Learning Russian: Daily Activities and Simple Sentences

When you learn Russian, it’s super important to know verbs that show what you do every day. This way, you can create simple sentences, chat with people, and share your thoughts better. In this lesson, you’ll find common verbs and see how to use them in easy sentences about daily life.

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1. Commonly Used Verbs

Here’s a list of verbs that describe daily activities:

• Есть (yest') - to eat

  • Я ем (Ya yem) - I eat.
  • Он ест (On yest) - He eats.

• Пить (pit') - to drink

  • Она пьет (Ona pyot) - She drinks.
  • Мы пьём (My pyom) - We drink.

• Работать (rabotat') - to work

  • Ты работаешь (Ty rabotayesh') - You work.
  • Они работают (Oni rabotayut) - They work.

• Учиться (uchitsya) - to study

  • Я учусь (Ya uchus') - I study.
  • Вы учитесь (Vy uchites') - You study.

• Играть (igrat') - to play

  • Он играет (On igrayet) - He plays.
  • Мы играем (My igrayem) - We play.

• Ходить (khodit') - to go (on foot)

  • Я хожу (Ya khozhu) - I go.
  • Она ходит (Ona khodit) - She goes.

• Смотреть (smotret') - to watch

  • Они смотрят (Oni smotryat) - They watch.
  • Мы смотрим (My smotrim) - We watch.

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2. Making Simple Sentences

In Russian, sentences usually follow this pattern: subject - verb - object. Here are some examples:

• Я (subject) ем (verb) яблоко (object) - I eat an apple.
• Ты (subject) смотришь (verb) телевизор (object) - You watch TV.

Always figure out the subject first before using the verb.

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3. Asking Basic Questions

To chat with others, you can ask simple questions. Here are some handy question words:

• Кто? (Kto?) - Who?

  • Кто ест? (Kto yest?) - Who is eating?

• Что? (Chto?) - What?

  • Что ты смотришь? (Chto ty smotrish?) - What are you watching?

• Где? (Gde?) - Where?

  • Где ты работаешь? (Gde ty rabotayesh'?) - Where do you work?

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4. Adding Simple Adjectives

You can make your sentences better by using simple adjectives. Here are some you can try:

• Хороший (khoroshiy) - good

  • Это хороший фильм (Eto khoroshiy film) - This is a good movie.

• Интересный (interesnyy) - interesting

  • Урок интересный (Urok interesnyy) - The lesson is interesting.

• Сложный (slozhnyy) - difficult

  • Это сложное задание (Eto slozhnoye zadaniye) - This is a difficult task.

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5. Talking About Likes and Dislikes

You can easily tell someone what you like or don’t like using these phrases:

• Мне нравится (Mne nravitsya) - I like

  • Мне нравится пицца (Mne nravitsya pitstsa) - I like pizza.

• Мне не нравится (Mne ne nravitsya) - I don’t like

  • Мне не нравится читать (Mne ne nravitsya chitat') - I don’t like reading.

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6. Starting Basic Conversations

Here’s how to introduce yourself and ask someone else’s name:

• Меня зовут [Your Name] (Menya zovut [Your Name]) - My name is [Your Name].

• Как тебя зовут? (Kak tebya zovut?) - What is your name?

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Using these verbs and sentence structures will help you build a strong set of words for talking about daily activities in Russian. Keep practicing with these verbs in different situations, and you will get better and feel more confident!