Archive for January, 2012
Russian No-nouns Posted by yelena on Jan 31, 2012
This post’s idea comes from Richard who mentioned that he was confused by the noun нежить (lit: the undead) that he encountered reading Nabokov’s story “The Wood Sprite”. Indeed, the noun нежить (undead) sounds exactly like the verb нежить (to pamper), but the meanings of the two words couldn’t be more different. False cognates…
Meet Michael McFaul, the New US Ambassador to Russia Posted by Natalie on Jan 30, 2012
In case you did not know, «я американка» [I’m American]. I grew up here and I go to university here, and I tend to look at foreign affairs through an American lens. I realize that a large portion of our readers are not American, so this post may not be as relevant or apply…
Wolverines, Elks and Amur Tigers Posted by yelena on Jan 27, 2012
This post was going to be about Russian grammar. However, after having our regular чаепитие (tea time) with моя хорошая подруга (my good friend) earlier today, I radically changed my mind for two reasons: She shared three beautiful LiveJournal blogs with me by Russian фотографы-натуралисты (nature photographers) and I want to share those with you…
Russian Wedding – Part 2 Posted by yelena on Jan 24, 2012
Let’s talk some more about Russian weddings. I left off on the part where новобрачные (the newlyweds) leave the ЗАГС (registry office). In case you missed the first part, it is here. Somehow I completely forgot to mention обмен кольцами (exchanging the rings) that happens during the ceremony. Wedding bands in Russia are called обручальные кольца and…
Reading the News – In Russian Posted by Natalie on Jan 23, 2012
«Добрый вечер, дорогие читатели!» [Good evening, dear readers!] Today I want to share with you a technique I have used for learning Russian that has helped me immensely: reading the news. «Я люблю читать новости и по-английски, и по-русски» [I love reading the news in both English and Russian]. It is always interesting to…
How to Celebrate a Wedding по-русски Posted by yelena on Jan 18, 2012
Doesn’t look like much, does it? Yet this fairly unassuming doorway, with a four-letter acronym ЗАГС, leads to a life of (hopefully) married bliss. This particular door is for the ЗАГС is in my hometown of Volgograd. I walked by it countless times as a child and was inside the office only twice, at a…
Out With the New, In With the Old Posted by yelena on Jan 13, 2012
What are your plans for tomorrow, Saturday the 14th of January? Better cancel them and instead celebrate старый Новый год (the old New Year). Today, January the 13th is yet another the New Year’s Eve. Yes, it’s another chance to finish last year’s unfinished business, to set goals and make promises, and to start afresh…