Chapter 10

Laying Down Your Weary Head: House or Hotel

In This Chapter

Locating an apartment

Finding the hotel of your dreams

Checking in and checking out

Whether you’ve been working at the office, shopping, or traveling, at the end of the day, you need a place to lay your head. This chapter gives you the phrases you need to get around your house or to find a hotel.

Hunting for an Apartment or a House

Finding an apartment or a house is stressful enough in English. Are you looking for a good view or a central location? What’s more important: a big kitchen or hardwood floors? And how squeaky are those hardwood floors? Equip yourself with phrases introduced in the following sections, and good luck in your hunt for a home!

Talking about an apartment or a house

A Russian kvartira (kvuhr-tee-ruh; apartment) is generally small. For example, odnokomnatnaya (uhd-nah-kohm-nuht-nuh-yuh) kvartira literally means one-room apartment. It has, literally, one room and a kitchen (which is usually used as a dining room, no matter how tiny it is). So, a more accurate equivalent for a Russian odnokomnatnaya kvartira is “a studio apartment.”

If you like to live large, you may want to look at a dvukhkomnatnaya kvartira (dvookh-kohm-nuht-nuh-yuh kvuhr-tee-ruh; two-room apartment) or even a tryokhkomnatnaya kvartira (tryokh-kohm-nuht-nuh-yuh kvuhr-tee-ruh; three-room apartment).

Here are some other phrases you use and hear when talking about an apartment:

kvartira na pyervom etazhye (kvuhr-tee- ruh nuh pyer-vuhm eh-tuh-zheh; a first-floor apartment)

kvartira na vtorom etazhye (kvuhr-tee-ruh nuh ftah-rohm eh-tuh-zheh; a second-floor apartment)

kvartira s myebyel’yu (kvuhr-tee-ruh s m’eh-bee-l’yu; furnished apartment)

sdat’ kvartiru (zdaht’ kvuhr-tee-roo; to rent out an apartment)

snyat’ kvartiru (sn’aht’ kvuhr-tee-roo; to rent an apartment)

Although Russians do use the word ryenta (r’ehn-tuh; rent), it isn’t usually used to talk about private apartments. To inquire about the price of an apartment, ask about plata za kvartiru (plah-tuh zuh kvuhr-tee-roo; payment for the apartment) or stoimost’ prozhivaniya v myesyats (stoh-ee-muhst’ pruh-zhih-vah-nee-uh v mye-seets; cost of living per month). When you make your payments, use the expression platit’ za kvartiru (pluh-teet’ zuh kvuhr-tee-roo; pay for the apartment).

If you’re looking in the newspaper for apartments, look for the Ob’yavleniya (ahb’-yeev-l’eh-nee-uh; classifieds) section. You have several ways to say “apartments for rent” in Russian. Any of the following is likely to pop up in the newspaper you’re looking at:

aryenda kvartir (uh-r’ehn-duh kvuhr-teer; rent of apartments)

kvartiry v nayom (kvuhr-tee-rih v nuh-yom; apartments to rent)

sdayu (sduh-yoo; I am renting out)

snyat’ zhil’yo (sn’aht’ zhihl’-yo; to rent a place)

The ads you find are probably saturated with abbreviations such as kmn for komnata (kohm-nuh-tuh; room) and m. for metro or stantsiya myetro (stahn-tsih-yuh meet-roh; subway station). Because the metro is such a prominent means of getting around, Russians use names of metro stations to describe location. Thus, if the ad says m. Tverskaya, the apartment is located next to metro station Tverskaya — in downtown Moscow!

Your ad may also say nye agenstvo (nee uh-g’ehn-stvuh; not an agency). What this means is that the ad was posted by the landlord himself, which allows him to cut the cost of a rental-agency fee.

The rules for finding a dom (dohm; house) are pretty much the same as those for finding an apartment. You can check out newspaper ads about selling nyedvizhimost’ (need-vee-zhih-muhst’; real estate) or talk to an agyent po prodazhye nyedvizhimosti (uh-g’ehnt puh prah-dah-zhih need-vee-zhih-muhs-tee; real estate agent).

Asking the right questions

Some questions you definitely want to ask your agyent po s’yomu zhil’ya (uh-g’ehnt pah s’yo-moo zhih-l’ya; real estate agent) or khozyain/khozyajka (khah-z’ah-een/khah-z’ah-koo; landlord/landlady):

Mnye nuzhno platit’ dyeposit? (mn’eh noozh-nuh plah-teet’ dee-pah-zeet?; Do I need to pay the deposit?)

Kto platit za uslugi — elyektrichyestvo, gaz, vodu? (ktoh plah-teet zuh oos-loo-gee — eh-leek-tree-chees-tvuh, gahs, voh-doo?; Who pays for utilities — electricity, gas, water?)

Kakaya oplata v myesyats? (kuh-kah-yuh ahp- lah-tuh v m’eh-seets?; What are the monthly payments?)

Vy khotitye, chtoby ya platil rublyami ili dollarami? (vih khah-tee-tee shtoh-bih ya pluh-teel roob-l’ah-mee ee-lee doh-luh-ruh-mee?; Do you want me to pay in rubles or in dollars?)

Eto spokojnyj rayon? (eh-tuh spah-kohy-nihy ruh-yon?; Is it a safe neighborhood?)

Kto zanimayetsya pochinkoj nyeispravnostyej? (ktoh zuh-nee-mah-ee-tsuh pah-cheen-kuhy nee-ees-prahv-nuhs-t’ehy?; Who performs the maintenance? [literally: Who performs the repairs of things that are out of order?])

The main things to find out about a house are the following:

Eto dom v gorodye ili v prigorodye? (eh-tuh dohm v goh-ruh-d’eh ee-lee f pree-guh-ruh-d’eh?; Is the house in the city or in the suburbs?)

Kakoj vid transporta tuda khodit? (kuh-kohy veet trahn-spuhr-tuh too-dah khoh-deet?; Which public transportation runs there?)

Skol’ko v domye etazhyej? (skohl’-kuh v doh-mee eh-tuh-zhehy?; How many floors does the house have?)

Kakoye v domye otoplyeniye? (kuh-koh-eh v doh-m’eh uh-tah-pl’eh-nee-eh?; How is the house heated?)

V domye yest’ garazh? (v doh-m’eh yest’ guh-rahsh?; Is there a garage in the house?)

Sealing the deal

When you find a place to rent that strikes your fancy, you’re ready to podpisat’ kontrakt (puhd-pee-saht’ kahn-trahkt; sign the lease). In your kontrakt na aryendu zhil’ya (kahn-trahkt nuh uh-r’ehn-doo zhihl’-ya; lease), look for the following key points:

oplata/plata (ah-plah-tuh/plah-tuh; rent)

podpis’ (poht-pees’; signature)

srok (srohk; duration of the lease)

Settling Into Your New Digs

Congratulations on moving into your new home! In the following sections, you discover how to talk about your home and the things you have there.

Knowing the names of different rooms

Russians don’t usually have as many rooms as Americans do. And the rooms they have are often reversible: a divan-krovat’ (dee-vahn krah-vaht’; sofa bed) can turn a cozy gostinnaya (gahs-tee-nuh-yuh; living room) into a spal’nya (spahl’-n’uh; bedroom). In the morning, the same room can magically turn into a stolovaya (stah-loh-vuh-yuh; dining room) when the hosts bring in their skladnoj stol (skluhd-nohy stohl; folding table)!

Here are some names for rooms to navigate you through a Russian apartment:

dyetskaya (d’eht-skuh-yuh; children’s room)

kabinyet (kuh-bee-n’eht; study)

koridor (kuh-ree-dohr; corridor)

kukhnya (kookh-n’uh; kitchen)

prikhozhaya (pree-khoh-zhuh-yuh; hall)

The English word bathroom corresponds to two different notions in Russian: vannaya (vahn-nuh-yuh) and tualyet (too-uh-l’eht). Vannaya is the place where the vanna (vahn-nuh; bathtub), dush (doosh; shower), and rakovina (rah-kuh-vee-nuh; sink) are. The tualyet is usually a separate room next to the vannaya.

One of the more important phrases in any language is this one: Gdye tualyet? (gd’eh too-uh-l’eht?; Where is the bathroom?)

Most Russian room names, such as gostinnaya and stolovaya, don’t decline like nouns. Instead, they decline like feminine adjectives. The explanation to this mystery is easy: Stolovaya is what remained in modern Russian of stolovaya komnata (dining room), where the word stolovaya was, in fact, an adjective, describing the feminine noun komnata (room). (For more info on adjective declension, see Chapter 2.)

Buying furniture

The easiest place to find myebyel’ (m’eh-beel’; furniture) is a myebyel’nij magazin (m’eh-beel’-nihy muh-guh-zeen; furniture store). Here are some Russian words for various pieces of furniture:

divan (dee-vahn; sofa)

dukhovka (doo-khohf-kuh; oven)

kholodil’nik (khuh-lah-deel’-neek; refrigerator)

knizhnaya polka (kneezh-nuh-yuh pohl-kuh; bookshelf)

kovyor (kah-vyor; carpet/rug)

krovat’ (krah-vaht’; bed)

kryeslo (kr’ehs-luh; armchair)

kukhonnyj stol (koo-khuh-nihy stohl; kitchen table)

lampa (lahm-puh; lamp)

magnitofon (muhg-nee-tah-fohn; stereo)

mikrovolnovka (meek-ruh-vahl-nohf-kuh; microwave)

pis’myennyj stol (pees’-mee-nihy stohl; desk/writing table)

plita (plee-tah; stove)

posudomoyechnaya mashina (pah-soo-dah-moh-eech-nuh-yuh muh-shih-nuh; dishwasher)

shkaf (shkahf; cupboard/closet/wardrobe)

stiral’naya mashina (stee-rahl’-nuh-yuh muh-shih-nuh; washing machine)

stol (stohl; table)

stul (stool; chair)

sushilka (soo-shihl-kuh; dryer)

zhurnal’nyj stolik (zhoor-nahl’-nihy stoh-leek; coffee table)

zyerkalo (z’ehr-kuh-luh; mirror)

Booking the Hotel That’s Right for You

Russian today has two words for the English hotel:

gostinitsa (gahs-tee-nee-tsuh; hotel [literally: a place for the guests])

otel’ (ah-tehl’; hotel)

Although from a linguistic point of view both words are interchangeable, they’re charged with slightly different meanings. Nobody in Russia uses the word otel’ (hotel) in reference to a little old shabby hotel. In this situation, the word gostinitsa (hotel) is more appropriate. On the other hand, when speaking about luxurious four- or five-star hotels, Russians use both words interchangeably.

Making a reservation

To make a reservation, you want to say:

Ya khotyel/khotyela by zabronirovat’ nomyer (ya khah-t’ehl/khah-t’eh-luh bih zuh-brah-nee-ruh-vuht’ noh-meer; I would like to make a reservation for a room).

Use khotyel if you’re a man and khotyela if you’re a woman.

When they talk about hotel rooms, Russians use the word nomyer, which also means “number.” In a way it makes sense because each hotel room has a number!

After you state that you want to make a reservation, the person you’re talking to will probably ask Na kakoye chislo? (nuh kuh-koh-ee chees-loh?; For what date?)

To answer, use this formula: Na (nah; for) + the ordinal numeral indicating date in neuter + the name of the month in genitive case. For example, if you’re planning to arrive on September 15, you say: Na pyatnadtsatoye syentyabrya (nuh peet-naht-tsuh-tuh-eh seen-teeb-r’ah; For September 15).

You may also be asked from what date to what date you want to stay in the hotel: S kakogo po kakoye chislo? (s kuh-koh-vuh puh kuh-koh-eh chees-loh?; From what date to what date?)

To answer this question, use s (s; from) + the genitive case of the ordinal number indicating the date + the genitive case of the word indicating the month + po (poh; until) + the ordinal numeral indicating the date in neuter gender (and nominative case) + name of the month in the genitive case. If, for example, you’re planning to stay in the hotel from June 21 to June 25, you say S dvadtsat’ pyervogo iyunya po dvadtsat’ pyatoye iyunya (s dvaht-tsuht’ p’ehr-vuh-vuh ee-yoo-n’uh p’ah dvaht-tsuht’ p’ah-tuh-eh ee-yoo-n’uh; from June 21 to June 25).

You also can simply state how many nights you’re going to stay in the hotel. If you’re checking in on June 21 at 3 p.m. and leaving on June 25 at 11 a.m., you’ll be staying in the hotel chyetyrye nochi (chee-tih-r’eh noh-chee; four nights).

Here are some other important phrases you may need to understand:

Vy khotitye odnomyestnyj nomyer ili dvukhmyestnyj nomyer? (vih khah-tee-tee uhd-nah-m’ehst-nihy ee-lee dvookh-m’ehst-nihy noh-meer?; Do you want a single or double accommodation?)

V nomyere yest’ vannaya, dush, i tualyet? (v noh-mee-r’eh yest’ vah-nuh-yuh, doosh, ee too-uh-lyet?; Is there a bathtub, shower, and toilet in the room?)

Skol’ko stoit nomyer? (skohl’-kuh stoh-eet noh-m’ehr?; How much is the room?)

Skol’ko stoyat nomyera? (skohl’-kuh stoh-yuht nuh-mee-rah?; How much are the rooms?)

Eto vklyuchayet zavtrak? (eh-tuh fklyoo-chah-eht zahf-truhk?; Does it include breakfast?)

Checking In and Out

Congratulations! You made it to your hotel. To make your check-in process as smooth as possible, in the following sections, we tell you what to say when checking in, how to find your room and what to expect when you get there, and how to find what you’re looking for in the hotel. And then we tell you how to check out.

Enduring the registration process

Look for a sign with the word ryegistratsiya (ree-gee-strah-tsih-ye; check-in). That’s where you report your arrival. Simply say U myenya zabronirovan nomyer (oo mee-nya zuh-brah-nee-ruh-vuhn noh-meer; I have a room reserved).

Expect to be asked Kak vasha familiya? (kahk vah-shuh fuh-mee-lee-ye?; What is your last name?) Keep your passport ready — you need it for registration. To ask for your passport, the dezhurnij administrator (dee-zhoor-nihy ahd-mee-neest-rah-tuhr; receptionist) says: Vash pasport (vahsh pahs-puhrt; Your passport).

The next step in registration is filling out the ryegistratsionnaya kartochka (ree-gee-struh-tsih- oh-nuh-ye kahr-tuhch-kuh; registration form). You hear Zapolnitye, pozhalujsta, ryegistratsionnuyu kartochku. (zuh-pohl-nee-tee, pah-zhahl-stuh, ree- gee-struh-tsih-ohn-noo-yu kahr-tuhch-koo; Fill out the registration form, please.) In most cases, this form requires you to provide the following information:

Imya (ee-m’uh; first name)

Familiya (fuh-mee-lee-yuh; last name)

Adryes (ahd-rees; address)

Domashnij/rabochij tyelefon (dah-mahsh-neey/ ruh-boh-cheey tee-lee-fohn; home/work phone number)

Srok pryebyvanya v gostinitsye s . . . po . . . (srohk pree-bih-vah-nee-yuh v gahs-tee-nee-tseh s . . . pah . . . ; period of stay in the hotel from . . . to . . .)

Nomyer pasporta (noh-meer pahs-puhr-tuh; passport number)

After you fill out all the forms and give the receptionist your passport, you receive the all-important klyuch ot komnaty (klyuch aht kohm-nuh-tih; key to your room) and your kartochka gostya (kahr-tuhch-kuh gohs-t’uh; hotel guest card) or visitka (vee-zeet-kuh; hotel guest card).

Don’t assume that your room number is related to the floor number. For example, if the nomyer komnaty (noh-meer kohm-nuh-tih; room number) is 235, it doesn’t mean that the room is on the second floor; it can actually be on any floor of the hotel. Before you leave risepshn (ree-sehp-shn; check-in), ask: Na kakom etazhye moy nomyer? (nuh kuh-kohm eh-tuh-zheh mohy noh-meer; On what floor is my room?)

Never leave the hotel without your kartochka gostya or visitka if you want to be let into the hotel. In most cases, you need to present the visitka to the security officer that most Russian hotels are staffed with today.

Taking a tour of your room

What can you expect to find in your hotel room? Most likely, you will see the following:

budil’nik (boo-deel’-neek; alarm clock)

dvukhspal’naya krovat’ (dvookh-spahl’-nuh-yuh krah-vaht’; double bed)

odnospal’nya krovat’(uhd-nah-spahl’-nuh-yuh krah-vaht’; twin bed)

pis’myennyj stol i stul (pees’-mee-nihy stohl ee stool; desk and a chair)

shkaf (shkahf; wardrobe)

torshyer (tahr-shehr; standing lamp)

tumbochki (toom-buhch-kee; nightstands)

tyelyefon (tee-lee-fohn; telephone)

tyelyefonnyj spravochnik (tee-lee-foh-nihy sprah-vuhch-neek; phone book containing hotel numbers)

tyelyevizor (tee-lee-vee-zuhr; TV set)

vyeshalki (v’eh-shuhl-kee; hangers)

If you have a bathroom in your room, you may find the following necessities:

dush (doosh; shower)

lichnoye polotyentsye (leech-nuh-eh puh-lah-tyen-tseh; towel)

unitaz (oo-nee-tahs; toilet)

vannaya (vah-nuh-yuh; bathtub)

vannoye polotyentsye (vah-nuh-eh puh-lah-t’ehn-tseh; bath towel)

Familiarizing yourself with the facilities

To idle away time in the hotel, you may want to explore. Here’s what you may find:

bahr (bahr; bar)

byuro obsluzhivaniya (byu-roh ahp-sloo-zhih-vuh-nee-yuh; customer service)

gardyerob (guhr-dee-rohp; cloak room)

kamyera khranyeniya (kah-mee-ruh khruh-nye-nee-yuh; storeroom)

pochta (pohch-tuh; post office)

ryestoran (rees-tah-rahn; restaurant)

suvyenirnyj kiosk (soo-vee-neer-nihy kee-ohsk; souvenir kiosk)

To inquire where a certain service is, go to the byuro obsluzhivaniya and say Skazhitye, pozhalujsta, gdye kamyera khranyeniya/pochta? (skuh-zhih-tee pah-zhah-luh-stuh gdye kah-mee-ruh khruh-nye-nee-ee/ pohch-tuh?; Could you tell me where the storeroom/ post office is?)

Meeting the staff

People who work in the earlier-mentioned facilities and other hotel services you want to know include the following:

administrator (uhd-mee-nee-strah-tuhr; manager, person working at the front desk, or concierge)

gardyerobsh’ik/gardyerobsh’tsa (guhr-dee-rohp-sh’eek/guhr-dee-rohp-sh’ee-tsuh; a man/woman working in the cloak room)

gornichnaya (gohr-neech-nuh-yuh; maid)

nosil’sh’ik (nah-seel’-sh’eek; porter)

shvyejtsar (shvehy-tsahr; doorman)

Reporting a broken item

A very common problem is when something in your room isn’t working. The key refuses to open the door, the phone is silent when you pick it up, or the shower pours only cold water on you. You need to speak to a rabotnik (ruh-boht-neek; employee) in byuro obsluzhivaniya (byu-roh ahp-sloo-zhih-vuh-nee-ye; customer service) to get help for these problems.

To report the problem, use the phrase U myenya v komnatye nye rabotayet . . . (oo mee-n’ah f kohm-nuh-tee nee ruh-boh-tuh-eet; The . . . in my room is not working) + the item that’s not working. If your telephone is broken, for instance, you say U myenya v komnatye nye rabotayet tyelyefon (oo mee-n’ah f kohm-nuh-t’eh nee ruh-boh-tuh-eet tee-lee-fohn; The telephone in my room is not working). You put the word for the broken item into the nominative case. (For more information on cases, see Chapter 2.)

Requesting missing items

The formula you need to know to report that something is missing is: U myenya v nomyere nyet (oo-mee-n’ah v noh-mee-r’eh nyet; In my room I don’t have a) + the word denoting a missing thing, in the genitive case. (For more information on forming the genitive case, see Chapter 2.)

Imagine that you’ve just taken a shower and are now reaching for the vannoye polotyentsye (vah-nuh-ee puh-lah-tyen-tseh; bath towel) only to discover you don’t have one! Shivering from cold and dripping water from your freshly showered body, you rush to the phone to call customer service. You say: U myenya v nomyerye nyet vannogo polotyentsa (oo mee-nya v noh-mee-ree nyet vah-nuh-vuh puh-lah-tyen-tsuh; I don’t have a bath towel in my room). Other things that you may request include

odyeyalo (ah-dee-ya-luh; blanket)

podushka (pah-doosh-kuh; pillow)

tualyetnaya bumaga (too-uh-lyet-nuh-ye boo-mah-guh; toilet paper)

vyeshalka (v’eh-shuhl-kuh; hanger)

Asking to change rooms

To be honest, changing rooms isn’t the easiest thing to do in a Russian hotel, but as they say in Russian: Popytka nye pytka! (pah-piht-kuh nee piht-kuh; It doesn’t hurt to try! [literally: An attempt is not a torture!]) You should call customer service and say Ya khotyel/khotyela by pomyenyat’ nomyer (ya khah-tyel/khah-tye-luh bih puh-mee-nyat’ noh-meer; I would like to change my room). You say khotyel if you’re a man and khotyela if you’re a woman. And you need to give some convincing reasons for wanting to do so, such as:

V komnatye ochyen’ shumno (f kohm-nuh-t’eh oh-cheen’ shoom-nuh; It is very noisy in my room).

V komnatye ochyen’ kholodno/zharko (f kohm-nuh-tee oh-cheen’ khoh-luhd-nuh/zhahr-kuh; It is very cold/hot in my room).

V komnatye nyet svyeta (f kohm-nuh-t’eh n’eht sv’eh-tuh; There is no light in my room).

Checking out and paying your bill

Your stay has come to an end, and now you have to pay. Or as Russians like to say: Nastupil chas rasplaty (nuh-stoo-peel chahs ruhs-plah-tih; It’s time to pay [literally: The hour of reckoning has arrived]). Here are some phrases you’ll need:

Ya khochu zaplatit’. (ya khah-choo zuh-pluh-teet’; I want to pay for my stay.)

Ya vypisyvayus’. (ya vih-pee-sih-vuh-yoos’; I am checking out.)

Vy prinimayetye kryeditnyye kartochki? (vih pree-nee-mah-ee-t’eh kree-deet-nih-ee kahr-tuhch-kee; Do you accept credit cards?)

Kakiye kryeditnyye kartochnki vy prinimayetye? (kuh-kee-ee kree-deet-nih-eh kahr-tuhch-kee vih pree-nee-mah-ee-tee; What credit cards do you take?)

As in most hotels throughout the world, the rasschyotnyj chas (ruhs-chyot-nihy chahs; check-out time) is poldyen’ (pohl-deen’; noon) or dvyenadtsat’ chasov dnya (dvee-naht-tsuht’ chuh-sohf dn’ah; 12 p.m.). So where do you put your luggage if your plane doesn’t leave until midnight? Most hotels have a kamyera khranyeniya (kah-mee-ruh khruh-nye-nee-yuh; storeroom).