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Russian · TORFL Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 32

Здесь есть диван, а стола нетThere is a sofa here, but no table

Zdesʼ yestʼ diván, a stalá nyet

The home and its rooms. Vocabulary: дом, комната, кухня, спальня, кровать, стол, стул, диван, окно, нет. Key grammar: to say that something EXISTS, we use the word «есть»: «Здесь есть кровать» (There is a bed here). To say that something is NOT there, we use «нет» — and after «нет» the noun goes into the GENITIVE case: «Здесь нет стола» (стол → стола), «В спальне нет окна» (окно → окна). You already met the genitive in chapters 22 (рубля/рублей) and 26 (comparison). So: есть + nominative (есть стол), нет + genitive (нет стола). We name the place with adverbs: здесь, тут, там (no new case). In English «there is no table» — the word «table» does not change, so Mike keeps the nominative: «Здесь нет стол» ✗ → «Здесь нет стола» ✓. Sound corner: «здесь» = «zdesʼ», «стола» — stress on «-ла».

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Dialogue

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нет стол / нет стола

  1. IvanМmаaйyкk,пpоaкkаaжzhиiсsвvоaюyuкkоoмmнnаaтtуu.Чchтtоoзzдdеeсsьеyeсsтtь?Mike, show me your room. What is there here?
  2. MikeЗzдdеeсsьеyeсsтtькkрrоaвvаaтtьиiдdиiвvаaнn.Нnоoзzдdеeсsьнnеyeтtсsтtоoлl.There is a bed and a sofa here. But there is no table here. (slip: after «нет» use the genitive — «стола»)
  3. IvanПpоaчchтtиi!Пpоoсsлlеe«нnеyeтt»—рrоaдdиiтtеeлlьнnыyйyпpаaдdеeжzh.Нnеe«нnеyeтtсsтtоoлl»,аa«нnеyeтtсsтtоaлlаa».Almost! After «нет» comes the genitive. Not «нет стол», but «нет стола».
  4. MikeАa,пpоoнnяyaлl!Зzдdеeсsьнnеyeтtсsтtоaлlаaиiнnеyeтtсsтtуuлlаa.Ah, got it! There is no table and no chair here.
  5. IvanВvеeрrнnоa!Аaоaкkнnоoзzдdеeсsьеyeсsтtь?Correct! And is there a window here?
  6. MikeДdаa,зzдdеeсsьеyeсsтtьбbоaлlьшshоoеyeоaкkнnоo,нnоoнnеyeтtшshкkаaфfаa.Yes, there is a big window here, but no wardrobe.

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Новая квартира— The new flat

  1. IvanАaнnяya,уuтtеiбbяyaнnоoвvаaяyaкkвvаaрrтtиiрrаa!Сsкkоoлlькkоaтtаaмmкkоoмmнnаaтt?Anya, you have a new flat! How many rooms are there?
  2. AnyaЕyeсsтtькkуuхkhнnяya,сsпpаaлlьнnяyaиiбbоaлlьшshаaяyaкkоoмmнnаaтtаa.Зzдdеeсsьеyeсsтtьдdиiвvаaнnиiсsтtоoлl.There is a kitchen, a bedroom and a big room. Here there is a sofa and a table.
  3. IvanАaкkрrоaвvаaтtьуuжzhеeеyeсsтtь?And is there a bed already?
  4. AnyaВvсsпpаaлlьнnеeеyeсsтtькkрrоaвvаaтtь,нnоoпpоaкkаaнnеyeтtшshкkаaфfаa.Яyaкkуuпpлlюyuеyeгvоoзzаaвvтtрrаa.The bedroom has a bed, but there is no wardrobe yet. I will buy one tomorrow.
  5. IvanОaтtлlиiчchнnаaяyaкkвvаaрrтtиiрrаa!Пpоaзzдdрrаaвvлlяyaюyu!A great flat! Congratulations!

Vocabulary

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дdоoмm

nounhouse, home

кkоoмmнnаaтtаa

nounroom

кkуuхkhнnяya

nounkitchen

сsпpаaлlьнnяya

nounbedroom

кkрrоaвvаaтtь

nounbed

сsтtоoлl

nountable

сsтtуuлl

nounchair

дdиiвvаaнn

nounsofa

оoкkнnоo

nounwindow

нnеyeтt

particlethere is no, not

Grammar

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«есть» and «нет» + the genitive

Explanation

In this chapter we say what there is in the home, and what there isn’t. To say that something EXISTS, we put the word «есть»: «Здесь есть кровать», «В комнате есть диван». After «есть» the noun stays in its ordinary (nominative) form: есть стол, есть окно, есть кровать. To say that something is NOT there, we put «нет» — and here is the important rule: after «нет» the noun changes its ending to the GENITIVE case (the very one that came after numbers in chapter 22 and in comparison in chapter 26). Masculine: стол → «нет стола», стул → «нет стула», диван → «нет дивана». Neuter: окно → «нет окна». Feminine: кровать → «нет кровати», кухня → «нет кухни». We name the place with adverbs: здесь, тут, там — a new case for «in the room» is not needed yet. The English speaker’s typical mistake: English «there is no table» — the word «table» does not change. So Mike keeps the nominative: «Здесь нет стол» ✗. But after «нет» the genitive is needed: «Здесь нет стола» ✓.

Examples

  • В комнате есть кровать и стол.In the room there is a bed and a table.
  • Здесь нет стула.There is no chair here.
  • В спальне есть окно, а в кухне окна нет.The bedroom has a window, but the kitchen has none.
  • В доме есть диван, но нет стола.In the house there is a sofa, but no table.

Culture

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Русский дом: квартира, дача и тапочкиThe Russian home: the flat, the dacha and slippers

How do Russians live? Three things surprise many foreigners: most people live in FLATS, not in detached houses; many families have a «dacha» outside the city; and at home everyone wears «тапочки» (slippers). A little look into the Russian home.

A flat, not a house

In Russian «дом» means both «house» and «home», but most city dwellers live in a FLAT — in a multi-storey building. In Soviet times millions of flats were built in large «panel» buildings; whole districts look alike. So when a Russian says «я иду домой» (I’m going home), they usually go to their flat, not to a detached house with a garden. Flats are often small but cosy: the kitchen is the heart of the home, where the family drinks tea and talks for hours.

The dacha in the countryside

Many city families have a «dacha» — a small country house with a garden. In summer, especially at the weekend, people go to the dacha: they plant vegetables, relax, grill «shashlik» (kebabs) and pick berries. The dacha is not a luxury but an old tradition and a way to be in nature. Even a small dacha with beds of cucumbers and tomatoes is very dear to the heart. Many Russians say that real rest is the quiet of the dacha, not a hotel.

Slippers and «take your shoes off!»

In a Russian home you take off your shoes at the door — almost always. The streets can be muddy or snowy, so walking through the home in outdoor shoes is not the done thing. A guest is told right away: «Разувайтесь!» (Take your shoes off!) and given «тапочки» — indoor footwear. Many families keep spare slippers for guests. This is not strictness but care for cleanliness and cosiness. So when you visit Russians, be ready to leave your boots at the entrance and put on soft slippers.

The flat, the dacha and slippers — three little windows into the Russian home. They show: home is not about size or a garden, but about warmth, cleanliness and tea in the kitchen with your loved ones.

Cyrillic

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Безударное «о» = «а»; мягкий знак «ь»— Unstressed "о" = "a"; the soft sign "ь"

Two reading rules. First — "akanye": the letter "о" WITHOUT stress is read as "a". So "окно" = "ak-NÓ", "стола" = "sta-LÁ", "комната" = "KÓM-na-ta", "диван" = "di-VÁN". Under stress "о" sounds clear ("KÓM-nata" — the first "о" is stressed, "o"), but without stress it turns into "a". Second — the soft sign "ь" gives no sound of its own; it shows that the consonant before it is SOFT: "кровать" = "kra-VÁTʼ" (soft "т"), "есть" = "yestʼ", "спальня" = "SPÁLʼ-nya". Do not fear "ь" — just soften the consonant. Read the words aloud.

Read the words aloud:

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