The very first thing I encountered is the outstanding complexity of the Russian language and my utter inability to converse with locals. For starters, most languages have an easy word for “hello,” right? Well, not Russian. Who can say “zdrastvootie”?
There’s just no faking it. Russian is simply more difficult and more of a brain-bender than I ever imagined. Russian has six ‘cases,’ such that the ending of nearly every word changes depending on the meaning of a sentence. But after nearly four years of un-elegant floundering about in a pool of constant communication mishaps, these are my top Russian language take-aways:
- There are really only two ways to address Russian women – ‘Deeavushka’ (young lady) and ‘Babushka’ (very much older lady). Which means anyone in the middle is a ‘Deeavushka’. Hurrah! Anyone from the age of 12 – 70 is a young lady. It took me a while to get used to people calling me ‘young lady’ to get my attention – if I dropped a glove on the street, when the Metro attendant had a question, answering a server at a restaurant – I had to get used to the fact they were indeed talking to me.
- Amazingly, my awkward grammar and limited vocabulary hasn’t stopped locals from asking me for directions. Directions to the Metro, directions to a store, directions to an underground tunnel. I’ve even been asked many times to explain which product I thought was a better choice at the grocery store. Even when I struggle to respond Russians will generally wait patiently for me to muddle through. But they want the answer.
An American friend once told me this isn’t a coincidence – when you first move to Russia people will ask questions …to make sure you aren’t really a fluent Russian speaking spy! And while it’s sexy to think this actually happens, I tend to think Russians really do need directional help – so many people in Moscow are domestic tourists… and many older Russians just don’t have smart phones.
- What Russians can say in three words, they will say in 100. Don’t expect any quick explanations or short goodbyes. This is a big, fast-paced city where everything slows to the level of Moscow Friday night traffic for the all-important toast over a glass of chilled vodka. Russians do love to use their very complicated language to the fullest. Nostrovia!
