Отку́да вы?
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Say where you are from using the formulaic pattern из + [country or city].
- Ask and answer Отку́да ты? and Отку́да вы?.
- Say where you live using the supported pattern жить в/на + [place].
- Use the present tense of жить and говори́ть for я, ты, он/она́, мы, вы, они́.
- Name several countries, cities, and languages, and state which languages you speak.
- Distinguish nationality, language, and country of residence in simple statements.
- Exchange basic contact information, such as a phone number or an email address, in Russian.
Communication Scenario
Anna's class has a new video call scheduled with a partner class studying English in Kazan. Before the two groups can talk about anything else, each learner needs to be able to say where they are from, where they live now, and which languages they speak. Sonya, the student who arrived at the end of Chapter 2, turns out to be from Kazan herself, and the class uses her as a first example before the call begins.
- You will learn the fixed pattern Я из... for saying where you are from, without yet studying the full genitive case.
- You will begin using real present-tense verb endings for the first time, moving beyond the zero copula patterns from Chapters 1 and 2.
Core Vocabulary
The words below continue your productive Russian vocabulary. As in earlier chapters, each new multisyllabic word is marked with an acute stress mark.
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| Росси́я | Russia |
| Кана́да | Canada |
| Аме́рика | America, the United States |
| А́нглия | England |
| Герма́ния | Germany |
| Фра́нция | France |
| Испа́ния | Spain |
| Кита́й | China |
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| Москва́ | Moscow |
| Санкт-Петербу́рг | Saint Petersburg |
| Каза́нь | Kazan |
| Нью-Йо́рк | New York |
| Торо́нто | Toronto |
| Ло́ндон | London |
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| ру́сский язы́к | the Russian language |
| англи́йский язы́к | the English language |
| испа́нский язы́к | the Spanish language |
| францу́зский язы́к | the French language |
| неме́цкий язы́к | the German language |
| кита́йский язы́к | the Chinese language |
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| жить | to live |
| говори́ть | to speak |
| понима́ть | to understand |
| изуча́ть | to study, to learn |
| отку́да | from where |
| где | where |
| как | how |
| но | but |
| и | and |
| а та́кже | and also |
| но́мер телефо́на | phone number |
| электро́нный а́дрес | email address |
| соба́ка (@) | the "at" sign, literally "dog" |
| то́чка | dot, period |
All vocabulary in this chapter is productive. Greetings, names, and numbers 0 to 20 from Chapters 1 and 2 remain active and are recycled below.
Pronunciation: Vowel Reduction in Unstressed Position
You have already learned to mark the stressed syllable in a Russian word. This chapter introduces the first rule that follows directly from that stress: unstressed о and unstressed а do not keep their full "clear" sound. This is a receptive awareness point in this chapter; you are not yet asked to produce every reduction rule independently.
An unstressed о is pronounced closer to a short "a" sound, and an unstressed о that is two or more syllables before the stress, or any unstressed а, becomes even weaker, closer to a short neutral vowel. Compare the two syllables in Москва́, where the first, unstressed о is short and weak, and the second, stressed а́ is full and clear.
- Say Москва́ slowly, then at a natural pace, listening for the difference between the two vowels.
- Say Кана́да the same way. Note that the first and third а are both unstressed and weak, while the second, stressed а́ stands out clearly.
- This rule will be developed further, with fuller production practice, later in the volume.
Language Focus: Where Are You From?
Purpose: state origin, residence, and languages spoken, using present-tense verbs for the first time and the formulaic pattern из + [place].
3.1 Я из... — a formulaic pattern for origin
To say where you are from, use Я из followed by the country or city name. At this stage, learn Я из Росси́и, Я из Кана́ды, and similar phrases as fixed expressions, matched to the specific place names in this chapter's vocabulary. The change you see at the end of the place name, such as Росси́я becoming Росси́и, belongs to the genitive case, which is not taught as a full system until Chapter 4. For now, treat each phrase as a unit to memorize correctly, not as a rule to apply freely to new words.
| Country or city | Formulaic phrase |
|---|---|
| Росси́я | Я из Росси́и |
| Кана́да | Я из Кана́ды |
| Аме́рика | Я из Аме́рики |
| А́нглия | Я из А́нглии |
| Москва́ | Я из Москвы́ |
| Каза́нь | Я из Каза́ни |
- Отку́да ты? — Я из Кана́ды. Where are you from? — I am from Canada.
- Отку́да вы? — Я из Каза́ни, а он из Москвы́. Where are you from? — I am from Kazan, and he is from Moscow.
3.2 Present tense: жить and говори́ть
- Я живу́ в Москве́. I live in Moscow. жить, я-form: живу́
- Ты говори́шь по-англи́йски? Do you speak English? говори́ть, ты-form: говори́шь
- Мы понима́ем ру́сский язы́к, но говори́м ме́дленно. We understand Russian, but we speak slowly.
Only the present-tense forms of жить, говори́ть, понима́ть, and изуча́ть shown or directly modeled on this pattern are productive in this chapter. Other verbs remain outside the chapter's scope.
3.3 Supported в/на + place
To say where someone lives, use жить в or жить на followed by the place. As with the genitive pattern above, the ending on the place name changes; this belongs to the prepositional case, which is introduced as a full system in Chapter 6. For now, learn the phrases below as fixed combinations tied to this chapter's vocabulary.
| Place | Formulaic phrase |
|---|---|
| Москва́ | жить в Москве́ |
| Каза́нь | жить в Каза́ни |
| Росси́я | жить в Росси́и |
| Кана́да | жить в Кана́де |
| Аме́рика | жить в Аме́рике |
Use only the specific в-phrases and из-phrases listed in this chapter. Do not create new phrases with untaught place names; if you need a place name not in this chapter's vocabulary, wait until the prepositional case is introduced in Chapter 6.
3.4 Languages: по-ру́сски and related forms
To say that someone speaks a language, use говори́ть по- plus the language, as in говори́ть по-ру́сски. This по-...-и pattern is a fixed adverbial form and is learned as a formulaic unit for each language in this chapter's vocabulary. To name the language itself as a noun, rather than describe how someone speaks it, use the full phrase, such as ру́сский язы́к.
| Language noun | Adverbial form |
|---|---|
| ру́сский язы́к | по-ру́сски |
| англи́йский язы́к | по-англи́йски |
| испа́нский язы́к | по-испа́нски |
| францу́зский язы́к | по-францу́зски |
| неме́цкий язы́к | по-неме́цки |
| кита́йский язы́к | по-кита́йски |
Model Dialogue: Отку́да ты?
Context: Before the video call, Anna and Sonya introduce themselves properly and talk about where they are from.
The teacher joins the call for a moment to check that everyone is ready.
Notice that сейча́с я живу́ в Москве́ uses the same word order pattern you have already seen: time expression, subject, verb, place. Word order stays consistent even as new verb endings appear.
Listening Practice
If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text to speech tool to read the lines below aloud, or read them aloud to yourself slowly, paying attention to the marked stress.
- Listen to (or read aloud) the script above, and write down where Dima is from and where he lives now.
- List the languages Dima mentions, and note which one he only understands "a little."
- Listen for the stressed syllable in Санкт-Петербу́рга and in понима́ю. Which syllable carries the stress in each word?
Speaking Practice
Управля́емая пра́ктика — Controlled practice: origin and residence
Using the formulaic phrases from Language Focus 3.1 and 3.3, say where three different people are from and where each one lives now, choosing only from this chapter's countries and cities.
Коммуникати́вное зада́ние — Communicative task: Отку́да ты?
With a partner, ask and answer Отку́да ты?, Где ты живёшь?, and Ты говори́шь по-...? for two languages from this chapter's vocabulary. If your real origin, residence, or languages fall outside the chapter's vocabulary, choose a place and language from the chapter and imagine the answer.
Самостоя́тельная пра́ктика — Solo alternative
Record yourself answering Отку́да ты?, Где ты живёшь?, and Каки́е языки́ ты понима́ешь? in three or four full sentences. Listen back and check your stress, your verb endings, and your formulaic phrases.
Reading Practice
Но́вые друзья́ — New friends
Меня́ зову́т Мари́я. Я из Испа́нии, но сейча́с я живу́ в Ло́ндоне. Я говорю́ по-испа́нски и по-англи́йски. Я изуча́ю ру́сский язы́к, но понима́ю немно́го. Мой друг Пётр из Кита́я. Он живёт в Нью-Йо́рке и говори́т по-кита́йски, по-англи́йски и немно́го по-ру́сски.
Задание по чтению — Reading task:
- List where Maria is from and where she lives now.
- List the languages Maria speaks, and note her level in Russian.
- Answer the same two questions for Pyotr.
Writing Workshop
Complete the following linked writing tasks in order.
Зада́ние 1 — Copy and mark stress: Copy each word from the Core Vocabulary tables by hand, including its stress mark, three times each.
Зада́ние 2 — Complete the sentence: Fill in the missing verb form so that each sentence matches its subject.
Зада́ние 3 — Short written self-introduction: Write four or five sentences that say your name, where you are from, where you live now, and which languages you speak or understand, using only this chapter's vocabulary and formulaic phrases. If your real details fall outside the vocabulary, invent a plausible answer using this chapter's material.
- Copy the vocabulary with stress marks first. Include every country, city, and language name.
- Complete the verb ending exercise. Check each ending against its subject pronoun.
- Draft your self-introduction. Keep every word within this chapter's vocabulary and earlier chapters' vocabulary.
- Read your self-introduction aloud once. Listen for the stressed syllable in each word.
- Check your formulaic из and в phrases against the Language Focus tables. Correct any phrase that does not match.
Спи́сок прове́рки — Editing checklist:
- Every word is written in Cyrillic, with no Latin letters.
- Stress marks are included where the vocabulary tables show them.
- Each verb ending matches its subject pronoun.
- Every из-phrase and в-phrase matches the formulaic form given in this chapter, not an invented ending.
- No new vocabulary from outside this chapter or earlier chapters has been used.
Culture and Communication
Saying where someone is from, where they live now, and which languages they speak describes three separate facts, not one identity label. A person can be from one country, live in another, and speak several languages at different levels, exactly as Maria and Pyotr do in this chapter's reading passage. Keep these three pieces of information distinct as you talk about yourself and others.
People who speak Russian live in many countries and communities, not only in Russia. This chapter's examples include speakers living in Kazan, Moscow, Toronto, and London, and later volumes will introduce Russian-speaking communities in other regions as well. Speaking Russian does not by itself indicate a person's citizenship, ethnicity, or political views.
Common Mistakes
Error: Guessing a new ending for a place name that was not modeled in this chapter, such as changing an untaught country name by analogy with Росси́я becoming Росси́и.
Correction: Use only the exact из-phrases and в-phrases listed in Language Focus 3.1 and 3.3. Wait for Chapters 4 and 6 to apply these endings freely to new nouns.
Error: Saying Я говорю́ ру́сский язы́к instead of Я говорю́ по-ру́сски.
Correction: Use the noun phrase ру́сский язы́к when naming the language itself, such as after изуча́ть, and use the по-... form after говори́ть, as in говори́ть по-ру́сски.
Error: Using the same verb form for every subject, such as saying ты живу́ instead of ты живёшь.
Correction: Match the verb ending to its subject pronoun, using the full conjugation table in Language Focus 3.2 as a reference.
Chapter Review
Часть A — Понимание (Comprehension)
1. Return to the Model Dialogue, and answer these short questions.
- Where is Anna from, and where does she live now?
- Which languages does Anna mention, and at what level does she know each one?
Часть B — Пи́сьменная речь (Writing)
1. Write three sentences, each naming a different person's origin, residence, and one language they speak.
2. Conjugate жить and говори́ть for я, ты, and мы, with stress marks.
Часть C — Чте́ние (Reading)
1. Return to the reading passage, and list every formulaic из-phrase and в-phrase that appears in it.
Часть D — Говоре́ние (Speaking)
1. Ask a partner Отку́да ты? and Где ты живёшь?, then switch roles.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 3 Practical Check
Meeting the Partner Class
Complete the following connected tasks, in order, treating them as one short introduction routine for the video call scenario.
- Read the model dialogue and the reading passage. Answer the comprehension questions above before continuing.
- Introduce yourself with name, origin, and residence. Use Меня́ зову́т..., Я из..., and Я живу́ в....
- State two languages you speak or understand. Use говори́ть по-... or понима́ть по-... correctly for each.
- Ask a partner Отку́да ты? and Где ты живёшь? Answer using this chapter's vocabulary.
- Write your four or five sentence self-introduction from the Writing Workshop. Apply the editing checklist.
- Exchange a phone number or email address aloud. Say each digit or letter clearly, using соба́ка and то́чка where needed.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Origin and residence accuracy | The learner correctly uses the formulaic из and в phrases taught in this chapter. |
| Verb conjugation | The learner matches present-tense endings of жить and говори́ть to the correct subject. |
| Language statements | The learner distinguishes the noun form of a language from its по-... adverbial form. |
| Stress and pronunciation | The learner produces the marked stress on practiced vocabulary with reasonable accuracy. |
| Cyrillic control | The learner writes practiced vocabulary in accurate Cyrillic. |
| Contact information | The learner states a phone number or email address clearly using Russian conventions. |
This checkpoint uses only material introduced in this chapter and Chapters 1 and 2. No item on this rubric requires a system that has not yet been taught.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Anna is from Canada, and she now lives in Moscow.
- Anna mentions Russian, which she is studying, and Spanish, which she understands a little.
Writing
- Sample answers: Со́ня из Каза́ни. Она́ живёт в Каза́ни и говори́т по-ру́сски. Пётр из Кита́я, но он живёт в Нью-Йо́рке. Other combinations from this chapter's vocabulary are also correct.
- жить: я живу́, ты живёшь, мы живём. говори́ть: я говорю́, ты говори́шь, мы говори́м.
Reading
- из Испа́нии, в Ло́ндоне, из Кита́я, в Нью-Йо́рке
Looking Ahead
Что вы уже уме́ете — What you can do now
You can say where you are from and where you live using formulaic из and в phrases, conjugate жить and говори́ть in the present tense, name several countries, cities, and languages, describe which languages you speak or understand, and exchange basic contact information.