День 13 из 37: Мыши на столе!

🤸 Аэро́бика ру́сского языка́ · День 13 из 37 · Day 13 of 37Все шаги́ ▸

Мы́ши на столе́!

Mice on the table!

⏱ 15 (+ 25 if you want more) min · 🎒 You need: a ring 💍 (or a coin), a piece of bread 🍞, a little salt 🧂 – and your ten fingers 🖐️

📚 Слова́ дня · Words of the day: 5 – па́льцы, кольцо́, дверь, соль, мышь.
🔤 Бу́квы дня · Letters of the day: 2 – Ь Ъ. They have no sound of their own – and with them you know all 33 letters! 🎉
⏱ Part 1 = 15 minutes – everybody finishes it. Part 2 = more, only if you want. · 🗺️ All days

Часть 1 · Обяза́тельно · 15 мину́тPart 1 – everybody does this. 15 minutes.

🤸 Разми́нка · Warm-up (1 min)

Stand up! Yesterday's homework: point at yourself – «Я – …!» (your name) 🙋 – then lift your hands: «Моя́ пра́вая рука́! Моя́ ле́вая рука́!» ✋
You remembered it – that is your first win today. Today: ten fingers, a ring – and two little guests on the table. 🐭

👀👂 Смотри́те и слу́шайте · Watch and listen

МЫ́ШИ НА СТОЛЕ́! 🐭

Don't read anything yet. Listen: «Кольцо́ на па́льце!» – the ring is back! 💍
When do the mice come out – when the cats are there, or when they are out? 🚪
Who catches the mouse – Slinky or Scuffles? And what happens to the salt? 🧂
Tap the words above to hear them.

👋 Скажи́те и покажи́те · Say it and show it

Say every word aloud and show it – the gesture is under the picture. The movement falls on the loud syllable: ПА́ЛЬ-цы – wiggle all ten fingers; СОЛЬ – sprinkle salt with your fingers!

Tap the word to hear it. Tap the picture to open the word in the dictionary.

🖐️ Fingers and a ring:

ПА́ЛЬЦЫ

wiggle all ten fingers on ПАЛЬ

КОЛЬЦО́

put a ring on your finger on ЦО

🏠 At home:

ДВЕРЬ

take the handle and pull the door open on ДВЕРЬ

СОЛЬ

sprinkle salt with your fingers on СОЛЬ

МЫШЬ

two fingers run like a little mouse along your arm on МЫШЬ

па́лец = one finger; па́льцы = fingers. 🖐️ Ten fingers – and toes are па́льцы too!
Хлеб и соль – bread and salt: Russians meet dear guests with them. 🍞🧂
мышь – one mouse; мы́ши – mice. 🐭🐭
кольцо́ – you heard it on День 8. Today you read it! 💍

🔤 Бу́квы дня · Letters of the day

Ь Ъ

Ь – the soft sign. It has no sound of its own: it makes the letter before it soft (the tongue goes up to the roof of the mouth): СОЛЬ, ДВЕРЬ, ПА́ЛЬЦЫ, КОЛЬЦО́, ДЕНЬ – yes, the ДЕНЬ at the top of every lesson! 😄
After Ш and Ж the Ь changes nothing in the sound – it is only how we write: МЫШЬ, ты хо́чешь, ты игра́ешь.
Ъ – the hard sign. Very rare. It makes a tiny stop before Е, Ё, Ю, Я: ПОДЪЕ́ЗД (the entrance of a block of flats), СЪЕЛ (ate up) – «под-йе́зд», «с-йел». 🛑
Small letters: ь ъ – the same shapes, only smaller.
Now you know all thirty-three letters: А Б В Г Д Е Ё Ж З И Й К Л М Н О П Р С Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Ъ Ы Ь Э Ю Я – the whole Russian alphabet, in its own order! Read today's words: ПА́ЛЬЦЫ, КОЛЬЦО́, ДВЕРЬ, СОЛЬ, МЫШЬ – all of them! 🎉

🐈 Ко́шки и се́мя дня · The cats and the seed of the day

👂 Listen first. Then read it – from today you can read every word in Russian! 🐾

Ната́ша: Сли́нки, что ты де́лаешь?
Сли́нки: Я игра́ю! — Ната́ша: Да! Так!
Ната́ша: Ска́ффлз, а ты?
Ска́ффлз: Я игра́ешь! — Ната́ша: Нет! Я игра́ю. Ты игра́ешь. — Ска́ффлз: Р-р-р…
Ри́чард 👋: А я игра́ю на гармо́шке! 🪗 — Ната́ша: Ри́чард – молоде́ц!

And you? Wiggle your fingers: «Я игра́ю!» – aloud, or just in your head. Both count. 😊 🌱 я игра́ю – ты игра́ешь. Every «ты» word ends in -шь – you heard them before: ты хо́чешь (День 10), ты лю́бишь (День 6). Today you can read their Ь. Scuffles mixes them up – Natasha says «Нет!». Just copy – the rules come later.

🔁 Повторя́йте · Repeat

Say the story aloud, with the actions. Then play: do the action – say the word. Mix them up!

Раз, два, три, четы́ре, пять! Вот па́льцы! 🖐️
Где моё кольцо́? – В ба́нке! Кольцо́ на па́льце! 💍
Вот хлеб. Вот соль. Хлеб и соль! 🍞🧂
Вот дверь. Пока́, коты́! Нет кота́! 🚪
Ой! Кто там? – Мышь! Мы́ши на столе́! Мы́ши игра́ют! 🐭🐭
Сли́нки – молоде́ц! 😸
Ска́ффлз! Нет, нет, нет! Кот не на столе́! Брысь! – Соль на полу́! 😼
А где мышь? – Вот мышь! 🐭
👀 read it and say it – a proverb you read on its own day: Когда́ нет кота́ в дому́, игра́ют мы́ши по столу́. 🐭

🗣️ Ва́ша о́чередь! · Your turn!

Open your fingers one by one: Раз, два, три, четы́ре, пять! Вот па́льцы! 🖐️
Put on a ring (or hold a coin): Кольцо́ на па́льце! 💍
Touch a door: Вот дверь! 🚪
Wiggle your fingers: Я игра́ю! 🎶
Speaking is optional – listening and doing count too.

Can you do it without the video? – Молоде́ц! Go to the tap quiz.

✔ Прове́рьте себя́ · Check yourself

Guess, then tap. A wrong tap is not a mistake – it is a guess. 😊

Хорошо́! Молоде́ц! Two small things left – two minutes.

🔊 Звук дня · Sound of the day: Ь

Ь makes the letter before it soft: the middle of the tongue goes up to the roof of the mouth, as if a tiny «й» is hiding there.
Hard – soft: стол – соль (Л), кот – пять (Т), он – день (Н), дом – семь (М).
At the end of a word the soft sound is short and light: соль, дверь, день – don't add a vowel after it!
After Ш, Ж the Ь is silent – мышь sounds like «мыш».
Be Natasha: «Брысь!» 🐈 – then count: «Пять, шесть, семь!» – three times, faster and faster.
30 seconds, every day. The tongue is a muscle – this is aerobics. 💪

🏠 Дома́шняя рабо́та · Homework – one small thing

Tomorrow, open your fingers one by one: «Раз, два, три, четы́ре, пять! Вот па́льцы!» 🖐️ – then wiggle them: «Я игра́ю!» 🎶
That is the first minute of День 14. You already know it – so День 14 starts with a win.

✔ Часть 1 гото́ва! Part 1 done.
You may stop here – see you tomorrow: День 14 · Ти́хо! Коты́ спят! ▶

Часть 2 · Е́сли хоти́те · +25 мину́тPart 2 – only if you want more. Nothing here is needed for tomorrow.

🤸 Жестова́я игра́ · Gesture game

«Па́льцы – раз, два, три!» – your fingers play, like on a little accordion. 👂 Listen and play – you can read every line! 🪗

Say	Do
Вот па́лец!	one finger up on ПА ☝️
Раз, два, три, четы́ре, пять!	open your fingers one by one – one on each number 🖐️
Па́льцы игра́ют!	wiggle all ten fingers on ГРА 🎶
Я игра́ю на гармо́шке!	squeeze an accordion in and out on ГРА and on МОШ 🪗
Кольцо́ на па́льце!	show your ring finger on ЦО 💍
Мышь! – Мя́у!	two fingers run like a mouse – then cat's paws up 🐭🐈

Play it three times – a little faster each time.
Gesture → word. Don't look at the cards. Make a gesture – say the word. Mixed order: 🧂 · 🖐️ · 🐭 · 🚪 · 💍
Yesterday comes back. Mix in four words from День 12: я 🙋 · пра́вая ✋ · я́блоко 🍏 · ёж 🦔. Careful – па́льцы and ёж: for «па́льцы» wiggle your fingers, for «ёж» curl up round with your fingers up like spines!

Fingers are the smallest aerobics – and the best for the brain. 😄

🎵 Стишо́к · a rhyme · 10 min

У нас де́сять па́льцев на рука́х

We've got ten fingers – little Maya counts from оди́н to де́сять.
Today's word па́льцы – with the new letter Ь. Tap the title – the page opens; the bar at its top brings you back here.

🎵 Стишо́к · a rhyme · 10 min

Э́тот па́льчик – я. Вот моя́ семья́

This finger is me – a finger rhyme: де́душка, ба́бушка, па́па, ма́ма – и я!
Today's па́льцы – one finger, one person. Tap the title – the page opens; the bar at its top brings you back here.

📖 Чита́йте са́ми · Read alone – guess, then tap

All thirty-three letters – the whole alphabet! Read the word aloud, then tap it to check.

🖐️ ПА́ЛЬЦЫ · ПА́ЛЕЦ · КОЛЬЦО́ · ДВЕРЬ · СОЛЬ · МЫШЬ · МЫ́ШИ
🌙 ДЕНЬ · НОЧЬ · ПЯТЬ · СЕМЬ · КОНЬ · ТЕТРА́ДЬ · БРЫСЬ! · ПОДЪЕ́ЗД · СЪЕЛ

Now whole sentences:

РАЗ, ДВА, ТРИ, ЧЕТЫ́РЕ, ПЯТЬ! · ВОТ ПА́ЛЬЦЫ! · КОЛЬЦО́ НА ПА́ЛЬЦЕ. · ХЛЕБ И СОЛЬ! · ВОТ ДВЕРЬ. · ОЙ! КТО ТАМ? – МЫШЬ! · МЫ́ШИ НА СТОЛЕ́! · МЫ́ШИ ИГРА́ЮТ! · СКА́ФФЛЗ! БРЫСЬ! · СОЛЬ НА ПОЛУ́! · А ГДЕ МЫШЬ? – ВОТ МЫШЬ! · Я ИГРА́Ю. ТЫ ИГРА́ЕШЬ.

🔁 Heard long ago – read today!

СКА́ФФЛЗ, ТЫ МЕНЯ́ ЛЮ́БИШЬ? (День 6) · ГДЕ МОЁ КОЛЬЦО́? (День 8) · РИ́ЧАРД, ЧТО ТЫ ХО́ЧЕШЬ? (День 10) · ОДИ́Н РУБЛЬ, ДВА РУБЛЯ́, ПЯТЬ РУБЛЕ́Й! (День 11)

👀 Four old proverbs – they waited for the letter Ь:

ТИ́ШЕ Е́ДЕШЬ – ДА́ЛЬШЕ БУ́ДЕШЬ. (heard on День 1)
ДАЮ́Т – БЕРИ́, БЬЮТ – БЕГИ́. (heard on День 5)
ПОВТОРЕ́НИЕ – МАТЬ УЧЕ́НИЯ. (heard on День 8)
НЕ УЧИ́ РЫ́БУ ПЛА́ВАТЬ. (heard on День 10)

👀 And the proverb of the day:

КОГДА́ НЕТ КОТА́ В ДОМУ́, ИГРА́ЮТ МЫ́ШИ ПО СТОЛУ́.

That is fourteen proverbs you can read now! 🦉 And from today every Russian word can be read – you know the whole alphabet. One more waits for the review day: «Век живи́ – век учи́сь» (День 14).

Write three words in big letters: ДЕНЬ, СОЛЬ, МЫШЬ. Has your Ь a round belly at the bottom – like a little б without its hat? ✏️

🦉 Посло́вица дня · proverb of the day · 👂 heard at the end of the video · 👀 you read it today!

Когда́ нет кота́ в дому́, игра́ют мы́ши по столу́.

When there is no cat in the house, the mice play on the table.
The cats went out – and at once the mice danced round the bread and salt. Russians say it when the boss, the teacher or the parents are away and everybody plays instead of working. In English: When the cat's away, the mice will play. 🐭 в дому́ is an old way of saying «в до́ме» – it rhymes with «по столу́». Gesture: shake your finger on «нет кота́», make your fingers dance on «игра́ют мы́ши». (Proverb page and mp3 to add.)

📖 Текст уро́ка · The text – open it only after you can say it without reading

Раз, два, три, четы́ре, пять! Вот па́льцы! Где моё кольцо́? – В ба́нке! Кольцо́ на па́льце! Вот хлеб. Вот соль. Хлеб и соль! Вот дверь. Мя́у! Пока́, коты́! Нет кота́! И нет кота́! Ой! Кто там? – Мышь! Мы́ши! Мы́ши на столе́! Мы́ши игра́ют! Мя́у! Сли́нки – молоде́ц! Ска́ффлз! Нет, нет, нет! Кот не на столе́! Брысь! Соль на полу́! – Р-р-р… А где мышь? – Вот мышь! Когда́ нет кота́ в дому́, игра́ют мы́ши по столу́. Молоде́ц! Пока́!

One, two, three, four, five! Here are my fingers! Where is my ring? – In the jar! The ring is on my finger! Here is bread. Here is salt. Bread and salt! Here is the door. Miaow! Bye, cats! No cat! And no cat! Oh! Who's there? – A mouse! Mice! Mice on the table! The mice are playing! Miaow! Slinky – well done! Scuffles! No, no, no! A cat doesn't go on the table! Shoo! The salt is on the floor! – Grrr… And where is the mouse? – Here is the mouse! When the cat's away, the mice will play. Well done! Bye!

💡 Пра́вило · Rule

Ь = soft sign: the letter before it is soft – стол / соль.
Ъ = hard sign: a tiny stop – подъе́зд, съел.
Neither of them has a sound of its own.
я игра́ю · ты игра́ешь – «ты» words end in -шь.
Every new word has two links: tap the word to hear it 🔊, tap the picture to open it in the dictionary 📖.

ударе́ние – stress – shows the syllable you say louder and longer, just like in English: LUN-dun (London), TEL-ih-fohn (telephone).

ЛО́НДОН – the stress is on the first syllable, as in English. But Russians say a real, round о: LON-d’n, not LUN-dun. The second о comes after the stress, so it is short and weak (like the a in sofa).
ТЕЛЕФО́Н – not like the English TEL-ih-fohn: the stress is on the last syllable: ti-li-FON (е without stress sounds like a short и). That is why we mark the stress.

The sign is only a help for learners. Russian books don't print it, and you don't write it.
🎯 Why does о sound like а?

😄 Для тех, кто говори́т по-англи́йски · For English speakers

МЫШЬ and mouse are very old relatives – the same root, thousands of years old (Latin mus). 🐭
ДВЕРЬ and door – old relatives too. 🚪
СОЛЬ – like salt, Latin sal. And Russians say: spill the salt – and there will be a quarrel! Look at Natasha and Scuffles. 🧂😾
Ь is not a b and Ъ is not a b with a hat – they are silent letters. 😄
When the cat's away, the mice will play – English and Russian tell the same story about the same animals.

🔬 Почему́ так · Why this way

A win in the first minute – yesterday's homework. Remembering yesterday's words without looking is one of the best-proven tools – 50 classroom experiments: Agarwal · Nunes · Blunt 2021.
15 minutes a day, not one long lesson. Short daily sessions beat one long one: 35 min × 6 days scored 83 vs 70 for one 3.5-hour lesson. Study with adults – Stoltzfus · Sukseemuang 2018; gaps of 1–4 days work best – Rogers · Nakata · Chiu 2025.
New letters, then real words at once. Learners who meet letters inside real words they can read straight away learn to read faster. Study with adults – Brennan · Booth 2015.
Heard for days, read today. «Ти́ше е́дешь…» was heard on День 1, «Ты меня́ лю́бишь?» on День 6, «Где моё кольцо́?» on День 8 – today you read them. A thing met again after a gap of days is remembered far better than the same thing met again at once (84 % vs 63 %, Wegener et al. 2023).
Fingers with the body. A word said with a matching gesture, made by the learner, stays in memory far longer. Study with adults – Macedonia · Knösche 2011 (Max Planck Institute, Leipzig). Watching the gesture helps almost as much as doing it – 7 studies, 309 adults – Oppici et al. 2023.
The action on the loud syllable. A hand beat on the stressed syllable helps adults pronounce new words. Studies with adults – Prieto's group, Barcelona.
A block before the rule. «я игра́ю – ты игра́ешь» is learned whole, like a song; the grammar inside comes much later (Wray 2002, formulaic language).
The proverb at the end of the story. Natasha says it once at the end of the video, where the story shows it; its explanation sits in Part 2, outside the core lesson – extras inside the core lower learning of the main thing (Mayer, seductive details). An idiom learned with its picture and story is remembered better than with a bare translation (Boers 2001).
The cat makes the mistakes. Nobody corrects the student. The student laughs and is never the one who is wrong.
Our own method. Natasha's Language Aerobics – tested for many years with her students.

📚 Но́вые слова́ · New words · 5

па́льцы кольцо́ дверь соль мышь

◀ День 12
Ёж в я́щике!

День 14 ▶
Ти́хо! Коты́ спят!

День 13 из 37: Мыши на столе!

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