Fool the locals in no time at all!
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I took this book with me when I visited Russia for the first time with absolutely zero knowledge of Russian. This book was invaluable! Due to the nature of the Russian language, being one that is spelt as it is spoken, I was using words and phrases from this book and being mistaken for a local! The problem was I could not understand the responses I got many times, but that is not a fault of the book.
The book also lists words and phrases in Cyrillic, which means it's extremely easy to learn to read in Russia and I was able to read nearly all of the Cyrllic alphabet within the day!
On my journey on the Trans-Siberian railway I shared my carriage with a native Russian from Omsk. He had only a bare basic understanding of English from his education 35 years ago but passing this book between us we managed to have a decent conversation all day! It was an experience not to forget and one I would not have been able to have without this book.
The local did have one complaint, however. The dictionary at the back has 'few word'.
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The least useful thing I took to Russia
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I bought this in a hurry with little thought, and a recommendation. I wish I had been more considered. I found it virtually useless in my brief visit to Russia. Even the alphabet translation (essential for reading cyrilic) was incomplete, it contained only lower case cyrilic I think (it found its way swiftly into the bin). There were two pages in the appendix to my "trans siberian guide" by Bryn Thomas, which contained much more usefull translations than the whole of this phrasebook. My first requirement for russian was a customs declaration in russian on a train full of russian speakers; this book helped none. For reading and being amused at home great, for taking to russia - I wouldnt recommend it.
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so small, I lost it on the bus
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A useful little book edited by a Russian Australian, it includes some humourous phrases (of a sexual nature), and sentences grouped by subject. But when you are struggling to express yourself, the dictionary section is too limited to be effective.
I didn't find the food/restaurant section much good in rural Azerbaijan. The booklet became heavily thumbed and full of my jottings (more writing space would be a good idea). Then I lost it on a rural bus ride.
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Brilliant!
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The Lonely Planets Russian Phrase Book is one of the best around. It is compact and very easy to refer to quickly. The English/Russian and Russian/English dictionary at the back contains every word you could need as a beginner in the world of Russian.
The book is divided into chapters, e.g. meeting people and travelling and has a large section at the front on reading, pronunciation and the Russian language.
Throughout the book there are cultural comparisons which help explain how to get by and be understood in Russia without inadvertantly offending anyone!
All in all this is a really good book and i would highly recommend it to anyone who wanted to get a basic grasp of the language. I work in a Travel bookshop and it's the best Russian Phrase Book i've ever seen!
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Perfect for the pocket!
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I have been in Russia for a year now and this book is never out of my pocket! It has been well and truly worn out. It explains things very well and is much better than any of the other phrasebooks I have bought.
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