Do svidaniya, leto, do svidaniya! and Two Singers You Should Know About Posted by ryan on Sep 24, 2021
Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels In many parts of the world, we say до свида́нья to summer on September 22, the date of the осе́ннее равноде́нствие [autumn equinox – from the words ра́вный equal and де́нь day], but did you know that Russians actually have a calendar understanding of the seasons? What does that mean? В Росси́и…
What date is it today? Posted by bota on Sep 20, 2021
Would you like to correctly answer that question in Russian? Вы на ве́рном ме́сте. If you need a quick refresher on поря́дковые числи́тельные see my blog here. Вы гото́вы? Пое́хали! Following this table in my old blog, you’ve learned how to name some of yours firsts in life, for example: Пе́рвый поцелу́й Пе́рвая побе́да Пе́рвое…
The Wonderful World of Snacking Posted by ryan on Sep 18, 2021
Imagine it’s 10:30am, you had breakfast not too long ago, but you realized that you проголода́лся [have become hungry] and you just can’t make it to your обе́денный переры́в [lunch break]. Мо́жет быть, пора́ закуси́ть что́-нибудь [Perhaps it’s time to snack on something]? But before we dive into the endless world of snacking and to…
V biblioteke (at the library) Posted by bota on Sep 13, 2021
Смо́тришь в кни́гу ви́дишь фи́гу? (Looking into a book but seeing nothing – see note below) That certainly won’t be the case with Transparent’s Library Sign-up month. See here if your local library offers Transparent Language Online so that you can access Russian courses. Remember to read the official rules here and поторопи́тесь — вас…
Pretty in Prefix. Part II Posted by bota on Sep 2, 2021
In my last blog I left a little exercise on prefixes for you. Today, I will give you the answers and dive into what each word means and how the prefix пре or при changed its original meaning. Превраща́ть Враща́ть means to turn, to spin, or to rotate. Земля́ враща́ется вокру́г со́лнца Here, the prefix…
How To Apologize In Russian Posted by Nadya on Aug 31, 2021
Mistakes are inevitable, but a sincere apology can help fix the situation. Let’s see how to apologize in Russian. The Most Common Ways The most popular ways to apologize are using the noun “извини(те) [iz-vi-NEE-(tye)]” and “прости(те) [pras-TEE-(tye)].” When talking to someone you know and address in “ты,” use “прости” and “извини.” If talking formally…
Pretty in Prefix Posted by bota on Aug 23, 2021
Should I write пре or при? Whether you are a beginner Russian learner or a native speaker, dealing with these two prefixes is a handful. Actually, dealing with all the prefixes in Russian can be overwhelming without some of them sounding almost exactly the same. Is it приле́чь or прелечь на дива́н (to lie down…