I Love...
Russian Language Lesson 7


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Now that we have done the hard work learning some Russian grammar, it is time to start using it. In this lesson we will form simple Russian phrases and sentences. After this lesson you should be able to ask or tell people what you want and like.

To Love

Let's start with the Russian verb "to love":

Любить (Люблю, Любишь) (View Conjugations)

Remember that a noun after “I love” should be in the accusative case as it is the object of the sentence. Here are some uses of the word:

PlayЯ люблю спорт - I love sport.

PlayЯ люблю музыку - I love music.

PlayЯ не люблю музыку - I don't like music.

PlayТы любишь музыку? - Do you love music?

PlayЯ люблю Москву - I love Moscow.

PlayОн любит Москву - He loves Moscow.

PlayИван любит чай - Ivan loves tea.

PlayНадя любит вино - Nadya loves wine.

PlayНадя не любит вино - Nadya doesn't like wine.


"I love you" in Russian

You should now know enough Russian to say 'I love you'

Я тебя люблю - I love you.

This particular phrase is usually said with the word order above. It would still make sense to say: Я люблю тебя. Try inserting different pronouns (from lesson 5) into this phrase to change the meaning. Remember to select the pronoun to match the case:

Я его люблю - I love him.

Я её люблю - I love her.

Она любит меня - She loves me


What?

The word "Что?" (pronounced "shto?") means "What?". You can use it to form questions.


Что ты любишь? - What do you love?

However, if you see the word "Что" in the middle of a sentence, it is probably the conjunction "that". The word "Что" has two uses, so don't be confused. An example could be:

Я знаю, что ты любишь музыку. - I know that you love music.


Using other Russian verbs

To express yourself better in Russian you will need to learn some more Russian verbs. Let's introduce some new Russian verbs now. If you would like, you can see how these verbs are conjugated by clicking here.

Смотреть - to watch.

Читать - to read.

Слушать - to listen

Изучать - to study

Думать - to think

Работать - to work

Хотеть - to want


Here are some possible uses of these verbs:

PlayЯ смотрю телевизор - I am watching television.

PlayЯ слушаю радио - I am listening to the radio.

PlayЯ слушаю музыку - I am listening to music.

PlayЯ читаю журнал - I am reading a magazine.

PlayЯ читаю газету - I am reading the newspaper

PlayЯ читаю книгу - I am reading a book.

PlayЯ изучаю русский язык - I study Russian. (lit: I study the Russian language).

PlayЯ так думаю - I think so!

PlayКак вы думаете? - What do you think? (lit: How do you think?)

PlayЯ хочу чай - I want tea.

PlayЧто вы хотите? - What do you want?


Sometime you will want to talk about an action. For example "I like to read" or "I want to read". In such cases you are using 2 verbs in a row. In Russian you should leave the 2nd verb in the infinitive form. For example:

PlayЯ люблю читать - I love to read.

PlayЯ люблю путешествовать - I love to travel.

PlayЯ хочу купить журнал - I want to buy a magazine.


Very

A very useful Russian word is the word for "very". You can include it into many phrases. It sometimes replaces the word "really" also. For example:

Очень - very. (or really)

PlayЯ очень люблю спорт - I really love sport.

PlayЯ очень люблю Москву - I really love Moscow.


Question Words

You may also find these question words useful during your travels around Russia.

PlayГде? - Where?

PlayКто? - Who?

PlayЧто? - What?

PlayКак? - How?

PlayПочему? - Why?


If you would like to learn more then refer to the question words page in the grammar section.


Video

Use this video to help you learn the Russian verb "to love". Try saying each phrase after you hear it. Then try reading the words with the sounds off. Take me to YouTube.

Conclusion

You should now know the basics for forming simple Russian sentences. In this lesson we learnt expressions that are useful for talking about things that you like. There is quite a bit of vocabulary in this lesson, so you may wish to review some of it again later. In particular, if you can memorise the verbs you will find it easier to express yourself in Russian.

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Recommended Books For Learning Russian

The New Penguin Russian Course: A Complete Course for Beginners - Probably the best course in a book.

Russian-English Bilingual Visual Dictionary - A visual dictionary with lots of illustrated examples.

A Comprehensive Russian Grammar - A great reference on Russian grammar.

The Big Silver Book of Russian Verbs - A great reference book of conjugated Russian verbs.

Russian Learners' Dictionary: 10,000 Russian Words in Frequency Order - A simple but powerful concept. Expand your vocabulary by learning the most used words first.