Russian, from zero to B1

Week 6, Lesson 12, Friday

Describe your working day

Two verbs carry most small talk about your week: работать, to work, and учиться, to study. The second one ends in -ся, a small tail you will meet often.

In this lessonabout 70 minutes
New words8
Focusработать, учиться and the -ся tail, изучать

1Recap 5 minutes

Three questions from Monday, before anything new.

2Goal 1 minute

I can say where and what I study and work, and describe my weekday.

3The lesson 20 minutes

In this lesson

  1. работать: you know this one
  2. учиться: to study
  3. учиться or изучать?
  4. Your weekday

работать: you know this one

Two colleagues meet at a coffee machine. Read their exchange, and notice that two different verbs both mean study.

Где вы работаете?Where do you work?БЯ работаю в офисе.I work in an office.АА что вы изучаете?And what are you studying?БЯ изучаюрусский язык.I'm studying Russian.А
Notice: the subject you study goes with изучать.
RussianMeaning
Где вы работаете?Where do you work?
Я работаю в офисе.I work in an office.
Я работаю дома.I work at home.

Pattern I, like читать.

учиться: to study

учиться is Pattern II with a small tail: -ся after a consonant, -сь after a vowel. The tail stays on every form.

PersonForm
яучусь
тыучишься
он, онаучится
мыучимся
выучитесь
ониучатся

Pattern II with a tail: -ся after a consonant, -сь after a vowel. The stress moves back after the я form.

pattern II, with -сяучитьсяяучусьтыучишьсяон, онаучитсямыучимсявыучитесьониучатсяpattern Iизучатьяизучаютыизучаешьон, онаизучаетмыизучаемвыизучаетеониизучают
Where you study, and what you study.

учиться or изучать?

RussianMeaning
Я учусь в университете.I study at university. (where)
Я изучаю русский язык.I am studying Russian. (what)

учиться says where you are a student; изучать takes the subject. Your sentence: Я изучаю русский язык.

Your weekday

Put the week together with the time words from Lesson 10. Notice how а moves from one part of the day to the next.

RussianMeaning
Утром я работаю.In the morning I work.
Днём я работаю дома.In the afternoon I work at home.
Вечером я изучаю русский.In the evening I study Russian.
утромmorningработаюв офиседнёмafternoonработаюдомавечеромeveningизучаюрусскийночьюnightя дома
A whole weekday in eight words.
Week 6 on one plate. Lesson 11, Monday: Где вы живёте, where do you live; Я живу в Торонто, I live in Toronto; в Москве, в России, in Moscow, in Russia; на работе, дома, at work, at home. Lesson 12, Thursday: жить: живу, живёшь, живёт, живём, живёте, живут; учиться: учусь, учишься, учится, учимся, учитесь, учатся.
Week 6 on one plate. This lesson is band L12.

4Listen and say 5 minutes

Sound of the lesson: -ться and -тся sound the same

учи́ться and у́чится are spelled differently but both end in the same sound: tsa.

Listen to the textbook

The book's own recordings for this topic, free on the publisher's site. Listen once for the gist, then again with the book open.

5Phrases and words 5 minutes

Phrases to learn whole

Learn each one as a single unit, the way you would learn a word. They come back in your Daily 10.

Words to read aloud

Read each one aloud, then open it to check.

рабо́тать
учи́ться
изуча́ть
университе́т
о́фис
язы́к
ру́сский язы́к

the Russian language

что вы де́лаете?

what do you do?

6Class exercises 15 minutes

Checked instantly. Get one wrong and you can try it again.

In class. With Ника: describe your weekday, then ask about hers: Что вы делаете вечером?

Role-play

Take one card each. Swap roles for a second round.

You

  • Describe your weekday from morning to evening.

Ника

  • Ask where you work or study, and what you do in the evening.

7Your turn 5 minutes

Write your weekday in three sentences: утром, днём and вечером.

See a model answer

Утром я работаю. Днём я работаю дома. Вечером я изучаю русский язык.

Saved as you type. It goes to Ника together with Homework 12.

8Mini questionnaire required, 80% to pass

9Feedback 5 minutes

10Check your goal 1 minute

I can say where and what I study and work, and describe my weekday.

Can you do this now? Be honest: the answer decides your next step.

11Homework

Homework 12 on Monday: describe a normal weekday, and ask Ника two questions about hers.

I can say where and what I study and work, and describe my weekday.

Can you do this now?