Expressing Yourself

🗣️ Express Yourself in Russian!

Imagine you have a magic paintbrush. Every time you speak Russian, you’re painting a picture with words. Today, we’ll learn how to paint pictures of people, things, and your own thoughts!

🎂 Age Expressions: “How Old Are You?”

In Russian, we don’t say “I am 10 years old.” We say “To me 10 years.” It’s like the years belong to you, like gifts!

The Magic Formula

Мне + number + лет/год/года
(To me) (number) (years)

The Tricky Part: Year Words Change!

🎯 Quick Examples

💡 Memory Trick: “Лет” (let) sounds like “let” in English. After 5, you “let” the years pile up!

👤 Describing People: Paint a Portrait with Words!

When you describe someone, you’re being a word artist. Let’s learn the colors on your palette!

Physical Appearance

Hair & Eyes

🎯 Building a Description

Start simple, then add details:

Это мой друг Саша. (This is my friend Sasha.)

Он высокий и худой. (He is tall and thin.)

У него тёмные волосы и карие глаза. (He has dark hair and brown eyes.)

Personality Words

💡 Notice: Words ending in -ый/-ой = for boys/men. Change to -ая = for girls/women!

📦 Describing Objects: What’s That Thing Like?

Objects are easier than people! No gender confusion here—well, actually, Russian objects DO have gender, but let’s focus on the descriptions!

Size Words

Quality Words

Color Words

🎯 Putting It Together

Это красная машина. Она большая и новая. (This is a red car. It is big and new.)

⚖️ Making Comparisons: This vs. That!

Comparing things in Russian is like a see-saw. One side goes up (better/more), one side goes down (worse/less).

The Comparison Formula

Add “-ее” or “-е” to adjectives:

Using “ЧЕМ” (than)

Subject + comparative + чем + object

Irregular Comparisons (Memorize These!)

🎯 Same-Same: Expressing Equality

Он такой же высокий, как я. (He is as tall as me.)

Эта книга такая же интересная, как та. (This book is as interesting as that one.)

💭 Expressing Opinions: What Do YOU Think?

Your opinion matters! Here’s how to share it in Russian.

Starting Your Opinion

🎯 Examples

Expressing Likes & Dislikes

💡 Notice: “Мне нравится” literally means “To me it is pleasing” — the thing you like is the subject!

🤝 Agreement & Disagreement: Yes, No, and Everything In Between

Conversations need two sides! Here’s how to join in.

Agreeing (Saying YES!)

Disagreeing (Saying NO!)

🎯 Polite Disagreement (The Russian Way)

Russians value honesty, but you can still be gentle:

Может быть, но… (Maybe, but…)

Я понимаю, но я думаю по-другому. (I understand, but I think differently.)

Это интересная идея, но… (That’s an interesting idea, but…)

Partial Agreement

🎬 Mini Conversation: Putting It All Together!

Аня: Сколько тебе лет? Боря: Мне двадцать три года. А тебе? Аня: Мне двадцать один год. Ты выше, чем я! Боря: Да, я высокий. У меня тёмные волосы. Аня: Я думаю, что ты очень добрый. Боря: Спасибо! Я согласен — я стараюсь быть добрым!

🧠 Quick Reference Chart

graph TD
    A["Express Yourself!"] --> B["Age"]
    A --> C["Describe People"]
    A --> D["Describe Objects"]
    A --> E["Compare Things"]
    A --> F["Give Opinions"]
    A --> G["Agree/Disagree"]

    B --> B1["Мне ... лет"]
    C --> C1["высокий, добрый"]
    D --> D1["большой, новый"]
    E --> E1["больше чем..."]
    F --> F1["Я думаю, что..."]
    G --> G1["Да! / Нет!"]

🚀 You Did It!

Now you can:

• ✅ Tell someone your age
• ✅ Describe people (appearance + personality)
• ✅ Describe objects (size, color, quality)
• ✅ Compare things
• ✅ Share your opinions
• ✅ Agree and disagree politely

Keep practicing, and soon these words will flow like music! 🎶

Remember: Every great Russian speaker started exactly where you are now. One word at a time, one sentence at a time. You’ve got this!