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Lesson 1

Asking and Answering About Feelings

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Здравствуйте! Welcome to the first lesson in your journey to build more meaningful conversations in Russian.

This course is designed to quickly give you the practical phrases you need to chat with your husband's parents. We'll focus on ready-to-use sentences for real-life situations, starting today with the most fundamental building block of any conversation: asking someone how they are and knowing how to reply.

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to confidently ask "How are you?" in different ways and give a range of answers, from "I'm great!" to "I'm not feeling so well." This is the perfect starting point for the friendly, regular chats you want to have.

1. The Everyday "How are you?": Как дела?

The most common way to ask "How are you?" in Russian is Как дела? (Kak dy-LAH?). It literally means "How are things?". However, there's a small but important cultural difference to be aware of, which the following video explains well.

Russian phrases for beginners | Greetings & Goodbyes | Lesson 1

Please watch this short segment from the video "Russian phrases for beginners | Greetings & Goodbyes" by Eli from Russia. It explains the cultural context of using 'Как дела?' and introduces the formal and informal versions.

Watch from 02:16 to 03:29. Pay close attention to when it's appropriate to use this phrase and the difference between asking a friend versus someone you should be more formal with.

As the video mentions, Как дела? is usually reserved for people you know. When speaking with your husband's parents, you'll want to use the formal/polite form. Here’s a quick guide:

Formality Question (to one person) Pronunciation Translation
Informal (Friend) Как твои дела? / Как ты? Kak tva-EE dy-LAH? / Kak TY? How are you?
Formal (Parent-in-law) Как ваши дела? / Как вы? Kak VA-shi dy-LAH? / Kak VY? How are you?

Notice the change from твои/ты (informal "your/you") to ваши/вы (formal "your/you"). This is a crucial distinction that shows respect.

How to Respond to Как дела?

You have many options for how to answer. Let's explore a few, ranging from positive to negative.

How are you in Russian - Rocket Languages

This article from Rocket Languages has a great list of responses. We'll focus on the most common ones.

Scan the list of replies under the heading "What do you say if someone asks you how you are?". You don't need to memorize all of them, just get familiar with the options.

Here is a summary of the most useful responses, which you also heard in the first video:

Positive:

  • Отлично! (at-LEECH-nah) - Excellent!
  • Прекрасно! (preek-RAS-nah) - Wonderful!
  • Всё хорошо. (fsyo kha-ra-SHO) - Everything is good.

Neutral:

  • Хорошо. (kha-ra-SHO) - Good / Fine.
  • Нормально. (nar-MAL'-nah) - Okay / Not bad.
  • Как всегда. (kak fsig-DA) - As always.

Negative:

  • Не очень хорошо. (nye O-chen' kha-ra-SHO) - Not very good.
  • Немного устала. (neem-NO-ga oo-STA-la) - A little tired. (Note: This is the feminine form, which you would use. A man would say устал.)
  • Плохо. (PLO-kha) - Bad.

2. Asking About Health: Как вы себя чувствуете?

Sometimes, a general Как дела? isn't specific enough, especially if you think someone might be unwell. Your interest in health and wellness will be very useful here. The phrase Как вы себя чувствуете? (Kak vy see-BYA CHOOST-voo-ye-tye?) specifically asks, "How are you feeling?"

This is a very caring question to ask your in-laws.

Russian Vocabulary Health (part 1) Russian with Anastasia

This next video from 'Learn Russian Now! with Anastasia' focuses on vocabulary for health. It opens by teaching you exactly how to ask 'How are you feeling?' and how to respond.

Watch from 00:30 to 02:31. Listen carefully to the pronunciation of 'чувствуете' and the key responses.

Here’s a breakdown of the questions and answers from the video and other resources.

Asking about health (Formal):

  • Как вы себя чувствуете? (Kak vy see-BYA CHOOST-voo-ye-tye?) - How are you feeling?
  • Как ваше здоровье? (Kak VA-she zda-ROV'-ye?) - How is your health?
Russian Health and Medical Vocabulary
This image lists key health-related vocabulary. The first word, **Здоровье (Zda-ROV'-ye)**, means **Health**, which is the key word in the question "Как ваше здоровье?".

Responding about your health:

  • Спасибо, я чувствую себя хорошо. (spa-SEE-ba, ya CHOOST-voo-yu see-BYA kha-ra-SHO) - Thank you, I feel good.
  • Я в порядке. (ya f pa-RYAD-kye) - I'm okay.
  • Не очень хорошо. (nye O-chen' kha-ra-SHO) - Not very well.
  • Я плохо себя чувствую. (ya PLO-kha see-BYA CHOOST-voo-yu) - I feel unwell/ill.

3. Putting It All Together: Mini-Dialogues

Let's see how these phrases work in short conversations. Remember to use the formal вы with in-laws, but they may use the informal ты with you. To keep the conversation going, you can ask back using А вы? (And you?).

Scenario 1: A general check-in

You: Здравствуйте, Анна Петровна. Как ваши дела?
(Hello, Anna Petrovna. How are you?)

Mother-in-law: Здравствуй. Спасибо, всё хорошо. А ты?
(Hello. Thank you, everything is good. And you?)

You: Тоже хорошо, спасибо.
(Also good, thank you.)

Scenario 2: Showing concern

You: Добрый вечер, Иван Сергеевич. Как вы себя чувствуете?
(Good evening, Ivan Sergeevich. How are you feeling?)

Father-in-law: Не очень хорошо. Немного устал.
(Not very well. A little tired.)

You: Понятно. Нужно отдыхать.
(I see. You need to rest.)

Note: The phrase Нужно отдыхать (You need to rest) is a small preview of a topic we'll cover in Module 3, "Discussing Health and Wellness." It's a natural and caring response in this situation.

Practice

Take a few minutes to think about how you would handle these situations. Try saying the phrases out loud.

  1. You are on the phone with your mother-in-law. You've already said hello. How do you ask how she is (the general way)?
  2. She replies, "Нормально. А ты?". You had a great day. How would you respond enthusiastically?
  3. Your father-in-law was sick last week. You see him today. What is a more specific, caring way to ask how he is?
  4. He replies, "Спасибо, уже лучше. Я чувствую себя хорошо." (Thank you, better already. I feel good.) You're happy to hear that. A simple "Хорошо" (Good) is a perfect reply.

Key Takeaways

  • To ask "How are you?" generally, use Как ваши дела? or Как вы? in formal situations.
  • To ask specifically about health, use Как вы себя чувствуете? or Как ваше здоровье?.
  • You have a range of responses from Отлично! (Excellent!) to Плохо (Bad).
  • Always use the formal/polite вы form when speaking to your in-laws to show respect.

You've just learned the essential phrases for starting almost any conversation in Russian. This is a fantastic first step!

In our next lesson, we will build on this by learning how to ask about someone's day and give a simple summary of your own.