Most Russians live in a кварти́ра (flat) in an apartment block, and the kitchen is the heart of it: where guests sit, eat and talk late into the night. Here is every room and object, and the small grammar that goes with them.
A1–A211 min read50+words with audio
A typical flat. Russians count only living rooms, so this is a трёхко́мнатная кварти́ра (three-room flat): kitchen, bathroom and hallway don’t count.
дом means both “house” and “block of flats”, and also “home” in the warm sense. до́ма (at home) and домо́й (homewards) come from it.
Flat size
Say it
Everyday short form
одноко́мнатная кварти́ра▸one-room flat
ad-na-KOM-nat-na-ya kvar-TEE-ra
одну́шкаad-NUSH-ka
двухко́мнатная кварти́ра▸two-room flat
dvukh-KOM-nat-na-ya kvar-TEE-ra
дву́шкаDVUSH-ka
трёхко́мнатная кварти́ра▸three-room flat
tryokh-KOM-nat-na-ya kvar-TEE-ra
трёшкаTRYOSH-ka
Rooms
Several room names are really adjectives (describing words) whose noun has been dropped: ва́нная is short for ва́нная ко́мната, “the bath room”. They keep adjective endings in every case: в ва́нной (in the bathroom).
Furniture and things: ме́бель
ме́бель (furniture) is a single, uncountable word, like in English. Below, one room drawn and labelled, then the words for every room.
дива́н (sofa), стол (table), стул (chair), шкаф (wardrobe or cupboard), по́лка (shelf), ковёр (rug), дверь (door). A ковёр hanging on the wall was a classic Soviet decoration, and you will still see them.
ку́хняkitchen
гости́наяliving room
спа́льняbedroom
ва́ннаяbathroom
в ко́мнате but на ку́хне: in or on?
To say where something is, Russian uses в (in) or на (on) plus the prepositional case (the “location” ending, usually -е). Most rooms take в. A few places take на, by custom: you are “on” the kitchen, the balcony, a floor. These have to be learnt as pairs.
вin: most rooms and buildings
наon: by custom, for these
Notice the verbs лежи́т (lies) and стои́т (stands): Russian usually says how a thing is placed. See Verbs of position.
Visiting a Russian home
You take your shoes off in the прихо́жая (hallway) and are offered та́почки (slippers). Bring something for the table, flowers in an odd number (even numbers are for funerals), and expect to be fed. The lines you’ll hear and say, in order: