Posted on February 6th, 2012
Do you like shopping? How about shopping in Russian? If you are planning a trip to a Russian-speaking country, you need to learn vocabulary related to money, currencies, prices and shopping. You’ve done a great job learning how to count to 1,000 in Russian, our next step is to learn how to use numbers in Russian speech.
Russian Currency
Russian national currency is рубль [ROO-bl’] rouble.
Pубль is a noun, and it’s plural form is рубли [roob-LEE].
Russian nouns decline by gender, number and case. Pубль is masculine and here is how it declines by cases:
Nominative: рубль
Genitive: рубля
Dative: рублю
Accusative: рубль
Instrumental: рублём
Prepositional: о рубле
Declension by cases of noun рубли:
Nominative: рубли
Genitive: рублей
Dative: рублям
Accusative: рубли
Instrumental: рублями
Prepositional: о рублях
Let’s take a look at a couple of examples:
Рубль – национальная валюта России.
[ROUBL’ na-tsee-a-NAL’-na-ya va-LYOO-ta ra-SEE-yee]
Rouble is the national currency of Russia.
Я буду расплачиваться рублями.
[ya BOO-doo ras-PLA-chee-vat’-sya roob-LYA-mee]
I will be paying in roubles.
Копейка [ka-PYEI-ka] is a Russian version of penny or kopeck, plural of kopeck is копейки [ka-PEY-kee] copecks.
Копейка is also a noun, and its feminine, here is how it declines by cases:
Nominative: копейка
Genitive: копейки
Dative: копейке
Accusative: копейку
Instrumental: копейкой
Prepositional: о копейке
You will probably come across word копейки a lot more then копейка when shopping. Here is how word копейки declines by cases in Russian:
Nominative: копейки
Genitive: копеек
Dative: копейкам
Accusative: копейки
Instrumental: копейками
Prepositional: о копейках
A few examples:
Эта шоколадка стоит семьдесят копеек.
This chocolate is seventy kopecks.
Ты мне должен десять рублей с копейками.
You owe me ten roubles and a few kopecks.
Word копейки can also be used to emphasize that something is not expensive or cheap and you can afford to pay for it. Here is an example:
Этот телефон стоит копейки.
This phone is not expensive.
More money words in Russian:
Мелочь [MYE-lach’] (small) change, odd money
Монета [ma-NYE-ta] coin
Купюра [koo-PYOO-ra] note
Деньги [DYEN’-gee] money
Зарубежная валюта [za-roo-BYEZH-na-ya va-LYOO-ta] foreign currency
Examples of using the words above in a sentence:
Я хочу отдать всю мелочь продавцу.
I want to give all my small change to a shop assistant.
У меня нет лишних денег.
I have no spare money.
Этот торговый автомат не принимает монеты. Он только принимают пятирублёвые купюры.
This vending machine doesn’t take coins. It only takes five-rouble notes.
Always remember to practice using new words you learn by placing them in sentences – one of the best methods to learn the meaning of new words.
Other Currencies in Russian
Доллар [DO-lar] dollar
Евро [YEV-ra] euro
Фунт стерлингов [FOONT STYER-leen-gav] pound (sterling)
Иена [ee-YE-na] yen
Шекель [SHE-kyel’] shekel
Турецкая лира [too-RYETZ-ka-ya LEE-ra] Turkish Lira
Юань [yoo-AN’] yuan
Песо [PYE-so] peso
Рупия [ROO-pee-ya] rupee
Гривна [GREEV-na] hryvna
Злотый [ZLO-tiy] zloty
Форинт [FO-reent] forint
Did I miss your country’s currency? Please leave a comment below and share your country’s currency in Russian.
Dealing with Money and Shopping in Russian
The vocabulary below will help you while you are at a supermarket shopping for some yummy treats. These questions might be useful when you are asking for a price of something you liked:
Сколько это стоит? [SKOL’-ka E-ta STO-eet] how much is it?
Это стоит двести рублей пятьдесят три копейки. [E-ta STO-eet DVYES-tee ROOB-ley pyat’-dee-SYAT TREE ka-PYEY-kee] it costs 200 roubles and 53 kopecks.
В какую цену … ? [f ka-KOO-yoo TSE-noo] what price is it?
Здесь нет цены. [ZDES’ NYET tsye-NI] there is no price here
Interesting fact:
Do you know what word бесценный means? It doesn’t mean that an item doesn’t have a price. It means that something is priceless and invaluable.
For example:
Этот опыт – бесценный.
This experience is priceless.
Ready to pay? The words and expressions below will help you to go through the checkout process:
У меня есть рубли. [oo MEE-nya YEST’ roob-LEE] I have roubles.
Я заплачу долларами. [ya zap-la-CHOO DO-la-ra-mee] I will pay in dollars
Я хочу обменять доллары на рубли. Где здесь обменный пункт?
[ya ha-CHOO ab-mee-NYAT’ DO-la-ri na roob-LEE]
I want to exchange dollars to roubles. Where is money exchange kiosk around here?
Just a few more shopping related words:
Цена [TSEE-na] price
Покупать [pa-koo-PAT’] buy
Платить [pla-TEET’] pay
Стоить [STO-eet’] cost
Дорого [DO-ra-ga] expensive
Дёшево [DYO-shee-va] cheap
Oбменный пункт [ab-MYEN-niy POONKT] currency exchange office/kiosk
You can also say обменник [ab-MYEN-neek]
Oбменный курс [ab-MYEN-niy KOORS] exchange rate
Обменивать [ab-MYE-nee-vat’] exchange
Below are a few example conversations at a Russian store or a farmers market:
- Сколько стоит этот комьютер?
– 600 долларов.
– Это очень дорого!
– How much is this computer?
– 600 dollars.
– It is very expensive!
***********
- Я хочу купить эту книгу.
– 80 рублей, пожалуйста.
– Вот возьмите!
– Спасибо за покупку!
– И вам спасибо!
– I want to buy this book.
– 80 roubles, please.
– Here you go!
– Thank you for your purchase!
– Thank you to you too!
***********
- По какой цене яблоки?
– Два доллара за фунт.
– Дайте, пожалуйста, два фунта.
– How much are these apples?
– Two dollars a pound.
– Give me two pounds, please.
Don’t forget to make your own sentences and dialogues with the new words and phrases above. This great exercise will help you to faster learn new words as well as practice using them in speech.
Have you traveled to Russian or any other Russian-speaking country recently? Did you shop in Russian? What did you think about the Russian prices? Leave your comments below and don’t forget to subscribe to Russian Learning tips via email.
Have fun learning Russian!
Viktoria.
Related Posts:
- 10 Romantic Phrases from the Romantic Russian Video Course
- Fruits and Berries in Russian
- How to Pay a Compliment in Russian
- Winter Words in Russian
- Phone Conversations in Russian
Comments
Садовник и сыновья
Л.Н. Толстой
Хотел садовник сыновей приучить к садовому делу. Когда он стал умирать, позвал их к себе и сказал:
– Дети, когда я умру, вы в виноградном саду поищите, что там спрятано.
Дети думали, что там клад, и, когда отец умер, стали рыть и всю землю перекопали. Клада не нашли, а землю в винограднике так хорошо перекопали, что стало плода родиться много больше. И они стали богаты.
Все бобры для своих бобрят добры.
Приблизительный перевод: All beavers are kind to their baby beavers.
Что посеешь, то и пожнешь.
As you sow, you shall mow.