How do you address a university teacher whose father's name you don't know?

Question

There is this Russian language teacher I knew way back, and took his classes. He's a bit of a stickler about forms of address. I expect to meet him again in person in a few months.

How do I address him - in Russian?

I know his first and last names, and his professional title (he's got a master's degree), but don't know his father's name. Local customs usually mandate referring to university teachers as 'professors' even if they aren't entitled to professorship, as a honorific - but I don't know if it's the same way in Russia.

Answer 1

A very natural pattern of speech is simply “Здравствуйте”, then making small talk using just “Вы” as necessary, then at some point something like “Скажите, пожалуйста, Александр — к сожалению, не помню Вашего отчества — …” — at which position he’s expected to speak it, you repeat the full name and continue with some question. A pause and a quizzical look are a substitute for the part between the dashes.

Also a Google and/or Yandex search for "Иван * Иванов" is likely to solve the problem by itself if the name and surname are rare enough.

Answer 2

1. You are not the only student the professor has, right? so just ask your peers.

2. That professor is not some stray bullet, he is a professor in some cafedra (кафедра) - a specific scientific branch within university. There usually is a list of all professors and docents there, sometimes there are plates with names on the doors, sometimes there are photos on the wall, etc.

3. Most universities have internet sites, and most of them have list of cafedras, their professors and their courses.

4. Universities have governments, sitting behind students and teachers. Dean (декан) or chancellor (ректор) would be a top official, and the administration would be деканат or ректорат. You are expected to visit them with any your beginning problem to amend it before it grows out of proportions. There would be some clerks there who are not your direct bosses - ones responsible for other student years or branches, just secretaries, etc. Come there and ask.

5. if NOTHING else help, you may talk with the professor and then stop after saying his name showing your confusion. ".....Иван эээ....". Showing your confusion and obviously asking for a prompt. If the professor is not a total jerk, he would usually suggest his middle name to you. But then do care to remember it, asking for it yet again would be like showing your incapability to learn :-D

Answer 3

Well, the full name of the professor is the main thing any Russian-speaking student must know ;-) BTW. There's a well-known Russian student joke about it.

But when you don't, simply try to omit any addressing as much as you can (by using simply "Вы"). And if you can't avoid it then... just ask what's his patronymic name.

Answer 4

"Извините пожалуйста, как вас по отчеству" or "извините пожалуйста, как к вам обращаться по отчеству" are quite idiomatic phrases to request unknown patronymic.

If you don't have an opportunity to request this information, you can just refer to someone, say, господин Николаев etc. or профессор Николаев or, even better, just "профессор".