Ambitions

Talking about the future

This module teaches the Russian words for ambitions, careers and study. Every word comes with three things: the Cyrillic spelling, a transliteration in brackets to help you say it, and the English meaning. Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet and does not use "a" or "the". You will recognise the words and their meanings here, not type them. (A native speaker should review the script before launch.)

Ambitions and careers

Start with the words for what you hope to achieve:

Match each Russian word to its English meaning

The Russian word for dream

Which Russian word means 'dream'?

• мечта (mechta)
• амбиция (ambitsiya)
• карьера (karyera)
• работа (rabota)

Study and work

Now some words for the path into work: - университет (universitet) = university - диплом (diplom) = degree - профессия (professiya) = profession - волонтёр (volonter) = volunteer Sound out each word using the transliteration, and link the Cyrillic to the meaning.

Match each word to its English meaning

Which are about study?

Select the TWO words connected with studying for a qualification.

• университет (universitet)
• диплом (diplom)
• работа (rabota)
• карьера (karyera)

A dream and a career

Two words are easy to mix up: what you hope for, and the working life you build.

Where do you study?

Which Russian word means 'university'?

• университет (universitet)
• диплом (diplom)
• профессия (professiya)
• волонтёр (volonter)

Fill in the Russian

In Russian, an ambition is _____, a dream is _____, a career is _____, university is _____, and a job is _____.

A path to a career

Put these steps of working towards a career into a sensible order.

• You have a dream (мечта)
• You study at university (университет)
• You earn a degree (диплом)
• You start your career (карьера)

Choose the right word

Three situations. Pick the Russian word that fits each one.

• You want to talk about your DREAM for the future. Which word do you use?
• Your friend wants to study for a degree. Which word names the place they would go?
• Someone helps at a charity without being paid. What is that person called?

Your turn: your ambition, in Russian

Write about your ambition IN RUSSIAN. Write in Cyrillic - the transliteration in brackets is a reading aid only.

• Name the idea: мечта (mechta - a dream), амбиция (ambitsiya - ambition) or карьера (karyera - career)
• Say what you like with Мне нравится… (mne nravitsya - I like ...): Мне нравится работа (mne nravitsya rabota - I like the work)
• Name where you would study and what you would gain: университет (universitet - university), диплом (diplom - a degree)
• You may add профессия (professiya - profession) or волонтёр (volonter - volunteer)

Cyrillic, transliteration, meaning

To master this vocabulary, link every word to all three of its forms: the Cyrillic spelling, the transliteration so you can say it, and the English meaning. Keep the ideas that are easy to confuse clearly apart - a мечта (mechta), a dream, versus a real карьера (karyera), the career you build - and link the study words (университет, диплом) to the goal. Reading the Cyrillic, saying each word aloud, and testing yourself both ways is what builds real recall.