Archive for January, 2012
What Your Russian Spouse Calls You (When You Are Not Listening) Posted by yelena on Jan 12, 2012
Ever wonder what your Russian spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend is talking about on the phone? Are they talking about you? First of all, it’s safe to assume that a phone call you have overheard is not all about you. The only exception is if it’s your Russian wife calling her лучшая подруга (best friend) or…
При чём тут arrow in the knee? Posted by yelena on Jan 9, 2012
Do you play видеоигры (video games)? Turns out, they can provide a whole new dimension to language-learning. And it goes beyond Russian language интерфейс (interface) and ability to follow instructions in Russian. Playing games, or at least following friends who play, can give you a glimpse into культура современного общества (society’s contemporary culture) in a…
What to Do on Christmas Eve Posted by yelena on Jan 6, 2012
‘Twas the night before Christmas… when the devil stole the moon, two drunken Cossacks lost their way in a snowstorm, a village blacksmith spoke with a Russian tsarina and a young peasant girl got her wish. Since this is the night before Christmas in Russia (remember, Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7) as…
Top New Year Resolutions in Russian Posted by yelena on Jan 3, 2012
Do you know that there are THREE Russian-language versions of the “Jingle Bells” song? In addition to the more grown-up version from the video above, here are the texts of two more. Three days into новый год (the new year), how are you doing with your новогодние решения (New Year resolutions) also known as новогодние…