For Russian Language Learners: Go Figures

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

POSITIVELY NOT INTENDED FOR RUSSIAN NATIVE SPEAKERS!

Упражнение для изучающих русский язык* No.2
Числа

Перед вами - фразы с числами.
Напишите числа словами в точности так, как вы будете их произносить.

А. Его телефон - 203-14-90, а ее - 400-60-00.
Б. Он живет в доме номер 2500 по улице Бродвейной.
В. Он взял бутылку водки по 4,12 и бутылку вина по 1,02.
Г. Зафиксирован перепад температур в 0,12 градуса.
Д. План по стали перевыполнен в 1,5 раза, по чугуну - в 2,5 раза, по прокату - в 1,7 раза.
Е. У нее 2 детей, а у него 3.
Ё. Вероятность поражения оценивалась в 3/8.
Ж. Вес ребенка при рождении - 3,500.
З. Ее рост - 1,85, а его - 2,00
И. Начало занятий - в 19:00


Например:
Й. У него 4 ребенка - четыре

* Here is the translation to English to make moderators happy:
Problem for Russian language learners No.2
Below you can see the phrases with numbers.
Write down the words to replace numbers, exactly in a way you would pronounce them.
For example:

Comments

[simple-oaf.livejournal.com]

That's the task for russian language-learners, and you are a native speaker...

[kutsuwamushi.livejournal.com]

I've screened your answer so you don't spoil the exercise for Russian language learners. If the OP feels doing this is out of hand, he can reply to my comment.

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

I agree with the screening - I would do that myself.

Of course, Iskrinka was absolutely correct in her answers, but this exercise was not for her :)

[12barman.livejournal.com]

"Brodvejnaja street" - that's fine:)

[thesnork.livejournal.com]

mm.. "водка по 4,12" - it's from 70s! ))

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

Yep.
70s - early 80s (before perestroika)

Remember what kind of vodka it was?

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Remember what the chemical formula of vodka was since May 17, 1985? ;-)

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

Nope.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

H10.80.
(Аж 10-80) :))

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

No one remembers - too sad.
It was "Extra".

[thesnork.livejournal.com]

I don't. I was born in 1975 ))
but price 4,12 is symbolic even for our generation %)

btw I found out what it was from here - http://www.just-so-site.com/archive/nostalgy/muzeum/prices2.htm

[kutsuwamushi.livejournal.com]

Here is the translation to English to make moderators happy:

=)

[coldmacana.livejournal.com]

Slightly off topic, but when Russians form a list, like Bobb did above, do they typically include Ё; I would have assumed they would have just said "Г-Д-Е-Ж" и т.д.

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

You're right, Ё is never included (as well as Й).
I put it there just for fun :)

[coldmacana.livejournal.com]

OK, thanks for clearing this up!

[macros-a.livejournal.com]

I always use letters "Ё" and "Й", and I think everybody who write in russian should youse these letters!

There is no excuses that peoples not use these letters. They are exist in russian alphabet ant we have to use it!

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

You're absolutely right.

Except that we were talking about the lists, not the regular use.

[maksa.livejournal.com]

You are slightly inhumane.

What about «Директор был лично знаком со всеми 854 сотрудниками»?

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

No, I actually was extremely considerate :)

As you could see, I limited the exercise to the nominative case only.

What you are talking about - is a higher level :)

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

three-digit numerals are nothing, some six-digit are definitely more interesting :))

[onodera.livejournal.com]

Yeah, practically no one in the news reports ever declines the numerals the right way.

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

Declining of composite numerals in Russian is a good example of the rule that will collapse sooner or later (I personally think it will happen pretty soon) under the weight of its own complexity.

[onodera.livejournal.com]

No sooner than Vinogradov's Institute accepts that одевать and надевать are the same.

[lovimoment.livejournal.com]

I'll try (numbers were always my least favorite, though!).

A. dvesti tri, chetyrnadtsat', devyanosto; chetyre-nol'-nol', shestdesyat, nol'-nol' (and then you'd have to repeat it three or four times anyway - "da, vsevo pyat nulei...")
B. dve pyat'sot
V. chetyre-dvenadtsat'; ?? (I guess I didn't drink enough while I was in Russia)
G. no earthly idea, unless it's dvenadtatsat' sotnykh
D. poltora, dva s polovinoi, ????
E. dvoe, troe
Io. not even going to try...I hate fractions
Zh. don't know
Z. sto vosemdesyat pyat santimetrov, dva metra
I. devyatnadtsat-nol'-nol' (or sem' chasov vechera)

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

You got it right, mostly.

Below are the correct answers.
I'm basically reposting the screened/deleted comments by iskrinka_mn, with minor changes and comments (in italics):

А. Его телефон - 203-14-90, а ее - 400-60-00.
А. Его телефон - двести три-четырнадцать-девяносто, а ее - четыреста ровно-шестьдесят-ноль-ноль (или "два нуля").
Never say a phone numbers digit by digit, like in English. E.g. only "четыреста", never "четыре-ноль-ноль", even in ambiguous cases like above. Add "ровно" to disambiguate, but only in these cases. "Ноль-ноль" is more common than acceptable "два нуля".

Б. Он живет в доме номер 2500 по улице Бродвейной.
Б. Он живет в доме номер две тысячи пятьсот по улице Бродвейной.
Remember, Russian numerals larger than 999 are never pronounced in hundreds, like in English. "Тысяч(а, и)" can be omitted, but often present (always present in case of a plain number, without any measurement units)

В. Он взял бутылку водки по 4,12 и бутылку вина по 1,02.
В. Он взял бутылку водки по четыре-двенадцать и бутылку вина по рубль-две.
Another trend. In case of one unit, "один" is often replaced by the unit name - "рубль две", but "два двадцать" (prices in rubles), "кило пятьсот" but "два триста" (weights in kg),

Г. Зафиксирован перепад температур в 0,12 градуса.
Г. Зафиксирован перепад температур в ноль целых двенадцать сотых градуса. (можно и без "ноль целых", так как меньше 1)
It is also acceptable to say "ноль двенадцать градуса", while not in formal/written speech

Д. План по стали перевыполнен в 1,5 раза, по чугуну - в 2,5 раза, по прокату - в 1,7 раза.
Д. План по стали перевыполнен в полтора раза, по чугуну - в два с половиной раза, по прокату - в одну целую семь десятых раз раза.
Note three things: first, 1,5 is almost exclusively pronounced as "полтора (m, n), -ы (f)">; second, five tenths is mostly "с половиной", especially with small integers("3456,5" would be most likely "3456 и пять десятых"); third, a noun after fractions must be in the singular genitive form

Е. У нее 2 детей, а у него 3.
Е. У нее двое детей, а у него трое.
Note that the plural genitive ("детей") defines the type of numerals here. "Два ребёнка" (singular genitive), but "двое детей" (plural genitive). The form "двое", "трое", and so on could be used commonly up to "семеро" (7), very rarely with 8 and 9, sometimes with 10 ("десятеро"), and never beyond that.

Ё. Вероятность поражения оценивалась в 3/8.
Ё. Вероятность поражения оценивалась в три восьмых.

Ж. Вес ребенка при рождении - 3,500.
Ж. Вес ребенка при рождении - три пятьсот.

З. Ее рост - 1,85, а его - 2,00
З. Ее рост - метр-восемьдесят-пять, а его - два метра.
Somewhat less common is to say "сто восемьдесят пять", while completely acceptable

И. Начало занятий - в 19:00
И. Начало занятий - в девятнадцать-ноль-ноль.

[lovimoment.livejournal.com]

Thanks for replying. This is actually really helpful.

I remember the first time I found out numbers had to be declined, and when to use which case (cardinals vs. ordinals and all that)...I was in shock. It's something I still struggle with, but it's always nice to hear from native speakers that journalists get it wrong all the time.