yi-lYEn-ah (or if that's too difficult, 'yilli-YEnn-ah')
Elena (common girls' name in Russia. It's not pronounced 'eh-len-ah')
Лена
lyEn-ah (or if that's too difficult, 'li-enna', which rhymes with Sienna)
Lena. Usual nickname of the girls' name Elena. It's not pronounced 'lean-ah'.
вас
vas
you (this version of 'you' is grammatically different than вы and ты that you met in lesson 2c. It's called the 'accusative case' and we will explain the difference in a later lesson. For now, just know that it also means 'you'.
ваше
vAsh-eh
your
имя
EEm-ya
name
а
a
and / but; used to indicate a distinction; for example, and what is your name?
очень
O-chen
very
приятно
pree-YAt-na
pleasant
_________________________________
My name is Elena
меня зовут Елена
Pronounced:
min-YA za-vOOt yi-lYEn-ah
Audio:
(Lena)
My name is Lena
меня зовут Лена
Pronounced:
min-YA za-vOOt lyEn-ah
Audio:
(Lena)
And what is your name? (most common version; drop the first 'a' to simply ask 'What is your name?')
а как вас зовут?
Pronounced:
a kak vas za-vOOt?
Audio:
(Lena)
What is your name? (less common, but you might hear this version)
как ваше имя?
Pronounced:
kak vAsh-eh EEm-ya
Audio:
(Lena)
Nice to meet you (literally: very pleasant)
очень приятно
Pronounced:
O-chen pree-YAt-na
Audio:
(Lena)
Audio:
(Irina)
What do they call you?
Russians don't usually ask 'What is your name?' in the same way English-speakers do.
Instead, they often say 'Как вас зовут?' which literally means 'How you they call?'
Russian has many cultural differences in the way things are said. So sometimes you can't simply substitute a Russian word for an English word.
But that's what makes learning Russian so interesting, as it gives you a new perspective on language structure and communication. In other words, it broadens your mind.
