Learning Russian in Kiev

[Spider]

Hello

I am hoping to visit Kiev for a few months and I am quite excited about the idea of learning Russian.

It is a language I started to learn a few years ago, but have forgotten just about everything now.

I am writing to ask if it would be regarded as an insult to the average Ukranian if, for example, I were to ask - at sometime in the future and when I feel confident enough - someone in the street 'Have you got the right time?', or 'Could you tell me the way to the nearest Post Office?', etc. Would the person I asked be insulted that I was living in his/her country, and not bothered to learn Ukranian?

Cheers!

Spider

[SweetNovember]

No, people wll have difficult time understanding you if you try to speak Ukrainian. Broken Ukrainian is just something our ears can't take. It's like like listening to a non-native English speaker trying to speak with a drawl.

[Spider]

Sorry, what I meant was this: is it preferable to speak poor Ukranian (that is, poor, but having made the effort), or poor Russian (having made no effort with Ukranian)?

Thanks

[SweetNovember]

Depends on what you are going to do and what type of people you will meet. I personally prefer when foreigners try to speak Russian -they never get it right with Ukrainian (cause they most likely end up in a Russian-speaking environment) and it's very hard to understand them. It's a different thing if it's your cultural heritage or something and if you are going to be based in Western Ukraine.

[SweetNovember]

The choice of the language is really a matter of practicality, not of political correctness if that's what you were asking

[Spider]

Hello SweetNovember

Again, many thanks for your message. I have only posted 4 messages here and yet you have kindly responded to them all (and quickly!). I'm very grateful.

Now, where did I put those 'Learn Russian' books.......?

Best wishes

Spider

[Spider]

Hello Kathy

Thanks for your post. I didn't know that most kievans spoke Russian. I thought it might be like a Basque thing where they resist a language that is imposed on them (in their case, Spanish), but hanks for shedding light on that.

So, with Russian I should be safe (on the whole). Now it's a simple question of trying to learn it!

Thanks again

Spider