<\/p>\n
This post is meant for beginner students of Russian. One of the first things we learn in a new language is asking what something is. However, there are many situations and reasons we ask “What is X?” and they require different phrases. Let’s look at the different scenarios where you may need to use variations of this phrase.<\/p>\n
If you don’t know what something is, for instance, if you see a friend carry an unmarked box, you would use “\u0427\u0442\u043e \u044d\u0442\u043e?” A variation of this question is “\u0427\u0442\u043e \u044d\u0301\u0442\u043e \u0442\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0301\u0435?” (shto eto takoye)<\/em> These questions ask to identify an object when you don’t know what it is or does.<\/p>\n If you hear the name of something but don’t know what it means or what it does, you can ask “\u0427\u0442\u043e \u0442\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0301\u0435…?” (shto takoye)\u00a0<\/em>For instance, if you heard the word “\u043a\u0443\u043d\u0436\u0443\u0301\u0442” (kunzhut,\u00a0<\/em>sesame) and weren’t sure what it refers to, you would say “\u0427\u0442\u043e \u0442\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0435 \u043a\u0443\u043d\u0436\u0443\u0442?” (shto takoye kunzhut)\u00a0<\/em>Another way of asking this is “\u0427\u0442\u043e \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0301\u0447\u0438\u0442 \u043a\u0443\u043d\u0436\u0443\u0442?” (shto znachit kunzhut)\u00a0<\/em>This literally means “What does … mean?” and is used to ask for a definition.<\/p>\n Please note that you cannot say “ If you do know what something is and how it works, but you don’t know what it’s called, you may use “\u041a\u0430\u043a \u043d\u0430\u0437\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0301\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f…?” (kak nazyvayetsa)<\/em> This phrase can either be used with a description, for example “\u041a\u0430\u043a \u043d\u0430\u0437\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f \u043f\u043e\u043c\u0435\u0449\u0435\u0301\u043d\u0438\u0435, \u0433\u0434\u0435 \u0436\u0434\u0443\u0442 \u043f\u043e\u0301\u0435\u0437\u0434\u0430?” (kak nazyvayetsa pamesheniye, gde zhdut poyezda,\u00a0<\/em>“What do you call the building where you wait for the train?”) or simply “\u041a\u0430\u043a \u044d\u0442\u043e \u043d\u0430\u0437\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f?”<\/p>\n For plural nouns in the first scenario, you would say “\u041a\u0430\u043a \u043d\u0430\u0437\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0301\u044e\u0442\u0441\u044f…” (kak nazyvayutsa)\u00a0<\/em>For example, “\u041a\u0430\u043a \u043d\u0430\u0437\u044b\u0432\u0430\u044e\u0442\u0441\u044f \u0432\u044b\u0441\u043e\u0301\u043a\u0438\u0435 \u0431\u043e\u0442\u0438\u0301\u043d\u043a\u0438?” (kak nazyvayutsa vysokiye batinki,\u00a0<\/em>“What are tall boots called?”)<\/p>\n Sometimes you know the name in one language but not the other. A good phrase to know then is “\u041a\u0430\u043a \u043f\u043e-\u0440\u0443\u0301\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438…?” (kak puh-ruskee)<\/em> For example, maybe you need the equivalent of “scanner” in Russian. You can then say “\u041a\u0430\u043a \u043f\u043e-\u0440\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438 (\u0431\u0443\u0434\u0435\u0442\/\u043d\u0430\u0437\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f) ‘scanner’?” The part in parentheses is optional.<\/p>\n Conversely, you can ask for a translation of a Russian phrase in a different language: “\u041a\u0430\u043a \u043f\u043e-\u0444\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0446\u0443\u0301\u0437\u0441\u043a\u0438 (\u0431\u0443\u0434\u0435\u0442) ‘\u0447\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0301\u043a’?” (kak puh-frantsuskee cheluhvek,\u00a0<\/em>“What’s the French for ‘a person’?”)<\/p>\n Try practicing these questions about the objects around you — preferably with a Russian speaker!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This post is meant for beginner students of Russian. One of the first things we learn in a new language is asking what something is. However, there are many situations and reasons we ask “What is X?” and they require different phrases. Let’s look at the different scenarios where you may need to use…<\/p>\nDefining Specific Objects<\/h3>\n
\u0427\u0442\u043e \u043a\u0443\u043d\u0436\u0443\u0442<\/del>?” A formal and fairly rare way of asking this is “\u0427\u0442\u043e \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c…?” (shto yest’)<\/em>\u00a0This sounds very elevated and would almost never be said in a conversation.<\/p>\nAsking for a Name of a Specific Object<\/h3>\n
Asking For The Russian Name<\/h3>\n