Archive for August, 2010
Stressed About Word Stress? Posted by yelena on Aug 16, 2010
Are you struggling with stresses in Russian words? Well, don’t feel alone. You’ve got plenty of company. The issue of improperly stressed words affects native speakers of Russian, including such well-educated and highly trained professionals as «телеведущие» [TV anchors]. Add to the mix politicians who constantly entertain their «электорат» [voters] with «ляпы» [bloopers] and…
Tea-kettles, Dummies and Dumplings Posted by yelena on Aug 13, 2010
«Честно признаться» [to be honest], I don’t have a favorite birthday cake or pie. Instead, I prefer «вареники» [dumplings] to any «выпечка» [baked goods] and not just any dumplings, but only «вишнёвые вареники» [cherry-filled dumplings]! After all, there are so many different fillings for «вареники» – with «творог» [farmer’s cheese], «печёнка» [liver], «капуста» [cabbage], «яблоки»…
Reading «Мастер и Маргарита»: Chapter 10 + 11 Posted by josefina on Aug 12, 2010
And this week «мы читаем Булгакова у бассейна» [we’re reading Bulgakov by the pool]. «Да, да, знаю, знаю» [yes, yes, I know, I know] – it has been almost two months since we all started reading «Мастер и Маргарита» [“Master & Margarita”] together and we haven’t made it further than chapter ten. «Честно говоря» [honestly…
Spy v Spy Posted by yelena on Aug 9, 2010
«Песня о далёкой Родине» [Song about a faraway Motherland] aka «Где-то далеко» [Somewhere far away] I chose the video because of a very good (IMHO) translation in the comments (by SoundofMusic777). It seems that hardly a day goes by without another Russian spy story in the news. First it was «горячая десятка» [the hot ten]…
«Ненастоящие друзья» [False friends]: part I Posted by josefina on Aug 5, 2010
If you think the Russian name of Moscow’s famous Red Square is «Красный сквер», then you may have fallen victim to what is known as ‘faux amis’ – false friends. I know I have been a victim of faux amis many, many times both while learning Russian as well as English. For several years while…
Reading «Мастер и Маргарита»: Chapter 9 Posted by yelena on Aug 2, 2010
What is «жилплощадь»? Ah, the wonderful or rather wonder-inspiring language of «Совдепия» [Sovietdom]! «Жиплощадь» is short for «жилая площадь», meaning «обитаемая, предназначенная для жилья площадь дома, квартиры» [floor space of a living areas of an apartment or a house]. So why not say «квартира» [apartment] or «комната» [room] when referring to one’s living quarters? Back…