Convenience Store

1. Где здесь ближайший продуктовый магазин?

   Gde zdes' bli-zhay-shiy pro-duk-to-vyy ma-ga-zin?

   Where is the nearest grocery shop around here?

   Usage

   The nearest thing to a convenience store in Russia is a small shop signed "продукты" (groceries), or a "магазин у дома" (neighbourhood shop) on the ground floor of an apartment block. Many run around the clock. Signs often just read "ПРОДУКТЫ" in large letters, so that one word is the key to spotting them

   Grammar Note

   "Ближайший" is the superlative of "близкий" (near), in the masculine form to agree with the masculine noun "магазин". In speech "продуктовый" is often used alone as a noun: "Где тут продуктовый?"

2. Вы работаете круглосуточно?

   Vy ra-bo-ta-ye-te krug-lo-su-toch-no?

   Are you open around the clock?

   Usage

   Russian corner shops advertise round-the-clock hours as "24 часа" or "круглосуточно". Some switch at night to a serving hatch ("ночное окно") where you cannot enter the shop and instead ask for what you want through the window

   Grammar Note

   "Круглосуточно" is built from "круглый" (round) + "сутки" (a full 24-hour day). Russian distinguishes "сутки" (a full 24 hours) from "день" (daytime)

3. Пакет нужен?

   Pa-ket nu-zhen?

   Do you need a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Plastic bags in Russia are charged for and are never added automatically. Answer "Да, один" (yes, one) or "Нет, спасибо" (no thanks). Prices differ by size, so you may then be asked "Большой или маленький?" (large or small?)

   Grammar Note

   "Нужен" is the short form of "нужный" and agrees with the subject: нужен (m) / нужна (f) / нужно (n) / нужны (pl). "Пакет" is masculine, hence "нужен"; with the feminine "сумка" you would say "сумка нужна?"

4. Пакет платный? Сколько он стоит?

   Pa-ket plat-nyy? Skol'-ko on sto-it?

   Is the bag charged for? How much is it?

   Usage

   Almost every Russian shop charges a few roubles for a bag, and it appears as a separate "Пакет" line on the receipt. Reusable bags are increasingly common — say "У меня свой пакет" (I have my own bag) to decline

   Grammar Note

   The opposite of "платный" (paid) is "бесплатный" (free). Russian pronouns follow grammatical gender, so the masculine noun "пакет" is referred to as "он" — inanimate objects also take он / она / оно

5. Картой или наличными?

   Kar-toy i-li na-lich-ny-mi?

   By card or in cash?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Card terminals are near-universal even in small Russian shops, and this is the standard question at the till. A one-word answer works: "Картой" or "Наличными". QR-code payment (СБП) is also spreading — for that say "По QR-коду"

   Grammar Note

   Means of payment take the instrumental case: "карта" → "картой", "наличные" (cash, always plural) → "наличными". The question drops the verb entirely, and the natural reply is simply the same instrumental form

6. Есть минимальная сумма для оплаты картой?

   Yest' mi-ni-mal'-na-ya sum-ma dlya op-la-ty kar-toy?

   Is there a minimum amount for paying by card?

   Usage

   Small shops and kiosks sometimes impose their own card minimum to avoid processing fees ("cards from X roubles"). It is technically not allowed but happens often enough that it is worth checking before buying a single drink — if refused, you will need cash

   Grammar Note

   The preposition "для" (for) governs the genitive, so "оплата" becomes "оплаты", while the instrumental "картой" still marks the means. This one sentence neatly shows two cases doing different jobs

7. Мелочи не найдётся?

   Me-lo-chi ne nay-dyot-sya?

   Have you got any small change?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Small Russian shops often run short of change, so handing over a large note nearly always brings this question. Look in your purse and say "Сейчас посмотрю" (let me check), or "Нет, извините" if you have none

   Grammar Note

   Under negation the object shifts to the genitive: "мелочь" → "мелочи". A negative question with "не найдётся?" is a softened, non-pushy way of asking in Russian, close to "you wouldn't happen to have…?"

8. Приложите карту к терминалу.

   Pri-lo-zhi-te kar-tu k ter-mi-na-lu.

   Tap your card on the terminal

   Usage

   Said by staff. Contactless caught on early in Russia, and small amounts need only a tap. For larger sums you will hear "Введите пин-код" (enter your PIN). If the terminal takes chip insertion, staff say "Вставьте карту"

   Grammar Note

   The "-ите" ending is the imperative addressed to "вы" — the form service staff always use. The preposition "к" (towards) governs the dative, so "терминал" becomes "терминалу"

9. Терминал не работает, только наличные.

   Ter-mi-nal ne ra-bo-ta-yet, tol'-ko na-lich-ny-ye.

   The card terminal is down — cash only

   Usage

   Said by staff. Terminals going offline is not rare, and when it happens only cash is accepted. Since foreign-issued cards do not work in Russia anyway, travellers already depend on cash — keep some notes on you at all times

   Grammar Note

   "Наличные" is an adjective turned noun and is always plural. Here it stands in the nominative; "to pay in cash" would use the instrumental "наличными". "Работать" applies to both people and machines — with machines it means "to function"

10. У вас есть наша бонусная карта?

    U vas yest' na-sha bo-nus-na-ya kar-ta?

    Do you have our loyalty card?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Loyalty discounts are aggressive in Russian chains and the shelf price often assumes you have the card. If you do not, just say "Нет". Some shops link the account to a phone number and will ask "Назовите номер телефона"

    Grammar Note

    Russian expresses having with "у + genitive + есть + nominative": the owner takes the genitive ("вас") and the thing owned stays nominative ("карта"). The possessive "наш" agrees with the feminine "карта" as "наша"

11. Разогрейте это в микроволновке, пожалуйста.

    Ra-zo-grey-te e-to v mik-ro-vol-nov-ke, po-zha-luy-sta.

    Could you heat this up in the microwave, please?

    Usage

    Shops selling hot snacks or pirozhki will sometimes heat food for you, though it is far less routine than in Japan. Chain neighbourhood shops and petrol-station shops are the likeliest to have a microwave; otherwise you will hear "У нас нет микроволновки"

    Grammar Note

    The prefix "раз-" adds the sense of "thoroughly / again", turning "греть" (to warm) into "разогреть" (to reheat). The locative preposition "в" takes the prepositional case, so "микроволновка" becomes "микроволновке"

12. Один кофе с собой, пожалуйста.

    O-din ko-fe s so-boy, po-zha-luy-sta.

    One coffee to go, please

    Usage

    "Кофе с собой" (coffee to go) is one of the most common signs on Russian streets — most small shops and kiosks have a coffee machine, and it is a cheap morning staple. If asked the size, answer "маленький", "средний" or "большой"

    Grammar Note

    "Кофе" is an indeclinable loanword. It is traditionally masculine — hence "один кофе", "чёрный кофе" — though neuter agreement is now widespread in speech. "С собой" literally means "with oneself" and is the general word for takeaway

13. До скольки у вас продают алкоголь?

    Do skol'-ki u vas pro-da-yut al-ko-gol'?

    Until what time do you sell alcohol here?

    Usage

    Retail alcohol sales are banned overnight in Russia (broadly 23:00 to 08:00), and some regions are stricter still. Even a 24-hour shop will refuse to ring up alcohol at night, and shelves are sometimes curtained off or chained. Certain regions also impose all-day bans on public holidays and school events

    Grammar Note

    "Продают" is an indefinite-personal construction: the 3rd person plural with no stated subject, meaning "they sell / it is sold". It is very common in speech. "До скольки" is colloquial; written Russian prefers "до которого часа"

14. Взвесьте это, пожалуйста.

    Vzves'-te e-to, po-zha-luy-sta.

    Could you weigh this, please?

    Usage

    Fruit, vegetables, cheese and deli items in Russian shops are usually sold by weight ("весовой товар") with prices given per kilo. Staff weigh the item and attach a barcode sticker. State the amount you want, e.g. "Двести грамм" (200 grams)

    Grammar Note

    "Взвесить" (to weigh something) is the perfective of "взвешивать" ("весить" is a separate verb meaning "to weigh, be heavy"); its imperative takes a soft sign: "взвесьте". Goods sold by weight are "весовой", pre-packed ones "штучный"

15. Какой у этого срок годности?

    Ka-koy u e-to-go srok god-nos-ti?

    What is the shelf life on this?

    Usage

    Russian corner shops often shelve near-date dairy and deli items with a discount sticker. Look for "Годен до" (good until) on the packaging, followed by the date. Milk and kefir have short shelf lives and are worth checking

    Grammar Note

    "Срок годности" is a genitive chain — "term" + "of fitness" — a very common pattern in Russian set phrases (compare "время работы", "место рождения"). "У этого" is again the possessive "у + genitive"

16. Где у вас вода без газа?

    Gde u vas vo-da bez ga-za?

    Where do you keep the still water?

    Usage

    Much of the bottled water in Russia is carbonated. Labels read "газированная" (sparkling) or "негазированная / без газа" (still). Colour coding — blue for still, red or green for sparkling — is common but varies by brand, so read the label

    Grammar Note

    The preposition "без" (without) governs the genitive, giving "газ" → "газа"; the opposite, "с газом" (with gas), uses the instrumental. This без/с pairing with different cases is a core Russian pattern

17. Вы принимаете иностранные карты?

    Vy pri-ni-ma-ye-te i-no-stran-ny-ye kar-ty?

    Do you accept foreign cards?

    Usage

    Foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard have not worked inside Russia for some time, so travellers rely on cash or a card from a Russian account. Small shops are the least likely to have any workaround — carry cash before you go in

    Grammar Note

    "Карты" is the plural of "карта". For inanimate nouns the accusative plural is identical to the nominative, so the form is ambiguous here. The adjective "иностранные" agrees in the plural

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