Talking in Russian can help you make friends and have fun conversations. Here are some simple questions and words to help you chat.

1. Greetings and Goodbyes

Start your conversation with a nice greeting:

• Здравствуйте (Zdravstvuyte) - Hello (formal)
• Привет (Privet) - Hi (informal)

When it’s time to say goodbye, you can be friendly too:

• Пока (Poka) - Bye (informal)
• До свидания (Do svidaniya) - Goodbye (formal)

2. Basic Personal Information

When you meet someone new, it’s good to ask about them. Here are some important questions:

• Как вас зовут? (Kak vas zovut?) - What is your name?

  • Example: "Меня зовут Анна." (Menya zovut Anna.) - My name is Anna.

• Сколько вам лет? (Skol'ko vam let?) - How old are you?

  • Example: "Мне 25 лет." (Mne 25 let.) - I am 25 years old.

• Вы откуда? (Vy otkuda?) - Where are you from?

  • Example: "Я из России." (Ya iz Rossii.) - I am from Russia.

3. Common Verbs

Using simple verbs can make your chat clearer. Here are some important verbs:

• говорить (govorit') - to speak

  • Example: "Я говорю по-русски." (Ya govoryu po-russki.) - I speak Russian.

• работать (rabotat') - to work

  • Example: "Где вы работаете?" (Gde vy rabotaete?) - Where do you work?

• жить (zhit') - to live

  • Example: "Вы где живете?" (Vy gde zhivyete?) - Where do you live?

• учиться (uchitsya) - to study

  • Example: "Вы где учитесь?" (Vy gde uchites?) - Where do you study?

4. Everyday Nouns

Using common nouns can help you talk more about your interests. Here are some nouns you can use:

• семья (sem'ya) - family
• друзья (druz'ya) - friends
• школа (shkola) - school
• дом (dom) - house/home

Some example sentences:

• "У меня большая семья." (U menya bol'shaya sem'ya.) - I have a big family.
• "У меня много друзей." (U menya mnogo druz'ey.) - I have many friends.

5. Basic Adjectives

Describing things makes your conversation more interesting. Try these adjectives:

• хороший (khoroshiy) - good
• плохой (plokhoy) - bad
• большой (bol'shoy) - big
• маленький (malen'kiy) - small

Here are some example sentences:

• "Это хороший день." (Eto khoroshiy den'.) - It is a good day.
• "У меня маленький дом." (U menya malen'kiy dom.) - I have a small house.

Conclusion

Using these questions and words, you can easily make small talk in Russian.

Try making your own sentences with the verbs, nouns, and adjectives.

Don’t be afraid to mix them up in your chats.

Small talk is a fun way to learn and meet new people, so have a great time!