Compact English–Russian Wordlist: Quick Reference for LearnersLearning a language becomes much easier when you have a compact, well-organized reference that covers the words you’ll actually use. This compact English–Russian wordlist is designed for learners who want a practical, portable resource: clear entries, sensible categories, and phonetic cues to help you speak and recognize words quickly. The list focuses on high-frequency vocabulary and useful phrases for everyday situations — travel, shopping, dining, work, and basic conversation — plus study tips and quick grammar notes to help you get the most from the list.
How to use this wordlist
- Start with the categories that match your needs (travel, food, daily life) rather than trying to memorize the whole list at once.
- Practice aloud using the phonetic transcription; Russian pronunciation is regular but includes sounds that may be new to English speakers.
- Learn words in small groups (5–10) and use them in short sentences. Spaced repetition (flashcards or apps) works well for retention.
- Pair nouns with their gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and a simple adjective to form short phrases: e.g., new book — новая книга (novaya kniga).
- Use cognates (words that look similar in both languages) as anchors but beware of false friends.
Pronunciation notes (quick)
- Stress matters. Russian words have variable stress which changes pronunciation and sometimes meaning.
- The Russian alphabet (Cyrillic) is mostly phonetic: learn letter sounds first — that will let you read most words correctly.
- Key sounds: “ы” (close central unrounded), “щ” (soft sh), and the palatalizing effect of the soft sign “ь”.
Compact wordlist (selected high-frequency vocabulary)
Below are essential words and short phrases grouped by theme. Each entry shows English — Russian (transliteration) — part of speech / brief usage note.
Greetings & basic phrases
- Hello — Привет (Privet) — informal
- Good morning — Доброе утро (Dobroye utro)
- Please — Пожалуйста (Pozhaluysta)
- Thank you — Спасибо (Spasibo)
- Yes — Да (Da)
- No — Нет (Net)
- Excuse me / Sorry — Извините (Izvinite)
- My name is… — Меня зовут… (Menya zovut…)
Travel & directions
- Where is…? — Где…? (Gde…?)
- Train — Поезд (Poyezd)
- Bus — Автобус (Avtobus)
- Station — Вокзал / станция (Vokzal / stantsiya)
- Ticket — Билет (Bilet)
- Left / Right / Straight — Налево / Направо / Прямо (Nalevo / Napravo / Pryamo)
- How much? — Сколько стоит? (Skol’ko stoit?)
- Airport — Аэропорт (Aeroport)
Accommodation & services
- Hotel — Отель (Otel’) / гостиница (gostinitsa)
- Reservation — Бронирование (Bronirovanie)
- Room — Комната (Komnata)
- Key — Ключ (Klyuch)
- Reception — Ресепшн / стойка регистрации (Resepshn / stoyka registratsii)
- I need… — Мне нужно… (Mne nuzhno…)
- Do you speak English? — Вы говорите по-английски? (Vy govorite po-angliyski?)
Food & dining
- Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner — Завтрак / Обед / Ужин (Zavtrak / Obed / Uzhin)
- Menu — Меню (Menyu)
- Water — Вода (Voda)
- Coffee / Tea — Кофе / Чай (Kofe / Chay)
- Food — Еда (Yeda)
- I am allergic to… — У меня аллергия на… (U menya allergiya na…)
- Check / Bill — Счёт (Schyot)
Shopping & money
- Shop / Store — Магазин (Magazin)
- Market — Рынок (Rynok)
- Price — Цена (Tsena)
- Cheap / Expensive — Дешёвый / Дорогой (Deshovyy / Dorogoy)
- Cash / Card — Наличные / Карта (Nalichnye / Karta)
- Receipt — Чек (Chek)
- Open / Closed — Открыто / Закрыто (Otkryto / Zakryto)
Health & emergencies
- Help! — Помогите! (Pomogite!)
- Doctor — Врач (Vrach)
- Pharmacy — Аптека (Apteka)
- I need a doctor — Мне нужен врач (Mne nuzhen vrach)
- Pain — Боль (Bol’)
- Police — Полиция (Politsiya)
- Emergency — Авария / чрезвычайная ситуация (Avariya / chrezvychaynaya situatsiya)
Time & numbers
- One, two, three — Один, два, три (Odin, dva, tri)
- Today / Tomorrow / Yesterday — Сегодня / Завтра / Вчера (Segodnya / Zavtra / Vchera)
- Hour / Minute — Час / Минута (Chas / Minuta)
- Week / Month / Year — Неделя / Месяц / Год (Nedelya / Mesyats / God)
Family & people
- Family — Семья (Sem’ya)
- Mother / Father — Мать / Отец (Mat’ / Otets)
- Sister / Brother — Сестра / Брат (Sestra / Brat)
- Friend — Друг / Подруга (Drug / Podruga)
- Man / Woman / Child — Мужчина / Женщина / Ребёнок (Muzhchina / Zhenshchina / Rebyonok)
Common verbs (infinitive)
- To be — Быть (Byt’)
- To have — Иметь (Imet’)
- To go — Идти / ехать (Idti / ekhat’)
- To want — Хотеть (Khotet’)
- To eat — Есть (Yest’)
- To drink — Пить (Pit’)
- To see — Видеть (Videt’)
- To say / tell — Сказать / говорить (Skazat’ / govorit’)
Adjectives & useful modifiers
- Big / Small — Большой / Маленький (Bol’shoy / Malen’kiy)
- Good / Bad — Хороший / Плохой (Khoroshiy / Plokhoy)
- New / Old — Новый / Старый (Novyy / Staryy)
- Hot / Cold — Горячий / Холодный (Goryachiy / Kholodnyy)
- Near / Far — Близко / Далеко (Blizko / Daleko)
- More / Less — Больше / Меньше (Bolshe / Menshe)
Quick grammar tips
- Noun genders affect adjectives and past-tense verbs; learn the gender with the noun.
- Cases matter. The nominative is for the subject, accusative for direct objects, and genitive often for quantities/possession. Short practice with set phrases helps build intuition faster than memorizing whole declension tables at once.
- Use infinitives after modal verbs (хотеть, мочь).
Mini practice set (example sentences)
- I need water. — Мне нужна вода. (Mne nuzhna voda.)
- Where is the station? — Где вокзал? (Gde vokzal?)
- The price is too high. — Цена слишком высокая. (Tsena slishkom vysokaya.)
- Do you speak English? — Вы говорите по‑английски? (Vy govorite po-angliyski?)
Recommendations for next steps
- Convert this compact list into flashcards (Anki or paper). Include gender for nouns and stress marks where possible.
- Practice short dialogs based on travel, dining, and shopping scenarios.
- Start reading simple texts (children’s books, menus, signs) to reinforce recognition.
- Listen to native speech (podcasts, videos) focusing on pronunciation and stress patterns.
This compact wordlist provides a practical foundation for everyday communication in Russian. Add new words around the situations you encounter most, and focus on using them actively in sentences to move from recognition to production.
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