Links and resources for learning about the Russian Prepositions and how they decline

I personally love the lonely planet translation series of books. This one is fantastic in how it breaks the subjects down into easy categories. I also love that certain adult conversations one might have are not left out.

Rating: (5 / 5)

If you just want to learn basic Russian, enough to get you through without looking like a total ignoramous, then this is for you. It has useful phrases along with sounding the words out for you. It is categorized nicely into situations with colored binding. A very helpful little (pocket sized) book.

Rating: (5 / 5)

This little book helped me immensely on my trip to Russia... basic survival skills were laid out up at the front and the pronounciation was dead on. The social section produced some smiles with the friends that I met.

Rating: (5 / 5)

Lonely Planet Russian is basically two helpings of basic grammar followed by many sections of phases you won't likely ever use. For instance, the guide provides several pages each of lists of occupations, nationalities, college majors, items of stationary, jewellery, colors, insects, flowers, aquatic sports(!), electrical appliances, camping terms,and so on. Also provided are pat phrases to employ at a hotel's front desk, at a doctor's, at the optometrist, and eating out, among other mini-sections. The book, in effect, is set up to be taken out to be used once a day, if that. It's an improvement on Berlitz phrase books, but not by much. (Berlitz simply divides their books into 10 or so color coded sections such as: "sightseeing," "relaxing," "shopping," travelling around," "money," "eating out," etc.)

Rough Guide Russian, in comparison, is structured completely differently. The first 50 pages gives you numbers, days of the week, time, etc., and a 20 minute course in Russian grammar. Oh no, you might be saying, but it is presented very simply. For instance it presents a handful of common verbs and their conjugations. So on one page you can see how to say "I have," "he has, " etc. and "I like," "he/ she likes," etc.

The rest of the book is split between an English-Russian dictionary (130 pages approx), a Russian-English dictionary (70 pages, approx.), and a 20 page menu reader. What makes the English-Russian dictionary pages unique, though, is that most every other page (at least) has dialogue boxes relating to the most useful word(s) on that particular page. For instance, when you thumb through the book for the word "live," you get the word itself, but also the phrases "I live in..." and "Where do you live?" It'll take you 10 minutes to find such a phrase in Berlitz or Lonely Planet in their "getting to know others' section. But because Rough Guide is structured as a dictionary, with hundreds of really useful phrases highlighted in boxes within, you can access something you want to say rather swiftly...and actually deliver it just a minute or so after looking for it. Add the grammar section, where you learn useful verbs and how to conjugate their past tenses, and the number section, and you can learn easily to chat with someone about where you are from, where you are going, where you have traveled thus far, what you like/liked, and so on. Likewise, knowing have to say "have" make sit easily to ask whether a hotel has rooms, whether the room has a shower (after thumbing through the book for the word for shower), etc. And when the answer comes back that the hotel doesn't have one, or they say "we have...," you can actually catch what they are saying.

If still not persuaded, next time you're in a bookstore compare a Berlitz, a Lonely Planet, and a Rough Guide language phrase book side by side. If you just want a book for emergencies (say, breaking a leg, etc.) then Berlitz and/or Lonely Planet phrase books will serve you well...in your pocket until you are faced with such a situation, since they do have many more specific terms (like 50 different parts of the the body), but if you really want to be able to say some things in Russian on a daily basis during your trip you'll be much better served by The Rough Guide to Russian Dictionary Phrasebook 3 (Rough Guide Phrasebooks). Cheers

Rating: (3 / 5)

As the founder of Discovering Russia, a company devoted to enriching cultural and business travel to Russia, we are always looking for good travel books to recommend for our clients. "Lonely Planet Russian Phrasebook" is such a volume for those who are trying to learn more than the barest of phrases.

Many guidebooks include a few pages in the back with a Russian alphabet and brief phrase guide (including Lonely Planet's various guides to Russia). This is a good book for those looking to learn a few phrases as well as basic grammar. The size is perfect for a traveler to supplement their basic guidebook when touring.

As most with most other dictionaries, "Lonely Planet Russian Phrasebook" does NOT have clear syllable stress marks, which are very important in Russian. Also, many of the phrase choices are almost archaic in contemporary Russia (and the inclusion of vulgarity is a complete waste of space).

The "Lonely Planet Russian Phrasebook" is useful bridge between the brief phrase lists in guidebooks and a minicourse in Russia. It is useful for travelers to carry around during their journey of Discovering Russia.

Marc David Miller, Discovering Russia, New York

Rating: (3 / 5)

Possibly an excellent book for a student of the Russian Language, but too much info for the casual traveler to Russia. I did not have the time or inclination to study pages of grammar and pronunciation when a phonetic translation would have surficed. Also, when words were spelled phonetically the stress syllable was not "stressed" with darker ink and the"quick reference" had no clue as to what syllable is stressed(unless one read pages and pages of pronunciation.) I also objected to the profanities. Who needs to know how to be crude and rude in another language?

Rating: (2 / 5)

We spent 22 days in Ukraine to adopt our son. We used this phrase book constantly. In addition to helping us learn basic phrases, we liked the explanations of customs and historical vignettes.

Rating: (5 / 5)

This is a poorly proofed, haphazard collection of slang, criminal jargon, words used in 19th Century Russia, mispronunciations, incorrect cultural facts, and some spot-on phrases that will have you sounding like an idiot in no time flat. There are much better phrasebooks out there and although this book isn't entirely bad, if you are not a native speaker, you will never know what to steer clear of and what is ok to say.

As examples: the "Dating" section of the book includes a phrase for "Nice Bum!" -- I'm not sure exactly who would be flattered by that, but its inclusion is more comical than useful.

There is also a cultural factoid that Russian men wear black shirts, beige shoes, and matching brown tie when dressing up to go out. A friend of mine from the Ukraine tells me that only gangsters and nouveau riche urchins dress like that.

Using the word "ditYO" to refer to a baby will make you sound like a hick from a remote village.

The word for Pen provided actually refers to a marker.

Referring affectionately to a lover as a "pigeon" in Russia was popular in the 1800's. You will find that mostly in literature now and not in practical use.

There is also a section on how to insult your waiter -- something that is sure to endear a traveler to the locals.

The book is not all bad, but without an intimate knowledge of the language and the culture, you won't know where the land mines are.

Rating: (2 / 5)

This book sounds like a great book. However, if you already know a little Russian, you will realize that a lot of the phonetic pronunciations are inaccurate. There are many instances where 'd' and 't' sounds are written wrong. Also the very common Russian sound 'ye' is often written as only 'e'.

While most Russians are accomodating and will try to understand what you are saying, you may as well get a book that at least attempts to give you the proper pronunciation of words.

Also included in this book is a section on Russian curse words. I'm not sure why anyone would need to know them but if you do, maybe you will like this book.

Rating: (1 / 5)

Okay, so I haven't left for Russia yet, but I'm looking through the book and nowhere in the book does it deal with passports, declarations, or registration, which has to be done once you enter Russia. Since you legally *have* to register within 72 hours of arriving in Russia, and presumably the only reason you'd get a phrasebook is if you were staying longer than a couple of days, it seems natural that they would at least have put to word "registration" in the dictionary. But *no*.

Other than that, I mean, the phrase book looks great. I'll be able to pick up a hot Russian policewoman after being dragged off to the jail for failing to register. :-)
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UPDATE: After travelling in Russia, I can now say this is a BAD phrase book. Here are the main complaints:

1) Its dictionary is really terrible. Has the words for "heroin addict" and "cocaine" (guess how it's pronounced in Russia? If you said "cocaine", you win a point!) and other drug related terms, but not, say, the verb "to teach". Kind of hard if you want to ask someone to teach you Russian.

2) The overall attitude of the people writing the book. There's a page on insults in Russian. I guess this is not *that* great of a problem, but what if you're handing the book off to a Russian who's trying to communicate with you? If they read the page, they might get offended. You're in Russia to be friendly with the locals; it's not necessary to learn foul language. There are special books that you can buy expressedly for that purpose. Also, under the Food section there's a whole page for insulting people at a restaurant. Not at all useful. There isn't any phrases for saying, "That was a good meal." or "That was delicious!"

As is the case in EVERY LP Phrasebook, the travel information is worse than useless. It's not nearly as up-to-date as the actual guidebooks, so focus only on the language when using this phrasebook.

Unfortunately, until a better company comes along these phrasebooks, lame as they are, are still probably better organized than any of the other books out there. My main suggestion: bring another dictionary when you're travelling; the LP's dictionary in the back is terrible.

Rating: (4 / 5)