День 9 из 37: Руки, ноги, лапы и коты!
📚 Слова́ дня · Words of the day: 11 – мой, ты, мы, у́хо, хлеб, сыр, and the first more than one words: ру́ки, но́ги, ла́пы, коты́, столы́.
🔤 Бу́квы дня · Letters of the day: 3 – Ы Й Х. Careful: Х is not an x!
⏱ Part 1 = 15 minutes – everybody finishes it. Part 2 = more, only if you want. · 🗺️ All days
Stand up! Yesterday's homework: hide a ring (or a coin) and find it: «Где кольцо́? – В су́мке!» – «Вот кольцо́!» 💍
You remembered it – that is your first win today. Yesterday everything was one: one ring, one nose. Today you meet more than one: two hands, two feet – and two cats! 👐🐈🐈
- Don't read anything yet. Watch Natasha's hands and feet – and the cats' paws. Listen to the end of the words: ру́ки, но́ги, ла́пы, коты́. 👂
- Tap the words above to hear them.
Say every word aloud and show it – the gesture is under the picture. The movement falls on the loud syllable: РУ́-ки – show both hands on РУ; НО́-ги – stamp both feet on НО; ко-ТЫ́ – stroke two cats on ТЫ.
Tap a word or its picture – the dictionary opens. 🔊 = listen (when Natasha has recorded it).
🧠 Today one word becomes many: рука́ → ру́ки, нога́ → но́ги, ла́па → ла́пы, кот → коты́, стол → столы́. Listen to the end: -и or -ы. And the loud syllable can jump: ру-КА́ → РУ́-ки! 😄
👐 More than one:
🙆 Me, you, us:
🍞 On the table:
- ты = you – to a friend, a child, a cat. To a stranger Russians say вы. Natasha says ты to the cats. 🐈
- A cat has ла́пы (or но́ги) – never ру́ки! 🐾
- Ы looks like two letters, but it is one sound – a Russian sound English does not have: say и, then pull your tongue back. МЫ, ТЫ, СЫР. (More in the Звук дня below.) 😮
- Й is И with a little hat – a short y as in boy: МОЙ = moy. 🎩
- Х looks like an x – but says kh, like ch in Scottish loch or German Bach: ХЛЕБ = khlyep, never "xleb"! 🍞
- Small letters: ы й х – the same shapes, only smaller.
- Now you know twenty-two letters: А К М О Т Е Р С В Н У И Л Д Б П Г З Ф Ы Й Х. Read today's words: МОЙ, ТЫ, МЫ, У́ХО, ХЛЕБ, СЫР, РУ́КИ, НО́ГИ, ЛА́ПЫ, КОТЫ́, СТОЛЫ́ – all of them! And yesterday's мой нос – now you read it: МОЙ НОС! 🎉
- ✍️ Пиши́те! Write them by hand: Х (Ы and Й – no page yet) – how each letter is written, and a sheet to print.
👂 Listen first. Then try to read it – you know almost every letter. Show the number with your fingers: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4. ☝️✌️🤟
- Ната́ша: Оди́н кот. ☝️ Два кота́. ✌️ Три кота́. 🤟
Ска́ффлз: Оди́н кот – я! Сли́нки – нет! — Ната́ша: Нет! Два кота́! 🐈🐈- Ната́ша: Одна́ нога́ – две ноги́. 🦶🦶 Одна́ рука́ – две руки́. 👐
Сли́нки: Одна́ ла́па, две ла́пы, три ла́пы, четы́ре ла́пы! 🐾 — Ната́ша: Да! Так! У кота́ четы́ре ла́пы.- Ска́ффлз: Одна́ ла́па, две ла́па! — Ната́ша: Нет! Две ла́пы! — Ска́ффлз: Р-р-р… 😼
- Ната́ша: У меня́ две ноги́. У Ри́чарда две ноги́.
- Ри́чард 👋: А у стола́ четы́ре но́жки! 🪑 — Ната́ша: Да, Ри́чард. Молоде́ц!
And you? Count on your fingers: «Оди́н кот, два кота́» · «Одна́ нога́, две ноги́» – aloud, or just in your head. Both count. 😊 🌱 The seed of the day: after два / две, три and четы́ре the word changes its end: кот → два кота́, нога́ → две ноги́, ла́па → две ла́пы. Оди́н goes with an он-word (оди́н кот – like мой нос), одна́ with an она́-word (одна́ нога́ – like моя́ рука́). Scuffles forgets the ending – Natasha says «Нет!». Listen: две ноги́ – but «Вот но́ги!» The loud syllable moves. Just listen and copy – the rules come later. (четы́ре, меня́, но́жки, Ри́чарда – heard only: Ч, Я, Ж come later.)
Say the story aloud, with the actions. Then play: do the action – say the word. Mix them up!
Вот рука́. И вот рука́. Ру́ки! 👐
Вот нога́. И вот нога́. Но́ги! 🦶🦶
Вот кот. И вот кот. Коты́! 🐈🐈
Коты́, вот э́то ла́пы! 🐾
Вот у́хо. 👂
Вот стол. И вот стол. Столы́! 🍽️
Хлеб на столе́. Сыр на столе́. 🍞🧀
Ты – Сли́нки. Ты – Ска́ффлз. Мы до́ма! 🏠
Кольцо́ – в ба́нку! 💍
Хлеб и сыр. Хлеб и сыр. Вот! 🥪
Где сыр? – Под столо́м! Мой сыр! Брысь! 😼
👂 listen – say it only if you like: Глаза́ боя́тся, а ру́ки де́лают. 👀👐
- Show and say: Вот ру́ки! Вот но́ги! 👐🦶
- Touch your ear: Вот у́хо. 👂
- Put bread and cheese on the table (or two pictures): Вот хлеб. Вот сыр. 🍞🧀
- Point at a friend, or your cat: Ты – … (the name). Then arms round you both: Мы до́ма! 🏠
- Have a cat? Show her paws: Вот ла́пы! 🐾 No cat? Your hands are paws today. 😄
- Speaking is optional – listening and doing count too.
Can you do it without the video? – Молоде́ц! Go to the tap quiz.
Guess, then tap. A wrong tap is not a mistake – it is a guess. 😊
Хорошо́! Молоде́ц! Two small things left – two minutes.
Ы is the Russian sound English does not have. Three ways to find it:
- Say и – and pull your tongue back, as if somebody gave you a little push in the tummy. 😮
- Or: say у – and stop rounding your lips (smile a little), the tongue stays back.
- Now say: мы, ты, сыр, ры́ба, мы́ло, столы́, коты́, ла́пы.
- And hear the difference: мы – ми́ска · ты – ти́хо · сыр – Сли́нки. Ы lives far back, И lives at the front.
- 30 seconds, every day. The tongue is a muscle – this is aerobics. 💪
Tomorrow morning, clap and stamp once: «Ру́ки – хлоп-хлоп! Но́ги – топ-топ!» – then show them: «Вот ру́ки! Вот но́ги!» 👐🦶
That is the first minute of День 10. You already know it – so День 10 starts with a win.
«Хло́пайте! То́пайте!» – clap with your hands, stamp with your feet. The idea of If You're Happy and You Know It, our own words. 👂 Listen and play – you don't need to read it (but today you can read almost all of it!).
| Say | Do |
|---|---|
| Ру́ки! | show both hands on РУ |
| Хло́пайте! | clap once on ХЛО |
| Хлоп-хлоп! | clap twice |
| Но́ги! | point at your feet on НО |
| То́пайте! | stamp once on ТО |
| Топ-топ! | stamp twice |
| Ла́пы! | hands up like a cat's paws on ЛА |
| Мя́у! | a cat face – and a little scratch in the air 🐾 |
| Ру́ки – хлоп-хлоп! Но́ги – топ-топ! | clap, then stamp – faster! |
| Мы – молодцы́! | both thumbs up on ЦЫ 🎉 |
- 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 7–8: голова́ 🙆 · глаз 👁️ · газе́та 📰 · кольцо́ 💍. Careful – рука́ (one) and ру́ки (two): for «рука́» push one arm into a sleeve, for «ру́ки» show both hands!
Remembering a word from the gesture works better than reading it again. «Мы – молодцы́!» = We did well! – молодцы́ is молоде́ц for more than one (heard only: Ц comes later).
Only the twenty-two letters you know: А К М О Т Е Р С В Н У И Л Д Б П Г З Ф + Ы Й Х. Read the word aloud, then tap it to check.
🙋 МОЙ · ТЫ · МЫ · У́ХО · ХЛЕБ · СЫР
👐 РУ́КИ · НО́ГИ · ЛА́ПЫ · КОТЫ́ · СТОЛЫ́
🐟 РЫ́БА · МЫ́ЛО · СЫН · МУ́ХА · ХВОСТ · МАЙ · ТИ́ХО
Now whole sentences:
ВОТ РУ́КИ! ВОТ НО́ГИ! · МОЙ НОС. · МЫ ДО́МА. · ТЫ – СЛИ́НКИ. ТЫ – СКА́ФФЛЗ. · ХЛЕБ НА СТОЛЕ́. · СЫР ПОД СТОЛО́М! · МОЙ СЫР! · ОДИ́Н КОТ, ДВА КОТА́, ТРИ КОТА́. · ХЛО́ПАЙТЕ! ТО́ПАЙТЕ!
- Write three words in big letters: МЫ, МОЙ, ХЛЕБ. Is your Ы one letter with two parts? Does your Й have its little hat? Is your Х a kh, not an x? ✏️
The eyes are afraid, but the hands do it.
A big job looks scary – a whole loaf, a whole cheese, so many sandwiches! Natasha covers her eyes: «Ой!» Then her hands start – and the job gets done. Russians say it when something looks too big to begin: just start, and your hands will do it. Learning Russian too! 👀👐 Gesture: hands over your eyes on «глаза́ боя́тся», hands working on «ру́ки де́лают».
🔊 Sound, meaning, word by word: tap the proverb – it opens its own page.
Вот рука́. И вот рука́. Ру́ки! Хлоп! Вот нога́. И вот нога́. Но́ги! Топ! Вот кот. И вот кот. Коты́! – Р-р-р… Коты́, вот э́то ла́пы. Э́то ла́почки – таки́е ла́почки! Коты́, а не та́почки! Вот у́хо. Вот стол. И вот стол. Столы́! Хлеб на столе́. Сыр на столе́. Ты – Сли́нки. Ты – Ска́ффлз. Мы до́ма! Вот моё кольцо́. Кольцо́ – в ба́нку! Ой! Хлеб… сыр… хлеб… Ру́ки – вот так! Хлеб и сыр. Хлеб и сыр. Вот! Где сыр? Ска́ффлз! Нет, нет, нет! Мой сыр! Брысь! – Р-р-р… Где кольцо́? – В ба́нке! Да! Сли́нки – молоде́ц! Глаза́ боя́тся, а ру́ки де́лают. Молоде́ц! Пока́!
Here is a hand. And here is a hand. Hands! Clap! Here is a foot. And here is a foot. Feet! Stamp! Here is a cat. And here is a cat. Cats! – Grrr… Cats, these are paws. Little paws – such sweet little paws! Cats, not slippers! Here is an ear. Here is a table. And here is a table. Tables! Bread on the table. Cheese on the table. You are Slinky. You are Scuffles. We are at home! Here is my ring. The ring goes into the jar! Oh! Bread… cheese… bread… Hands – like this! Bread and cheese. Bread and cheese. There! Where is the cheese? Scuffles! No, no, no! My cheese! Shoo! – Grrr… Where is the ring? – In the jar! Yes! Slinky, well done! The eyes are afraid, but the hands do it. Well done! Bye!
- Ы = a new sound (tongue back), Й = short y (мой = moy), Х = kh (not x!).
- More than one: most words get -ы: стол → столы́, кот → коты́, ла́па → ла́пы. After к and г it is -и: рука́ → ру́ки, нога́ → но́ги. Just copy Natasha – the rule comes later.
- The loud syllable can jump: ру-КА́ → РУ́-ки, но-ГА́ → НО́-ги.
- ты = you (a friend, a child, a cat) · мы = we · мой = my.
- Tap a new word or its picture – the dictionary opens 📖. Tap 🔊 to hear it.
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.
🎯 Why does о sound like а?
ХЛЕБ and English loaf are old relatives: both come from an old Germanic word hlaifs. Say it: хлеб – loaf! 🍞
Х is never an x: ХЛЕБ is not "xleb", СЫР is not "cup"! 😄
ла́почка = a little paw – and Russians also call a sweet person «ла́почка» (sweetie). Natasha's rhyme: ла́почки – та́почки (paws – slippers). 🐾🥿
ХЛО́ПАЙТЕ! – even the word sounds like a clap. 👏
🔬 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.
- One and one make many. «Вот рука́. И вот рука́. Ру́ки!» – you see the meaning with your own hands, no grammar words needed. 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 helps too. Watching the gesture helps almost as much as doing it, so the video works even before you move. 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 – important today, when the stress jumps (рука́ → ру́ки). Studies with adults – Prieto's group, Barcelona.
- Х gets a warning. Russian letters that look like English ones but sound different (Х like x) are the ones English speakers misread; a warning alone does not fix it – practice does, so Х is in every reading row. Study with adults – Showalter 2020.
- A block before the rule. «Два кота́» is learned whole, like a song; the grammar inside comes much later. Learners pick up such ready-made blocks whole (Wray 2002, formulaic language).
- Words come back. рука́, нога́, ла́па (День 4, 7), кот (День 2), стол (День 5), мой (День 8), ба́нка, кольцо́ come back in a new form or a new place. A word met four times over several days is remembered far better than four times in a row (84 % vs 63 %, Wegener et al. 2023).
- The proverb is heard first, then read. 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.
- Videos needed
- Russian мой
- Russian ты
- Russian мы
- Russian ухо
- Russian хлеб
- Russian сыр
- Russian рука
- Russian нога
- Russian лапа
- Russian кот
- Russian стол
- Russian один
- Russian два
- Russian три
- Russian четыре
- Russian ножка
- Russian хлопать
- Russian топать
- Russian молодец
- Russian рыба
- Russian мыло
- Russian сын
- Russian муха
- Russian хвост
- Russian май
- Russian тихо
- Russian глаз
- Russian бояться
- Russian делать
- Russian кольцо
- Russian банка
- Russian дома
- Russian нос
- Russian под
- Russian на
- Russian в
- Russian нет
- Russian вот