«У меня зазвонил телефон...»

There are no tricks to using the telephone in Russia, especially today when more and more phone lines are being laid, when satellite links are becoming more and more common and when more Russians have telephones than at any time in the recent past. As for "telephone etiquette", there is really very little that is different from what we in the West are used to.

You will encounter varying degrees of politeness and rudeness on the phone, just as you will here. As Russians are developing more of a "service" attitude, are realizing that keeping the "customer" happy is in their best interest, calling for information to stores, offices and other places is becoming less frustrating for the caller.

With that in mind, you will need to do the following to make phone calling as easy as possible:

  1. memorize a certain number of common phrases which you will use frequently when calling and when answering calls.

  2. understand other phrases which you will hear but not actively use; and

  3. be able to write down telephone numbers and other information as it is being given to you over the phone. This lesson will help you do precisely that.

In the event that you find yourself in an emergency situation where you will need the immediate assistance of local authorities, you will find the following numbers handy:

01Пожар (Fire Department)
02Милиция (Police)
03Скорая помощь (Ambulance; Emergency Medical)
07Справочная (Directory Assistance for FSU)
09Справочная (Directory Assistance for Moscow)
100Время (Time)