Getting around
Метро
Осторожно, двери закрываются.
The doors are closing.
You hear this when the doors close or the next stop is called. It is written down too, so a missed word does not end the ride.
Saint Petersburg
Russia
Saint Petersburg is a planned city of canals, palaces, and a river delta on the Baltic.
How the language is used
Russian is the city language. Museum labels and Nevsky shopfronts use it, in a city built on a European plan.
In this city
- Language
- Russian
- Also heard
- Mostly Russian
- A local word
- Пирожок — One filled bun.
- Writing
- Cyrillic
What people say
Ordinary lines from this city: the ride, the counter, the food, and the greeting.
Food
Булочная
Один пирожок, пожалуйста.
One filled bun.
The order is built in short pieces like this one.
The counter
Невский
Здравствуйте.
Hello.
This line is a whole order. You do not need a longer sentence.
The street
Кафе
Один кофе, пожалуйста.
One coffee, please.
People keep this line short. It is enough for the moment.
The language through the day
Russian is the city language. Museum labels and the main-street shopfronts use it.
Around Nevsky, Vasilievsky Island, Petrogradka, this is the ordinary sound of the day.
A first day in Saint Petersburg can run on four lines: “Осторожно, двери закрываются.”, “Один пирожок, пожалуйста.”, “Здравствуйте.”, and “Один кофе, пожалуйста.”. Each one is already a complete moment.
If you are new here
- Stops, prices, and shop signs are written in Cyrillic.
- With strangers and at the counter you use вы. Ты is for people you know.
- If a spoken line goes past you, read the screen or the board. In Saint Petersburg, the stop and the price are written down.
One local word: Пирожок. It means One filled bun..
Places you can see
- Hermitage — The vast museum in the Winter Palace on the Neva embankment.
- Nevsky Prospect — The long main avenue from the Admiralty toward the monastery end of the street.
- Peter and Paul Fortress — The island fortress where the city began, with a thin golden spire.
Food
Bakery pirozhki, and smelt from the Neva delta when the season brings the fish.
Getting around
A deep metro, marshrutka minibuses, and boats on the canals.
Daily life
You follow Russian on palace tickets and street plaques. The polite address is вы.
A few everyday phrases
Russian
| Phrase | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Здравствуйте | Zdravstvuyte | Hello |
| Спасибо | Spasibo | Thank you |
| Доброе утро | Dobroye utro | Good morning |
| Меня зовут… | Menya zovut… | My name is… |
