School subjects

In this lesson we will learn the names of school subjects, talk about what lessons students have at school, and practise retelling a short text about a typical school day.

In Russian schools, students study many different subjects. The word for 'subject' or 'lesson' is предмет or урок. The timetable is called расписание. When we say 'I have a lesson', we say У меня урок or У меня есть урок. To say you like a subject, use Мне нравится + the subject name, for example: Мне нравится математика — 'I like maths'. To say a subject is difficult or easy, use трудный (difficult) or лёгкий (easy).

Common school subjects in Russian:

How to retell a text: When retelling a text in Russian, try to use your own words. You can start with phrases such as:

• В тексте говорится о том, что… — 'The text is about the fact that…'
• Сначала… — 'First…'
• Потом / Затем… — 'Then…'
• В конце… — 'At the end…'

Do not translate word for word — use the key words you remember and build sentences around them.

Чтение: Read the following passage carefully. You will retell it in your own words afterwards.

Меня зовут Саша, мне двенадцать лет. Я учусь в шестом классе. Каждый день у нас шесть уроков. Сегодня у меня математика, русский язык, история, биология, физкультура и английский язык. Мой любимый предмет — история, потому что я люблю узнавать о прошлом. Математика для меня немного трудная, но учительница объясняет всё очень хорошо. После уроков я делаю домашнее задание и читаю книги. Я думаю, что учёба очень важна.

Comprehension questions to help you prepare your retelling:

1. What is the boy's name and how old is he?
2. Which class (year) is he in?
3. How many lessons does he have each day?
4. What is his favourite subject and why?
5. Which subject does he find difficult?
6. What does he do after school?

Model retelling (example for teacher reference):

In this text, a boy called Sasha tells us about his school day. He is twelve years old and is in year six. He has six lessons every day. His favourite subject is history because he likes learning about the past. He finds maths a little difficult, but his teacher explains everything well. After school he does his homework and reads books. He thinks that studying is very important.