Travel in Russian: A Trip to Remember
Everything in this chapter — motion verbs, transport, the past tense — was building toward this: taking a trip and telling the story afterwards. Pack the vocabulary and go.
The Kit
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| гостиница | hotel (гость — guest) |
| номер | hotel room — yes, 'number' |
| ключ | key |
| чемодан | suitcase |
| паспорт | passport |
| билет | ticket |
Вот мой паспорт.
Here's my passport.
Note: The reception desk sentence. Вот — the pointing word from Chapter 1, still working hard.
Booked It
Здравствуйте! Я забронировал номер.
Hello! I've booked a room. (a woman says: забронировала)
Note: A mouthful now, a superpower at reception — and a perfect specimen of the past tense you just learned.
Здравствуйте! Ваш паспорт, пожалуйста.
Hello! Your passport, please.
Вот, пожалуйста. Я забронировал номер на два дня.
Here you are. I booked a room for two days.
Да, вижу. Ваш номер — двадцать пять. Вот ключ.
Yes, I see it. Your room is 25. Here's the key.
Holiday Words
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| отпуск | vacation (from work) |
| море / пляж | the sea / beach |
| экскурсия | guided tour |
| фотография | photo |
Летом мы были на море. Это был лучший отпуск!
In summer we were at the seaside. It was the best vacation!
Note: были + на море — the classic vacation sentence, past tense doing the remembering.
Getting There
доехать до + genitive — to get to:
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| Как доехать до центра? | How do I get to the centre? |
| до гостиницы | to the hotel |
| до моря | to the sea |
| до вокзала | to the station |
Common Mistakes
- Номер as only “number”. In a hotel, номер IS the room: Я забронировал номер.
- на море vs в море. You vacation на море (at the seaside); только рыбы живут в море.
- Forgetting your past-tense gender. Забронировал/забронировала — the reception hears it.
What You Can Do Now
You can book a room, check in with your passport, ask the way to anywhere, and — best of all — come home and tell the whole story in the past tense.