Archive for July, 2015
What Is Better: Beating Around the Bush or Pulling a Cat by Its Tail? Posted by Jenya on Jul 29, 2015
The short answer is neither because the expressions are synonymous. If you are pulling a cat by its tail in Russia you are, in many cases, simply beating around the bush. Set expressions in any foreign language can frequently leave you baffled and confused. I remember my first encounter with the saying “thinking outside…
Describe Your Trip in Russian: The Beach Posted by Maria on Jul 27, 2015
Last time we talked about exploring Old Town attractions in Russian. This time, let us go to the beach (на пляж)! This is a popular destination for people around the world, and you may hear Russian speaking on one of the beaches. Amenities First, what are some of the things you find at a…
The Curious Case of Russian Prefix “Without” Posted by Jenya on Jul 22, 2015
You might have noticed that some nonnative English speakers (myself included) have a way of “inventing” new words. They might say things like “unproper” instead of “improper” or “misagreement” instead of “disagreement,” etc. The abovementioned prefixes all have a similar meaning, a meaning that points to the opposite of the word they are attached to…
Describe Your Trip in Russian: Old Town Posted by Maria on Jul 20, 2015
A lot of our readers may be traveling this summer. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to talk about your trip in Russian or ask for specific travel advice while you’re on the road? In this post, we will concentrate on the “old town” environment (ста́рый го́род) and all it’s got to offer…
Where Do People Speak Russian? Posted by Jenya on Jul 15, 2015
You are learning to speak Russian and that is great! The challenges are many but the “juice will be worth the squeeze.” One question that some people are particularly curious about is this: where will I get a chance to speak it once I am comfortable doing so? Would you spend years of your life…
Writing a Formal Letter in Russian Posted by Maria on Jul 13, 2015
Perhaps some of our readers are learning Russian for more than personal enrichment. Some may want to study, work, or do business in Russia. If that’s the case, you need more that a few conversational phrases, and being familiar with and being able to write a business letter (делово́е письмо́) may come in handy…
Income Disparity: Alive and Well in Russia Posted by Jenya on Jul 8, 2015
Recently I came across an article in Forbes magazine ranking the wealthiest people in the world. It is always interesting to compare myself to them – I mean, after all, I write a blog that pays me pretty well. It is always with great surprise that I read this annual list and cannot count myself among…