Russian Mental Picture Dictionary

А

А		Yes but…	Ah
Авиа	noun	Air	Aveea
Avia aerobics shoes have air soles.
Авиабилет	noun	Airplane ticket	Aveea beelyet
Автор	noun	Author	Avtor
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Актер	noun	Actor	Aktyehr
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Алфавит	noun	Alphabet	Alfaveet
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Америка	noun	America	Amyehreeka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Американец	noun	American man	Amyehreekanyets
American men are nuts.
Американка	noun	American woman	Amyehreekanka
When a Russian girl names Anya misbehaves, her mother calls her "Anka."
Англия	noun	England	Angleeya
Английский	noun	English (language)	Angleeskee
English people use angled skis. That's why they're such bad skiers.
Англичанин	noun	Englishman	Angleechaneen
"Channing" is one of those names that only an Englishman would name his son. An eccentric English angler (fisherman) named his son "Angle Channing."
Англичанка	noun	Englishwoman	Angleechanka
Анкета	noun	Questionnaire	Ankyehta
Russian questionnaires come with an answer kit.

Б

Балерина	noun	Ballerina	Ballyehreena
A cognate (same word in Russian and English)
Банан	noun	Banana	Banan
Банджо	noun	Banjo	Bandzho
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
белый	adjective	White	Byehlee
Билет	noun	Ticket	Beelyeht
A billet is a short letter or ticket ordering a private home to provide lodging and food to a soldier.
Бизнесмен	noun	Businessman	Beezneesmyehn
Бизнесменка	noun	Businesswoman	Beezneesmyehnka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Блузка	noun	Blouse	Bloozka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Ботинки	noun (plural)	Men's shoes	Boteenkee
Russian men remember their moms calling their cute little boots "booteenkees."
Брюки	noun (plural)	Pants	Bryoukee
Britches.

В

В, Во		In	Veh, Vo
"Во" is used for words beginning with two consonants if the first consonant is В or Ф.
Варежки	noun (plural)	Mittens	Varyehzhkee
Russian mittens make you sing far off key.
Вы	pronoun	You (formal or plural)	Vee
Ваша		Your (formal or plural, feminine)	Vasha
Ваша машина means "your car" is a washing machine. Think of a car with a washing machine where the engine should be.
Введение		Introduction	Vvehdyehneeyeh
Don't confuse with До свидания (good-bye, dos veedaneeyah).
Велосипед	noun	Bicycle	Veloseepyehd
A cognate (same word in Russian and French).
Версия	noun	Version	Verseeyah
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Виза	noun	Visa	Veeza
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Волосы	noun	Hair	Volosih
Russians like big shiny hair, so they use shampoo that gives volume and polish.
Вот		Here, here is	Vot
Show something to someone.
Всё		All, everything, that's all	Vsyo
That's all, the show's over.

Г

Галстук	noun	Necktie	Galstook
Газета	noun	Newspaper	Gazyehta
Don't confuse with журнал (magazine, zhoornal). A person who writes a newspapers and a person who writes a magazine are both a журналист (zhoornalist). In other words, "journalist" is a more prestigious job title because magazines are more prestigious, so newspaper writers want to be called "journalist" even though they should be called a "gazettist."
Где		Where	G'dyeh
Australians are always late. The Australian greeting "G'day" doesn't mean "Good day," it means "Where were you?"
Гитара	noun	Guitar	Geetara
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Голова	noun	Head	Gollova
In A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess changed this to "gulliver," as in Gulliver's Travels, as in "we kicked him in the gulliver." Think of a picture of Gulliver tied down by the Lilliputians, with the little people dancing around his head.
Голос	noun	Voice	Golloss
Russians have glossy voices. That's why they can make those sliding R's.
Город	noun	City	Gorod
Novgorod is a city between Moscow and St. Petersburg. It means "new city."
Грамматика	noun	Grammar	Grammateeka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Грязь	noun	Dirt	Gryahz
Grass grows in dirt.
Грязный	adjective	Dirty	Gryahznee

Д

Да		Yes	Da
Давайте		Let's	Davaytyeh
It's divine to do this together!
Декларация	noun	Declaration	Deklaratseeyah
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Для		For	Dlyah
Ask the dealer for anything you want.
Джинсы	noun	Jeans	Jeensih
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Диалог	noun	Dialogue	Deealog
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Дипломат	noun	Diplomat	Deeplomat
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Доброе утро		Good morning	Dobroyeh utro
Добрый день		Good afternoon	Dobreey dyehn
Добрый вечер		Good evening	Dobreey vyehchyehr
"Dobry den" is Russian for "hello."
Note that "good morning" rhymes, ending in o's. The other "good's" end in "ee."
Документ	noun	Document	Dokoomyehnt
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).
Дом	noun	House	Dom
Дома	adverb	At home	Doma
До свидaния		Good-bye	Do sveedahneeyah
"Sweet on ya"
Драма	noun	Drama	Dramah
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Е

Есть	verb	To eat; is; there is, there are	Yehst
That eat and is are homonyms suggests that "to be" and "to eat" are the same to a Russian. Or perhaps "you are what you eat"?
Ещё		Still; yet; else; also; more; another	Yehschyo
Ешё looks like "ewe." Picture a female sheep, standing still. Also picture another female sheep. And picture more female sheep—a whole flock of ewes.

Ж

Жаба	noun	Toad (Bufo sp.)	Zhaba
Жена	noun	Wife	Zhena
Женщина	noun	Woman	Zhensheena
Russian women use hair color that gives them sheen. Also note that жен and жить are the start of many words about women and living, so think of Old World gender roles where a woman's place was in the home.
Живой	adjective	Alive, lively, active	zheevoi
Picture a lively boy, who lives in cottage in the French countryside.
Жить	verb	Live (e.g. where you live)	Zheet
A cognate with the French word "gîte," pronounced "zheet," which is a country cottage you rent by the week. When asking where a Russian lives, picture that he or she rents a cottage in the French countryside. Remember that Жить conjugates by changing the т to в, then the next vowel is ё: я живу, ты живёшь, он/она живёт, мы живём, вы живёте, они живут.
Жук	noun	Bug, beetle	Zhook
Журнал	noun	Magazine	Zhoornal
Cognate with "journal." Don't confuse with Газета (newspaper).

З

Задание	noun	Task, assignment	Zadaneeyeh
"Is done yet?"
Запись	noun	Recording	Zapees
Здесь		Here	Zdyes
Здравствуйте		Greetings (formal)	Zdrastvooytye
Здравствуй		Greetings (informal)	Zdrastvooy
Значит	particle	So, then	Znacheet
Значить	v.impfv.	To mean, signify	Znacheet
"So" and "meaning" are homonyms.
зовут	noun	Name	Zovoot
Зуб	noun	Tooth	Zoob

И

И		And	Ee
Игра	noun	Game, acting	Eegra
Имя	noun	First name	Eemyah
Институт	noun	Institute	Eensteetoot
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Л

лесной	adjective	Forest	Lesnoy
Russians walk silently in forests. They make less noise than Americans.

С

(Russian chairs are Стул, stool)

Стол	noun	Table	Stol
Скрипка	noun	Violin	Scripka
When Russians play violin it screeps or screeches.

Т

Твой		Your (informal)	Tvoy
Товарищ	n.	Comrade	Tovarishch