Learn Russian with our Ipod Language Guide. Photo credit: George

You won't learn Russian in full, but this language guide contains enough of the most common travel phrases to help you get by.

Click here to download and listen to the guide. To save it, right click and choose Save Target As (21.9MB).

For those of you keen to have a written version of the guide, here is the script:

Scott: Excuse me, I’m Scott – I booked for the tour of the Winter Palace.

Dmitriy: Pri-vyet. You are the first one here. Come, we will wait over here.

Scott: Sure, no worries. Pri-vyet is hello right?

Dmitriy: Da – yes, that’s right. Nyet is no. Come, I have your ticket here with the others, you will have to get a permit to take photos - wait until the others arrive and we can get them all at once.

Scott: Ok, no worries. This Square is unbelievable and the Palace – I can’t even get my head around the scale of it – I can’t wait to get inside!

Dmitriy: (Smiling) Da, the Winter Palace is the pride of Russia, you have booked for the Russian Ark tour. Sit, we will wait for the others here.

Scott: The film was incredible, it is the whole reason I’ve come to St Petersburg – one single shot, no edits, 300 years of Russian history – amazing!

Dmitriy: Da, I will take you through the rooms that the film was shot in and tell you some of the history of the Palace.

Scott: Fantastic! Hey, I don’t suppose you’d teach me a few Russian phrases while we wait – I’ve found that a bit of local language helps and I know that I’m going to come back to the Museum a few times while I’m here.

Dmitriy: Sure. I’m Dmitriy, call me Dima.

Scott: I’ve heard people say K’ahk dyeh-lah (mis-pronounce badly) – a lot – what does this mean?

Dmitriy: (laughing) you mean k’ahk dyeh-lah – this means ‘how are you?’

Scott: oh… so I could say Pri-vyet, k’ahk dyeh-lah for Hello, how are you?

Dmitriy: Da, very good. To say Goodbye in Russian is dah svee-dah-nyah

Scott: Dah svee-dah-nyah – that sounds so great – Dah svee-dah-nyah! What about “My Name is Scott” and “What’s your Name”

Dmitriy: Meh-nyah za-voot Scott and “What’s Your Name” is K’ahk tye-byah za-voot?

Scott: Please and thank you?

Dmitriy: Russians will respond to a foreigner being polite – please is pah-zhah-loo-stah and thank you is spa-see-bah.

Scott: So pah-zhah-loo-stah and spa-see-bah. Hey, is Babushka woman?

Dmitriy: Sort of – more like Grandmother or old lady – you wouldn’t get very far if you referred to a girl at a club as a Babushka!

Scott: (laughing) ahh… that explains why I struck out so badly in Moscow!
You said you’ve got my ticket – how do I say ticket in Russian?

Dmitriy: This is bee-let.

Scott: What about counting – how do I count to 10 in Russian?

Dmitriy: ah-deen, dvah, tree

Scott: ah-deen, dvah, tree

Dmitriy: che-ty-ree, pyat’, shest’

Scott: che-ty-ree, pyat’, shest’

Dmitriy: sem’, vo-sem, de-vyat’, de-syat’

Scott: sem’, vo-sem, de-vyat’, de-syat’

Dmitriy: Da, very good.

Scott: Well, I’m now set if I need to buy a round of up to 10 vodka’s! Hey – I’ve noticed that locals always eat when they drink vodka – what are they eating?

Dmitriy: This is zakuski – snacks, locals will take some after each shot – it is usually pickled vegetables and black bread. Also, when you are drinking vodka make sure you keep your glass on the table when re-filling it, don’t lift the glass to the bottle – many foreigners make this mistake.

Scott: Ok, so lack of zakusi also explains a few things! How do I say ‘excuse me’ and ‘please may I have the bill’

Dmitriy: This is eez-vee-nee-tyeh and shchyot, pah-zhah-loo-stah

Scott: ok so eez-vee-nee-tyeh and shchyot pah-zhah-loo-stah – so bill is shchyot?

Dmitriy: Da.

Scott: Speaking of the bill – how do I say ‘how much’ and ‘too expensive’

Dmitriy: How much is skol’-kah stoh-it and too expensive is eh-ta o-chen’ doh-rah-gah

Scott: Skol’-kah stoh-it and eh-ta o-chen’ doh-rah-gah. Are locals usually pretty rude to foreigners – I’ve sometimes found it hard to get small talk going in shops or hostels.

Dmitriy: Nyet, this is not rude, Russians are very direct and straightforward and we tend to skip the pleasantries – it is not considered rude.

Scott: Ah, ok – that makes sense. If I’m to be direct back – how do I say “I like this” and “I don’t like this”

Dmitriy: You say mnye eh-ta nra-vee-tsa and mnye eh-ta nye nra-vee-tsa

Scott: So, mnye eh-ta nra-vee-tsa and mnye eh-ta nye nra-vee-tsa. Oh, what about “Where is” and “Which way to” – I will probably need these when I try to navigate the Hermitage on my own!

Dmitriy: This is gdyeh na-kho-dee-tsa and k’ahk pray-tee k

Scott: gdyeh na-kho-dee-tsa and k’ahk pray-tee k. I know, what about “Have you a room” and “May I see it”

Dmitriy: This is oo vas yest’ svah-bod-ny no-mer and mozh-nah pa-smah-trets’

Scott: Wow, slow down – in fact how do I say “please say that slowly”

Dmitriy: This is - gah-vah-ry-tye med-len-ney-yeh

Scott: So, gah-vah-ry-tye med-len-ney-yeh. Dima, you’ve been very patient – I can only think of a few more things – what about today, tomorrow, yesterday and now?

Dmitriy: Se-vod-nya, zav-trah, vcheh-rah, se-chas

Scott: So, Se-vod-nya, zav-trah, vcheh-rah, se-chas. Bus, train, taxi and boat?

Dmitriy: Av-toh-boos, po-yezd, tah-xi, kah-ter

Scott: Av-toh-boos, po-yezd, tah-xi, kah-ter. Finally, what about police, hospital and doctor.

Dmitriy: Ah, very useful – but I hope you won’t actually need them. Police is mee-lee-tsee-ya, hospital is bal-nee-tsa and doctor is vrach.

Scott: so, mee-lee-tsee-ya, bal-nee-tsa and vrach. Now, no more lesson, lets talk about Russian Ark!