“Telegram Russian” – Russian words in real life

Comparing learning Russian in class and using Russian words in real life, one will notice differences. What you learn in class (which can be formal) may not match precisely with how it is use in real life, especially among younger people.

For me, one important part of learning is chatting with Russian-speaking friends in real life and on Telegram (and other messengers) and then I start copying their words and use it myself. 

Here are some words I have never seen in textbooks that should bridge the difference for you:

Ну – to encourage someone to do something, or express surprise, irony, or any feeling depending on context

Сходить – a very common motion verb that I have never seen in a textbook. Similar to ходить/ехать.

Прикольно/круто – cool!

Писец – obscene word expressing intense emotions including shock, disbelief, ending of a long process, etc. 

Мажор – someone who lives a good life thanks to having rich parents.

Я имею ввиду… – clarify something (What I meant is…)

Cториз – stories on Instagram

Мне жаль – express sympathy after something bad happened to someone else

бедняга – (informal) unlucky person. Used to express sympathy (similar to poor guy/poor girl in English)

Недооценивать – underestimate

Cозвониться – talk on the phone with someone (позвонить is more often taught in class)

CНГ – shorthand for post-Soviet states

Ибо – because (synonym with потому что, which is always taught in class)

Не получится – something will not happen as planned or hoped for

Да нет вроде – a roundabout way of saying “no”

Вроде – apparently/it seems

Неловко – embarrassing 

Разве – surely (!?)

Корпус – university campus

Пара – two lessons of 40 minutes at a Russian university is typically grouped together into one of 80 minutes. Hence they are called a “pair” or “пара”. Much more common than урок or лекция.

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