Russian Education Vocabulary

What is the usual Russian word for K–12 “school”?

школа

Which Russian nouns are used for “university / institute” as institutions?

университет; институт

Which Russian words mean “teacher” in a school (K–12)?

учитель (м.), учительница (ж.)

Which Russian words mean “teacher/instructor/professor” at university level?

преподаватель, преподавательница; профессор

How do you say “pupil / school student” in Russian (2 main options)?

ученик / ученица; школьник / школьница

How do you say “university student” in Russian?

студент / студентка

What is a “магистрант / магистрантка”?

graduate student in a master’s program

What is an “аспирант / аспирантка”?

PhD student / graduate student working on a candidate degree

What does “однокурсник / однокурсница” mean?

classmate in the same year at university (same курс)

What does “одногруппник / одногруппница” mean?

classmate in the same group/section at university (same учебная группа)

What words are used for “classroom” in school and in university?

в школе: класс; в университете: аудитория

Which word means “(school) lesson, class period,” and how do you say “in class” (at school - not uni)?

урок; на уроке

Which word is used for “class session; class(es)” at university, and how do you say “in class”?

занятие; на занятии; (plural) занятия, на занятиях

Which Russian words name the university class types “lecture” and “seminar”?

лекция; семинар

How do you ask a pupil “What grade are you in?” in Russian?

В каком классе вы учитесь?

How do you ask a student “What year are you in (at university)?” in Russian?

На каком курсе вы учитесь?

What nouns are used for “year in school” vs “year in university”?

School uses класс (первый класс, второй класс, …).
University uses курс (первый курс, второй курс, …).

Which ONE Russian verb is primarily used for “to be a student, to study at a place / in a program”?

учиться

With what questions do you use “учиться” when talking about where and how you study?

учиться где? (в школе, в университете); на каком курсе?; как? (хорошо, плохо и т.д.)

Which “study” verb would you use to talk about where and how you study (I am a student somewhere)?

учиться

Translate to Russian: “I am a student at the University of Virginia.”

Я учусь в Университете Вирджинии.

Translate to Russian: “I am in my first/second/third/fourth year of study.”

Я на первом / втором / третьем / четвёртом курсе.

Translate to Russian: “I am a good student (I study well).”

Я хорошо учусь.

Which verb pair means “to study (a subject/field) seriously / in depth,” and which case does it take?

изучать / изучить + винительный падеж (что?)

Which “study” verb would you use when you talk about studying a subject/field?

изучать

Give a Russian example: “At university I study Russian and history.”

В университете я изучаю русский язык и историю.

Which verb is used for doing school-related work / homework every day?

заниматься (чем? — творительный падеж)

Which “study” verb would you use when talking about doing school-related work every day?

заниматься

Give a Russian example: “Every day I study Russian for two hours.”

Я каждый день занимаюсь русским языком два часа.

Which verb pair is used when talking about getting ready / studying for an exam?

готовиться / подготовиться к + дательный падеж (к экзамену, к тесту и т.д.)

Give a Russian example: “This week I am studying (getting ready) for the physics exam.”

На этой неделе я готовлюсь к экзамену по физике.

Which verb pair is used when talking about taking / passing an exam?

сдавать / сдать экзамен (по + дательный)

Give a Russian example: “We are taking a Russian exam on Thursday.”

Мы сдаём экзамен по русскому языку в четверг.

Which verb pair often means “to study, to memorize (words, rules)” and what case does it take?

учить / выучить + винительный падеж (что? — слова, правило, стихотворение)

Give a Russian example: “I have to memorize twenty new words.”

Мне нужно выучить двадцать новых слов.

Which verb pair means “to teach someone something,” and which cases go with person and subject?

учить / научить: кого? (В.п.) чему? (Д.п.) или инфинитиву (учить ребёнка читать)

Give a Russian example: “My mom teaches me to cook.”

Мама учит меня готовить.

Which verb pair is specifically used for teaching at the university level, and what is its governance?

преподавать / преподать: преподавать что? (винительный) кому? (дательный)

Which verb phrase means “to take a course in X” at university?

слушать курс по + дательный (слушать курс по русскому языку)

Which verb phrase can you use for taking less formal private lessons (music, dance, etc.)?

брать / взять уроки (музыки, танцев и т.д.)

List at least four Russian verbs that can translate English “to study,” depending on context.

учиться; изучать; заниматься; учить / выучить; готовиться (к экзамену)

Which prepositional phrases express “in school” and “at university” when talking about where you study?

в школе; в университете

Give a Russian example: “I study well in school.”

Я хорошо учусь в школе.

Give a Russian example: “I study at a big American state university in my second year.”

Я учусь в большом американском государственном университете на втором курсе.