# to take a class



## PatrickK1

Would that be "слушать курс"? Я о курсах в университете, кстати.


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## rusita preciosa

Depends on the context. Cлушать курс is one of many options.


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## PatrickK1

rusita preciosa said:


> Depends on the context. Cлушать курс is one of many options.



Well, how would it change based on context? I'm referring to being enrolled in a course in a university...one with lectures that span a semester.

Um...I guess you could put this into the context of "What courses are you taking this semester?"


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## Maroseika

"Слушать/прослушать курс" sounds a bit outdated or formal.
Какие предметы у вас в этом семестре?
Что вам будут читать в этом семестре?
Etc...


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## Anatoli

Other common options:
записаться на курс(ы) (enrol), пойти/ходить на курс(ы)

Even if it's one only class, it's common to say курс(ы) in plural in Russian.

Example: Я в последние годы ходил на курсы китайского и японского.

take a course! - запишись на курсы! (literally: enrol in a class)


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## Ptak

PatrickK1 said:


> Well, how would it change based on context?


Education systems in Russia and USA are quite different. We don't _take_ courses in the university. Every speciality has its own lectures programme for all five years. You can't say, "I'll take economics this semester" if you're, say, a philologist, and economics doesn't stand in your lectures programme.


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## Ptak

Anatoli said:


> Other common options:
> записаться на курс(ы) (enrol), пойти/ходить на курс(ы)
> 
> Even if it's one only class, it's common to say курс(ы) in plural in Russian.
> 
> Example: Я в последние годы ходил на курсы китайского и японского.
> 
> take a course! - запишись на курсы! (literally: enrol in a class)


This has nothing to do with university courses.


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## PatrickK1

Ptak said:


> Education systems in Russia and USA are quite different. We don't _take_ courses in the university. Every speciality has its own lectures programme for all five years. You can't say, "I'll take economics this semester" if you're, say, a philologist, and economics doesn't stand in your lectures programme.



Are you saying that within a faculty every student takes exactly the same courses? I'm pretty sure there are elective courses (допольнительные курсы)...

ie.
"I didn't take Course Y this year; I decided to take Course Z."


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## Ptak

PatrickK1 said:


> I'm pretty sure there are elective courses


But why are you sure? Did you study in a Russian university? I don't know about you, but I did, and I know what I'm saying.

Yes, within a faculty every student takes exactly the same courses, if they all have the same speciality. A faculty is a broad idea: at a philological faculty, there can be Germanists or those who specialize in Russian language and literature; they can have some different courses. But all Germanists take exactly the same courses, indeed; they actually don't "take" them - they *have* them. And a Germanist can't go to the Russian class and say, "you know, this semester I want to listen to this class". Or, rather, he can, but just as a friend of his classmates, and if the teacher doesn't mind, i.e. not oficially; *and*, _if it doesn't interfere him to visit his main lectures, ie. lectures of his Germanist programme._


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## cyanista

Ptak is right. This system was practiced in the Soviet times and has been kept at least in Russia and Belarus. Some universites may indeed offer "дополнительные курсы" for an extra charge, though. In this case Anatoli's answer suits perfectly.

I guess, speaking about an American or any other university offering elective courses I'd say выбрать курсы, записаться на курсы or similar.

You are welcome to discuss peculiriaties, advantages and disadvantages of different educational systems in the "Cultural discussions" forum.


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## PatrickK1

Ptak said:


> But why are you sure? Did you study in a Russian university? I don't know about you, but I did, and I know what I'm saying.



Yes, in fact, I did, and although I didn't study for a Russian degree, Russians do understand the concept of допольнительные курсы, even if their own universities don't offer them.  I just asked a friend since you all were being so difficult, and they said выбрать or взять would get the idea across fine.


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## Ptak

PatrickK1 said:


> Yes, in fact, I did, and although I didn't study for a Russian degree, Russians do understand the concept of допольнительные курсы, even if their own universities don't offer them.


Of course I, too, perfectly well understand the concept of допольнительные курсы. I just told you that it's not so in Russian universities, so we don't have a special expression for that (for courses _in a university_). When one says "пойти на курсы" in Russian, it means everything but not a university course, at least without a very presice context. But even in a university, such a course would only be extry paid. Moreover, absolutely not every university offers допольнительные курсы to its students.


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## vox05

Ptak said:


> But why are you sure? Did you study in a Russian university? I don't know about you, but I did, and I know what I'm saying.
> 
> Yes, within a faculty every student takes exactly the same courses, if they all have the same speciality.



There are for sure things named "Спецкурс по выбору". I can't remember now what wording we used in Russian to 'take' them, most likely it was 'ходить'. And they were not 'optional', so one must took required number of them.


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## Lady R.

vox05 said:


> There are for sure things named "Спецкурс по выбору". I can't remember now what wording we used in Russian to 'take' them, most likely it was 'ходить'. And they were not 'optional', so one must took required number of them.


 ходить на занятия (лекции) Gen., а вот "слушать курс", тем более "прослушать", еще ни чего не значит. (miss, not to catch what was said)


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## freevillage

OK, I was a student at Moscow State, and of course, there were a lot of electives particularly after the first two years. In Russian they are called "спецкурсы" and "спецсеминары". People are right that Russian higher education is much more rigid. However, to pretend like electives are some crazy exception is wrong. 

I agree though that the exact translation of "to take a class" would be context depending. A seemingly innocent 

— Ты учил высшую математику?
— Ну, я прослушал курс.

sounds to a Russian ear like the second person was barely present in the same building when numbers were mentioned, whereas something like

— Да, я сдал спецкурс

projects the idea that the guy had at least a related major, and took math quite seriously. This is precisely because different words may mean different things within the Russian education system.


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## Ptak

freevillage said:


> OK, I was a student at Moscow State, and of course, there were a lot of electives particularly after the first two years. In Russian they are called "спецкурсы" and "спецсеминары". ... However, to pretend like electives are some crazy exception is wrong.


You mean you were a student at Moscow State Unversity? МГУ? Ha ha ha... Yes, I believe that in this the most prestigious university in the whole country electives are not some crazy exception, and to pretend like they are in this university is wrong, indeed!
You know, I'd say МГУ is a separate state, and not a comon Russian university at all...


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## Dmitry_86

I graduated from Saint-Petersburg State University, now I am a postgraduate student (of another University) and I can say that in Russia in those universities that I know there are a number of subjects that are compulsory. The latter means that you have to take either exams or tests at the end of a term so that you receive assessment. Attending lectures is not obligatory as far as I know. Within a faculty there are also departments and each department has their own elective subjects that are taught not to everyone studying at this faculty but only to those who have chosen them. To clarify it let me give you an example: When I was, if I am not mistaken, a third-year student, we were offered to choose logic, pedagogics, and ethics. One of them. However, it was impossible that someone chose none. Any of three, it did not matter which, but definitely one of them. I call these courses elective. At the end we took an exam (an oral one) and got a final mark.


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## Dmitry_86

"Слушать курс", "Прослушать курс", "Сдать курс" are all absolutely fine. I am not going to classify these phrases as slangish or non-slangish. Anyway, to me they sound perfect and are used among lecturers as well. "Слушать курс" is "to attend lectures/classes". "Прослушать курс" is when a course has been finished no matter whether you have taken exams or not. It just confirms that you have been delivered all the lectures (better, all the lectures have been delivered to you) and now you are supposed to possess certain knowledge of a particular subject. "Сдать курс" is "to pass an exam" You can also say "Сдавать курс" which is "to take/sit(on) an exam".


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## Ptak

Dmitry_86 said:


> "Слушать курс", "Прослушать курс", "Сдать курс" are all absolutely fine.


...and absolutely out-dated.


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## Dmitry_86

Ptak said:


> ...and absolutely out-dated.



No, I disagree. What do you mean by "outdated"? You mean that they have become archaic and are practically no longer used? If so, this is not true. I have heard them thousands of times while studying and I continue hearing this today.


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## brainnolo

Usually, when talking about university courses, I hear them referred to as "пары" (singular is пара), I guess in reference to the fact that they are couple-hours long. Ходить на пары is what I hear most often.


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## freevillage

brainnolo said:


> [...] when talking about university courses, I hear them referred to as "пары" (singular is пара), I guess in reference to the fact that they are couple-hours long.[...]



Yes, they are two "academic hours" (45 minutes each) with a break in between.


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## Garbuz

PatrickK1 said:


> Would that be "слушать курс"? Я о курсах в университете, кстати.



The adequate translation would be prompted by context. 
E.g. I've always wanted to take a philosophy class. - Я всегда хотел записаться на курс по философии. 

However, this expression is hardly applicable when speaking about Russian college system for the reasons already mentioned.


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## Dmitry_86

brainnolo said:


> Usually, when talking about university courses, I hear them referred to as "пары" (singular is пара), I guess in reference to the fact that they are couple-hours long. Ходить на пары is what I hear most often.



Yes, "пара" is used to mean to a lecture at university. "пара" is the singular, "пары" is the plural. The word "пара" is slangish. It means the whole lecture, which usually lasts nearly an hour and a half. Most often every lecture has break lasting from five to ten minutes. When I was studying at University, our chancellor made a decision to lengthen lectures by 5 minutes because previously these 5 minutes had been occupied by breaks.


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