Archives for: July 2010, 19
Пакет
July 19th, 2010 by DonThe Russian word for a plastic bag, like the kind you get in a grocery store to hold your groceries, is пакет. It's a completely regular noun. In many American grocery stores the cost of the bag is included in the price of the food, and the cashier and bagger will automatically bag the food for you. Not so in Russia. Usually the cashier will ask you something like:
| Пакет нужен? | Do you need a bag? |
To which you may respond
| Да, пожалуйста. | Yes, please. |
or
| Нет, не нужен. | No, I don't. |
and then you bag the groceries yourself. Since they actually have to pay for a plastic bag every time they get one, the Russians are much more careful with them than Americans are. If you are about to go to the grocery store, you pack a few plastic bags in your purse or pocket. I've been in Kazan over a month now, and I can tell you that anytime I go out of the house, I make sure I have at least one plastic bag neatly folded in my briefcase or back pocket just in case I have to buy something on the way.
Here are some sample sentences:
| — Что у тебя в пакете? — Водка, пиво и копчёная рыба. |
"What do you have in the bag?" "Vodka, beer, and smoked fish." |
| Я всегда ношу с собой два-три пакета на случай, если надо будет что-то купить. | I always carry two or three plastic bags with me just in case I have to buy something. |
| Из пакета мама вынула торт «Птичье молоко». | Mama took a Bird's Milk Cake out of the bag. |
| Потеряв палец или стопу, упакуй её в двойной пакет. (adapted from here) | If you lose a toe or a foot, pack it in a double plastic bag. |
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