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Tag Archives: useful Russian phrases

Oaks, fins, and hooves Posted by on Aug 16, 2021

some daisies

No, this is not a Russian bar or a metal band name, though last I checked it’s up for grabs. We are talking about more простонаро́дные фразеологи́змы о сме́рти (more informal idioms about death). So, today’s blog is an add-on to the one about death euphemisms and to the one about verbs that mean “to…

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Russian euphemisms about death Posted by on Jun 22, 2021

a woman in the woods

A lot of фразеологизмы (idioms) about ‘death’ in Russian rely on verbs of motion that depict a person leaving this life and world. The 5 euphemisms below all mean ‘to die’ but I will write the literal translation in parenthesis to make them easier to remember. My goal, though, is to not just help you…

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Russian grammar is fun Posted by on Feb 16, 2021

sarcasm

There is a fun Russian grammar post circulating online that’s said to have been compiled by the Associate Dean of Foreign Languages Faculty at Moscow State University, Alla Leonidovna Nazarenko. Most Russian speakers find the post funny, whimsical even, or at least curious. Today, we go over my favorites from her list. Brace yourselves for…

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Dear Ded Moroz: Writing letters in Russian Posted by on Dec 18, 2020

writing-wishes

Did you forget to write a letter to Santa for Christmas this year? I ‘ve got great news for you: Russian Grandfather Frost (Де́душка Моро́з) is still accepting mail (more on essential Russian words for New Year’s here). So, let’s practice letter writing in Russian together and get some wishes out into the universe. We…

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Russian phrases with numerals Posted by on Nov 24, 2020

alone

Since we’ve covered the difference between один and раз, it’s only apt to enrich our vocabulary with a few numeral-heavy Russian expressions and idioms. I will give both the literal translation (sometimes for the sake of curious imagery and other times for even more curious etymological reasons), as well as the actual idiomatic meaning and…

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Weird Russian Omens And Superstitions Posted by on Oct 20, 2020

Fingers Crossing

– Honey, you have been with me all through the bad times: when I was fired, my business failed, when we lost our home. When I was hospitalized, you also were there to support me. You know what?                                   …

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Easy-breezy Russian idioms with “wind” Posted by on Jun 10, 2020

magic hat

The Russian language is bountiful with idioms (фразеологи́змы) and there are a few particularly fun ones that use the word “ве́тер” (wind). Wind often symbolizes uncertainty, transition, and change. It also carries notions of emptiness and void since we cannot really catch it or hold onto it, but we can definitely feel its power…

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