Lonely Planet Russian Phrasebook: With Two-Way Dictionary

We spent 22 days in Ukraine to adopt our son. We used this phrase book constantly. In addition to helping us learn basic phrases, we liked the explanations of customs and historical vignettes.

I have literally spent over $200 on books, CDs and computer programs over the last 2 months trying to teach myself Russian. This little $8 book is the one I have been looking for.Until today I haven't even known how to ask (in Russian) to speak to someone on the phone. It took me about 10 seconds to open this book for the first time and find it ("pazavite, pazhalsta Olga"). In the two hours between then and now, I have found the answers to every question I have had about Russian since I started. Each phrase has the English, the transliterated Russian, and the actual Russian. This is a HUGE help to learning how to read and pronounce the language. This book EXPLAINS what the different verb cases are (like, what an imperfective verb is), as well as pronouns, adjectives, gender, plurality, familiarity, inflection, capitalization, regional accents, etc. It even has a transliterated Russian to English dictionary for looking up words you hear but don't know how to spell, and the book is well referenced in its index. It is incredibly thorough and to-the-point. It has a whole section on Dating, meeting people, and discussing interests (Yes, my one and only reason to learn Russain is about 5'5", blonde, brilliant and 8 time zones away). As an example of this book's completeness, in the Dating section it includes common affectionate names, and phrases like "don't stop" and others I probably can't mention here. In the Food section, it even mentions important details like asking about vegetarian meals. To top it all off, the book also has little boxes on many pages that explain relevant Russian history and culture. The author also has a great sense of humor. In the Food section, there are some phrases to use if you have bad food or service. I particularly like "I'm very sorry to hear all the waiters died." One last comment; this book is so inexpensive, you might want to get two, just in case you loose one in your travels. da svidanya! (good bye.)

My husband is Russian and I am trying to acquire at least a fundamental understanding of the language for when I visit his family this New Year. This book is invaluable, and my Russian husband has read it from cover to cover and has given it a big stamp of approval - in particular he feels that the transliterations are excellent in giving the student an accurate guide as to how the words should be pronounced. He also derives a lot of amusement from the various social descriptions in the book which he feels are spot-on.I have to disagree VERY STRONGLY with the reviewer from Austria who said that the book is filled with typographical errors - I have not found this to be at all true! Is he confused by examples where the word is written in Russian as though it should be pronounced with an 'o' but the transliteration has it written with an 'a'? If this is his source of complaint then he ought to read the introductory chapters.

Our little Lonely Planet Russian phrasebook is well worn from 6 of 7 trips to Russia or other Russian speaking countries in the past couple of years. As far as I'm concerned, the "Lonely Planet" series of phrasebooks (and travel guides) are about the best.This small guide is packed with great stuff you can use starting with a simple pronunciation guide up front. It's sections on grammar are great, incorporating phrases most people would use in real life. The phonetic pronunciations for each phrase are easy to read, accurate and intuitive.Maybe the best thing is it's perfect size, just a hair over 3.5 by 5 inches. It will fit in a shirt pocket or anywhere else for that matter. Anyone that travels a lot overseas will tell you that size, weight, and utility are the key issues when considering anything you purchase to pack on the road.Generally we've found the Lonely Planet series to be the first we look for when heading off to a new destination. It will be a truly valuable asset to your travels.