Russian For Dummies. Serafima Gettys
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phone calls and use a computer. In Chapter 13, you find out how to talk about fun things, such as sports, reading, and other hobbies.
Part 3: Russian on the Go
This part covers all the aspects of traveling, such as planning your trip (Chapter 14), settling your financial matters (Chapter 15), discussing transportation (Chapter 16), and arranging for a place to stay (Chapter 17). Chapter 18 prepares you for handling emergencies.
Part 4: The Part of Tens
The Part of Tens is an unusual part of this book; it gives you lists of fun things to know, such as ten ways to pick up Russian quickly and ten things never to say in Russian. This part is also the place to find ten favorite Russian expressions and to pick up ten phrases that make you sound authentically Russian.
Appendixes
Russian For Dummies, 3rd Edition, also includes three appendixes, which bring together some useful information. In Appendix A, you find two mini-dictionaries (both Russian-to-English and English-to-Russian) for quick reference. Appendix B contains verb tables that show you how to conjugate regular and irregular verbs. Appendix C offers the answer keys to the Fun & Games sections of each chapter.
Icons Used in This Book
For your convenience, we marked some information in this book with special icons. Check out this guide to the icons, and the next time you see one of them, you’ll know what to expect!
www.dummies.com/go/russianfd3e.
Beyond the Book
In addition to what you’re reading right now, this product also comes with a free access-anywhere Cheat Sheet. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and type Russian For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.
Where to Go from Here
Now that you’re familiar with the anatomy of Russian For Dummies, 3rd Edition, you can embark on your journey. You can start anywhere, and you don’t have to go in a specific order. Just choose a topic that seems appealing, find the corresponding chapter in the table of contents, and start speaking Russian!
If you’re at a loss about where to start, please take our advice and begin with Chapter 2: It provides you with a very powerful tool — the ability to read Russian. Chapter 3 is a good place to get a grasp on the essentials of Russian grammar. After that, you can go straight to the sections that deal with information you need urgently. Wherever you decide to start, you can find plenty of useful phrases to get you speaking Russian and exploring the benefits that your language skill brings. And now we wish you Cчacтливoгoпути! (sh’ees-lee-vah-vah pooh-tee!) (Bon voyage!).
Part 1
Getting Started
IN THIS PART …
Learn the basics of Russian.
Explore the Russian alphabet.
Understand basic Russian grammar.
Say some simple Russian expressions.
Get your numbers, times, and measurements straight.
Identify items at home using Russian.
Chapter 1
Russian in a Nutshell
IN THIS CHAPTER
Russian has a reputation for being a difficult language. Is it? We would say that different is a better word to describe the experience of studying Russian. Russian actually is a distant cousin of English. Both languages belong to a huge Indo-European family of languages — unlike, say, Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese, which belong to completely different language-family clans.
This chapter provides you a taste of Russian. Get ready to study this fascinating language!
Discovering How Easy the Russian Alphabet Really Is
If you were to ask people on the street what they think the most difficult thing about learning Russian is, most of them (slightly taken aback by your question) would likely say, “The alphabet!”
But we’re here to tell you that nothing could be further from