Russian Vocabulary (and Wisdom)

This Russian word is one of the top 1000 words in Russian. The complete list of most common Russian words is available here.

Meaning: to write, paint, compose

Pronunciation: [pee-SAHT']

Part of speech: verb (imperfective aspect)

Rank: #218 (see frequency list)

• Мы пи́шем письмо́ роди́телям.
• We are writing a letter to our parents.
• Я пишу́ дипло́м уже́ полго́да.
• I’ve been writing my undergraduate thesis for six months already.
• На уро́ке студе́нты писа́ли дикта́нт.
• The students took a quiz during the lesson.
• Моя́ подру́га — журнали́стка. Она́ пи́шет статьи́ в журна́л мод.
• My friend is a journalist. She writes articles for a fashion magazine.
• Когда́ вы бу́дете писа́ть отчёт?
• When will you write the report?
• Пиши́те чётко и аккура́тно, не торопи́тесь.
• Write plain and neatly, don’t rush.
• Э́́́́тот худо́жник пи́шет карти́ны ма́слом.
• This artist paints his pictures with oil paint.
• Ты уме́ешь писа́ть по-япо́нски? — Нет, но я немно́го говорю́ и чита́ю по-япо́нски.
• Can you write in Japanese? — No, but I can speak and read in Japanese a bit.
• Ру́сский компози́тор Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский писа́л о́перы, бале́ты, конце́рты, симфо́нии. Его́ бале́ты "Лебеди́ное о́зеро", "Спя́щая краса́вица", "Щелку́нчик" изве́стны во всём ми́ре.
• The Russian composer Peotr Ilyich Chaikovsky wrote operas, ballets, concerts, and symphonies. His ballets “Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “The Nutcracker” are known all over the world.
• Е́сли бы ты меня́ не отвлека́л, я бы писа́ла бы́стрее.
• If you didn’t distract me I would write faster.

• писа́ть как ку́рица ла́пой = to write like chicken scratches / someone’s writing is a scrawl
    literal  to write like a hen by its claw
• писа́ть вензеля́ = to stagger / reel along (of a drunken person)
    literal  to write monograms
• писа́ть кро́вью = to write in one’s own blood
    literal  to write in blood
• говори́т как пи́шет = about someone who speaks smoothly and well
    literal  speaks like writes

• написа́ть = to write, paint, compose
• писа́тель = writer
• писа́тельница = writer (female)
• письмо́ = letter
• запи́ска = note

• Пиши́ пропа́ло.
• It is as good as lost.
•  literal  Write “disappeared”.
• Пошла́ писа́ть губе́рния.
• Things started moving. / And the ball started rolling. / There they go!
•  literal  The province went to write.
• Дела́ иду́т, конто́ра пи́шет.
• Things go on and never stop. / Things are on the move, and the office is open. / Our busy office hums and clatters: we do our best to speed up letters!
•  literal  Things go on, the office writes.
• За неиме́нием ге́рбовой пи́шут на просто́й.
• All is good in a famine. / When all fails welcome haws. / Something is better than nothing.
•  literal  Not having a stamped paper they write on a plain one.

Vocabulary lesson: By RT: Learn Russian exclusively for MasterRussian

Phrase recordings: Copyright(c) 2011 MasterRussian.com. All rights reserved.
Word recordings: Copyright(c) 2006 Streit Goulnara, Streit Eric, Vion Nicolas. Copyright(c) 2007 S. Sakhno, N. Vion. Distributed under CC-BY.

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