Archive for the year 2010
Learning Russian for Travel Posted by yelena on Aug 20, 2010
So far summer 2010 hasn’t been the best for travel to Russia. In addition to the usual visa-related headache, we have a heat wave, drought, wildfires, hurricane-force winds, and low air quality because of all the fires. «Такое вот лето фиговое.» [Such rubbish summer.] A once-popular and often-cited line from an old song – «у природы нет плохой погоды» [nature…
«Ненастоящие друзья» [False friends]: part II Posted by josefina on Aug 18, 2010
Not everything in a foreign language is difficult. If you feel like calling the vehicle above «мотоцикл» [motorcycle] in Russian, then that’s okay and even correct. But that doesn’t mean you can go ahead and assume that a bicycle is «бицикл» in Russian because really the word for it is «велосипед» [bicycle]. Today’s post is…
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…