на ру́сском vs по-ру́сски

na russkom vs po-russki — in Russian (context) vs in Russian (manner)

What it really means

На ру́сском is на + the prepositional form of ру́сский and treats Russian as a language, medium, or version. It is natural for texts, signs, menus, interfaces, and conversations framed as being conducted in a particular language: письмо на ру́сском, разговор на ру́сском. It can sound slightly more contextual or descriptive.

По-ру́сски is an adverb meaning “in Russian” as the manner of speaking, writing, or understanding. It is especially common with language skills and speech verbs: говорить по-ру́сски. The two often overlap, but на ру́сском highlights the language medium or content, while по-ру́сски highlights how an action is performed.

Examples in natural speech

Инструкция написана на ру́сском.
The instructions are written in Russian.
Давайте продолжим разговор на ру́сском.
Let’s continue the conversation in Russian.
Она хорошо говорит по-ру́сски.
She speaks Russian well.
Как сказать это по-ру́сски?
How do you say this in Russian?
На сайте можно читать новости на ру́сском и по-английски.
On the site, you can read news in Russian and in English.

Common mistakes

Do not write по русский in the standard form: the adverb is hyphenated, по-ру́сски. Do not assume the forms are mutually exclusive; говорить на ру́сском is also possible, especially when emphasizing the language of the conversation. Use на ру́сском for a noun such as текст, меню, or разговор, and по-ру́сски for manner with говорить, читать, or писать.

Memory tip

На ру́сском frames Russian as the medium; по-ру́сски frames it as the manner.

Frequently asked questions

Which form should I use with говорить?

Говорить по-ру́сски is the most direct “speak Russian,” while говорить на ру́сском is also correct when emphasizing the language used in a conversation.

Which form should I use with текст?

Use текст на ру́сском: a text is written in a language, rather than performing an action in a manner.

Why is по-ру́сски hyphenated?

Adverbs formed with по- and a language adjective commonly use a hyphen: по-ру́сски, по-а́нглийски, по-францу́зски.

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