good to know at least a few Russian language travel phrases.

So, let’s get started with common phrases in Russian for travelers in our Russian travel phrases guide!

Table of Contents

1. Basic Russian Phrases for Travel
2. Transport
3. Shopping
4. Restaurant Phrases
5. Asking for and Giving Directions
6. Emergencies
7. Flattery Phrases
8. Useful Phrases to Go through Language Problems
9. Conclusion

1. Basic Russian Phrases for Travel

Even if your language skills are poor—or if you’ve just opened this article in a last attempt to learn at least a couple of the most important words—then you’ve come to the right place! These fifteen basic Russian language travel phrases are just enough to show that you’re really trying. You may also gain a few points in the eyes of Russian people.

1- Спасибо (Spasibo)

This means “Thank you,” and is one of the most common Russian travel phrases. You can use it in any situation, both formal and informal. For example:

Спасибо за помощь (Spasibo za pomoshch) — “Thank you for your help.”

2- Пожалуйста (Pozhaluysta)

This is translated into English as “You are welcome,” or “Please…” For example:

Пожалуйста, дайте пройти (Pozhalusta, dayte proyti) — “Please, let me walk past you.”

3- Извините (Izvinite)

This means, “Excuse me, sorry.”

When it comes to travel phrases in Russian grammar, you can also ask for forgiveness with Простите (Prostite) — “Sorry.”

Check out our article about how to say “I’m sorry” in Russian if you want to know more.

4- Привет (Privet)

That means informal “Hi.” Alternatively, Здравствуйте (Zdravstvuyte)—is formal “Hello.” If you want to know more, please, read our article about Russian ways to say Hello.

5- Пока (Poka)

This easy word is an informal way of saying, “Bye.” Don’t hesitate to use it with people your age or younger when you meet them while traveling. For older people, use the formal До свидания (Do svidaniya) — “Goodbye. ”

6- Да (Da)

This simply means, “Yes.” An important word to remember, isn’t it?

You can emphasize your answer by adding Хорошо (Khorosho), meaning “Good,” so it sounds like Да, хорошо (Da, khorosho), meaning “Yes, okay.”

Or you can add “of course”: Да, конечно! (Da, konechno!), meaning “Yes, sure!” or “Yes, of course!”

7- Нет (Net)

This simple means, “No.” You can make your refusal more polite by adding words of gratitude: Нет, спасибо (Net, spasibo) — “No, thank you.”

8- Вы не могли бы меня сфотографировать (Vy ni mogli by menya sfotografirovat’)

This important phrase for every traveler means, “Please, could you take a picture of me.” If you wanna take a picture with other people, use Вы не могли бы нас сфотографировать (Vy ni mogli by nas sfotografirovat’), meaning “Please, could you take a picture of us.”

9- Я не говорю по-русски (Ya ne govoryu po-russki)

This basic Russian travel phrase means, “I don’t speak Russian.” It’s a nice phrase to know even if you do know Russian, right? To get rid of annoying salespeople.

10- Хорошо (Khorosho)

This means “Good.” If things go better than good, use Отлично! (Otlichno!), meaning “Great! Perfect!” We hope that your Russian trip goes отлично!

Learn more conversational phrases from our vocabulary list.

By the way, do you know what the Russian word for “travel” is? It’s путешествовать (puteshestvovat’).

2. Transport

Transportation is one of the most vital aspects of a trip to anywhere, making Russian phrases for traveling related to this so important. Let’s look at some Russian travel words and phrases to help you find your way around Russia.

1- Taxi Phrases

Taxis are a popular way of transportation in Russia. Be aware of stopping the car on the street, because there are plenty of cases of robberies and fraudulent actions. The best way to order a taxi is through an app or by calling a taxi company. The prices will be absolutely the same as the prices of cars you stop on the street, and most of the time even lower.

You can use Uber or Yandex taxis (which works the same way as Uber). If you’re in a small city, you’ll probably be able to use either Uber or Yandex as well, but there might be less cars available, so give yourself a time cushion to account for searching for one. Or ask your friends or fellow travelers for a local taxi app.

Here are the phrases that will help you communicate with the driver:

• Мне нужно доехать до… (Mne nuzhno doyekhat’ do…) — “I need to get to… [location].” Use this phrase when you need to get somewhere using a transportation service.
• Остановите, пожалуйста… (Ostanovite, pozhaluysta…) — “Please, stop…” After that, add where you want to stop:
  • …на остановке (…na ostanovke) — “…at the public transport stop.”
  • …за перекрестком (…za perekryostkom) — “…after the crossroads.”
  • …у светофора (…u svetofora) — “…near the traffic light.”
  • …у следующего подъезда (…u sleduyushchego pod’yezda) — “…near the next entrance.”
  • …у того подъезда (…u togo pod’yezda) — “…near that entrance.”
  • …прямо здесь (…pryamo zd’es’) — “…right here.”
  • …у того магазина (…u togo magazina) — “…on the public transport stop.”
• Можно остановить тут (Mozhno ostanovit’ tut) — “You can stop here.”
• Остановите, пожалуйста, чуть подальше (Ostanovite, pozhaluysta, chut’ podal’she) — “Please, stop a little bit further.”

2- Bus/Trolleybus/Tram/Metro Phrases

There are several means of public transportation in Russia—trams, trolleybuses, buses, and the metro. Use the following phrases to ensure that you don’t miss the right stop and to be polite during your ride:

• На какой остановке мне выходить? (Na kakoy ostanovke mne vykhodit’?) — “On which stop should I get off?”
• Подскажите, пожалуйста, какая следующая остановка? (Podskazhite, pozhaluysta, kakaya sleduyishchaya ostanovka?) — “Please, could you tell me what the next stop is?”
• Какая это остановка? (Kakaya eto ostanovka?) — “What stop is it now?”
• Сколько остановок до…? (Skol’ko ostanovok do…?) — “How many stops until… [location]?”
• Садитесь, пожалуйста (Sadites’, pozhaluysta) — “Sit, please.”
  • In Russia, it’s considered polite to give up your seat for old people, pregnant ladies, and parents with little kids. It also looks really chivalrous when a guy gives up his seat for a girl.

Also, there’s one interesting means of public transport that’s not very common in other countries. It’s called маршрутка (marshrutka) — “route taxi.” It works like a shared taxi or a small bus, which drives along one route back and forth. Usually, it’s slightly more expensive than a bus/tram/trolleybus, but moves faster. It usually doesn’t stop on every public transport stop, so you’ll need to ask for a stop:

• На остановке остановите, пожалуйста… (Na ostanovke ostanovite, pozhaluysta…) — “Please, stop on the (next; nearest) public transport stop.”
  • Use the phrase right before the needed stop. Remember to shout loud so the driver hears you. Don’t hesitate to shout one more time, if the driver has missed the stop and keeps driving: Остановите, пожалуйста! (Ostanovite, pozhaluysta!) — “Please, stop!”

To make public transportation more predictable, use the app Yandex Transport. After you set the starting point and final point of the route, the app shows you the fastest way to get there with the numbers of buses/route taxis/trams/trolleybuses needed. In big cities, such as Moscow and Saint Petersburg, you’ll also be able to see on the map where the needed bus is and how many minutes it will be until it arrives.

3- Suburban Train Phrases

If you want to travel between cities, especially if they’re four hours (or less) away from each other, consider taking a suburban sitting train. It’s usually quite cheap and fast. Unfortunately, for now you can’t buy a ticket online. You’ll have to buy a ticket at a ticket window or from a ticket machine. These are usually located on the way to the station before the security turnstile, or right at the station if it’s a smaller station. In 90% of stations, especially big ones, you’ll be able to pay by card.

These phrases will be useful for you:

• Электричка (Elektrichka) — “Suburban electric train.”
• Сколько стоит билет до…? (Skol’ko stoit bilet do…?) — “How much is the ticket to… [location]?”
• До…, пожалуйста (Do…, pozhaluysta) — “Ticket to… [location], please.”
• Где я могу купить билет на электричку? (Gde ya mogu kupit’ bilet na elektrichku?) — “Where can I buy a ticket on a suburban train?”
• Подскажите, пожалуйста, где туалет? (Podskazhite, pozhaluysta, gde tualet?) — “Please, tell me which way the bathroom is.”

4- Sleeping Train Phrases

Usually, tickets to sleeping trains are bought online, but you can also buy them at the ticket window on the station in advance.

While you’re on the train, you’ll probably have some questions. These phrases will help you deal with most of the situations that might occur:

• Когда мы приедем? (Kogda my priyedem?) — “When will we arrive?”
• Это какая станция? (Eto kakaya stantsiya?) — “What station is this?”
• Сколько стоим на этой станции? (Skol’ko stoim na etoy stantsii?) — “How long will we stay on this station?”
• У вас есть зарядка для… (U vas est’ zaryadka dlya…?) — “Do you have a charger for…?” (Where the blank space is the model of the phone.)
  • …такого телефона? (…takogo telefona?) — “…this kind of the phone?” After that, show your phone.
  • …Айфона? (…Ayfona?) — “…iPhone?”
  • …Самсунга? (…Samsunga?) — “…Samsung?”
• Как пройти в вагон-ресторан? (Kak proyt’i v vagon-restoran?) — “How can I get to the restaurant-carriage?”
• Где можно покурить? (Gde mozhno pokurit’?) — “Where could I smoke?”
  • Курить запрещено (Kurit’ zapreshcheno) — “Smoking is prohibited.” Usually, it’s prohibited to smoke on the trains, though people do it on stops outside.
• Проводник (Provodnik) — “Train conductor.” The provodnik’s room is located at the beginning of each wagon. You can ask him any questions during your trip.The provodnik usually checks tickets, and provides bed-clothes and food if it’s included in your ticket. Most of the time, the provodnik reminds you in advance about your stop, but still be careful and in control about where you should get off the train yourself. You can also order a tea from provodnik, but be ready to pay for it:
  • Сколько стоит чай? (Skol’ko stoit chay?) — “How much does the tea cost?”
  • Зеленый чай (Zelyonyy chay) — “Green tea”
  • Черный чай (Chyornyy chay) — “Black tea”
• Вагон (Vagon) — “Wagon.” You’ll probably buy a ticket for one of these types of wagons:
  • Плацкарт (Platskart) — “Open plan carriage.” This is the cheapest kind of carriage. Open plan coach has no separate rooms.
  • Купе (Kupe) — “Сompartment.” There are separate rooms in these. Each room in a compartment coach has four beds: two upper ones and two lower ones. Upper ones are usually cheaper because you need to be physically fit to climb into them.
  • СВ (Es Ve) — “Sleeping wagon.” This is the most expensive type. A sleeping wagon consists of separate rooms with two beds in each room.
• Постельное белье (Postel’noye bel’yo) — “Bed-clothes.” When you’re booking the ticket, check if they provide the bed-clothes or not. If you plan to sleep during your trip, then it’s better to include it in your ticket. However, nobody will blame you if you bring and use your own bed-clothes or a sleeping bag to lower your travel expenses.

3. Shopping

While you’re traveling, you may need to buy food from a shop, some souvenirs, or even hunt for great deals on clothes and other goods. This list has everything you need to know to feel comfortable while shopping:

• Рубль (Rubl’) — “Ruble.” This is the Russian currency. Learn more about the Ruble in our short video.
• Сколько это стоит? (Skol’ko eto stoit?) — “How much does it cost?”
• Вы не могли бы сделать скидочку? (Vy ne mogli by sdelat’ skidochku?) — “Could you give me a discount?”
• Что посоветуете? (Chto posovetuyete?) — “What would you recommend?”
• Дайте, пожалуйста, это (Dayte, pozhaluysta, eto) — “Give me this, please.”
• Картой можно оплатить? (Kartoy mozhno oplatit’?) — “Can I pay by card?”
  • If you travel to smaller cities, paying by credit card might not be an option. You may hear a Russian salesperson offer you: Можете перевести на Сбербанк (Mozhete perevesti na Sberbank) — “You could transfer money to Sberbank.” This means that you can make a wire transfer to a Russian bank account.
  • Sberbank is the most common bank in Russia. Please, note that if you transfer from a foreign bank account, the commission may be taken. Also, if you transfer from a Russian bank, whether Sberbank or another one, the commission might be taken as well. Please, carefully check this option with your bank in advance.
• Оплата наличными? (Oplata nalichnymi?) — “Should I pay by cash?”

Talking about prices requires knowing Russian numbers. Learn how to count in Russian and how to use these numbers in shopping phrases in our article.

4. Restaurant Phrases

Eating local food in local restaurants is usually one a “must” during a trip. And you, for sure, don’t wanna miss trying out traditional Russian food. Of course, you might have food or beverage preferences, or just want to feel free when communicating with waiters, so our list with the most important phrases will come in handy:

• Меню, пожалуйста (Menyu, pozhaluysta) — “Bring the menu, please.”
• Мне, пожалуйста, это (Mne, pozhaluysta, eto) — “Give me this one, please. ” This way, you can smartly avoid pronouncing the name of the dish. Just point to the picture, to the menu item, or to the food on the shop window.
• Воду, пожалуйста (Vodu, pozhaluysta) — “Craft beer.”
  • Вода с газом (Voda s gazom) — “Sparkling water, soda.”
  • Газированная вода (Gazirovannaya voda) — “Sparkling water, soda.”
  • Вода без газа (Voda bez gaza) — “Still water.”
  • Негазированная вода (Negazirovannaya voda) — S”till water.”
• Пиво, пожалуйста (Pivo, pozhaluysta) — “Beer, please.”
  • Светлое пиво (Svetloye pivo) — “Light beer.”
  • Темное пиво (Tyomnoye pivo) — “Dark beer.”
  • Нефильтрованное пиво (Nefil’trovannoye pivo) — “Unfiltered beer.”
  • Крафтовое пиво (Kraftovoye pivo) — “Craft beer.”
• Я вегетарианец (Ya vegetarianets) — “I’m a vegetarian.”
• Я веган (Ya vegan) — “I am vegan.” Please, note that your waiter probably won’t know the difference between being a vegan and being a vegetarian. Check out the list of ingredients on the menu carefully, and if you order a salad, ask them to bring the sauce (dressing) separately, just in case: Соус отдельно, пожалуйста (Sous otdel’no, pozhaluysta) — “Bring the sauce separately, please.”
• Я не ем мясо. Какие у вас блюда без мяса? (Ya ne yem myaso. Kakiye u vas blyuda bez myasa?) — “I don’t eat meat. Which dishes are without meat?”
• У меня аллергия на… (U menya allergiya na…) — “I’m allergic to…”
• Это очень вкусно! (Eto ochen’ vkusno!) — “It’s really tasty!”
• Официант! (Ofitsiant!) — “Waiter!”
• Посчитайте, пожалуйста (Poschitayte pozhaluysta) — “Bring the bill, please.” You’ll sound really “Russian” if you use this phrase. Literally, the translation is “Count, please.”
• Счет, пожалуйста (Shchot, pozhaluysta) — “Bill, please.”
• Оплата картой (Oplata kartoy) — “Payment by card.”
• Оплата наличными (Oplata nalichnymi) — “Payment by cash.”

If you want to feel even more confident in a Russian restaurant, check out our restaurant vocabulary list.

5. Asking for and Giving Directions

Getting lost in a foreign country is a terrifying thing. That’s why it’s important to make sure to remember basic Russian expressions—or even print them out on paper in case your phone dies:

• Где я? (Gde ya?) — “Where am I?”
• Где находится… (Gde nakhoditsya…?) — “Where is… [location] located?”
• Подскажите, пожалуйста, где ближайший туалет? (Podskazhite, pozhaluysta, gde blizhayshiy tualet?) — “Please, could you tell me where the nearest bathroom is?”
• Как мне дойти до…? (Kak mne doyti do…?) — “How can I get to… [location]?”
• Идите… (Idite…) — “Go…”
  • …прямо (pryamo) — “…straight”
  • …направо (napravo) — “…to the right”
  • …налево (nalevo) — “…to the left”
  • …туда (tuda) — “…that way”
  • …сюда (syuda) — “…this way”

If you feel like going into the wild—and we know that Russian wilderness can be amazingly beautiful and attractive for hiking-lovers—study our vocabulary list with direction words that will come in handy when you use the map.

6. Emergencies

The Russian emergency number is 112. The operator will redirect your call to the police, ambulance, fire brigade, gas alarm, or rescuers.

• Помогите! (Pomogite) — “Help me!”
• Спасите! (Spasite!) — “Save me!”
• Пожар! (Pozhar!) — “Fire!”
• Вызовите скорую! (Vyzovite skoruyu!) — “Call an ambulance!”
• Здесь есть доктор? (Zdes’ yest’ doctor?) — “Is there a doctor?”
• Я потерял свой паспорт (Ya poteryal svoy pasport) — “I’ve lost my passport.” (For a male.)
  • Я потеряла свой паспорт (Ya poteryalа svoy pasport) — “I’ve lost my passport.” (For a female.)
• Я потерял свой кошелек (Ya poteryal svoy koshelyok) — “I’ve lost my purse.” (For a male.)
  • Я потеряла свой кошелек (Ya poteryalа svoy koshelyok) — “I’ve lost my purse.” (For a female.)

Study our vocabulary list with more words and phrases for emergency situations.

7. Flattery Phrases

When you travel in a foreign country, you’ll probably get a chance to make new Russian friends. Learn some phrases to leave a good first impression:

• Мне нравятся русские (Mne nravyatsya russkiye) — “I like Russians.”
• Я люблю русскую еду (Ya lyublyu russkuyu yedu) — “I love Russian food.”
• Я люблю Россию (Ya lyublyu Rossiyu) — “I love Russia.”
• Я хочу быть твоим другом (Ya khochu byt’ tvoim drugom) — “I wanna be your friend.”
• У тебя есть Фейсбук или Инстаграм? (U tebya yest’ Feysbuk ili Instagram?) — “Do you have Facebook or Instagram?”

8. Useful Phrases to Go through Language Problems

Well, even if you’ve learned all the phrases above, in some situations, the phrase you need may disappear from your memory or you might not understand what that gloomy Russian is saying. Don’t worry, just use the following phrases:

• Вы говорите по-английски? (Vy govorite po-angliyski?) — “Do you speak English?”
• Я не понимаю (Ya ne ponimayu) — “I don’t understand.”
• Вы не могли бы повторить? (Vy ne mogli by povtorit’?) — “Could you repeat, please?”
• Пожалуйста, говорите помедленнее (Pozhaluysta, govorite pomedlenneye) — “Please, speak more slowly.”
• Я не говорю по-русски (Ya ne govoryu po-russki) — “I don’t speak Russian.”
• Напишите это, пожалуйста (Napishite eto, pozhaluysta) — “Write it down, please.”
• Как это читается? (Kak eto chitayetsya?) — “How do you read this?”

9. Conclusion

We hope you now know why travel phrases, to learn Russian, are so vital. Travel phrases in Russian language learning provide you with helpful information for when you’re in a pinch, and also give you cultural context to make learning easier and more relevant!

Make sure that you return to the basic Russian words for tourists list and look through it one more time, as it’s the most important part of the article. Believe me, Russian people will be kinder to you once they understand that you’ve come prepared. Having some travel phrases in your Russian vocabulary is the first step to a good first impression.

Remember that knowing and using foreign words are totally different skills. Find a Russian-speaking language partner to practice or consider taking some lessons with our MyTeacher program for Russian-learners to start using the vocabulary for free and to feel more comfortable while you’re staying in Russia. Our teachers are native Russians and they’ll help you digest the most important and useful Russian phrases for tourists.

We wish you a great Russian journey that you’ll remember with excitement for a long time!

Visiting Russia or just want to learn basic Russian words? Then you need to learn these essential Russian phrases for travel. Plus, 6 travel tips and surprising local customs you should know.

Many believe Russian to be one of the hardest foreign languages to master and feel apprehensive about learning it. Like any foreign language, Russian is not without its difficulties. However, it is also a beautiful language full of hilarious Russian idioms making any challenges you face quite fun to overcome.

You don’t have to learn the entire Russian language to be travel fluent. Just being able to understand the most useful Russian phrases and expressions will make all the difference when it comes to comprehension.  In this guide, we will take a look at the Russian language, its history, its alphabet, and some of its features that can present challenges for the learners or that every Russian learner (and traveller) should know about.

If you’re a more serious learner, then make sure you join Uncovered Russian which will take even complete beginners to a solid intermediate level al by using the power of Story Learning. Get your FREE trial of Uncovered Russian here.

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Let’s take a closer look at the Russian language. Here’s what we’ll cover:

Table of Contents

• How Many People Speak Russian?
• Where is Russian spoken?
• A Quick History of Russian
• Russian Alphabet
• Russian pronunciation
• Russian Grammar
• 6 Top Travel tips and Russian Culture
• Russian words in the English language
• 5 Interesting facts about the Russian language
• Russian Phrases for Travel
  • Common Greetings
  • How to be Polite
  • Asking Questions
  • Eating out and Ordering Food
  • Food and Ingredients
  • Getting Around
  • Directions
  • Sightseeing
  • Numbers
  • Telling the time
  • Days of the week
  • Emergencies
  • Shopping
  • Expressions of encouragement
• Essential Russian Phrases for Travel [Printable Infographic]

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How many people speak Russian?

With over 250 million speakers all over the world, Russian is the world’s eighth most widespread language. It is the official language of Russia, with a population of nearly 150 million people, as well as Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

Where is Russian spoken?

Russian is also rather wide-spread in the former Soviet republics, which include Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

There are considerable communities of Russian-speakers in other countries of the world, including Cyprus, Finland, Turkey, Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, Canada, Australia, China, the United States, Argentina, and Israel. In the USA, there are over a million Russian speakers, with more than 100,000 in California alone.

A quick history of Russian

Russian is an Indo-European language. This means that if we go back in history, it has the same roots as English or French – but we will have to go way back for that, as the ancient Proto-Indo-European is believed to have been spoken as a single language from 4500 BCE to 2500 BCE.

At around 1500–1000 BCE, the Proto-Slavic language emerged, the language spoken by the Slavic tribes that began to settle in Eastern Europe. This language eventually developed into the Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family, including such languages as Russian, Czech, Polish, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, and others.

As a separate language, Russian emerged in the middle ages. It was heavily influenced by Church Slavonic used by the Russian Orthodox Church at that period. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, various attempts at standardizing the Russian language were made. Eventually, standard Russian, based on the Moscow dialect, became the official language of the country in the mid-19th century.

Russian dialects are roughly divided into Northern, spoken in the northern and north-eastern parts of European Russia; Southern, spoken in the western and southern parts of European Russia; and Central or Middle, located between the two. The dialects of Siberia and the Far East can be of any of these three groups, depending on where the settlers of this or that region came from. There are also smaller local variations and dialects of Russian spoken in other countries, such as Kazakhstani or Kyrgyzstani Russian.

The Russian alphabet (Алфавит)

Russian is written using the Cyrillic alphabet. This alphabet was developed in the 9th century CE, based on the Greek script with the addition of several laters of the old Glagolitic alphabet. The alphabet underwent several reforms until its ‘final’ version after the reforms of Peter the Great in the 18th century.

The modern Russian alphabet has twenty consonants, ten vowels, one semi-vowel, and two modifier letters that change a preceding consonant but are not pronounced themselves.

Below is a table of the Russian alphabet including pronunciation. I’ve you’re not familiar with how to use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), I’ve also included the closest equivalent transliteration.

Russian Letter	Transliteration	IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)
А	a	a
Б	b	b
В	V	v
Г	G	ɡ
Д	D	d
Е	E	je
Ё	YO	jo
Ж	ZH	ʐ
З	Z	z
И	I	i
Й	J	j
К	K	k
Л	L	l
М	M	m
Н	N	n
О	O	o
П	P	p
Р	R	r
С	S	s
Т	T	t
У	U	u
Ф	F	f
Х	H	x
Ц	TS	ts
Ч	CH	tɕ
Ш	SH	ʂ
Щ	SHCH	ɕː
Ъ	–	–
Ы	Y	ɨ
Ь	–	ʲ
Э	E	e
Ю	YU	ju
Я	YA	ja

The Russian alphabet can seem confusing at first. There are letters that look like the letters in English and have relatively similar sounds (а, к, м), but there are also letters that look familiar but are pronounced differently (н, р, х) and letters that look completely unfamiliar and weird (ж, ф, ы).

One of the best ways to learn the Russian alphabet is to ‘divide and conquer’ the letters:

• Start with the friendliest ones, that look and sound similar to the letters of the English alphabet: A, E, K, M, O, and T.
• Move on to letters that look different but represent familiar sounds: Б, Г, Д, Ш, З, Ф, П, Л, Э, Ч, И, and Ю.
• Then you can tackle the letters that represent sounds that don’t exist in the English language (Ё, Ж, Й, Щ, Ц, Я, Ь, Ъ,
• and Ы) and the tricky ones that look familiar but sound differently (B, H, P, C, У, and X).

My tip? Don’t rush this process. Take your time to practice these letters sufficiently. The alphabet is one of the basics of any language, and you wouldn’t want to go back to revise it when you start learning more complex things.

Russian pronunciation

Russian pronunciation is fairly phonetic: one letter usually corresponds to one sound and words are pronounced just as they are written. See if you can read these Russian words: том, кот, мама, ком. You can probably pronounce them well enough even without any knowledge of Russian.

But of course, things are never that simple and there are a few rules you need to remember to pronounce and read Russian correctly. Here are a few of them:

• The Russian /r/ is rolled. Try saying words like ‘bottle’ or ‘butter’ really fast to achieve a similar sound. You can also check out YouTube tutorials on how to roll your /r/.
• The unstressed O is pronounced as /a/ – корова (cow) is pronounced /ka-rO-va/.
• The vowels Е, Ё, Ю, and Я usually palatalize the previous consonant.
• A consonant at the end of the word is always unvoiced. That’s why the word ‘код’ (code) is pronounced /кот/, the same way as the word ‘кот’ (cat).
• The letter Ё is always stressed.
• The soft sign Ь is not pronounced, it indicates that the previous consonant is palatalized: кровь (blood) – /krov’/.
• The hard sign Ъ acts like a ‘silent back vowel’ and separates the consonant from the following soft vowel, and indicates that this vowel is iotized: объект (object) – /ob’’yekt/.

These are just a few of the basic rules to get you started. Of course,  you will need to study Russian pronunciation in more detail to speak the language correctly.

Russian grammar

Russian is a heavily inflected language, meaning, where an English noun or verb has just two or three forms, Russian words can have dozens of forms to correspond to different cases, tenses, and other grammatical structures.

No article would be enough to describe in detail the grammar of the Russian language – you’ll need at least one hefty textbook for that, if not more. We will only touch upon some of the key features of Russian grammar that are important to learn even if you are brushing up on your Russian for a short trip.

Gender

Nouns in Russian have the category of gender: each noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter. The grammatical gender has nothing to do with the physical characteristics of an object and can be hard to remember. There are just a few words describing men and women, family members, and professions whose grammatical gender (masculine or feminine) corresponds to the actual gender of the person they describe. Example: учитель (masc., a (male) teacher), учительница (fem., a (female) teacher). The gender of nouns is important to remember because it affects other parts of speech: adjectives, pronouns, and even verbs in some of the forms.

Politeness: Using the formal and informal ‘you’

The English language has just one form of ‘you’ that is used for the second person both singular and plural, in both formal and informal situations. In Russian, 2nd person singular is ‘ты’ and 2nd person plural is ‘вы’. The capitalized ‘вы’ is also used to address one person in a formal situation. In this case, plural verbs are also used. Example: Ты хорошо выглядишь – You look nice (2nd person singular, informal); Вы хорошо выглядите – You look nice (2nd person, plural or 2nd person singular, formal). When meeting someone for the first time, the polite form is preferable until you get to know them better or you mutually agree to use the more informal ‘ты’.

Cases

There are six cases in the Russian language, and a Russian noun thus has 12 different forms (6 singular and 6 plural). Adjectives and pronouns have to agree with the nouns they describe in number, gender, and case, so they have quite a few different forms as well. Cases may be one of the most ‘annoying’ parts of Russian grammar, with all the different inflections you have to remember. However, it is mostly a matter of repetition and regular practice – and with a bit of effort and patience, you’ll be the master of Russian cases.

6 Top Travel tips and Russian Culture

When travelling to a foreign country, it is important to know a little about its culture and traditions. In Russia, people are generally quite welcoming to foreigners, and there aren’t many strict cultural rules breaking which can lead to severe misunderstanding.

The most important rule is to be polite, attentive to others, and open-minded. However, following some of the common customs and traditions will help you avoid misunderstandings and generally have a great time in Russian. Here are a few of them:

1. Bring a gift. When you are invited to someone’s home, especially for the first time or for some holiday, it is a good idea not to come empty-handed: bring some flowers to the hostess, some dessert or a bottle of wine, a souvenir from your country. And don’t forget to take off your shoes when you enter the house or apartment! You can ask your host for some ‘tapochki’ (slippers) instead.
2. Don’t smile too much. At a first glance, Russian people can seem rather gloomy and unsmiling. A smile is quite personal in Russia, so don’t expect people on public transport or in the streets to smile back at you.
3. Respect the elderly. When using public transport, it is a common sign of respect to give up your seat to elderly people.
4. Follow the dress-code. It is customary to dress more formally when going to a theatre or to a restaurant. You will often still be let in wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but it is quite likely that you will stand out in the crowd of smartly-dressed Russians.
5. Tip the waiters. It is common to tip around 10% of the bill.
6. Be formal to be on the safe side. We’ve already discussed formality in the grammar section – if you are not sure if it’s okay to use the informal ‘ты’ and corresponding verb forms, go with the formal forms. This way you’ll never seem disrespectful, and if it’s okay to use ‘ты’, people will often tell you.

Russian words in the English language

There are quite a few words borrowed from English in the Russian language (банк – bank, компьютер – computer, креатив – creativity, менеджер – manager, хот-дог – hot-dog, бар – bar, доктор – doctor, and many others). But did you know that there are words of Russian origin in the English language as well?

Many of these words are connected with Russian cuisine, culture, and history: blini, pirozhki, vodka; glasnost, kadet, okrug, perestroika, soviet; raskol, shaman; kalashnikov, marshrutka.

There are also words related to space exploration (cosmonaut, cosmodrome, sputnik) and the names of some animals (beluga, mammoth, sable).

5 Interesting facts about the Russian language

There are a lot of interesting things about the Russian language – some we have already mentioned above and you will probably learn many more when you start learning the language. Here are a few facts about Russian to keep you interested:

1. Russian is the language of space. English and Russian are the two languages used on the International Space Stations, and astronauts have to learn Russian as part of their training.
2. No native words in Russian begin with the letter A – all such words are borrowed from other languages.
3. People in Russia have patronymics – it is a kind of a middle name derived from the name of your father, with different endings for men (-ovich) and women (-ovna). Aleksandrovich would be the patronymic of a man whose father is called Aleksandr (Alexander), and the patronymic of a woman would be Alexandrovna.
4. Russian is one of the richest literary languages. Russia has a great literary tradition, and some of the world’s greatest works of literature are in Russian.
5. The verb ‘to be’ (быть) in Russian is only used in the past and future forms.

The Russian language is not scary at all. It may present some difficulties – all foreign languages do. But it is also beautiful and interesting and represents a great culture.

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Basic Russian words and Essential Russian Phrases for Travel

Common Greetings (Общие приветствия)

English	Russian	Transliteration
Hello (formal/informal)	Здравствуй or привет (informal, singular); здравствуйте (formal singular or plural)	Zdravstvuj, privet; Zdravstvujte
Good morning	Доброе утро	Dobroe utro
Good afternoon	Добрый день	Dobryj den’
Good evening	Добрый вечер	Dobryj vecher
Good night	Доброй ночи	Dobroj nochi
Goodbye	До свидания	Do svidaniya
See you later	Увидимся	Uvidimsya
How are you? (formal)	Как ваши дела?	Kak vashi dela?
How are you? (informal)	Как твои дела?	Kak tvoi dela?
Well / Very well	Хорошо / очень хорошо	Horosho/ ochen’ horosho
So-so	Так себе	Tak sebe
Not bad	Неплохо	Neploho
I’m not well	Мне нехорошо, я не в порядке	Mne nekhorosho, ya ne v poryadke
Good, thank you, and you? (formal)	Хорошо, спасибо, а ваши?	Horosho, spasibo, a vashi?
Good, thank you, and you? (informal)	Хорошо, спасибо, а твои?	Horosho, spasibo, a tvoi?
What is your name? (formal)	Как вас зовут?	Kak vas zovut?
What is your name? (informal)	Как тебя зовут?	Kak tebya zovut?
My name is…	Меня зовут …	Menya zovut …
Where are you from? (formal)	Откуда вы?	Otkuda vy?
Where are you from? (informal)	Откуда ты?	Otkuda ty?
I’m from [Insert name of city]	Я из …	YA iz …
I’m American (male / female) I’m English (male / female) I’m Australian (male / female) I’m Canadian (male / female)	Я американец / американка Я англичанин / англичанка Я австралиец / австралийка Я канадец / канадка	YA amerikanec / amerikanka. YA anglichanin / anglichanka. YA avstraliec / avstralijka. YA kanadec / kanadka
It’s nice to meet you	Приятно познакомиться	Priyatno poznakomit’sya

How to be Polite (Как быть вежливым )

English	Russian	Transliteration
Please (formal)	Пожалуйста	Pozhalujsta
Please (informal)	Пожалуйста	Pozhalujsta
Thank you	Спасибо	Spasibo
Thank you very much	Большое спасибо	Bol’shoe spasibo
You’re welcome (formal/informal)	Пожалуйста; не за что	Pozhalujsta; ne za chto
Yes	Да	Da
No	Нет	Net
That’s fine / ok	Все в порядке	Vse v poryadke
Miss / young lady	Девушка	Devushka
Mrs / madam / ma’am	Женщина	ZHenshchina
Mr. / Sir	Мужчина	Muzhchina
Excuse me (to get attention) (informal)	Извините, пожалуйста	Izvinite, pozhalujsta
Excuse me (to get past someone ie. in a shop, on the bus)	Извините	Izvinite
I’m sorry (eg. apologising for bumping into someone)	Извините	Izvinite
I’m very sorry (used when you regret something) (m/f)	Мне очень жаль	Mne ochen’ zhal’
Excuse me, Miss / young lady	Извините, девушка	Izvinite, devushka
Excuse me, madam/ma’am	Извините, женщина	Izvinite, zhenshchina
Excuse me, Sir	Извините, мужчина	Izvinite, muzhchina
I don’t understand	Я не понимаю	YA ne ponimayu
Do you speak English? (formal)	Вы говорите по-английски?	Vy govorite po-anglijski?
Do you speak English? (informal)	Ты говоришь по-английски?	Ty govorish’ po-anglijski?
I don’t speak Russian	Я не говорю по-русски?	YA ne govoryu po-russki?
I only speak a little bit of Russian	Я немного говорю по-русски	YA nemnogo govoryu po-russki
Can you please repeat that slowly? (formal)	Вы не могли бы повторить это помедленнее?	Vy ne mogli by povtorit’ eto pomedlennee?
Can you please repeat that slowly? (informal)	Ты не мог бы повторить это помедленнее? (to a male) Ты не могла бы повторить это помедленнее? (to a female)	Ty ne mog by povtorit’ eto pomedlennee? (to a male) Ty ne mogla by povtorit’ eto pomedlennee? (to a female)
Maybe	Может быть	Mozhet byt’
I don’t know	Я не знаю	YA ne znayu
I don’t think so	Я так не думаю	YA tak ne dumayu
Certainly! / Of course!	Конечно!	Konechno!
Cheers! (toast)	За здоровье!	Za zdorov’e!

Asking Questions (Вопросы)

English	Russian	Transliteration
Where is …? (person / place, location)	Где находится …?	Gde nahoditsya …?
Where are…? (people / places, locations)	Где находятся …?	Gde nahodyatsya …?
Where?	Где?	Gde?
How?	Как?	Kak?
How much?	Сколько?	Skol’ko?
Who?	Кто?	Kto?
When?	Когда?	Kogda?
Why?	Почему?	Pochemu?
What?	Что?	CHto?
Which?	Который?	Kotoryj?
How much does this cost?	Сколько это стоит?	Skol’ko eto stoit?
Where is the toilet, please?	Где туалет?	Gde tualet?
May I have…?	Можно мне … ?	Mozhno mne … ?
I would like…	Я бы хотел … (said by a man); Я бы хотела … (said by a woman)	YA by hotel … (masc.); YA by hotela … (fem.)
It’s…	Это …	Eto …
Could you help me, please?	Вы не могли бы мне помочь, пожалуйста?	Vy ne mogli by mne pomoch’, pozhalujsta?
Where is a taxi stand?	Где стоянка такси?	Gde stoyanka taksi?
Where can I find a taxi?	Где я могу найти такси?	Gde ya mogu najti taksi?
Is the flight delayed?	Рейс задерживается?	Rejs zaderzhivaetsya?
Is the flight cancelled?	Рейс отменен?	Rejs otmenen?
Is this seat taken?	Это место занято?	Eto mesto zanyato?
I’ll be back immediately	Я сейчас вернусь	YA sejchas vernus’
Please drive me to this address	Пожалуйста, отвезите меня по этому адресу	Pozhalujsta, otvezite menya po etomu adresu
Can I have a receipt?	Дайте мне, пожалуйста, чек.	Dajte mne, pozhalujsta, chek.

Eating Out & Ordering Food (Поход в ресторан и заказ еды)

English	Russian	Transliteration
Restaurant	Ресторан	Restoran
Can you recommend a good restaurant? (formal)	Вы не могли бы порекомендовать хороший ресторан?	Vy ne mogli by porekomendovat’ horoshij restoran?
What would you like to order? (waiter asks the table) (formal)	Что вы хотели бы заказать?	CHto vy hoteli by zakazat’?
How many are you? (waiter asks as you arrive)	Сколько вас будет?	Skol’ko vas budet?
Breakfast	Завтрак	Zavtrak
Lunch	Обед	Obed
Dinner	Ужин	Uzhin
Aperitif / Starter	Аперитив	Aperitiv
Entree / introductory course	Закуска	Zakuska
Main course	Основное блюдо	Osnovnoe blyudo
Salad	Салат	Salat
Dessert	Десерт	Desert
Coffee	Кофе	Kofe
What would you like to drink?	Что вы хотели бы выпить?	CHto vy hoteli by vypit’?
I would like another one, please. (i.e: the same thing again)	Я хотел бы еще один (masc.) / одну (fem.) / одно (neut.), пожалуйста.	YA hotel by eshche odin/odnu/odno, pozhalujsta.
I like my steak rare / medium / well-done	Мне нравится стейк слабой прожарки; Мне нравится стейк средней прожарки; Мне нравится стейк полной прожарки	Mne nravitsya stejk slaboj prozharki; Mne nravitsya stejk srednej prozharki; Mne nravitsya stejk polnoj prozharki
I would like…(used when ordering food)	Я бы хотел … (said by a man); Я бы хотела … (said by a woman)	YA by hotel … (masc.); YA by hotela … (fem.)
The menu, please	Меню, пожалуйста.	Menyu, pozhalujsta.
Two beers, please	Два пива, пожалуйста.	Dva piva, pozhalujsta.
A bottle of wine, please	Бутылку вина, пожалуйста.	Butylku vina, pozhalujsta.
Red wine	Красное вино	Krasnoe vino
White wine	Белое вино	Beloe vino
A bottle of still water	Бутылка негазированной воды	Butylka negazirovannoj vody
A bottle of sparkling water	Бутылка газированной воды	Butylka gazirovannoj vody
What do you recommend? (formal)	Что бы вы порекомендовали?	CHto by vy porekomendovali?
What do you recommend? (informal)	Что бы ты порекомендовал? (to a male); Что бы ты порекомендовала? (to a female)	CHto by ty porekomendoval? (to a male); CHto by ty porekomendovala? (to a female)
Is the sauce spicy?	Этот соус острый?	Etot sous ostryj?
I’m allergic to… (m/f)	У меня аллергия на …	U menya allergiya na …
I’m a vegetarian (male)	Я вегитарианец	YA vegitarianec
I’m a vegetarian (female)	Я вегитарианка	YA vegitarianka
The bill, please	Счёт, пожалуйста	Schyot, pozhalujsta
Enjoy your food!	Приятного аппетита	Priyatnogo appetita
It was delicious!	Это очень вкусно!	Eto ochen’ vkusno!

Food & Ingredients (Продукты)

English	Russian	Transliteration
Tomato	Помидор	Pomidor
Garlic	Чеснок	CHesnok
Salt	Соль	Sol’
Pepper	Перец	Perec
Salad	Салат	Salat
Chocolate	Шоколад	SHokolad
Bread	Хлеб	Hleb
Chicken	Курица	Kurica
Steak	Стейк	Stejk
Veal	Телятина	Telyatina
Meat	Мясо	Myaso
Fish	Рыба	Ryba
Artichoke	Артишок	Artishok
Pumpkin	Тыква	Tykva
Leek	Лук-порей	Luk-porej
Peas	Горох	Goroh
Apple	Яблоко	YAbloko
Strawberry	Клубника	Klubnika
Orange	Апельсин	Apel’sin
Peach	Персик	Persik
Wine	Вино	Vino
Water	Вода	Voda
Juice	Сок	Sok
Cheese	Сыр	Syr
Lemon	Лимон	Limon
Lime	Лайм	Lajm
Egg	Яйцо	YAjco
Butter	Сливочное масло	Slivochnoe maslo
Sugar	Сахар	Sahar

Getting Around (Транспорт и перемещение)

English	Russian	Transliteration
I’m lost (male)	Я заблудился	YA zabludilsya
I’m lost (female)	Я заблудилась	YA zabludilas’
I would like to go to…	Я хотел / хотела бы добраться до …	YA hotel / hotela by dobrat’sya do …
How do I get to…	Как добраться до … ?	Kak dobrat’sya do … ?
Where is…? Where are…?	Где находится … ?; Где находятся …?	Gde nahoditsya … ?; Gde nahodyatsya …?
the bathroom	туалет	tualet
the train station	вокзал	vokzal
the shops	магазины	magaziny
the restaurant	ресторан	restoran
the museum	музей	muzej
the post office	почта	pochta
the market	рынок	rynok
the pharmacy	аптека	apteka
the hospital	госпиталь	gospital’
the bus stop	автобусная остановка	avtobusnaya ostanovka
the airport	аэропорт	aeroport
the information office	справочное бюро	spravochnoe byuro
the theatre	театр	teatr
the park	парк	park
the city/town centre	центр города	centr goroda
the entrance	вход	vhod
the exit	выход	vyhod
the timetable	расписание	raspisanie
the departure gate	выход на посадку	vyhod na posadku
What time does it arrive there?	Во сколько он прибывает сюда?	Vo skol’ko on pribyvaet syuda?
How long does it take to get there?	Сколько занимает дорога до туда?	Skol’ko zanimaet doroga do tuda?
How much is the fare?	Сколько стоит проезд?	Skol’ko stoit proezd?
It costs…	Проезд стоит …	Proezd stoit …
the train	поезд	poezd
the flight	рейс	rejs
the baggage/luggage	багаж	bagazh
I need a taxi	Мне нужно такси	Mne nuzhno taksi
Please stop here (to a taxi driver)	Пожалуйста, остановитесь сдесь	Pozhalujsta, ostanovites’ sdes’

Directions (Указания)

English	Russian	Transliteration
Turn…	Поверните…	Povernite…
Left	Налево	Nalevo
Right	Направо	Napravo
Straight ahead	Прямо	Pryamo
Towards…	По направлению к …	Po napravleniyu k …
It’s / It is…	… находится …	… nahoditsya …
It’s close by	Это близко	Eto blizko
Opposite	Напротив	Naprotiv
Behind	Позади	Pozadi
Under	Под	Pod
In front of	Напротив	Naprotiv
Past	Мимо	Mimo

Sightseeing (Достопримечательности)

English	Russian	Transliteration
I would like to buy	Я хотел бы купить	YA hotel by kupit’
a ticket	билет	bilet
two tickets	два билета	dva bileta
two adult (fares)	два взрослых билета	dva vzroslyh bileta
one child (fare)	один детский билет	odin detskij bilet
one student (fare)	один студенческий билет	odin studencheskij bilet
one senior (fare)	один билет для пенсионеров	odin bilet dlya pensionerov

Numbers (Числа)

English	Russian	Transliteration
0	ноль	nol‘
1	один	odin
2	два	dva
3	три	tri
4	четыре	chetyre
5	пять	pyat‘
6	шесть	shest‘
7	семь	sem‘
8	восемь	vosem‘
9	девять	devyat‘
10	десять	desyat‘
11	одиннадцать	odinnadcat‘
12	двенадцать	dvenadcat‘
13	тринадцать	trinadcat‘
14	четырнадцать	chetyrnadcat‘
15	пятнадцать	pyatnadcat‘
16	шестнадцать	shestnadcat‘
17	семнадцать	semnadcat‘
18	восемнадцать	vosemnadcat‘
19	девятнадцать	devyatnadcat‘
20	двадцать	dvadcat‘
30	тридцать	tridcat‘
40	сорок	sorok
50	пятьдесят	pyat’desyat
60	шестьдесят	shest’desyat
70	семьдесят	sem’desyat
80	восемьдесят	vosem’desyat
90	девяносто	devyanosto
100	сто	sto
1000	тысяча	tysyacha

Telling the Time (Время)

English	Russian	Transliteration
Today	Сегодня	Segodnya
Tomorrow	Завтра	Zavtra
The day after tomorrow	Послезавтра	Poslezavtra
Yesterday	Вчера	Vchera
Now	Сейчас	Sejchas
Soon	Скоро	Skoro
Later	Позже	Pozzhe
What time is it?	Сколько времени?	Skol’ko vremeni?
What time does it open?	Во сколько открывается … ?	Vo skol’ko otkryvaetsya … ?
When does it close?	Когда закрывается … ?	Kogda zakryvaetsya … ?
in the morning	утром	utrom
in the afternoon	днём	dnyom
in the evening	вечером	vecherom
It’s 1 o’clock	Час.	CHas.
It’s 10 o’clock	Десять часов.	Desyat’ chasov.
It’s half past 8	Половина девятого.	Polovina devyatogo.
a minute	минута	minuta
an hour	час	chas

Days of the Week (Дни недели)

English	Russian	Transliteration
Monday	Понедельник	Ponedel’nik
Tuesday	Вторник	Vtornik
Wednesday	Среда	Sreda
Thursday	Четверг	CHetverg
Friday	Пятница	Pyatnica
Saturday	Суббота	Subbota
Sunday	Воскресенье	Voskresen’e

Emergencies (Чрезвычайные ситуации)

English	Russian	Transliteration
Help!	Помогите!	Pomogite!
I need a doctor	Мне нужен врач	Mne nuzhen vrach
I feel ill	Я плохо себя чувствую	YA ploho sebya chuvstvuyu
I have pain here	У меня болит здесь	U menya bolit zdes’
Call…	Позвоните …	Pozvonite …
the police	полиция	policiya
an ambulance	скорая	skoraya
the fire brigade	пожарная бригада	pozharnaya brigada
There’s a fire!	Пожар!	Pozhar!
Watch out!	Осторожно!	Ostorozhno!
Stop, thief!	Стой, вор!	Stoj, vor!
Go away! (formal or plural)	Уходите!	Uhodite!
Go away! (informal or 1 person)	Уходи!	Uhodi!
There’s been an accident	Произошел несчастный случай	Proizoshel neschastnyj sluchaj
Damage	Ущерб	Ushcherb
Pain	Боль	Bol’
I’ve been assaulted/attacked	На меня напали	Na menya napali
I lost my passport	Я потерял паспорт. (said by a man); Я потеряла паспорт. (said by a woman)	YA poteryal pasport. YA poteryala pasport.
Where is the American embassy? Where is the British embassy? Where is the Australian embassy? Where is the Canadian embassy?	Где находится посольство США?; Где находится посольство Великобритании?; Где находится посольство Австралии?; Где находится посольство Канады?	Gde nahoditsya posol’stvo SSHA?; Gde nahoditsya posol’stvo Velikobritanii?; Gde nahoditsya posol’stvo Avstralii?; Gde nahoditsya posol’stvo Kanady?
the Police station	полицейский участок	policejskij uchastok

Shopping (Покупки)

English	Russian	Transliteration
Are you looking for something? (formal)	Вы что-то ищете?	Vy chto-to ishchete?
Are you looking for something? (informal)	Ты что-то ищешь?	Ty chto-to ishchesh’?
Can I help you? (formal)	Могу ли я вам помочь?	Mogu li ya vam pomoch’?
Can I help you? (informal)	Могу ли я тебе помочь?	Mogu li ya tebe pomoch’?
May I just look?	Можно ли мне просто посмотреть?	Mozhno li mne prosto posmotret’?
I’m just browsing	Я просто смотрю	YA prosto smotryu
That’s too expensive!	Это слишком дорого!	Eto slishkom dorogo!
Can you give me a discount?	Вы не могли бы сделать мне скидку?	Vy ne mogli by sdelat’ mne skidku?
I’ll buy it! / I’ll take it!	Я возьму это	YA voz’mu eto
Anything else?	Что-то еще?	CHto-to eshche?
That’s all, thank you / Nothing else, thank you.	Это всё, спасибо. Больше ничего, спасибо.	Eto vsyo, spasibo. Bol’she nichego, spasibo.
May I pay with credit card?	Можно заплатить кредитной карточкой?	Mozhno zaplatit’ kreditnoj kartochkoj?
May I pay with cash?	Можно заплатить наличными?	Mozhno zaplatit’ nalichnymi?

Expressions of encouragement (Выражения поощрения)

English	Russian	Transliteration
Congratulations!	Поздравляю!	Pozdravlyayu!
Well done!	Молодец!	Molodec!
You can do it!	Ты справишься!	Ty spravish’sya!
Wonderful!	Чудесно!	CHudesno!
Great!	Замечательно!	Zamechatel’no!
Beautiful!	Красиво!	Krasivo!
Fantastic!	Фантастика!	Fantastika!
Excellent!	Отлично!	Otlichno!

Russian Phrases for Travel [Printable Infographic]

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Which of these Russian phrases did you find the most useful? Let me know in the comments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.
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Basic Russian Vocabulary for Travelers

In Russia’s major cities, many people (especially younger Russians and those working in customer service professions) speak English. However, it’s still likely that you will find yourself in a situation where the person you’re talking to doesn’t know a word of English, especially if you’re traveling outside the big cities or off the beaten track. With that in mind, here is a brief vocabulary guide of some words and phrases that will help you better connect with and enjoy Russian culture during your travels.

Important Notes

If you don’t know the right word, don’t panic! The Russian language is notoriously difficult to remember and pronounce. Pick a few phrases and memorize them the best you can. Most people will understand you even if you speak with a strong accent.

Below you’ll find both formal and informal versions of phrases. In Russia, it’s customary to address someone you don’t know using the formal versions, especially if he or she is older than you, or during any customer service/public official interactions. Keep these rules in mind:

• The stressed syllable is indicated by capital letters. For example, in the word «PoZHAlusta» (please), the second syllable is stressed. 
• The Russian «e» sounds more like the «e» at the end of the sound «ye»; it is not pronounced like in the English words «met» or «meet.»
• The Russian «g» sound is always hard (as in «garden,» not as in «vegetable»).
• If you see the symbol [‘] after a word, it means that you should soften the last consonant as if you were going to add the letter «i» at the end of the word but then stop just short of doing so. For example, with «den’,» imagine you were going to say «deni» but don’t actually pronounce the «i» sound. Just pronounce the first half of it. (This is not crucial to beginners’ pronunciation; you will likely be understood regardless).

Essential Russian Phrases

• Yes – Да (da)
• No – Нет (nyet)
• Please – Пожалуйста (poZHAlusta)
• Thank you – Спасибо (spaSIbo)
• You’re welcome. – Не за что. (ne za chto)
• Enjoy (often used instead of «you’re welcome» for food) – на здоровье (na zdaROVye)
• I’m sorry. – Прошу прощения. (proSHU proSHCHEniya) 
• Excuse me. – Извините. (izviNIte)
• I don’t understand. – Я не понимаю. (YA ne poniMAyu)
• I don’t speak Russian. – Я не говорю по-Русски. (YA ne govoryU po RUSski) 
• Do you speak English? – вы говорите по-Английски? (vi govoRIte po angLIYski?) 
• Help me, please. – Помогите, пожалуйста. (pomoGIte, poZHAlusta) 
• Where is the bathroom? – Где туалет? (gde tuaLET?) 
• One ticket, please. – Один билет, пожалуйста. (oDIN biLYET, poZHAlusta)

Greetings and Small Talk

• Hello (formal) – Здравствуйте (ZDRAstvuyte)
• Hello (informal) – Привет (priVET)
• Good morning. – Доброе утро. (dObroye Utro)
• Good afternoon. – Добрый день. (dObriy den’) 
• Good evening. – Добрый вечер. (dObriy VEcher)
• How are you? – Как дела? (kak deLA?)
• I’m fine, thank you. – Хорошо, спасибо. (haraSHO, spaSIbo)
• I’m OK, thank you. – Неплохо, спасибо. (nePLOho, spaSIbo)
• What’s your (formal/informal) name? – Как вас/тебя зовут? (kak vas/teBYA zoVUT?) 
• My name is… – Меня зовут… (meNYA zoVUT…) 
• It’s nice to meet you. – Приятно познакомиться. (priYATno poznaKOmitsa)
• Goodbye. – До свидания. (do sviDAniya)
• Good night. – Доброй ночи. (DObroi NOchi)
• Until next time – До встречи (do VSTREchi)

Directions

• Where is…? – Где …? (Gde…?)
• Where is the metro? – Где метро? (gde meTRO?)
• Where is the bus? – Где автобус? (gde avTObus?)
• Is it far? – Это далеко? (eto daleKO?)
• Go straight. – Идите прямо. (iDIte PRYAmo)
• Turn right. – Поверните на право. (poverNIte na PRAvo)
• Turn left. – Поверните на лево. (poverNIte na LEvo)
• Stop here, please. Остановитесь здесь, пожалуйста. (ostanoVItes’ zdes’, poZHAlusta)
• A map, please. – Карту, пожалуйста. (KARtu, poZHAlusta)

Eating Out

• Could I have the menu, please? – Можно меню, пожалуйста? (MOzhno meNU poZHAlusta?)
• A table for two, please. – На двоих, пожалуйста (na dvoIH, poZHAlusta)
• Appetizer – Закуска (zaKUSka)
• Salad – Салат (saLAt)
• Soup – Суп (sup)
• Chicken – Курица (KUritsa)
• Beef – Говядина (goVYAdina)
• Fish – Рыба (RIba)
• Main course – Горячее Блюдо (goRYAchee BLUdo)
• Dessert – Десерт (deSSERt)
• I will have… – Я буду… (ya BUdu…)
• May I have a glass of… (water/wine/beer) – Можно мне стакан… (вина/воды/пива) (MOzhno mne staKAN… [viNA/voDI/PIv])
• May I have a cup of… (tea/coffee) Можно мне чашку… (чая/кофе) (MOzhno mne CHAshku… [CHAya/KOfe])
• Do you have something vegetarian? У вас есть вегетарианские блюда? (u vas est’ vegetariANskiye BLUda?)
• May I have the bill, please? – Можно чек, пожалуйста? (MOzhno chek, poZHAlusta?)
• Breakfast – Завтрак (ZAvtrak)
• Lunch – Обед (oBED)
• Dinner – Ужин (Uzhin)

Shopping

• How much is it? – Сколько стоит? (skol’ko STOit?)
• Can I pay? – Можно заплатить? (MOzhno zaplaTIT’?)
• Can I pay by credit card? – Можно заплатить кредитной карточкой? (MOzhno zaplaTIT’ kreDItnoi KARtochkoi?)
• Cash – Наличные (naLICHnie)
• Bookstore – Книжый магазин (KNIzhni magaZIN)
• Supermarket – супермаркет (superMARket)
• Bakery – Булочная (BUlochnaya)

Time Indications

• Now – Сейчас (seyCHAS)
• Today  – Сегодня (seGOdnya)
• Tomorrow –  Завтра (ZAVtra)
• Yesterday – Вчера (vcheRA)
• Morning – Утро (Utro)
• Afternoon – День (den’)
• Evening  – Вечер (VEcher)
• This afternoon – Сегодня днем (seGOdnya dnyom)
• This evening – Сегодня вечером (soGOdnya VEcherom)

And while I do guarantee that you do NOT need to be fluent in Russian to travel to a Russian-speaking country, I do highly recommend learning the basics. But that’s true for any foreign country you visit! Making even the slightest effort with the language not only goes a long way in the eyes of the locals, but it also gives you the opportunity to dive deeper into the culture you’ll be immersed in. So, check out my list of Russian travel phrases below and be sure to reference this article the next time you travel to the former Eastern bloc!

Russian for Tourists: 75+ Essential Russian Travel Phrases Every Traveler Should Know

Absolute Basics

Greetings & Simple Conversation

At the airport

Booking & Staying at a Hotel

Transportation 

Taxi

Train

Bus & Marshrutka

Metro

Directions

In Case of Emergency (ICE)

Shopping & Bartering

Eating & Ordering at a Restaurant

Asking for Language Help

Russian for Tourists – More Resources

With these 100+ sentences and phrases, you’re sure to be able to get by #onthebloc. Be sure to save this guide for the next time you travel to a Russian-speaking country!

If you’re interested in diving a little deeper into Russian, definitely check out my Learn Russian page. There are a ton of FREE Russian language resources for you to reference and study to prepare you to not only get by speaking Russian, but thrive 🙂

See you next time,

Melissa

When planing to visit Russia, the major problem for the tourists is Language, if you can’t communicate with locals you’ll ruin your trip. So you should at least know few Russian Words before going to Russia. Mostly in case you’re in a situation where no one speaks English and you need directions.

If you’re thinking about the best language you should learn before traveling, check this guide for languages needed by travelers.

There is a difference between Russia and Western Europe, the majority of Russians study English as a foreign language so they speak English, but not as fluent as you expect it to be. People from Western Europe speak good English, also they communicate and exchange a lot in this language.

Here are some phrases and Russian Words you should learn:

If you are planning to visit Russia at least you need to know some phrases, if you are planning to know just one or two, the following must be in your list:

1. Здравствуйте (ZDRA-stvooy-te) = Hello/Hi

Greeting in Russian isn’t that easy as you think, this is the formal greeting word. You can use it with strangers, someone who is not your friend or family. If you can’t pronounce it or just forget how to say it correctly you can just use Hi or Hello, most of them will understand this one.

1. Пожалуйста (puh-ZHA-luy-sta) = Please/You’re Welcome

This one is mostly used as “please” when asking for something, or an answer from your side to “thank you”. Be polite and learn this easy word to win Russians hearts.

1. Можно (MO‧jna)= May I? Would it be possible?

You would get an affirmative answer: да (da =  yes), конечно (ka‧NESH‧na = of course), or just repeat the word можно, that means okay you can do it.

If not, you’re probably hear the famous Russian word нет (nyet = no) or нельзя (nelz‧YA = not possible)

1. Встречаться (vstre-CHA-tsya)– To Meet/Date

If you are visiting Russia to meet some girls; you should know at least a word to ask for a date. This one will really help you if you speak a Latin (Romance Languages) you’ll have the best accent to pronounce this word in Russian.

1. Где находится…? (Gdye na‧KHO‧dit‧sya)= Where is … located?

If you are looking for a toilet say: туалет = tua‧LYET, the stadium (стадион = stad‧i‧ON), this one is more difficult, the Red Square (Красная площадь = KRAS‧na‧ya PLO‧schatt)

1. Молодец (Maw‧law‧DETS) = Good job! Bravo!

Let’s say you are planning to Visit Russia to attend the Russia World Cup, you’re probably need to cheer your team saying Молодец. It doesn’t have same meaning as an English but it’s suitable for that situation.

1. Хорошо (khorosho) = Good/Okay

When someone asks a question like: Do you like this? Is everything OK? You probably should say “khorosho”.

Finally, don’t overuse Russian words if you are not sure about the meaning. Just get a Travel Translation App or use an online Translator.

References:

Russia: Important Phrases
Russian Phrases