Just like in America, when people greet each other in
Ukraine, they will ask “how are
you?” If you have been paying attention,
you know the Russian word for “how” is “Как”. The “a” in Russian sounds like the short “o” in English and the “K” sounds just like
our K, so you have just read your first Russian word! Congratulations! The most common expression that you will hear
for “how are you?” is the informal “Как дела??”
(kak de-lah?) In a formal
situation, you would ask “Как у Вас дела?” (kak oo vas de-lah), which frankly I
have never used; for if I am in a formal situation, I have a translator, and
don’t have to try to remember all the
Russian formalities. Below, there’s a
link for you to listen to these expressions as well as to jump ahead and see how Ukrainians handle the standard “fine,
how are you?” response. But first I will
tell you a story about my first formal encounter in Ukraine.
The very first time I went to Ukraine, I was visiting my
son’s orphanage and was summoned to the Director’s office. Our translator had taken the other team
members, except for me and my daughter, to lunch.
Alexandra and I were not about to waste a second of our time in Ukraine
eating, when we could be visiting the orphanage. Anyway, I had practiced and practiced, “Здравствуйте!”, (zdras-tvooy-tyeh) the formal “hello” but after that, I
was clueless. This particular
Director was a very formal and respected woman whose respect I was hoping to
earn, so this was not the ideal situation to say the least. So Alexandra and I go into her office, give our best “Здравствуйте!”, and
sit down. Somehow we managed to say yes
to the offer of tea, which also came with
lots of candy; and we managed to explain that our translator was at
lunch. Other than that, we politely sat
and nodded our heads “yes” for about half an hour until our translator came
running in. There is no telling what we
agreed to! Five years later, I had
another Director visiting in my home and knew enough Russian that we were able
to sit for hours and chat about all manner of things. So be encouraged! Whether you know a lot or a little Russian, smiles,
nods, good manners, respect and a good faith attempt at learning the language
will go a long way! Happy learning!
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