There's a famous Monty Python sketch where a dastardly writer is sued for creating a wildly misleading phrasebook. Tourists had found themselves asking highly unsuitable questions when all they were really after were directions to the train station. We assure you that all the words below are absolutely genuine, and unless a virus has got into the system, nothing unseemly is included below. Trust us - you'll be speaking Lithuanian in the blink of an eye!
Kavine - Cafe
Kava - Coffee
Arbata - Tea
Vanduo - Water
Sultys - Juice
Vynas - Wine
Alus - Beer
Stotele - Station
Traukynas - Train
Vaistine - Chemists
Below you'll find a few of the most basic words to get you started. It's true that English is now widely understood in Vilnius, but the locals will always be delighted to hear you have a bash at their own language. The older generation was of course obliged to learn Russian, but it's not the favourite language with the locals, as it brings back bleak memories. Similarly, you can often make yourself understood in Polish, but you'll be most popular by trying you're luck in the local tongue.