Archive for the year 2011
Playing Board Games… In Russian Posted by yelena on Jan 20, 2011
Do you like playing «настольные игры» [board games]? Let me tell you, board game «любители» [fans] in the US are absolutely «избалованны» [spoiled]. There’s such a variety of board games here «для всех возрастов» [for all ages] and «на любой вкус» [for every taste]. Growing up, I remember playing just a few board games –…
Swimming… in Russian Posted by yelena on Jan 18, 2011
Have you ever considered participating in «триатлон» [a triathlon]? I haven’t because… shhh… I can’t «плавать» [swim]. I know, I know, how could I, who grew up on the banks of the mighty «Волга» [Volga], not become at least a passable swimmer? Sometimes I wonder about this myself, but here I am nevertheless. «В…
How to Learn Russian While Enjoying Yourself Posted by yelena on Jan 14, 2011
They say you need to practice something for 10,000 hours or so to get really good at it. This means that if you spend 2 hours a day studying and practicing Russian language and you do it every single day of the year, it’ll take you almost 14 years to get functionally fluent. It is…
Russian Winter Myth Exposed Posted by yelena on Jan 13, 2011
Do you like «зима» [winter]? I don’t! When my American friends hear me complain about yet another cold snap, they inevitably ask “But aren’t you from Russia, the country infamous for its long and harsh winters?” I blame Russian literature for this question (although Russian artists added to the myth with beautiful paintings such as…
On Stress Posted by yelena on Jan 11, 2011
We’ve talked about word stress before, so this time we’re talking stress as in “feeling pressured”. How’s your post-holiday stress level? I know mine is running pretty high what with all the resolutions. «У меня стресс из-за этих решений.» [I’m stressed because of these resolutions]. «Стресс» [stress] «прочно вошёл» [has come to stay] into…
Clothes, Russian-Style Posted by Natalie on Jan 10, 2011
We depart from our posts «об истории Киева» [about the history of Kiev] to talk about… «одежда» [clothes]! Don’t worry, I will resume telling you about the history of Kiev in another post very soon. «Я типичная девушка» [I’m a typical girl]: «я очень люблю ходить по магазинам» [I really love shopping]. «Я также люблю…
And It’s Christmas Time Again! Posted by yelena on Jan 4, 2011
At 11:55pm on December 31, as I was about to raise my glass to the New Year, it occurred to me that, given «разница во времени» [time difference], my Russian friends were just about to wake up to a massive «похмелье» [hangover]. «Жизнь на западе имеет свои преимущества» [Western life has its advantages], I mused…