Привет, Русский! — Episode 5

Привет, Русский! — Episode Plan

Date: March 26, 2026

Theme: Technology (Технологии)

Vocabulary List (10 words/phrases):

• Russian (Cyrillic): робот

Transliteration: RO-bot

English: robot

Example sentence: Мелания Трамп пришла с роботом на встречу.

Example translation: Melania Trump came to the meeting with a robot.

Memory hook: Sounds almost exactly like the English “robot” — because it’s the same international word!

• Russian (Cyrillic): компьютер

Transliteration: kom-pyoo-TER

English: computer

Example sentence: У меня дома есть компьютер.

Example translation: I have a computer at home.

Memory hook: Very close to English “computer” — just add a nice Russian “r” roll at the end.

• Russian (Cyrillic): телефон

Transliteration: te-le-FON

English: telephone / phone

Example sentence: Я звоню по телефону.

Example translation: I am calling on the phone.

Memory hook: Sounds like “telephone” — Russians just drop the “tele” part in casual speech.

• Russian (Cyrillic): интернет

Transliteration: in-ter-NET

English: internet

Example sentence: Дети учатся в интернете.

Example translation: Children study on the internet.

Memory hook: Almost identical to English — one of the newest “international” words in Russian.

• Russian (Cyrillic): искусственный интеллект

Transliteration: is-KOOSST-ven-ny in-tel-LYEKT

English: artificial intelligence (AI)

Example sentence: Робот использует искусственный интеллект.

Example translation: The robot uses artificial intelligence.

Memory hook: “Искусственный” comes from “искусство” (art) — so AI is like “man-made cleverness.”

• Russian (Cyrillic): умный

Transliteration: OOM-ny

English: smart / clever

Example sentence: Этот робот очень умный!

Example translation: This robot is very smart!

Memory hook: Sounds a bit like “oomph” + “knee” — a smart robot has lots of “oomph” in its brain.

• Russian (Cyrillic): учить

Transliteration: oo-CHEET’

English: to teach / to learn

Example sentence: Робот помогает учить детей.

Example translation: The robot helps teach children.

Memory hook: Think “You cheat?” — No! You have to learn properly, so “uchit’” = to teach/learn.

• Russian (Cyrillic): будущее

Transliteration: BOO-doo-shchee

English: the future

Example sentence: Роботы — это будущее.

Example translation: Robots are the future.

Memory hook: Sounds like “boot” + “future” — boots on to the future!

• Russian (Cyrillic): встреча

Transliteration: VSTRE-cha

English: meeting / encounter

Example sentence: Первая леди была на встрече.

Example translation: The First Lady was at a meeting.

Memory hook: Imagine two people “v-stretching” their hands to meet each other.

• Russian (Cyrillic): образование

Transliteration: ob-ra-zo-VA-ni-ye

English: education

Example sentence: Саммит был про образование и технологии.

Example translation: The summit was about education and technology.

Memory hook: “Obraz” means “image” or “form” — education helps form a person’s mind.

Grammar Spotlight: The verb “быть” (to be) in the present tense

In Russian we often don’t say “is” or “are”!

• Робот умный. = The robot (is) smart.
• Это будущее. = This (is) the future.
• Дети в школе. = The children (are) at school.

Compare to English: English needs “is/are” every time. Russian is lazy and cool — it just jumps straight to the description! We only use “есть” (yest’) when we want to emphasize existence (“There is a robot”).

Word Origins — Deep Dive: робот

Did you know that the Russian word робот and the English word robot are actually the exact same word? They both come from the Czech word “robota,” which means “forced labor” or “drudgery.”

This word started in Old Slavic, traveled into Czech, and was made famous in 1920 by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his science-fiction play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). The play was translated into Russian and English almost immediately, and the word “robot” spread around the world like wildfire.

But here’s the fun “gotcha!” — in Russian, работа (ra-BO-ta) means “work” or “job.” So “robot” and “work” are cousins in Russian! Next time you see a robot, remember it’s a “worker” — that connection is your secret shortcut to remembering the word forever.

Cultural Corner:

Russians have a long fascination with robots and space technology. The word “robot” entered Russian right around the time the Soviet Union was beginning its big push into science and engineering. Today many Russian schools have robotics clubs, and children love building their own little robots — just like in the story of Melania Trump’s summit!

Practice Challenge:

“Robot Teacher Game” (for kids and adults)

1. Stand up and pretend you are a robot.
2. Walk around the room saying in a robot voice:

«Я робот. Я умный. Я учу русский язык.»

(Repeat after me slowly: Ya RO-bot. Ya OOM-ny. Ya oo-CHOO ROOS-kee ya-ZYK.)

3. Then point to things in your room and say: «Это компьютер. Это телефон.»

Draw a picture of a friendly robot teacher and label it with at least 5 new words from today’s episode.

Great job! If you understood even three sentences today, you’re already speaking about modern technology in Russian. See you next time! До встречи! (Doh VSTRE-chi!) — See you soon!