64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for Beginners, April 3, 2000
This phrasebook is better than most for people who know no Russian (or very little) and who want to try to communicate with Russians. It is full of positive messages about trying, and it opens with a concise explanation of Russian grammar. Russian grammar is not something you can just master easily, but it helps to at least have an idea of how the language works - it makes more sense than just blindly memorizing phrases. The main advantage of this phrasebook it that it truly tells you the easiest way to get your point across. These are phrases that beginners actually can learn and use. Many phrasebooks are full of long sentences that are difficult to reproduce if you have little knowledge of the language, but Lonely Planet is not one of them. It also gives helpful information on how to make substitutions in the book's stock phrases, and it encourages you to put together your own word combinations. Two other good points: it's relatively low cost (a good price to value ratio) and it's pocket sized, so you can easily take it around with you on a trip. The topics covered are useful, everyday ones. In fact, there is more packed into this small book than most people will need. The dictionary is also pretty extensive. Two other things to take into consideration before purchasing this phrasebook: 1) the Lonely Planet series is geared up for young people - many of the expressions and words in the book are clearly targeted to college students and other young folks, which may be off-putting to older users, and 2) there are MANY typos and reversals in the phrasebook (did anyone actually proofread it? ). If you know absolutely no Russian, you will not recognize that these are typos and/or wrong words. This may leave you saying something other than what you think you are saying!
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69 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Pass on this book, September 2, 2004
This is a poorly proofed, haphazard collection of slang, criminal jargon, words used in 19th Century Russia, mispronunciations, incorrect cultural facts, and some spot-on phrases that will have you sounding like an idiot in no time flat. There are much better phrasebooks out there and although this book isn't entirely bad, if you are not a native speaker, you will never know what to steer clear of and what is ok to say.
As examples: the "Dating" section of the book includes a phrase for "Nice Bum!" -- I'm not sure exactly who would be flattered by that, but its inclusion is more comical than useful.
There is also a cultural factoid that Russian men wear black shirts, beige shoes, and matching brown tie when dressing up to go out. A friend of mine from the Ukraine tells me that only gangsters and nouveau riche urchins dress like that.
Using the word "ditYO" to refer to a baby will make you sound like a hick from a remote village.
The word for Pen provided actually refers to a marker.
Referring affectionately to a lover as a "pigeon" in Russia was popular in the 1800's. You will find that mostly in literature now and not in practical use.
There is also a section on how to insult your waiter -- something that is sure to endear a traveler to the locals.
The book is not all bad, but without an intimate knowledge of the language and the culture, you won't know where the land mines are.
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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stamp of approval from a Russian, September 11, 2001
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.
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