Conversational patterns – 4
4. Stop translating directly from Russian
Your sentence:
“I am interesting to know...”
This is a Russian-style structure. In English, interesting describes the thing, not your feeling.
Correct:
I am interested in knowing...
I’m curious to know...
I’d like to know...
More examples:
This topic is interesting.
I am interested in this topic.
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1. Instead of direct Russian-style translation
Я думаю, что...
Basic:
I think that...
More natural / advanced:
I’d say that...
I would argue that...
It seems to me that...
From my perspective,...
The way I see it,...
Example:
I’d say that speaking practice is more important than grammar exercises alone.
2. Мне кажется...
Russian speakers often translate this as “It seems me”, which is wrong.
Correct:
It seems to me that...
I feel like...
I get the impression that...
It looks like...
Examples:
It seems to me that English is more flexible than Russian.
I get the impression that he didn’t fully understand the question.
3. Я согласен / не согласен
Basic:
I agree.
I don’t agree.
More natural:
I completely agree.
I partly agree.
I agree up to a point.
I see your point, but...
I’m not sure I agree with that.
Example:
I see your point, but I think the problem is more complicated.
4. Это зависит от...
Russian speakers sometimes say “It depends from...”. Correct: depends on.
Correct:
It depends on...
It depends on the situation.
It depends on what you mean by...
It depends on whether...
Examples:
It depends on how much time you have.
It depends on whether you want to sound formal or casual.
5. С одной стороны / с другой стороны
Correct:
On the one hand,...
On the other hand,...
More natural:
That said,...
At the same time,...
Still,...
However,...
Example:
On the one hand, grammar is important. On the other hand, you need speaking practice.
Natural version:
Grammar is important. That said, you still need regular speaking practice.
6. В целом / вообще
Correct phrases:
In general,...
Generally speaking,...
Overall,...
Broadly speaking,...
As a rule,...
Examples:
In general, I prefer learning through examples.
Overall, the transcript was useful, but too long.
7. На самом деле
Russian speakers often overuse actually. It is not always the same as на самом деле.
Useful options:
Actually,... — when correcting or surprising
In fact,... — when adding a stronger fact
The truth is,... — emotional or personal
To be honest,... — личное мнение
What’s interesting is that...
Examples:
Actually, I don’t think this method works for everyone.
In fact, many learners already know enough grammar but lack practice.
To be honest, I find phrasal verbs difficult.
8. Я имею в виду
Correct:
I mean...
What I mean is...
What I’m trying to say is...
To be more precise,...
In other words,...
Examples:
What I mean is that I understand the rule, but I can’t use it quickly.
In other words, I need more speaking practice.
9. Дело в том, что...
Very useful English equivalents:
The thing is,...
The problem is,...
The point is,...
The main issue is...
The reason is that...
Examples:
The thing is, I understand English when I read, but speaking is harder.
The main issue is that I don’t have enough active vocabulary.
10. Насколько я понимаю...
Correct:
As far as I understand,...
As far as I know,...
From what I understand,...
If I understand correctly,...
Examples:
As far as I understand, English articles are difficult because Russian doesn’t have them.
If I understand correctly, you mean that I should learn phrases, not single words.
11. Я привык / я не привык
Russian speakers often make mistakes with used to.
Correct:
I’m used to + noun / -ing
I’m not used to + noun / -ing
I got used to...
I need to get used to...
Examples:
I’m used to speaking Russian at work.
I’m not used to thinking in English.
I need to get used to using articles correctly.
Different meaning:
I used to live in Moscow. = Раньше я жил в Москве, но сейчас нет.
12. Мне сложно / мне легко
Do not say:
It is difficult for me to speaking.
Correct:
It’s difficult for me to speak quickly.
I find it difficult to speak quickly.
I struggle with speaking quickly.
I have trouble choosing the right words.
Examples:
I find it difficult to use articles correctly.
I struggle with word order when I speak fast.
13. У меня получается / не получается
There is no perfect direct translation. Use:
I’m getting better at...
I’m making progress with...
I can’t quite manage to...
I’m having trouble with...
It doesn’t always come out right.
Examples:
I’m getting better at explaining my ideas in English.
I’m having trouble with prepositions.
When I speak, it doesn’t always come out right.
14. Я хочу сказать, что...
Correct:
I want to say that... — okay, but sometimes direct
What I want to say is...
The point I’m trying to make is...
My point is...
Examples:
The point I’m trying to make is that fluency and accuracy should be trained together.
My point is that passive vocabulary is not enough.
15. Это имеет смысл
Careful: It has sense is wrong.
Correct:
It makes sense.
That makes sense.
It doesn’t make sense.
That sounds reasonable.
Examples:
That makes sense, but I need more examples.
It doesn’t make sense to learn rare words before common phrases.
16. Я не уверен
Correct:
I’m not sure.
I’m not entirely sure.
I’m not sure whether...
I’m not sure how to...
I’m not sure what the best option is.
Examples:
I’m not sure whether this sentence sounds natural.
I’m not entirely sure how to use this phrase.
17. Скорее всего / возможно
Useful phrases:
Most likely,...
Probably,...
It’s likely that...
It’s possible that...
There’s a chance that...
Examples:
Most likely, I need more speaking practice.
It’s possible that I’m translating too directly from Russian.
18. Чем больше..., тем больше...
Correct structure:
The more..., the more...
The less..., the more...
Examples:
The more I speak, the more confident I become.
The less I translate from Russian, the more natural my English sounds.
19. Не только..., но и...
Correct:
Not only..., but also...
Example:
Learning phrases helps not only with fluency, but also with accuracy.
More natural:
Learning phrases helps with both fluency and accuracy.
20. Я бы хотел / мне бы хотелось
Correct:
I’d like to...
I’d like you to...
I’d prefer to...
I’d rather...
Examples:
I’d like to speak more naturally.
I’d prefer to focus on useful phrases.
I’d rather practise speaking than do grammar tests.
Especially useful for B2 → C1
These phrases make your speech more structured:
The main reason is that...
Another important point is...
What makes it difficult is...
This is especially important because...
One thing I’ve noticed is that...
A good example of this is...
This reminds me of...
I wouldn’t say that..., but...
It’s not necessarily about..., it’s more about...
To some extent, I agree.
Example answer using several of them:
To some extent, I agree that grammar is important. That said, I wouldn’t say that grammar alone is enough. The main issue is that many learners understand the rules, but they can’t use them quickly in real conversation.