HSC Russian Continuers flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

идти vs ехать

Идти means to go on foot in one direction; ехать means to go by vehicle in one direction. Both are imperfective and conjugate irregularly: иду, идёшь; еду, едешь.

ходить vs ездить

Ходить and ездить are multidirectional or habitual verbs of motion: ходить (on foot, regularly or round trip), ездить (by vehicle, regularly). Use with часто, каждый день, обычно.

Perfective vs imperfective past

Perfective past (сделал) reports a completed result or single event; imperfective past (делал) reports process, repetition, or background. Time markers: уже, вдруг → perfective; часто, всегда, долго → imperfective.

через vs назад

Через + accusative means 'in/after' a future interval (через час - in an hour). Назад follows the interval for past time (час назад - an hour ago). Both answer Когда?

Double negation in Russian

Russian requires double negation: Никто не пришёл (Nobody came), Я ничего не знаю (I know nothing). The negative particle не must appear with negative pronouns никто, ничего, никогда, нигде.

Discourse markers но, поэтому, хотя

Но signals contrast (but), поэтому signals result (therefore), хотя signals concession (although). In listening, these markers often introduce the answer to a 'why' or 'what happened' question.

Question case after Где/Куда/Откуда

Где? takes prepositional (в школе). Куда? takes accusative (в школу). Откуда? takes genitive with из/с/от (из школы). Matching the case in your answer is required for accuracy.

Numbers 2-4 vs 5+

After два, три, четыре use genitive singular of the noun (два часа, три книги). After пять and above use genitive plural (пять часов, шесть книг). This affects listening comprehension of quantities.

Russian flexible word order

Russian word order is information-structural, not grammatical. New or focused information usually appears at the end of the clause. The subject is identified by nominative case, not by position.

Russian cases overview

Six cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), genitive (possession, absence, quantity), dative (recipient, age, impersonal), instrumental (means, with), prepositional (location after в/на). Endings carry the meaning.

Motion prefixes при-, у-, вы-, в-

При- means arrive (приехать), у- means leave (уехать), вы- means exit (выехать), в- means enter (въехать). Prefixes change direction and usually make the verb perfective.

Reflexive verbs -ся/-сь

The reflexive suffix -ся/-сь marks intransitivity or reciprocity: встречаться (meet each other), начинаться (begin), одеваться (get dressed). It often corresponds to English intransitive or passive meaning.

Short adjectives with dative

Short adjectives рад, должен, болен, уверен, знаком take a dative person: Я рад другу (I am glad about a friend), Мне холодно (I am cold). The logical subject is in the dative.

Inference in reading

For inference questions, locate the key word, then read the sentence before and after. Contrast markers (но, однако) and causal markers (потому что, так как) usually reveal the implied meaning.

Почему vs Зачем

Почему? asks for a cause and is answered with потому что + clause. Зачем? asks for a purpose and is answered with чтобы + infinitive or для + genitive. Do not mix them in reading responses.

Genitive after negation

After нет and negated verbs, the object often takes genitive: У меня нет времени (I have no time), Я не купил хлеба (I didn't buy bread). This is a common reading-comprehension cue.

Text types in Russian

Common HSC text types: неформальное письмо (informal letter), официальное письмо (formal letter), дневник (diary), статья (article), речь (speech), объявление (advertisement). Each has fixed opening and closing formulas.

Informal letter conventions

Informal Russian letters open with Привет, ... or Дорогой/Дорогая ..., use ты, and close with До свидания, ... or Пока, ... followed by the writer's name. Register is personal and conversational.

Formal letter conventions

Formal Russian letters open with Уважаемый/Уважаемая + name, use вы and passive constructions, and close with С уважением, + name. Avoid slang, contractions, and expressive particles.

Diary entry conventions

A Russian diary entry begins with Дорогой дневник, uses past tense narration, first-person reflection, and informal vocabulary. Dates and emotional commentary are typical features.

Article structure in Russian

A Russian article has a title (заголовок), introduction (вступление), body (основная часть), and conclusion (заключение). Cohesive devices such as во-первых, кроме того, таким образом link paragraphs.

Cohesive devices for writing

Use во-первых (firstly), во-вторых (secondly), кроме того (besides), однако (however), следовательно (consequently), таким образом (thus). These improve coherence and range in the writing criterion.

Subordinate clauses with который

Который agrees in gender, number, and case with its antecedent, but its case is determined by its function in the relative clause: человек, который читает; книга, которую я читал.

Participial phrases

Active participles (читающий, читавший) and passive participles (читаемый, прочитанный) create complex noun phrases. They raise syntactic range but must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Gerunds (деепричастия)

Gerunds (читая, прочитав, сделав) express a secondary action simultaneous with or prior to the main verb. They are invariant and add sophistication to written Russian.

Aspect in narration

In narration, perfective verbs sequence completed events (Он вошёл, сел, начал говорить). Imperfective verbs describe background, setting, and repeated actions (Он часто входил и садился).

Punctuation before что, чтобы

A comma precedes что, чтобы, потому что, если, хотя, который in subordinate clauses: Я знаю, что он придёт. Я пришёл, чтобы помочь. This is a frequent accuracy point.

Dash for missing copula

In Russian, a dash replaces the missing present-tense verb 'to be' between subject and predicate: Москва - столица России. Моя сестра - врач. This is standard written punctuation.

Register: ты vs вы

Ты is used with friends, family, and children; вы is used with strangers, officials, and in formal writing. Mixing them within one text is a register error.

Vocabulary variety in writing

Avoid repeating сказать, делать, хорошо. Use synonyms: говорить, заявить, отметить; делать, совершать, выполнять; хорошо, отлично, прекрасно. Variety is assessed under range.

Word count 150-200 words

HSC Russian Continuers writing tasks typically require 150–200 words. Plan for 5 minutes, write for 20, and review for 5. Address every bullet point in the prompt.

Speech structure

A Russian speech has обращение (address), вступление (introduction), основная часть (body), and заключение (conclusion). Direct address and rhetorical questions are typical features.