Russian, from zero to B1

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Семья и друзья Family and friends

Unit 4 of 12 · A1. How to do it, ask and answer, listen first, speak, write, checkpoint: about 40 minutes.

A1 Where you will use it: Showing photos, a dinner, a long train ride.

By the end of this unit you can

How to do it

Four habits of a good conversation in this situation. Read them first; they come back in every part below.

Есть or нет

Ask with У тебя есть …? and answer Да, есть or Нет, у меня нет брата (what you don't have takes the genitive).

Two or three words per person

Мой брат — высокий и весёлый. A name, an age and one adjective are enough to be interesting.

Show interest with follow-ups

Как его зовут? Сколько ему лет? Где он живёт? Each one is a small gift to the speaker.

Together, and how often

Мы часто …, каждые выходные, редко. Frequency words make a family story real.

Ask and answer

Questions you will hear or ask, with a natural answer. Read each pair aloud; the listen button says it with your device's Russian voice.

QuestionAnswer

У тебя́ есть бра́тья и́ли сёстры?

Do you have brothers or sisters?

Да, у меня́ есть брат.

Yes, I have a brother.

Как его́ зову́т?

What's his name?

Его́ зову́т Па́вел.

His name is Pavel.

Ско́лько ему́ лет?

How old is he?

Ему́ два́дцать пять.

He's twenty-five.

Где он живёт?

Where does he live?

Он живёт в друго́м го́роде.

He lives in another city.

Кто он по профе́ссии?

What does he do?

Он врач.

He's a doctor.

Вы ча́сто ви́дитесь?

Do you see each other often?

Да, ка́ждые выходны́е.

Yes, every weekend.

Како́й он?

What is he like?

Он до́брый и о́чень весёлый.

He's kind and very cheerful.

У тебя́ есть де́ти?

Do you have children?

Пока́ нет.

Not yet.

Расскажи́ о свое́й семье́.

Tell me about your family.

У нас больша́я семья́: роди́тели, два бра́та и я.

We're a big family: my parents, two brothers and me.

Кто э́то на фо́то?

Who is that in the photo?

Э́то моя́ ба́бушка. Ей восемьдеся́т лет.

That's my grandmother. She's eighty.

Listen first

Hide the text, play the lines with the listen buttons and answer the questions. Then show the text and read the dialogue aloud.

In the ТРКИ-1 exam every listening text is played once.

Анна

Марк, у тебя есть братья или сёстры?

Марк

Да, у меня есть брат. Его зовут Павел.

Анна

Сколько ему лет?

Марк

Ему двадцать пять. Он врач и живёт в другом городе.

Анна

Вы часто видитесь?

Марк

Каждые выходные: мы играем в футбол. А у тебя?

Анна

У меня сестра, Лена. Она очень весёлая.

Марк

Покажи фото!

Did you understand?

Speak

Shadow it: play one line, pause, say it back at the same speed; then take the other part. Role-play: say your three moves aloud, in Russian, before you read any model.

A friend shows you family photos.

  1. Ask who is in the photo.
  2. Ask their name, age and what they do.
  3. Say one thing about your own family.

On a long train ride, the person next to you asks about your family.

  1. Say who is in your family.
  2. Describe one person in two or three words.
  3. Ask about their family in return.

Record and compare. Record yourself saying your part, listen back, and compare with the model lines above.

Nothing is uploaded: the recording stays on this device until you leave the page.

Write

Write six lines about your family for a new friend: who, their names and ages, what you do together.

A model dialogue

У меня небольшая семья: мама, папа и сестра.

Мою сестру зовут Лена, ей двадцать лет.

Она студентка и очень весёлая.

Родители живут в другом городе.

Мы видимся каждый месяц.

В выходные мы вместе готовим и гуляем.

Checkpoint

Be honest: Almost and Not yet send you back to the right part, and the unit counts as done only when you say so.

I can ask about someone's family and answer about mine.

I can describe a person in a few words.

I can say what we do together and how often.

Unit 3All situationsToolkitUnit 5