Perhaps you’re booking into a hotel, or going for an interview. You’ll probably be asked some basic personal questions in Russian like “what is your name?” “where are you from?” “what is your date of birth?” or questions about your family.
These are all useful things to be able to talk about for everyday conversations...
Resources for further reading:
How to describe yourself in Russian
Let's go through some of the most common questions you might be asked, whether you're filling out a registration form in a hotel or at the consulate getting a new passport. In these situations, you'll be addressed with "Вы" [vy] (and its forms like вас [vas], вам [vam]). The informal "ты" [ty] will only be used between friends and close family members.
Кто вы по-национальности?
Kto vy pa natsianal’nasti?
What is your date of birth?
In Russian there is no one word for ‘siblings’. You will have to use a separate word for each sibling, like брат [brat] for brother, or сестра [sistra] for sister.
У вас есть братья или сëстры?
Oo vas est’ brat'a eeli syostry?
How many brothers do you have?
How many sisters do you have?
How many children do you have?
Are you married? (asking a man)
Are you married? (asking a woman)
Какой ваш номер телефона?
Kakoi vash nomir tilifona?
What is your telephone number?
Какой номер вашего мобильника?
Kakoi nomir vashiva mabeel’nika?
What is your cell phone number?
Какой номер вашего паспорта?
Kakoi nomir vashiva pasparta?
What is your passport number?
Какой адрес вашей электронной почты ?
Kakoi adris vashei eliktronnai pochty?
What is your email address?
How to answer questions about yourself
When you're responding, you can follow one of the simple formats below. Just insert the appropriate information in the brackets.
Ya eez [your country name]
Note: Nationalities will have different endings depending on the gender of the person in question:
In Russian to express your age you have to use the non-verbal structure: to me + age number + years (example: I'm 30 years old = Мне 30 лет. [mne treetsat’ let])
Мой день рождения [day] [month] [year].
Moi den’ razhdenia [day] [month] [year].
My birthday is on [day] [month] [year].
If you want to say that you don't have any siblings, it can get quite complicated in Russian. So the best way to answer this question will simply be:
If you want to say that you have children, describe your marital status, or state your address or phone number here are some simple phrases for you. Please note that Russian men and women use different words for "married":
Yes, I'm married (male speaking)
No, I'm not married (male speaking.)
Yes, I'm married (female speaking)
No, I'm not married (female speaking)
Мой номер телефона [number]
Moi nomir tilifona [number]
My telephone number is [number].
Мой мобильный телефон [number]
Moi mabeel’nyi tilifon [number]
My cell phone number is [number].
How to fill out forms in Russian
If you find yourself being asked to fill out forms with your personal details, you may not get the complete questions that you've studied above. Instead, you could get short words or phrases:
My passport number is [number]
*Addresses in Russian come in a different format than in the US and other English speaking countries. We say the street name first then the house or building number. If you are staying at an apartment, you would have to say your address in this order:
Street name
Building number
Your apartment number.
Example
Москва, ул.Тверская 10, кв.2
Maskva, oolitsa Tvirskaia 10, kvarteera 2
Moscow, st. Tverskaia, apartment 2.
Here are a few recommended Russian lessons to try next!
До скорого! (da skorava)
Natalya Dubrov: Rocket Russian
