The word класс can also be used in the sense of social classes социальные классы. These phrases were ubiquitous in Russian during the Soviet period because communist ideology framed its arguments in terms of social class. Among the classes defined by Karl Marx were:

Although Americans have heard the word bourgeoisie, we often have a fairly vague idea of what it means. Dictionary.com defines it thus: “(in Marxist theory) the class that, in contrast to the proletariat or wage-earning class, is primarily concerned with property values. ” (Can you say “American financial crisis”?)

Sample sentences:

The word класс can mean class in the sense of first class accomodations, second class seats, etc:

Although the noun form of класс can be used in this meaning, you probably find it more often in adectival forms like первоклассный:

I’m sure we have all had our moments, drinking at a party, when all of the people somehow keep managing to have a great time, but you feel so sick that you simply must leave… Hopefully, it happens at the end of the night after someone safely drops you off at home. Unfortunately, not all of us are always that lucky…

The magical feeling preceding the gross outcome, nausea, is called тошнота in Russian. Consequently, the verb for being nauseous is тошнить. Unlike in English, when you say, “I’m sick” or “I’m nauseous”, Russians say that something is being done to them.

The adverb тошно is also used to describe a feeling of nausea.

Just like in English, the verb тошнить can be used figuratively.

I remember the first time I went to San Diego. My friend and I drove all day and after checking into our hotel, we realized we were hungry. However, everything was closed except for a little convenient store down the street. We figured we could grab something small to eat before doing anything else. That was a rookie mistake: I can barely remember what happened to me for the next couple of days. I don’t remember the famous San Diego zoo because we never made it there. However, what I remember perfectly is the fastest way to get from the bed the bathroom and back crawling. It was the most awful food poisoning I have ever experienced. I wouldn’t wish that to my worst enemy.

The second meaning of класс is grade in the sense of first grade, second grade, third grade — in other words, the early years of school life. First grade begins at the age of seven for most Russians, and there are ten years of grade school, which essentially covers what we Americans think of as grade school, elementary school, junior high school, and high school, although the Russians start a year later and end a year earlier.

The Russians have a special word for boiled water which is кипяток. It is derived from the verb кипятить “to boil,” so etymologically кипяток means “boiled stuff.” Nowadays we Americans are convinced of the healthful benefits of water. We drink it from from the tap, from special spigots on refrigerators, from dopey coin-machines that charge us extra money for water delivered through the same distribution system as the water that flows into our kitchens and bathrooms, and from environmentally-assinine plastic bottles with designer names. Americans are so water-focused that we are stunned to learn that many Russians believe that drinking tap-water is unhealthy.

That's right: unhealthy. Truth to tell, city-wide distribution of clean water is a recent phenomenon in the history of man, and one that is not even consistent in the United States. Water quality in Russia still varies widely. As recently as 1997 one study reported a 95% incidence of giardiasis (nasty diarrheal disease) among travelers to St. Petersburg.¹ So when a Russian tells you that it's not a good idea to drink tap water, they are not passing on some quaint superstition, but rather a serious concern. For that reason, seasoned travelers to Russia often drink and brush their teeth in кипяток. Well... that's not quite right. Кипяток is water that is still boiling hot. Once it has cooled off, it is no longer кипяток. So experienced travelers drink and brush their teeth with water that was once кипяток. The noun has a fleeting vowel, so it declines like this:

Sample sentences:

¹ Ortega YR, Adam RD. Giardia: overview and update. Clin Infect Dis. 1997 Sep;25(3):545-9.