Ready Russian Logo < Russian Language FAQ

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Here are some questions about the Russian language which we are frequently asked. If you have a question you think we should answer on this page, please submit it using our Contact the Webmaster form.

How do I say "Are you ready?" or "I'm ready." in Russian?

The Russian word for saying that someone is "ready" is "готов". Its ending changes for gender and number. So a man would say "Я готов." while a woman would say "Я котова." One would ask "Ты готов?" of a man or "Ты готова?" of a woman unless they were someone you should address as "Вы" in which case you would ask "Вы готовы?". See our article How to Say "ready" in Russian for more discussion and examples.

How do I say "Hello" to someone in Russian?

Every day when you see someone for the first time you should greet him by saying "Здравствуй!" or "Здарвствуйте!" If you see him again later in the day, you can say "Добрый день!" or "Добрый вечер!". Do not say "Алло!" Do not say "Как ваши дела?" to strangers. See our article How to Greet Someone in Russian for more discussion and examples.

Is it difficult to learn the Russian alphabet?

Learning the Russian alphabet is much easier than learning the English alphabet. True Russian has 33 letters to English's 26, but this is an apples to oranges comparision. Some of the sounds in English are written by combining two or more letters such as ch, th, sh, st, ae, ai, ie, ei, ou, and so on. In a one-to-one comparison we would count these as letters and find that English has far-far more. We provide materials to help you filed under The Russian Alphabet.

Do I really have to use cases in order to speak Russian and be understood?

Yes, you must use the cases. If you don't, you will not really be speaking Russian and will be poorly understood. Russians who have not been exposed to English may not understand you at all.

The case endings are not decorations. Each one of them conveys a clear picture to native speakers. Take them out of a sentence, and it turns into mush. It would be like speaking English while deliberately leaving out the words "of", "to", "from", and "for".

Using cases is nothing like using proper spelling or knowing when to say "whom". Using cases is not a sign of education or good breeding. Cases are used extensively even by small children and the criminal classes. If you want to speak Russian, you must learn what they mean and use them too.

See our article Grammar 2—Introduction to Inflection and Grammatical Case.