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:

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:

Act out the following exchange with your instructor playing the role of the Russian. Substitute your name for the one underlined.

Make the necessary substitutions in the following phrases using the names given below:

Make the necessary substitutions in the following phrases using the names given below:

Здра́вствуйте. Мо́жно Ива́на к телефо́ну?

Здра́вствуйте. Мо́жно Ве́ру к телефо́ну?

As we do in English ("T as in "Tom", "B" as in "Bob", etc.), Russians will spell out a name using easily recognizable words to designate the individual letters. The words of choice are usually women's names. The following dialog illustrates this.

Using the dialog above as a model, spell out the following names. Ask your

instructor for help in finding appropriate names for the necessary letters.

Your instructor will dictate the following names to you. Write them down

without looking at the list. Then use the list to check yourself.

Make the necessary substitutions in the following response. Use the names given below.

Your instructor will read the following telephone numbers aloud. Write them down. Ask him/her to repeat, or to read them out by individual numbers if necessary. Use the phrases:

Make the necessary substitutions in the following response. Use the

names given below.

Make the necessary substitutions in the following response. Use the names given below.

Make the necessary substitutions in the following response. Use the names given below.

Continue the conversation, using the previous dialogs as your model. Your instructor will read the part of the Russian.

Choose one of the above dialogs to act out with your instructor. Choose и́мя, о́тчество и фами́лия from those given in Exercises 8, 9, or 10.

Act out the preceding dialogs with your instructor playing the role of the Russian. Substitute your name for the name of the American. First, adhere as closely as possible to the original. Then repeat, with variations.

You can never have too much practice writing down telephone numbers as they are given to you over the phone. Close your books while your instructor reads the numbers below. Copy them down. If you need to have him/her repeat something, remember to use the phrases:

Make the necessary changes in the given sentence.

Make the necessary changes in the given sentence. Your instructor will read the part of the Russian.

Make the necessary changes in the given sentence. Your instructor will read the part of the Russian, substituting your name for the one here.

Make the necessary changes in the given sentence. Your instructor will read the part of the Russian.

Take down the following addresses as your instructor reads them to you aloud. Remember, if you would like something repeated, use the phrases:

Using the dialog given below, call Directory Assistance and ask for the address and telephone number of the establishments listed on the next page. Your instructor will answer as the operator and read the information aloud. Cover the information in parentheses and copy it down as you hear it. Then dictate it back, in order to check yourself.