A0 · Zero Point Chapter 4

Survival Essentials

4 Total Rules
40 examples
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the essential tools to navigate daily life and express basic needs in Russian.

  • Identify locations and objects using basic question words.
  • Count items from one to ten confidently.
  • State your possessions and negate statements with ease.
Unlock the keys to survival and simple interaction.

What You'll Learn

Basic phrases for asking directions, prices, and personal needs. Focus on functional communication in a Russian-speaking environment.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Ask where something is and identify it using 'Где' and 'Что'.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to: Count quantities and express what you have.

Key Examples (8)

1

Где мой телефон?

Where is my phone?

Asking 'Where' and 'What' (Где & Что)
2

Что это?

What is this?

Asking 'Where' and 'What' (Где & Что)
3

У меня один кот.

I have one cat.

Russian Numbers 1-10: Counting to Ten (один to десять)
4

Одна пицца, пожалуйста.

One pizza, please.

Russian Numbers 1-10: Counting to Ten (один to десять)
5

— Ты хочешь пиццу? — Нет, спасибо.

— Do you want pizza? — No, thanks.

Saying 'No' in Russian (Нет)
6

Меня сейчас нет дома.

I am not home right now.

Saying 'No' in Russian (Нет)
7

У меня есть кофе.

I have coffee.

Expressing Existence: 'I have' (U menya yest')
8

У тебя есть зарядка?

Do you have a charger?

Expressing Existence: 'I have' (U menya yest')

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

The 'Shto' Secret

Always pronounce 'Что' with a 'Sh' sound. Saying 'Chto' is the quickest way to out yourself as a beginner reading from a textbook.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Asking 'Where' and 'What' (Где & Что)
💡

The 'Raz' Trick

When counting 1, 2, 3 for a photo or a race, Russians almost always say 'раз' (raz) instead of 'один'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russian Numbers 1-10: Counting to Ten (один to десять)
💡

The 'Nyet' Myth

Don't over-emphasize the 'y'. It's not 'Nee-yet'. It's one syllable, like 'net' but with a very soft 'n'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Saying 'No' in Russian (Нет)
🎯

The 'N' Rule

Always add an 'n' to 'ego', 'eyo', and 'ikh' when they follow 'u'. It becomes 'nego', 'neyo', and 'nikh'. It makes you sound native!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Existence: 'I have' (U menya yest')

Key Vocabulary (6)

Где Where Что What Один One Десять Ten Нет No У меня есть I have

Real-World Preview

shopping-cart

At the Market

Review Summary

  • Где/Что + [noun]?
  • 1 (один), 2 (два)... 10 (десять)
  • Нет + [phrase]
  • У меня есть + [noun]

Common Mistakes

Russian doesn't use 'have' as a direct verb. Use the 'At me there is' structure instead.

Wrong: Я имею яблоко
Correct: У меня есть яблоко

Do not mix question words. 'Что' is for objects, 'Где' is for place.

Wrong: Где это что?
Correct: Что это?

When negating possession, the structure changes to 'At me there is not'.

Wrong: Нет я имею
Correct: У меня нет

Next Steps

You have conquered the basics! Keep practicing, and you will be fluent in no time.

Label items in your house with Russian sticky notes.

Continue to: Time & Place — Where and When

Quick Practice (10)

Find the mistake in this sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Я есть машина.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: У меня есть машина.
You cannot say 'Ya yest' (I am); you must use the possession pattern 'U menya yest'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Existence: 'I have' (U menya yest')

Choose the correct form of 'one' for 'машина' (feminine).

___ машина.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: одна
Since 'машина' is feminine, we must use the feminine form 'одна'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russian Numbers 1-10: Counting to Ten (один to десять)

Find and fix the mistake in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Я нет знаю, где мой ключ.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Я не знаю, где мой ключ.
You cannot use нет before a verb. Use не to say 'don't'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Saying 'No' in Russian (Нет)

Find and fix the mistake in this sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Где есть мой паспорт?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Где мой паспорт?
Remove 'есть' to make the sentence sound natural and correct.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Asking 'Where' and 'What' (Где & Что)

Which sentence correctly says 'She has a cat'?

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: У неё есть кошка.
We use 'u' + genitive pronoun 'neyo' (with the 'n' added after a preposition).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Existence: 'I have' (U menya yest')

Which is the correct way to say 'two' for masculine nouns?

Choose the correct word:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: два
'Два' is used for masculine and neuter, while 'две' is strictly for feminine.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russian Numbers 1-10: Counting to Ten (один to десять)

Which sentence is the natural way to ask 'What is this?' in Russian?

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Что это?
Russian doesn't use the verb 'is' in this context, so 'Что это?' is correct.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Asking 'Where' and 'What' (Где & Что)

Fill in the correct word for 'No'.

— Ты любишь суши? — ___, я не люблю рыбу.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Нет
We use Нет as a standalone answer to a question. Не would be used before the verb люблю.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Saying 'No' in Russian (Нет)

Fill in the blank with the correct pronoun form for 'I'.

У ____ есть билет.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: меня
After the preposition 'u', we must use the genitive form 'menya' for 'I'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Existence: 'I have' (U menya yest')

Fill in the blank with the correct question word for location.

___ станция?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Где
We use 'Где' to ask about the location of the station.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Asking 'Where' and 'What' (Где & Что)

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

At the A0 level, no. You can keep the nouns in the Nominative case (the form you see in the dictionary).
Russian used to have one, but it dropped out of the present tense centuries ago. It makes the language much faster to speak!
Russian nouns have three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter). Since 'one' acts like an adjective, it must match the gender of the noun it describes.
Zero is 'ноль' (nol). It also ends in a soft sign, just like the numbers 5-10.
Mostly, yes. However, it also means 'there is not' when talking about things that are missing or absent.
'Нет' is a standalone 'No'. 'Не' is 'not' and must be placed before another word, like a verb or noun.
Previous Chapter
The World Around You — Naming Things
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Time & Place — Where and When
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