Thousands of football fans will travel to watch England at the World Cup in Russia and, unlike previous tournaments, they will have to grapple with a different alphabet as well as language.
And they should bear in mind, when extolling the virtues of England star Harry Kane to any Russians, that the word for striker is pronounced bambardir and not strikir – which is the word for streaker.
Here are some useful words and phrases, footballing and otherwise (in Romanised Russian rather than Cyrillic):
1 – adin
2 – dva
3 – tri
Thank you – spasiba
Hello – zdrastvuite
Bye – da svidania
Please – pazhalusta
What is your name? – kak vas zovut?
My name is… – menya zovut…
Entrance/exit – vkhod/vykhod
Please help me – pazhalusta pomogite mne
Bus – avtobus
Train – poezd
Metro – metro
Police – politsiya
I don’t speak Russian – Ya ne gavaryu pa-russki
Do you speak English? – vy gavarite pa-angliyski?
What is your Wi-Fi password? – kakoy u vas parol ot vay-fai?
Hooligan – khuligan
Ball – myach
Goalkeeper – golkipir
Player – igrok
Striker – bambardir
Manager – myenidzhihr
Referee – rifiri
Offside – ofseyt
Foul – narusheniye
Yellow/red card – zholtaya/krasnaya kartachka
Free kick – svabodnih udar
Corner (kick) – kornir
Penalty – pinalti
Score – schet
What a goal! – kakoy gol!
He’s a great player – on klasnih fudbalist
What a terrible team – uzhasnaya kamanda
That was a boring game – bihl skuchnih mach
Streaker – strikir
Source: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lonely Planet.