Tag Archives: Russian for beginners
Ways To Say Goodnight in Russian Posted by Nadya on May 10, 2021
Below I will share the most popular phrases that people say to each other exclusively right before going to bed. Of course, first of all, you should understand how close you are to the person to whom you are addressing. You probably won’t be talking to strangers on your way to your bedroom. But just…
Ways To Respond To Spasibo Posted by Nadya on Apr 20, 2021
You probably already know how to thank others in Russian. We discussed this topic earlier in this blog. But it’s equally important to know what to answer when someone thanks you. Today we will learn how to respond to words of gratitude. You Are Welcome First of all, I’ll start with the most known expression: Пожа́луйста!…
Russian phrases-homophones Posted by bota on Dec 4, 2020
You might have seen a post or a meme of the “good luck non-native speakers” nature before, and not necessarily about Russian grammar ( think of “Who’s on first” by Abbott and Costello). The internet is full of them and, frankly, some are a hoot and a half. But while I’m also guilty of “sharing”…
Should I use один or раз? Posted by bota on Nov 13, 2020
Ever wondered why some Russians count “one, two, three” as “оди́н, два́, три́…” while others say “ра́з, два́, три́…”? Why would there be two Russian words to say “one”? Here’s how to differentiate between the two if you’re a beginner Russian learner. “Ра́з, два́, три́” is really only used when counting orally, like when a…
Ordinal Numbers in Russian Posted by bota on Nov 2, 2020
На пе́рвый-второ́й рассчита́йсь! This phrase has got to be the only thing I remember from НВП classes in high school (Нача́льная Вое́нная Подгото́вка = basic military training). It’s part of the drill to assign either “first” or “second” to people in a line so that they can easily be divided into two groups for other…
What is “pознь”? Posted by bota on Oct 23, 2020
What if I told you there was a single word in Russian to help one convey that just because something is labeled X doesn’t mean that all things X are like the first thing X? The word in question is рознь and here’s how it works. You take a Russian noun, put it in the…
Examining a Russian spice rack. Part II Posted by bota on Aug 28, 2020
In the second part of examining a Russian spice rack, we will explore the most common спе́ции (spices) used in baking recipes across Russian households. At the end of the post is a playlist of Russian words to help you practice pronouncing them. For starters, let’s cover the most basic baking ingredients: Са́хар (Sugar) is…