Learning French, chic; learning Russian, more so. 1/6 of the world speaks Russian. It is spoken in Eastern Europe+Central Asia. Введение  введение .5 syllables:  в-ве-де'-ни-е .pronounced ve-veei-deei'-nee-eei .meaning introduction  My University of Ottawa philosophy professor,  Father Stroik Ph.D. (German Catholic Oblate  priest who lived through World War II in Germany),  said to me in 1975: ."The best advice, I can give you, is to learn Russian."  This is especially true today as we go through  a 30-year economic contraction that will *not*  affect The Russian Commonwealth (also known  as the Commonwealth of Independent States:  Cодружество Независимых Государств).  Cодружество  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  4 syllables: Cо-дру'-жест-во .pronounced sah-droo'-jeeist-ve (oo in pool) .meaning commonwealth  Независимыхурок  (adjective, genitive case, masculine,   plural)  5 syllables: Не-за-ви'-си-мых .pronounced neei-za-vee'-see-me-ee-ik (soft, throaty k) .meaning independent  Государств  (noun, genitive case, masculine, .plural)  4 syllables: Го-су-дарст'-в .pronounced guh-soo-dahrst-ve .meaning states  They're the former Soviet Russian-speaking  countries *minus* those who have joined the  European Union: Poland, Estonia, Lithuanian,  Latvia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Romania,  and the Ukraine.  The continuing slide in the Euro and English  sterling pound combined with the strengthening  of the ruble  (рубль, 2 syllables: ру-бль' pro-  nounced roo-blʹ, plural рубли': 2 syllables: руб-ли'  pronounced roob-liʹ) combined with the European  economy dependent on the development of the  Russian economy for mutual benefit will propel  the European Union into the orbit of Russia's .Commonwealth of Independent States making .Russia *the* superpower.  (Currently, 1 RUB ₽ = $.02 CAD)  Who provided Russia with badly needed $$$  when The Soviet Union was crumbling?  *Not* the USA who had promised to help Russia  if it embraced democracy, but Germany.  Russia's official name is The Russian Federation,  Российская Федерация.  Россия  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  3 syllables: Рос-си'-я  .pronounced rahs-see'-yah .meaning Russia  Российская  (adjective, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  3 syllables: Рос-си'-йс-кая .pronounced rahs-see'-yes-kuyah .meaning Russian  Федерация  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular) .5 syllables: Фе-де-pa'-ци-я .pronounced feei-deei-rah'-stee-yah .meaning federation  Russia (Росси́я) is the biggest nation covering  1/6 of the globe crossing 11 time zones with the  most diversed climate.  At The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, tourists  were treated to winter in the mountains and warm  coastal weather by the Black Sea where they were  lodged.  Sochi=Сочи  2 syllables: Со-чи' .pronounced sah-chee' The monumental success of Sochi 2014 Olympic  Winter Games is testimony to the dynamism  and capability of the *new* Russia.  Because the future belongs to .Russia, my best advice is this:  learnRussian.

План .pronounced like in English .meaning the plan    The goal is to ease you ASAP (as *quickly* as .possible) into Russian in order to facilitate .flash learning that allows to more easily retain .the material learned. .This is done in a simple, logically progressive .way. .You'll learn the key to language learning is the .syllable. .Languages like Russian and English have syllabic .stress: one of the syllables in a word with two or .more syllables is stressed while the others are .destressed (devoiced). .You'll learn how palatalization gives Russian it's .musicality by devoicing the ending of each syllable .so it can more easily glide into the next syllable. .This is followed by a short, but thorough introduction .to the Russian alphabet. .All that is a prelude to the 15 quick, easy lessons .that introduces you to the Russian language and .to Russia. .The online resources (after the 15 lessons) will .proof very helpful in your acquistion of Russian. .The focus is on ease of learning and fun that will .develop the desire to learn more about Rusian .and its language. .As an historical footnote, Russian language .learning was encouraged in the USA during .the Cold War. .When the Chinese Communist Party adopted .the Russian style of communism, Russian was .the foreign language that the Chinese learned .the most for over a decade until the 1960's.  Удачи!  3 syllables: у-да'-чи .pronounced ou-da'-chee  meaning good luck

Добро ..(adverb) .2 syllabes: до-бро' .pronounced dah-broh' .meaning well .  пожаловать  (verb) .4 syllabes: по-жа'-ло-вать  pronounced pah-jah-le-vat .meaning to visit  *both* together meanwelcome  Russians *traditionally* .welcome strangers with ...  a plate  тарелка  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  3 syllables: та-рел'-ка .pronounced tuh-reeil'-kuh  of bread  хлеб  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  pronounced hileeip .[where the Russian letter б (the .  Russian b-letter) is pronounced      as a p-sound because it's devoiced   at the end of the syllable]  and  и  (conjunction)  pronounced ee  salt  соль  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  pronounced sohl

"The Russian language is...         the greatness of Spanish,       the liveliness of French,       the force of German,       the tenderness of Italian,       and, in addition, the richness and strong       terse descriptiveness of Greek and Latin.  - Mikhail Lomonosov,   18th century Russian scientist, writer

Стресс   (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  pronounced (*almost* like English) streeiss  meaning stress  Russian words of 2 or more syllables have  a stressed syllable that is pronounced with  more force than the rest (just like English)  unlike English, however, *every* syllable  is pronounced *distinctly*  this stress feature (where one syllable of a .word is stressed) allows the other syllables .to be produced quicker: it's a timesaving and .energy saving feature  Note  a syllable with the prominent  Russian vowel ё (yoh) *always*  carries the stress

Слог   (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  pronouced slok .[where the Russian letter г (the   Russian g letter) is pronounced   as a k-sound because it's devoiced  at the end of the syllable]  .meaning the  syllable  *the* unit of all languages .is the syllable  a consonant  (a *constricted* air flow sound) is *not* a syllable  consonant  grammar.about.com  dictionary.reference.com    a vowel  (an *unconstricted* air flow sound) is *not* a syllable  vowel   dictionary.reference.com   dictionary.cambridge.org   www.thefreedictionary.com  a syllable  a *combination* of ...  - one vowel .- one consonant (or more)  syllable   dictionary.reference.com   www.thefreedictionary.com  Example  my 1-syllable name, Ken,  has 2 consonants and a short-e vowel  Ken is the *short* form of Kenneth:  2 syllables, Ken-neth

. the *palatized* syllable .the Russian consonants б, д, г, ж, В .are called voiced consonants because the vocal .cords constrict the air flow when they are produced .however, they become *these* soft (voiceless) .consonants of п, т, к, ф produced with .less force because the air flow is not constricted .when at the end of the syllable because you are .getting ready to say the next syllable .the syllable *weakens* towards the end making .breathing easier thanks to this eb and flow effect .of voiced consonants at the start of the syllable .ending with.voiceless consonants that are produced .with less energy            the *palatized* syllable is...     - voiced up front     - voiceless at the back          Example      the b-sound, represented by the Russian      letter б, becomes a softer, voiceless      p-sound at the *end* of the syllable as      in the word for bread, хлеб      (pronounced hleeip)      voiced, voiceless      esl.about.com      en.wikipedia.org      www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/      Russian palatalization      www.youtube.com      www.russianforeveryone.com      Example       the d-sound, represented by the Russian       letter д, becomes a softer, voiceless       t-sound at the *end* of the syllable as in       the word for city or town, город       (2 syllables: го'-род pronounced goh'-ruht)      Example      the g-sound, represented by the Russian      letter г, becomes a softer, voiceless      k-sound at the *end* of the syllable as      in the word for train station, вокзал      (2 syllables: вок-зал' pronounced vahg-zahl')       .Example      the j-sound, represented by the Russian      letter ж, becomes a softer, voiceless      k-sound at the *end* of the syllable as      in the word for spoon, ложка      (2 syllables: лож'-ка pronounced lohk'-kuh)       .Example      the v-sound, represented by the Russian      letter в, becomes a softer, voiceless      f-sound at the *end* of the syllable as      in the word for bus, автобус      [2 syllables: ав-то-бус pronounced       af-toh'-boos (the oo in pool)] 1-letter prepositions .the 1-letter consonantal preposition for .in, в, is pronounced as an f-sound .when followed by a *voiceless* consonant .like the Russian letter к: в Канаде .(pronounced fkuh-nah'-deei meaning  in Canada) .Note  the 1-letter consonantal prepositions  are pronounced as part of the *1st*  syllable of the word following the  preposition .Note .Канаде is the prepositional case of .Канада.   .Канада .(noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)      prepositional case      masterrussian.com      www.russianlessons.net      www.russianforeveryone.com the *unstressed* syllable   .A. the Russian letter а...          the Russian letter а in an *unstressed*          syllable is pronounced like a short-a,          uh-sound          Example          ехать           (verb)           2 syllables: е'-хать           pronounced eei'-huht (with a short-a, uh-sound)           meaning to go           (It looks like the English word exit.)           HOWEVER, in a *stressed* syllable, it's           pronounced as a long-a, ah-sound  .B. the Russian letter о...         the Russian letter о can be          pronounced 3 ways...             1. in the *stressed* syllable                 as an o-sound             2. in the syllable *before* the                 stressed syllable as a long-a,                 ah-sound             3. everywhere else as a short-e, er-                 sound or a short-a, uh-sound             HOWEVER, Russians seem to often           prefer the short-a, uh-sound, over           the short-e, er-sound, as in хорошо      хорошо      (adverb)      3 syllables: хо-ро-шо'      pronounced *huh*-rah-sho'      meaning well      Expression      С Новым Годом      Happy New Year      С      (preposition)      pronounced s      meaning with      новым      (adjective, instrumental case of новый,        masculine, singluar)       2 syllables: но'-вым       pronounced noh'-vihm       meaning new      годом      (noun, instrumental case of год,       masculine, singular)      2 syllables: го'-дом      pronounced goh'-dem      meaning year      Note      the 2nd o in го'-дом      is *always* pronounced      with a short-e, an er-sound.      like in спасибо      (adverb)      3 syllables: спа-си'-бо      pronounced spah-see'-be      meaning thank you      Note      the o in спасибо is       *always* pronounced as       a short-e, er-sound (not      like a short-a, an uh-sound)      Expression      ехать за городом      to go out of town      городом      (noun, instrumental case of город,       masculine, singular)      3 syllables: го'-ро-дом      *usually* pronounced goh'-ruh-duhm      meaning town      instrumental case      masterrussian.com      www.youtube.com      www.russianforeveryone.com      за      (preposition)      pronounced zah      meaning out of      ехать      2 syllables: е'-хать      pronounced eei-huht      (with a short-a, uh-sound because it is in      an *unstressed* syllable)      means to go (It looks like the English word exit.)      Note      the o in an *unstressed*      syllable in a word of foreign      origin like радио is      pronounced as an o-sound.      радио      (noun, nominative case, neuter,        singular)      3 syllables: ра'-ди-о      pronounced rah'-dee-oh      meaning radio      see      www.youtube.com

the y-glide (the y-semi-vowel)  5 vowels *begin* with the y-glide  1. Я (yah) (2 vowels coming together)         (last letter of the alphabet, the "I" pronoun) .2. и (ee) (2 vowels coming together)  3. е (yeei) (2 vowels coming together)  4. ю (yoo as in pool) (2 vowels coming togehter)  5. ё (yoh) (2 vowels coming togehter)         (Its syllable *always* carries the stress.)  the y-glide is a *transition* vowel  that glides* into the next vowel  y-glide  dictionary.reference.com  english.stackexchange.com

Палатализация  (noun, nominative case, feminine, .singular)  7 syllables: Па-ла-та-лиз'-а-ци-я  pronounced puh-luh-tuh-leez'-uh-stee-yah .meaning palatalization  palatalization is the *key* feature .of the Russian language  it involves the pulling back of the tongue  *upwards* towards the back of the palate .giving it a *gutteral* sound effect  as mentioned previously above, it affects .the last consonant of the syllable by  making it *softer* and more *relaxed* .because it is produced with *less* effort .IN ADDITION, there are some consonants .that are palatalized and some that are .never palatalized .these 3 consonants are  .*not* palatalized...  1. ж (je)  2. ц (st)  3. ш (sh)  the overall effect of a *palatalized* consonant .(ending with a y-glide) followed by a *palatalized* .vowel (beginning with a y-glide) is the elimination .one of the 2 y-glides  these 2 consonant are .*always* palatalized...  1. ч (ch)  2. щ (shsh)  Example  час  (noun, nominative case,   singular)  pronounced chyas .meaning hour  Note .between the ч consonant .and the а vowel there is a .y-glide the soft sign, ь  the ь is called the soft *sign* .because it's *not* a letter, but .a sign .when it follows a consonant, it *palatalizes* .the consonant by giving it a y-glide (ye-sound) .at the end  the soft signь    dictionary.reference.com  affects case endings: .a word ending with the soft sign .means the case ending will be - .of course - a *palatized* vowel  Example  учитель  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  3 syllables: у-чи'-тель .pronouned oo-chee'-teeil (oo in pool) .meaning teacher   its feminine equivalent takes  a*palatized* vowel case ending   учителя.  compare that with a word .*without* the soft sign...  студент  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  2 syllables: сту-дент' .pronounced stoo-deeint' (oo in pool) .meaning student  its *feminine* equivalent .is студента  Russians call the soft sign, ь  мягкий  (adjective, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  3 syllables: мяг'-ки-й  .pronounced meeyahk'-kee-ye  Note  the Russian letter г (the  g-sound) is pronounced  as a k-sound because  it's at the *end* of the  syllable  meaning soft  знак  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  pronounced znak .meaning sign  palatalization makes a consonant .sound more guttural (throaty) and smoother .(softer) (*not* as sharp as a hard consonant)  giving Russian a melodic, languid quality  palatalization   www.britannica.com

the hard sign,ъ  the ъ is called the hard *sign* .because it's *not* a letter, but a sign  Russians call the hard sign, ъ:  твёрдый  (adjective, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  2 syllables: твёр'-дый  .pronounced tvyohr'-(dee-e)ye  meaning hard  знак  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  pronounced znak .meaning sign  the soft sign, ь, indicatesa ye-sound .the hard sign,ъ,indicates the *absence* .of sound due to a break in the air flow, a .glottal stop .it's found in between... .- a prefix and the root word .- a word and another word    of a compound word  Note .only a *few* words .have the hard sign, ъ, .like объект  объект  (noun, nominative case, masuline   singular)  2 syllables: объ-ект' .pronounced ab-eeikt'  meaning subject  Note  the б at the end of the *1st* syllable  is *not* voiceless because it   does *not* glide into the next  syllable: this allows the 1st syllable  to be shorter, said faster - with more  energy  another word  подъезд  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  2 syllables: подъ-езд' .pronounced pahd-eeizt'  meaning entrance, approach  Note  the *1st* д at the end of the 1st syllable  is *not* voiceless unlike the 2nd д  at the end of the 2nd syllable which is and  becomes - as a result - a t-sound because  it is voiceless  the glottal stop  in order for *both* vowels beside  each other to be pronounced, there  has to be a glottal stop, a pause  in the air flow like in the word  reli'able   glottal stop  www.youtube.com   the soft sign Ъ  graphemica.com  www.youtube.com  russianfluently.blogspot.ca

. Русский  (adjective, nominative case,   masculine, singular)  3 syllables: Русс'-ки-й .pronounced rooss'-kee-ye (the oo in pool) .meaning Russian Алфавит  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  3 syllabes: ал-фа-вит' .pronounced uhl-fuh-veet'  meaning alphabet   Note  there's no "the"(definite article)  and no "a" (indefinite article) in  Russian    Notice in Русский  - the Р (upper case), р (lower case)   (the Greek r) pronounced as r  - the y pronounced oo as in pool  - the c pronounced s  - the k pronounced k  - the и pronounced as a long-e  - the й pronounced ye  Notice in Алфавит  - the Russian letter A (upper case),   а (lower case) is pronounced uh    (a short a-sound) in an unstressed    syllable, but ah (a long a-sound)     in a *stressed* syllable  - the л pronounced l  - the ф pronounced f  - the в pronounced v  - the t pronounced t  to be able to read and write Russian,  you need to know the Russian alphabet  the Russian alphabet correctly known as .the Cyrillic alphabet has 33 letters  going from а (ah) to Я (yah)  the Greek monk, Saint Cyril, invented the .Cyrillic alphabet that carries his name  languages using it  www.britannica.com  the Cyrillic alphabet  learnrussian.rt.com  as of 2007 the Cyrillic alphabet .has become the 3rd official .alphabet of the European .Union (EU)  interestingly, the letters the Cyrillic  alphabet follow the same sequence .as that of the English alphabet and .are pronounced like the letters of .the French alphabet  the Cyrillic alphabet  www.youtube.com  www.youtube.com  www.youtube.com  www.russianforeveryone.com  Cyrillic alphabet quiz  www.funtrivia.com  Cyrillic alphabet game  www.purposegames.com  related sites  quizlet.com  www.ukindia.com  masterrussian.com  learningrussian.net  www.practicerussian.com

the French connection    the Russian royal family spent their  summer holidays in Southern France  this helps explain the many French  words in the Russian language, .русский язык  русский  (adjective, nominative case,   masculine, singular)  3 syllables: Русс'-ки-й .pronounced rooss'-kee-ye (the oo in pool) .meaning Russian  язык  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  2 syllabes: я-зык' .pronounced yah-z(e-ee)k'  meaning language, tongue  Examples  - the French word for poster: affiche     In Russian, it's афиша.     3 syllables: аh-фи'-ша    pronounced ah-fee'-shah     Notice     - the ш pronounced sh  - the French word for wardrobe: garde-robe     In Russian, it's гардероб.     3 syllables: гар-де-роб'     pronounced gar-de-rohb' (short-e in her)     Notice     - the г pronounced g     - the д pronounced d     - the б pronounced b     - the e is pronounced       like the French e  - the French word for correspondent: journaliste     In Russian, it's журналист.     3 syllables: жур-на-лист'    pronounced joor-nah-leest' (the oo in pool)     Notice     - the ж pronounced je     - the н pronounced n  - the French word for patient: patient     In Russian, it's пациент.     3 syllables: па-ци-ент'    pronounced pah-stee-eeint'     Notice     - the п (the Greek p) pronounced as p      Note      it looks like the Russian      letter л (pronounced l)     - the ц pronounced st       Note       it's an *emphatic* sound     - the e pronounced as a long-e      followed by a short-i  - the French word for floor: étage     In Russian, it's этаж.     2 syllables: э-таж'    pronounced e-tahje'     Notice     - the э pronounced      like e in end, get    - the French word for coffee: café     In Russian, it's кофе.     2 syllables: ко'-фе    pronounced koh'-feei (the short-i in it)     Notice     - the k pronounced k     - the е pronounced       ee followed by a short-i  - the French word for office: bureau     In Russian, it's бюро.     2 syllables: бю-ро'    pronounced byoo-roh' (the oo in pool)     Notice     - the ю pronounced as a y-glide      (y-semi-vowel) followed by a long-u    - the French word for committee: comité     In Russian, it's комитет.     3 syllables: ко-ми-тет'    pronounced kah-mee-tyeeit' (the short-i in it)  - the French word for technique: technique     In Russian, it's техника.     3 syllables: тех'-ни-ка    pronounced tyeeik'-nee-ka     Notice     - the х pronounced k "softly" at the      *back* of the throat       Note      at the beginning of a syllable,      it's pronounced as an h like in      the Russian word for bread,    хлеб

Осторожно!   (adverb)  4 syllables: с-то-рож'-но .pronounced es-tah-rohj'-ne .meaning look out    3 *similar* Russian-sounding letters  1.и(ee)  если  (conjuction)  2 syllables: ес'ли .pronounced eeis'-lee .meaning if  смогу .(verb) .pronounced smah-goo (oo in pool) .meaning I can (derived from мочь)   мочь .(verb) .pronounced mohche .meaning to be able to  если смогу  2.й(ye)   Note  it's the *shorter* version  of the Russian letter и  and is why it's called и .короткоe  короткое  (adjective, nominative case, neuter,    singular)  4 syllables: ко-рот'-ко-е .pronounced kah-roht'-ke-yee-e .means short  это  (pronoun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  2 syllables:  э'-то .pronounced e-tuh (short-e in end, get) .meaning this  очен  (adverb)  2 syllables: о’-чен .pronounced oh-cheein .meaning very  интересный  (adjective, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  5 syllables: ин-те-рес'-ны-й .pronounced een-teei-reeis'-(ne-ee)-ye .meaning interesting  это - очен интересный.  Note  there's no present tense "to  be" verb in Russian. In print,  a *hyphen* replaces it  3.ы(e-ee)  Note  it's a short-e followed by a long-e  making it a more emphatic sound  than и  ты .pronounced te-ee .meaning you  Note .ты, the *informal* you  used with family, relatives,  and friends, the equivalent  of the French "tu", the Ger-  man "Du"  Note .вы, the *formal* you used  with strangers, the equivalent  of the French "vous", the Ger-  man "Sie" и  (conjunction)  pronounced ee .meaning and  я  (pronoun)  pronounced yah .meaning I  ты и я . или  (conjunction)  2 syllables: и'-ли .pronounced ee'-lee  meaning or  я  или ты  How to Read Russian  www.russianforfree.com

Осторожно!  (adverb)  4 syllables: с-то-рож'-но .pronounced es-tah-rohj'-ne .meaning look out  Russian has 2 vowels that appear  to be *reversed* to an English speaker  1. the Russian vowel и (ee)      meaning "and"  2. the Russian vowel я (yah)      is the pronoun for "I" and      the *last* letter of the      Russian alphabet  reversed  www.thefreedictionary.com/rev  dictionary.cambridge.org/dictio  Russian has a letter that appears  to be *both* reversed and upside  down to an English speaker...  - the Russian consonant ч (ch) the Russian vowel у  It's found in the word уже.  2 syllabes: у-же' .pronounced oo-jeei' (oo in pool) .meaning already  It represents the oo-sound in pool.  The English y is much more .*complicated* because there are .*5* possiblities. .It can be...  - a consonant with a ye-sound    like in yet, yes  - any of *4* possible vowels  As a *variable* vowel, it can .be any one of the following .4 vowels...  - e-vowel: short or long                   1. a short-e like in myrrh                   2. a long-e like in army  - i-vowel: short or long                  3. a short-i like in myth, vinyl                  4. a long-i like in my

Уpok 1  2 syllables: y-pok' .pronounced oo-rohk (oo in pool)  meaning lesson Notice  - д pronounced d  да! .pronounced dah .Yes!

Уpok 2   Notice  - н pronounced n  нет! .pronounced neeit .No!  не- .- the *not* prefix  prefix  www.yourdictionary.com  dictionary.reference.com   дорого .(adjective) .3 syllables: до'-ро-го .pronounced doh'-ruh-guh .meaning expensive  недорого  (adjective)  4 syllables: не-до'-ро-го .pronounced neei-doh'-ruh-guh .meaning *not* expensive  Notice  - the last 2 os are pronounced    like a short-a, an uh-sound,    because they follow a *stressed*    syllable with an o: they can be    pronounced as a short-e, an er-    sound. (It depends on usage.)  много .(adverb) .2 syllables: мно'-го .pronounced mnoh'guh .meaning a lot  немного  (adverb)  3 syllables: не-мно'-го .pronounced neei-mnoh'-guh .(The 2nd o is pronounced   as a short-a, an uh-sound.)  meaning *not* a lot  которые  (adjective, nominative case, plural)  3 syllables, ко-то'-рые .pronounced kah-toh'-(re-ee) .meaning which, what specifically  Expression...  который сейчас час? .What time is it?  который  (pronominal interrogative adjective,   nominative case, masculine, singular)  4 syllables: ко-то'-рый .pronounced kah-toh'-reei .meaning which  сейчас  (adverb)  3 syllables: се-й-час .pronounced seei-ye-chahs' .meaning right now  час  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular) .pronounced chahs .meaning hour  некоторые  (pronoun)  4 syllables: не'-ко-то-рые .pronounced neei'-kuh-tuh-(re-ee) .(the 2 os are pronounced as   a short-a, an uh-sound)  meaning some  собаки  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   plural)  3 syllables: cо-ба'-ки .pronounced sah-bah'-kee .meaning dogs (собака: singular)  некоторые собаки  что .pronounced shtoh .meaning what  Expression...  Не за что. Don't mention it.  Another way of saying thank you.  Notice  - the Russian letter ч is *normally*    pronounced ch, but in что, it's    pronounced sho

Уpok 3   .всё  (adverb)  pronounced vsyoh or fsyoh .meaning all  Note  the Russian letter B representing  the v-sound can be pronounced f  ещё  (adverb)  2 syllables: е-щё' .pronounced eei-shshyoh'  meaning yet, still  Expression...  Неt ещё.  *Both* всё and ещё .*together* meaning still  здесь  (adverb)  pronounced zdeeis .meaning here  ты всё ещё здесь? .You are still here?  Notice  - the Russian letter щ represents    a *double* sh-sound  Note .the 1st sh is really the  *last* consonant of the 1st  syllable and the 2nd sh  the *1st* consonant of the  next syllable

Уpok 4   .товарищ  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  3 syllables: то-ва'-рищ .pronounced tah-vah'-reeshsh .meaning comrade  как  (adverb)  pronounced kahk .meaning how  дела  (noun, nominative case, neuter,   plural)  2 syllables: де-ла' .pronounced deei-lah'  meaning things .дело .(noun, nominative, neuter,   singular) .2 syllables: де'-ло .pronounced deei-leh .meaning thing  Note .*singular* neuter .nouns end in o. .and e  Товарищ, .как дела?  Comrade, .how are things? (literally)  for "Comrade, how are you?"  Note  the Russian letter ш represents  the sh-sound; the Russian letter  щ represents the shsh-sound,  the equivalent of *2* ш's  *Another* word with .the Russian letter ш...  шесть .pronounced sheeist .meaning 6  матрёшка  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  3 syllables: ма-трёш'-ка  pronounced muh-tryosh'-kuh .meaning nesting doll  Note  the 2 а's are pronounced like  a short-a, an uh-sound (instead  of a long-a, an ah-sound) because  they are not in a *stressed* syllable  cultural note  Russia is *world-famous* for its .матрёшка(wooden nesting) dolls.  матрёшка  en.wikipedia.org  russian-crafts.com

Уpok 5   .правда  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  2 syllables: прав'-да  pronounced prahv'-duh .meaning truth  газета  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  3 syllables: га-зе'-та  pronounced gah-zeei'-tuh .meaning newspaper  cultural note  Russia's *famous* newspaper  is Правда Газета.  Правда Газета  gazeta-pravda.ru

Уpok 6     .один  (adjective, masculine, singular)  2 syllables: о-дин' .pronounced uh-deen' .meaning 1  Note .masculine nouns .end in a consonant  одна  (adjective, feminine, singular)  2 syllables: од-на' .pronounced uhd-nah' .meaning 1  Note .feminine nouns .*usually* end in a vowel  одно  (adjective, neuter, singular)  2 syllables: од-но' .pronounced uhd-noh' .meaning 1  Note .neuter nouns .end in o or е  два  (adjective, masculine and neuter,   plural)  pronounced dvah .meaning 2  две  (adjective, feminine, plural)  pronounced dveei .meaning 2  три  (invariable adjective)  pronounced tree .meaning 3  четыре  (invariable adjective)  3 syllables: че-ты'-рe  pronounced cheei-(te-ee)'-reei .meaning 4  пять  (invariable adjective)  pronounced pyat .meaning 5

Уpok 7    .Поздравления  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  5 syllables: Поз-дра-вле'-ни-я .pronounced puhez-druh-vleei'-nee-yah .meaning congratulations  tip  - ignore the 1st syllable .- see the word as*beginning*   with the 2nd uh-based syllable    and *closing* with the я (yah)   vowel .- in  between notice that there are 2   long e-sounding vowels:    the *stressed* e (ee-i) vowel followed    by the и (ee) vowel    Вы  (pronoun)  pronounced ve-ee .meaning the formal (polite) you  теперь  (adverb)  2 syllables: те-перь'  pronounced teei-peeir' .meaning now  знаете  (verb, 2nd person plural *formal* you   form of знать .  pronounced znaht   .meaning to know)  3 syllables: зна'-е-те .pronounced znah'-eei-teei .meaning know  некоторые  (adverb) .4 syllables: не'-ко-то-рые .pronounced neei'-kuh-tuh-(re-ee) .meaning some  российские  (noun, accusative case, masculine,   singular)  5 syllables: рос-си'-йс-ки-е .pronounced rahs-cee'-yes-kee-eei .meaning Russian  Поздравления!  Вы теперь знаете .некоторые российские.

Уpok 8     .по-русски  (adverbial expression)  3 syllables: по-русс'-ки  pronounced pah-rooss'-kee (the oo in pool) .meaning in Russian  Как по-русски "book"?  [How (do you say)  .in Russian "book"?]  Книга.  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  2 syllables, кни'-га .pronounced knee'-guh .meaning book

Уpok 9 говорите  (verb, 2nd person plural *formal* you   form of говорить, го-во-рить'   .pronounced guh-vah-reet'   .meaning to speak)  4 syllables: го-во-ри'-те .pronounced guh-vah-ree'-teei .meaning you speak  вы говорите .по-русски, да?  Конечно. Ха-ха!  конечно  (adverb)  3 syllables: ко-неч'-но  pronounced kah-neeich'-nuh .meaning of course  ха-ха  (interjection)  2 identical syllables: ха-ха'  pronounced huh-hah! .meaning ha! ha!  ха-ха  en.wiktionary.org www.wordreference.com  en.bab.la/dictionary/russian-eng  Немного.    (adverb)  3 syllables: не-мно'-го .pronounced neei-mnoh'-guh .meaning *not* a lot  Хорошо!  (adverb)  3 syllables: хо-ро-шо'  pronounced *huh*-rah-sho' .meaning good  Note  Russian adverbs end in o  English adds the suffix -ly  to an adjective like great to   turn it into the adverb greatly   as in the sentence:   "I miss them greatly: they   were great people."  suffix  dictionary.reference.com  www.yourdictionary.com  www.thefreedictionary.com

Уpok 10   .где  (adverb)  pronounced gdeei .meaning where  Москва  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  2 syllables: Моск-ва' .pronounced mahsk-vah  .meaning Moscow, the capital of Russia  Remember!  there's no "to be" verb .in the *present* tense    Где Москва?            Moscow   wikitravel.org  www.lonelyplanet.com  www.themoscowtimes.com    В России.  в  (prepositional case preposition)  pronounced v .meaning in  России  (noun, prepositional case, feminine,   singular)  3 syllable: Рос-си'-и .pronounced rahs-see'-ee  meaning Russia  Case Endings  Russian noun endings vary .depending on their case endings .which reflect their function in the .sentence.  As subject, it takes the nominative case;  as object, the accusative case; if indicating  possession, the genitive case, and so forth.  As subject, Russia, in the nominative .case, is spelt Россия.  Россия  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  3 syllables: Рос-си'-я .pronounced rahs-see'-yah .meaning Russia  Russian case system  www.youtube.com  masterrussian.com  www.alphadictionary.com

Уpok 11  The Political Nerve Centre of Russia   Кремль  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  pronounced kreeiml .meaning the Kremlin  the Kremlin  whc.unesco.org  www.moscow.info  www.geographia.com  travel.nationalgeographic.com  там .pronounced tahm .meaning over there  Гдe Кремль в Москве?  Там.

Уpok 12  The Russian (450-member) Parliament   The дума is known as the Госдума.  дума  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  2 syllables, ду-ма .pronounced doo'-muh .meaning parliament  Госдума  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  3 syllables: Гос-ду-ма .pronounced guhs-doo'-muh (the oo in pool)  Гос .abbreviation of Государственная  Государственная  (adjective, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  6 syllables: Го-су-дарст'-вен-на-я .pronounced guh-soo-dahst-veein-nuh-yah .meaning state  Государственная дума  en.wikipedia.org  www.duma.gov.ru  russiapedia.rt.com  www.britannica.com

Уpok 13 .Красная  (adjective, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  3 syllables: Крас'-на-я .pronounced krahs'-nah-yah .meaning red  Армия  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  3 syllables: ар-ми-я .pronounced ar'-mee-yah .meaning army  Красная Армия   cultural note the Red Army is *renown* for its choir  Kalinka   www.youtube.com    folk songs  www.youtube.com .Mon pays  *famous* poem by Quebec  laureate and icon of Quebec .culture, Gilles Vigneault by THE READ ARMY CHORUS  www.youtube.com  laureate  dictionary.reference.com  www.thefreedictionary.com  красный  (adjective, nominative case,   masculine, singular)  3 syllables: Крас'-ны-й .pronounced krahs-(nee-e)-ye .meaning red  красное  (adjective, nominative case,   neuter, singular)  3 syllables: Крас'-но-е .pronounced krahs-nuh-eei .meaning red  Note  the nominative, neuter singular  adjective ends in oe, the nomi-  native neuter singular noun ends  in either o or e  Example  винo  (noun, nominative case, neuter,   singular)  2 syllables: ви-нo' .pronounced vee-noh  meaning wine (like the Spanish vino)  красное винo  gender of colours  learningrussian.net  площадь  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  2 syllables: пло'-щадь .pronounced plohsh'-shat .meaning square  Note .the Russian voiced д is .pronounced as a voiceless .t-sound because it's at the .*end* of the syllable  Note .though площадь ends .in a consonant which would .*normally* indicate that it's .a masculine noun, in this .case, it's exceptionally a .*feminine* noun described .by 2 *feminine* adjectives  прекрасна  (adjective, nominative, feminine,   singular)  3 syllables: пре-крас'-на .pronounced preei-krahs'-nuh .meaning beautiful  прекрасный  (adjective, nominative, masculine,   singular)  3 syllables: пре-крас'-ный .pronounced preei-krahs'-nee-eye .meaning beautiful  прекраснo  (adjective, nominative, neuter,   singular)  3 syllables: пре-крас'-нo .pronounced preei-krahs'-ne .meaning beautiful  Красная площадь - прекрасна.

Уpok 14   the *Gorbachev* revolution  Горбачёв  (noun, nominative, masculine,   singular)  3 syllables: Гор-ба-чёв' .pronounced ger-bah-chyohv' .Gorbachev, a family name  Note  2 dots on top of the Russian  letter ё (pronounced yoh)  can often go missing as in  Горбачев  Революция  (noun, nominative, feminine,   singular)  5 syllables: Ре-во-лю'-ци-я .pronounced reei-vah-lyoo'-stee-yah .meaning revolution  Горбачёв Pеволюция   the *Gorbachev* revolution  is named after Mikhail Gorbachev .Михаил Сергеевич Горбачёв  Михаил  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  3 syllables: Ми-ха-ил' .pronounced  mee-huh-eel' .meaning Michael  Сергеевич  (noun, nominative case, masculine,   singular)  3 syllables: Сер-ге'-е-вич .pronounced ceeir-geei'-eei-veech .meaning Serge (Сергей)  the patronymic name .  *every* Russian has one .though it appears as a separate name .following the 1st name, it's really the .2nd part of the person's name .it's derived from the dad's 1st name .it's called отчество  отчество  (adverb)   3 syllables: от'-чест-во .pronounced oht'-cheeist-vuh .meaning patronymic .Note  the term, patronymic,  comes from the Latin word  for father, "pater"  Сергей, his dad's name  to this is added the masculine  patronymic ending -евич  (pronounced eei-veech) after .having removed the last letter .the *palatal* vowel, й .  patronymic  learningrussian.net  www.funrussian.com    Горбачёв  (noun, nominative, masculine,   singular)  3 syllables: Гор-ба-чёв' .pronounced ger-bah-chyohv', .his family name: Gorbachev  Mikhail Gorbachev .20th century hero  en.wikipedia.org  www.britannica.com  www.biography.com  because  потому что .(conjuction) .2 syllables: по-то-му' .pronounced peh-tah-moo (oo in pool) .1 syllable: что .pronounced shtoh .(here, the Russian letter ч is *exceptionally* .pronounced sh instead of ch) .both words *together* mean because .the Gorbachev revolution  .*ended* the Cold War and .the threat of nuclear warfare    большая  (adjective, nominative case,   feminine, singular)  3 syllables: боль-ша'-я .pronounced bal-shah'-yah .meaning big  большое  (adjective, nominative case,   neuter, singular)  3 syllables: боль-шо'-е .pronounced bal-shoh'-eei .meaning big  спасибо  (noun, nominative case,   neuter, singular  3 syllables: спа-си'-бо .pronounced spuh-see'-be .meaning thank you  *Большое* спасибо!   a *big* thank-you (literally for) .thanks - a lot!  большой  (adjective, nominative case,   masculine, singular)  2 syllables: боль-шой' .pronounced bahl-shoy .meaning big   .Note .the ой is pronounced  as 1 sound oy    because  it's in the *stressed* syllable  театр  (noun, nominative, masculine,   singular)  3 syllables: те-а'-тр .pronounced teei-ah'-ter .meaning theatre  Note  there is *no* th-sound   in Russian  the Bolshoi Theatre  Большой театр  www.bolshoi.ru  en.wikipedia.org  www.moscow.info  boxoffice.bolshoi.org  www.newworldencyclopedia.org

Уpok 15   Mr. Gorbachev gave us 2 *key* words .that formed the basis of the Gorbachev  revolution   1. перестройка        (noun, nominative case, feminine,          singular)        4 syllables: пе-рес-трой'-ка        pronounced peei-reeis-troy'-kuh        (where the о and й are pronounced          *together* oy because it's in a *stressed*            syllable)        in English, it's "perestroika": it means        reform (restructuring) (realignment) of        *both* the political and the economical         economical system        though Gorbachev popularized the term,        his predecessor, Leonid Brezhnev,        is the author  perestroika  en.wikipedia.org  russiapedia.rt.com  www.britannica.com   2. глаасность        (noun, nominative case, feminine,         singular)        2 syllables: глас'-ность        pronounced glas'-nuhst        in English, it's "glasnost": it         means openness, transparency  glasnost  en.wikipedia.org  russiapedia.rt.com  www.britannica.com  ещё  (adverb)  2 syllables: е-щё' .pronounced eeish-shyoh' .meaning still   .Note .the Russian letter щ is the *last* .consonant representing the sh- .sound of the 1st syllable and the .*1st* consonant of the 2nd syllable .representing the sh-sound a 2nd .time  раз  (adverb)  pronounced rahz .meaning again .спасибо .(noun, nominative case, neuter,   singular) .3 syllables: спа-си'-бо .pronounced spuh-see'-be .meaning thank you Ещё раз спасибо!

type in Russian russian.typeit.org

English-Russian dictionaries www.lexicool.com www.freedict.com www.lexilogos.com masterrussian.com russianlessons.net dictionary.cambridge.org

Russian-English dictionaries www.lexicool.com www.freedict.com www.lexilogos.com

Russian - English translation imtranslator.net translate.google.ca www.lexilogos.com translation2.paralink.com

English to Russian translation imtranslator.net translate.google.ca www.lexilogos.com translation.babylon.com www.freetranslation.com translation2.paralink.com

The Canada-Russia  Connection

Prime Minister Trudeau's trip to  Russia (just after getting married  in 1971) *defrosted* the Cold War.

I contributed to the defrosting the  Cold War.    The Cold War was essentially about  the threat of nuclear warfare and the  Berlin Wall.  Cold War spies *always* mentioned  two things...  1. that I was very smart though I      didn't even have a university      degree      (Now, I have 5 university degrees      to my credit along with *almost*      5 other university degrees inclu-      ding 2 college high tech diplomas,      one in English and one in French.) 2. Prime Minister Trudeau

In June 1980, just shortly aften I  had become Chief Page of the  Senate of Canada (Trudeau had  replaced Joe Clark as Prime Minister  and his friend, Jean Marchand, had  become Speaker of the Senate of  Canada.) I received a last minute  invitation to meet Mr. Gorbachev  just before the 2 p.m. seating of the  Senate that afternoon.  A handsome man with very dark  black  hair and a very expensive  turquoise bluish suit bent over  and *whispered* into my ear:  We would like you to meet  Mr.  Gorbachev: he is in the Senate   Reading Room with only 2 other  people.  I was at the time just on the *other*  side of the Senate Reading Room  in the corridor.  I said that I would be there in a few  seconds as I had to go to the water closet  at the back of the Senate Chamber  that was 3 meters away.  In my excitement, my mind went  blank and I forgot to go.  Everyone involved in the Cold War  in Canada knew Mr. Gorbachev was  the key to ending the Cold War.  Only years later, I remembered being  extended the invitation that for me  was the *biggest* shock of my life.

When I was working for the Senate  of Canada, I had to smile whenever  I saw the *large* picture of Leonid  Brezhnev in the backroom of the  Press Gallery above the window  where on the vending machines  are on the 3rd floor of the Centre  Block on Parliament Hill.

In 1993, when Boris Yeltsin in the  Duma (2 syllables: ду'-ма pro-  nounced du'-mah) (The Russian  Parliament) was surrounded by  tanks outside, it was Prime Minister  Brian Mulroney who was on the  phone providing moral support.  The Russian Constitutional Crisis

Toronto has the biggest, most  important Russian community  outside of Russia.

During 1960-61school year at Hearst  Public School, my Grade 2 teacher  was the *last* surviving member of  the Romanov czarist family, the  Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna  of Russia.   (Hearst is a lumber town of 2,000 in    the middle of the Trans-Canada    highway in Northern Ontario:    my parents, *Clifford Selin (say'leen)    and Patricia Desjardins, and my 1st    Nations maternal grand-mother,    Dora Piché, from Quebec are    buried in the Catholic cemetery    there.) *Vice-President of Henry Selin Forest Products: THE LARGEST privately- owned lumber business in Northern Ontario. She walked with a limp and wore the same dark dress with her hair in a bun.  She taught us in the basement of  the church at the end of the block.  The first thing she said to us was:  My name is Mrs. Raine: I'm the *last* surviving member of the Russian Romanov family.  I had no idea what that meant.  I thought it strange that she would  say that: I remember asking myself  what that could possible mean.  It was quite a dramatic moment as  her desk and the area where she  stood was on an 8" high platform facing our Grade 2 class.  She was very professional.  I remember her teaching us English  phonetics: being raised in a French-  speaking lumber camp, I thought  English to be one of the damnedest  languages and today, with a solid  university background in linguistics,  I know - for a fact - it is. (Ha! Ha!) See: English-phonetic-confusion vowel_reduction_vowel_confusion  Today, I am convinced the Devil  speaks English. :D  Being French-speaking, I enjoy  telling anyone learning English  this and those who are Catholic that they should make the sign of the cross "before" they speak English. (Ha! Ha!)

My Prediction

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) under Russia's  gui- dance will  become the dominent economic power "after" the next  30 years: these 30 years belongs to China. :D www.britannica.com  Infrastructure will be in place in Russia that allows EASY ACCESS to Russia's rich trove of mineral  resources that will make Russia the ultimate world economic power. Once Europe is subsumed by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in the coming years thanks to the influence of former East Germans, it's at that point  the Russia will be *officially* the   uncontested dominant  economic  force once Europe is forced to  adopt  the Russian ruble whose value at the beginning in 2025 has increased "already" 40% in value.  Once that happens, Russia will  be the place of choice for foreign  investors: this will only solidify  its economic global dominance behind China. Russian smart diplomacy is a big help in making all this a reality IMPORTANT COLD WAR FOOTNOTE GERMANY provided Russia with badly needed money: in other words, GERMANY SAVED RUSSIA. The USA who had promised to give Russia the money it badly needed to go from a state central planning system to a market-based system gave the money to Poland.

Therefore, learning Russian and in the case of nations, being friends with Russia is THE SMART THING TO DO!

Слава  (noun, nominative case, feminine,   singular)  2 syllables: Сла'-ва pronounced  slah'vuh meaning glory  России  (noun, dative case, feminine,   singular)  3 syllables: Рос-си'-и pronounced  rahs-see'-ee meaning to Russia

Слава России!