Kilo Lingo
Russian grammar Part of Chapter 3

CEFR A1-B1

5 min read

Test yourself (17 questions)

Russian Filler Words: ну, вот, значит, короче and же

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 21 October 2026

Russians fill their speech with small words that carry no facts and a lot of tone. buys time, draws a conclusion, changes the subject and adds I told you so. Learn the set below and you will follow real conversations, not just textbook ones.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Which particle fits?

  1. Where on earth is he? Где он?

  2. Here's my house. мой дом.

  3. It's Saturday, after all! сегодня суббота!

The whole set on one screen

Read the first column: every connector does one of eight jobs.

JobWordsExample
Buying time, -, , . - Well, I don't know.
Starting, organising, , , ? - Right, what's on today?
Getting attention, , , ? - Listen, got a minute?
Reacting, , , , ! ? - No way! Really?
Moving on, , , Го́ша? - By the way, where's Gosha?
Adding a tone, ! - I told you!
Explaining, , . - Tomorrow, I mean Saturday.
Hedging, , , . - He's at home, I think.

Russians call the most casual of these -паразиты, parasite words: , and above all. Everyone uses them, and teachers mark them down. Recognise them all, and save the parasites for friends.

Starting and buying time: ну, так, значит, вот

WordWhat it doesExample
well; come on, ! - Come on, then!
right: takes charge, , . - Right, that's it, let's go.
so: formal, sums up, . - So, let's begin.
so, that means, ? - So you're not coming?
here is; there you go . - Here's my house.
listen (to a friend), ? - Listen, where are you?
look (to a friend), ! - Look, there he is!
the thingy: hunting for a word ... . - Give me the, er, pen.
-um, er , -, Ми́ша. - My name is, um, Misha.

and are ordinary commands (listen, look). To someone you call , say and .

is the most flexible of the lot. It points ( ! - There he is!), agrees ( ! - Exactly!) and fills a pause in a story (, ... - So, and then...).

Reacting: ладно, ага, да ладно

WordWhat it doesExample
OK, fine: agrees, often reluctantly, . - OK, go on then.
uh-huh, yeah ? . - You at home? Yeah.
mm-hm, said with the mouth shut? . - Got it? Mm-hm.
no way, come off it! ? - No way! Seriously?
?really?? ? - Really? Today?
oh!, oops, ! - Oops, sorry!

is the trap in this group. Said flatly, it agrees (well, yes); said with a smirk, it means yeah, right. Only the voice tells you which.

Same words, new tone: же and ведь

and are particles: they add the speaker's attitude, roughly you know or after all, and they are never stressed. comes straight after the word it leans on. can open the sentence.

the particleWhat do the colours mean?
ParticleWhere it goesExample
after the stressed word ! - I told you!
in a question ? - Where on earth is he?
recognising someone Го́ша! - Hey, it's Gosha!
first, or second ! - It's Saturday, after all!
a reminder . - You know that, don't you?
NeutralInsistent
  1. Я говорил.I said so
  2. Я ведь говорил.I did say so, you know
  3. Я же говорил!I told you so!

reminds; can sound impatient. That is why ! is the Russian I told you so.

Moving on: кстати, в общем, короче

WordWhat it doesExample
by the way, ? - By the way, got any bread?
anyway, in short: neutral, . - Anyway, all's well.
long story short: casual, . - Long story short, the train left.
actually: corrects someone, . - Actually, that's my chair.
that is, I mean , . - On Saturday, I mean tomorrow.
actually, exactly , , ? - So what actually happened?

In writing, most of these words are cut off with commas: , Го́ша? ( takes a comma only before it). The particles and never are, and nor are the hedges below.

Hedging: типа, как бы, вроде

WordWhat it doesExample
I think, it seems . - He's at home, I think.
just . - I was just asking.
sort of, kind of . - I'm sort of OK with it.
like: very casual . - He's, like, busy.

and are fine anywhere. and are what a teenager says three times a sentence, and what an examiner hears as nerves.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
! ! never starts a sentence
? .. agrees to a plan; it is not I'm fine
Го́ша?, Го́ша?introductory words take a comma
in an essay or is for friends

What to do next

  1. Start answers with , instead of um.
  2. Agree with and , disbelieve with .
  3. Add to the next thing you have already told someone twice.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/6

What is each word doing in a conversation?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/3

Which particle fits?

  1. Where on earth is he? Где он?

  2. Here's my house. мой дом.

  3. It's Saturday, after all! сегодня суббота!

Spot the mistake

0/2

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

Complete the story

0/4

Choose the word that fits each gap.

On the phone

, ты где? Дома. , ты не придёшь? Ну , приду. , у тебя есть хлеб?

Gap 1 of 4

Put the words in order

0/2

Put the words in order.

  1. I told you so!

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. By the way, where's Gosha?

    Your sentence is empty.

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Frequently asked questions

What does mean in Russian?
is the all-purpose well. It starts an answer (, . - Well, I don't know), hurries someone along (, ! - Come on!) and, in , means yeah, right. It is one of the commonest fillers in the language, and nobody will mark you down for it.
What is the difference between and ?
Both mean roughly after all or you know. never starts a sentence: it comes straight after the word it stresses ( ! - I told you!). usually opens the sentence or comes second ( ! - It's Saturday, after all!). also sharpens questions: ? - Where on earth is he?
Is rude in Russian?
Not rude, but very casual. means long story short, and it is one of the words Russians call -паразиты, parasite words, along with , and . Use it with friends; in an exam or an essay say or instead ( is fine in speech and an informal letter).
How do you say by the way in Russian?
, followed by a comma in writing: , Го́ша? - By the way, where's Gosha? It changes the subject, or adds something you have just remembered.
What does mean?
! is no way! or come off it!, said when you do not quite believe what you have heard. On its own, means OK, fine, often a little reluctantly: , . - OK, go on then.