Ready-to-use guide to make friends with Russian slang and make it part of your speech (teacher's tips)
Let's be honest. You've been learning Russian for more than a year. You're already at B1, B2... Maybe even higher. But when you watch a series or regular reels, you get lost. Has that happened? I'm sure in your head you answered - yes!
Because native speakers often don't speak like they do in textbooks. Look at these examples yourself:
How many of these phrases did you understand? These are real phrases from the series we're going to break down in this article. But don't worry, this happens often.
You know the words, but you can't use them. You understand more than you can say.
Sound familiar? It's not your fault. This isn't in textbooks. There, it's rules, cases, aspects of verbs. But slang is the street, life, comedies.
And if you don't know it, you don't understand real people. Their humor, their context, their jokes. And the worst part is, you can't fully be one of the gang in a company where everyone speaks Russian.
That's why I sat down and put in the effort. I spent many hours analyzing real, modern, high-frequency slang used by native speakers in the series How I Became Russian. As a native speaker and a teacher, I turned this analysis into a practical guide you can use to start understanding and using slang.
About the series How I Became Russian (Как я стал русским, 2015) is a light and funny series about an American journalist who comes to Moscow and tries to understand Russian life, culture, and mentality. Besides slang, it also shows many everyday cultural situations and communication styles.
I'm not going to lecture you. I'll just give you real, common examples so you can finally organize it all in your head.
Who are we ?
I'm Maria, founder of the speak.more.russian school, and I have a team of 4 teachers.
We are all united by one goal: to help you not just learn Russian, but to start using it in real life.
Why people choose us: honestly, directly, and to the point:
We're not just native speakers. We are certified educators with over 5 years of experience.
We learn foreign languages ourselves - so we understand your pain from the inside, not just in theory.
Everything here comes from real teaching experience. No theory — just what actually works in practice.
What our students get when they choose us:
- A conversation club with real-life examples from native speakers
- A chat for practice (because lessons alone aren't enough)
- A book club to expand vocabulary
- Small groups of up to 4 people - everyone speaks, no one hides
- An environment where you want to grow
And here are the results our students achieve:
> "We talked like 20 minutes non stop all in Russian."
> "The most encouraging tutor... I can speak more confidently now."
> "We increased our level surprisingly fast and now I enjoy Russian and Slavic culture and can have longer conversations."
I promised: only the best, real examples. Let's break down 5 expressions, after which anyone will understand how to sound natural.
1. Выкру́чиваться / Вы́крутиться
вы́крутиться - perfective verb
выкру́чиваться - imperfective verb
Dictionary meaning -To cleverly get out of a difficult situation using wit or improvisation.
Phrase from the series :
"Вот когда́ они́ узна́ют - я ка́к-нибудь вы́кручусь, понима́ешь?"
Translation: "When they find out - I'll somehow get out of it, you know?"
Common conversational phrases:
- вы́крутиться из ситуа́ции -> to get out of a situation
- вы́крутиться из неприя́тностей -> to get out of trouble
- ка́к-нибудь вы́кручусь -> I'll manage somehow
- Не зна́ю как, но вы́кручусь. "I don't know how, but I'll manage."
- Он всегда́ уме́ет вы́крутиться. "He always finds a way out."
Register : With a friend -> ка́к-нибудь вы́кручусь, не вперво́й
At work -> найдём реше́ние / спра́вимся - sounds professional without being stiff
Understanding is one thing, speaking is another. Suzanne knew this better than anyone.
She's American, but her parents are from Russia. Her family in Siberia would talk - she understood a lot. But finding the words to answer, to выкрутиться out of the silence - стоп.
Especially when relatives start throwing around conversational phrases and you just sit there nodding because you don't know how to respond.
After 11 months of working with us, she wrote: My relatives from Siberia are impressed by how much my Russian has improved. Now she doesn't just nod, she laughs along with everyone. And most importantly - she understands them.
2. Раскле́иваться / Раскле́иться
раскле́иваться- imperfective verb
раскле́иться - perfective verb
Dictionary meaning - To feel physically weak, emotionally drained, or to lose control of oneself.
Phrase from the series :
"Да, норма́льно, чё мы вы́пили-то там — э́то америко́с раскле́ился."
Translation: "Yeah, it’s fine. What did we even drink there? The American just fell apart."
Word note:
америко́с — informal, slightly humorous nickname for an American. Not always offensive; it’s often used with irony or affection, but it’s important to pay attention to the context and tone.
Common conversational phrases:
- совсе́м раскле́ился -> completely exhausted / fallen apart
- что ты раскле́ился? -> why are you so down?
- я к концу́ неде́ли раскле́ился -> I was completely done by the end of the week
- По́сле боле́зни совсе́м раскле́ился, ничего́ не могу́. "After the illness I completely fell apart."
- Как раскле́юсь - сра́зу пью горя́чее молоко́ с мёдом.
"When I start feeling sick, I drink hot milk with honey." - Не раскле́ивайся собери́сь - разберёмся.
"Don't fall apart, pull yourself together - we'll figure it out."
Register: With a friend -> не расклеивайся, всё будет нормально
At work -> better to avoid - instead: он плохо себя чувствует /
3. Кры́ша е́дет / Кры́шу снесло́ / Кры́ша пое́хала
- кры́ша е́дет - present, ongoing
- кры́ша пое́хала - perfective, it happened
- снесло́ кры́шу - result, completely gone
Dictionary meaning - (colloquial) To lose one's mind, go crazy, or be under extreme emotional stress.
Verb forms - three constructions:
крыша едет [у кого?] + от чего -> genitive : У меня крыша едет от работы. "Work is driving me crazy."
крыша поехала [у кого?] -> genitive : У него крыша поехала после этого разговора. "He lost it after that conversation."
снесло крышу [кому?] -> dative: Ей совсем снесло крышу. "She completely lost her mind."
Phrase from the series :
"У А́ни без табле́ток совсе́м кры́ша съе́дет. На каки́е шиши́ мне покупа́ть их?"
Translation: "Without her pills, Anya will completely lose it. What money am I even supposed to buy them with?."
Word note:
на каки́е шиши́ — informal, ironic expression meaning “with what money?” or “how am I supposed to pay for it?” It is used to ask where the money is supposed to come from, often implying that there is no money at all.
- У меня́ уже́ кры́ша е́дет от э́тих отчётов. “These reports are driving me crazy.”
- По́сле того́ разгово́ра у него́ кры́ша пое́хала. “After that conversation he completely lost it.”
- У него́ снесло́ кры́шу от э́той но́вости, потому́ что он не мог пове́рить в э́то. “That news blew his mind — he couldn’t believe it.”
Register: With a friend -> у меня крыша едет, больше не могу.
выдыха́ть - imperfective verb
вы́дохнуть - perfective verb
Dictionary meaning - (colloquial) To finally relax after stress or tension. To calm down and let go.
Phrase from the series :
"Всё-всё, мо́жешь вы́дохнуть - сего́дня бо́льно уже́ не бу́дет"
Translation: "It's okay, you can relax now - it won't hurt anymore today."
Common conversational phrases:
- мо́жешь вы́дохнуть -> you can relax now
- да вы́дохни ты -> just calm down
- наконе́ц вы́дохнул -> finally took a breath
- Экза́мен сдан - тепе́рь мо́жно вы́дохнуть. "The exam is done - now I can breathe."
- Да вы́дохни ты, всё норма́льно бу́дет. "Just relax, everything will be fine."
- Ну наконе́ц-то, мо́жно вы́дохнуть. "Finally, we can breathe."
Register: With a friend -> да выдохни ты, не страшно
Formally -> можете не беспокоиться / ситуация под контролем
разгреба́ть - imperfective verb
разгрести́ - perfective verb
Dictionary meaning - (colloquial) To deal with accumulated problems, sort out a mess, handle the consequences of someone's actions.
Phrase from the series :
"Уважа́ю. Ла́дно, ты разгреба́й тут — я спать пое́хал."
Translation: "Respect. Alright, you deal with everything here — I’m off to sleep."
Common conversational phrases:
- разгреба́ть после́дствия -> to deal with the aftermath
- разгреба́ть зава́лы -> to clear a backlog
- разгреба́ть чужи́е пробле́мы -> to sort out other people's mess
- По́сле о́тпуска неде́лю разгреба́л зава́лы. "After vacation I spent a week clearing the backlog."
- - Опя́ть за него́ разгреба́ю - надое́ло. "I'm sorting out his mess again - I'm sick of it."
- - Зна́ешь, ско́лько всего́ прихо́дится разгреба́ть? "You have no idea how much I have to deal with."
Register: With a friend -> иди, я тут сама разгребу
Formally -> я занимаюсь решением накопившихся вопросов
And here's Daria's story - about how she finally cleared the backlog in her speech
Daria was preparing to move to Moscow and had been learning Russian for a long time. But there was one problem: "There was a lot of theory in the lessons, but no practice."
Familiar trap? After 9 lessons focused on conversational practice, she wrote: "I can speak much more confident now". And most importantly - she finally started speaking. Not to herself, not in her head, but out loud. And she needed it for real life: to buy a ticket, order coffee, talk about herself at the university.
🔥 BONUS #1: Quizlet Flashcards for Memorization
So you don't just read it and forget, but actually keep it in your head — with stress marks and translation. I've put together 25 most common conversational phrases from this list — only the best, everything you really need in real life.
👉 Practice here: Quizlet — Ready-to-use guide to Russian slang
- all phrases with stress marks (so you don't have to guess)
- translation and real-life examples
- you can study in the app, test yourself, play games
Pure value: 15 minutes a day with these flashcards — and slang actually becomes part of your speech. 100 times easier than just reading a list and forgetting it.
Grab it while others are whining — you'll already be learning.
📚 BONUS #2: Want even more slang?
There's a great book called "Cyka Blyat! (or Suka Blyat?): Everyday Russian Slang and Curse Words"
Pure value: This book introduces you to the world of real Russian language — popular slang and curse words, which ones are REALLY USED by Russians, and when it's actually appropriate to use them. Not just a list — real context, real life.
- different types of slang and curse words
- which ones Russians actually use (and which ones they don't)
- when you CAN use them — and when you definitely SHOULDN'T
Why it's 100 times better than just googling: No more guessing if that word will offend your friend's grandmother. Clear, honest, straight to the point.
Grab it while others are still confused — and finally understand what Russians are REALLY saying.
So, knowing just a few words, you move from the category of "foreigner who learns" to the category of "one of the guys who gets it."
Slang isn't just trendy little words. It's the key to mentality and humor. And most importantly, it works in real life. Just like with Suzanne and Daria.
But how do you know which slang you need now, and which is better not to use? How not to mess up?
If you feel like you're missing a system and you're tired of guessing “Did I say that right?” — there’s a solution.
What's inside:
- we check grammar
- we evaluate your conversational speech
- we analyze 2-3 of your frequent mistakes
- we explain simply and clearly (with examples)
- we give you links to tasks for reinforcement
- we determine your real level
- we give you a concrete action plan
I sincerely believe that sometimes 15 minutes can give you more clarity than some paid products. This kind of depth is hard to find nowadays.
- people who are learning Russian but don't know if they are progressing or stuck
- those who want to start speaking on basic topics right now
- learners who lack structure and feedback
- those who are tired of Duolingo and want to finally start speaking
- those who dream of watching their favorite shows and understanding them 100%
Write "PLAN" in private messages. https://www.instagram.com/speak.more.russian/
You can keep wasting time and energy... or you can finally figure things out and move towards your goal.