Русский алфавит(russki alfavit)

Russian alphabet

• Don’t worry if you don’t absolutely master reading the letters quickly, as long as you can look at a letter and tell what it is, especially the 2nd group of letters (look different, sound the same).

• Also don’t be concerned with memorizing every word on the lists, there are quite a few and it’s just to help know letters

Letters that are (almost) the same

• Аа• Кк • Мм• Оо• Тт

Аа

• “ah” as in father

• Папа (papa– dad)• Там (tahm- there)• Cобака (sobaka- dog)

Кк

• The same sound as “K” in English

• Кот (Kot- male cat)• Кто (Kto- who)• Пока (poka- bye)

Мм

• The same “m” sound as in english

• Мама (mama- mom)• Музыка (muzika- music)• Метро (myetro- subway)

Оо

• Usually like “o” in “bore”, but can sometimes sound like “ah” or “uh”

• Что (chto- what)• Плохо (plokhuh- bad)• Хорошо (Khahruhsho- good)

• Note that «хорошо» incorporates all three tones

Тт

• Same sound as English ‘t’

• Сто (sto- 100)• Ты (Tiy- you)• Такси (Taksi - Taxi)

Russian letters that look like English letters, but sound different

• Вв• Ее• Нн• Рр• Сс• Уу• Хх

Вв

• “v” sound

• Вот (vot- here)• В (to, in)• Виргиния (Virginiya- Virginia)

Ee

• “yeh” as in “yet”

• Нет (nyet- no)• Девочка (dyevuchka- girl)• Беларусь (byelarus’-Belarus)

• This is the “y version” of Ээ (I’ll explain later)

Нн

• “N” sound as in “never”

• Не (nye- negation word)• День (dyen- day)• На (nah- on)

Рр

• Rolled “R” as in Spanish “perro”

• Русский (russkiy- Russian)• Говорить (govorit’ – to speak)• Кристофер (Kristofyer- Christopher)

Note: does not form a blend as in English “tree”.. Would pronounce t & r separately

Сс

• “S” sound as in snake

• С (with)• Сказать (skazat’- to say)• Если (yesli- if)

Уу

• “Oo” as in ‘Joop’

• У (by/with/of)• Друг (droog- male friend)• Уилл (Ooill- Will)

Xx

• Hard “ch” sound like “Bach” or “Loch”

• Хотеть (khotyet- to like)• Хороший (khoroshiy- good [adj])• Хотя (khotya- although)

Make the sound from your throat, as in German

Letters that look unusual but have familiar sounds

• Бб• Гг• Дд• Зз• Ии• Лл• Пп• Фф• Ээ

Бб

• “B” sound as in “bird” or “Bill”

• Быть (Biyt- to be)• Бог (Bog- God)• Бабушка (babushka- grandmother)

Гг

• Hard “G” as in “God”• “V” sound if between two vowels (usually “e” and

“o”

• Где (Gdye- Where)• Говорить (govorit’- to speak)• Его (Yevo- his)

• Never a soft ‘g’ like “George”

Дд

• “d” sound as in “dad”

• Дедушка (dyedushka- grandfather)• Да (da- yes)• Для (dlya- for/to)

Зз

• Z sound as in zebra

• За (za- behind, over, at, after)• Знать (znat’- to know)• Зебра (Zyebra- zebra)

Ии

• Long “ee” sound as in “weed”

• И (and)• Извините (Izvinitye- excuse me)• Ничего (Nichivo- nothing/don’t worry about

it)

Лл

• “L” as in “look”

• Или (ili- or)• Человек (chyelovyek- person/man)• Лицо (litso- face)

Пп

• “P” as in “pirate”

• По-английски (po-angliiski- English language)• Правда (pravda- the truth)• Пират (pirat- Pirate)

Фф

• “F” as in fu…fudge

• Фылм (Fiylm- film/movie)• Флорида (Florida- Florida)• Фраза (fraza- phrase)

Ээ

• “eh” sound as in Elephant• Shortened “Ee”

• Это (ehto- it/that/ this)• Эффект (effekt- effect)• Электричество (elyektrichestvo- electricity)

New Letters and sounds

• Юю• Яя• Ёё• Жж• Цц• Чч• Шш and Щщ• Ыы• Йй

Юю

• “yoo” sound as in University

• Юг (Yug – south)

• Not super common, mostly in verb endings

Яя

• “ya” as in yacht

• Я (I/me)• Яблоко (yabloka- apple)• Татьяна (Tatyana- Tatyana)

• It is just one sound ‘ya’, not ‘ee-ah’

Ёё

• “yo” sound as in yoke

• Not often used in typed language, usually replace with Ее

• Всё- (vsyo- all/everything)

Жж

• ‘zh’ as in ‘measure’• Sometimes paired with Д (Дж-) for a “j” sound

as in John, for loanwords

• Жёлтый (zhyoltiy- yellow)• Женщина (zhenshina- woman)

Цц

• ‘ts’ as in ‘nuts’

• Цветок (tsvyetok- flower)• Цвет (tsvyet- color)• Царь (tsar’-Czar/king)

Чч

• Ch as in chandler• Sometimes soft like ‘sh”

• Что (shto- what)• Час (chas- hour)• Ночь (noch’- night)

Шш, Щщ

• Both a form of “sh”– «Щ» makes a “shch” like the middle of the words

“fresh cheese”. A softer version

• Шесть (shyest’- six)• Наш (nahsh- our)• Защищать (zashishat’ – to protect)• Помощь – (Pomosh – help)

Ыы

• Deep ‘I’ sound from throat, almost forced like a “oowi”.. No similarity as in english

• Вы (Viy- you (plural)• Ты (Тiy- you (singular)• Быть (biyt’- to be)

Йй

• A sort of ‘y’ sound

• Яйцо (yaytso- egg)• Русский (russkiy- Russian)

Pronunciation symbols

• These letters have no sound of their own

• Ьь- makes letter before softer• Ъъ- indicates slight pause in syllable, almost

never used

Try to sound out these words (answers on next slide)

• Кошка (female cat) • Мальчик (boy)• Здесь (here)• Чёрный (black)• Машина (car)• Ручка (pen)

• Кошка (Koshka)• Мальчик (Malchik)• Здесь (zdyes)• Чёрный (chyorniy)• Машина (Mashina)• Ручка (roochka)

• Я тебя люблю (I love you)• Я собираюсь в рестосан (I’m going to the

restaurant)• Моя мама и мой папа живют в белом доме

(my mom and my dad live in a white house)

• Я собираюсь в рестосан (ya sobirayus v restoran)

• Моя мама и мой папа живют в белом доме (moya mama i moy papa zhivyut v byelom domye)