Russian Language Blog
Menu
Search

Archive for November, 2013

Is This the Most Popular Russian Song Ever? Posted by on Nov 29, 2013

Here’s a trivia question for you. What Russian song has been translated into at least 15 languages with the English-language version getting to #1 spot in the UK Singles Chart? What is this song that has been covered by such artists as Bing Crosby and Dolly Parton and its melody was sampled by 50Cent? Of…

Continue Reading

TGIF and a Weekend Grammar Conundrum Posted by on Nov 22, 2013

СБУП… What the heck is this? It sounds horrible! Ok, ok, let’s try the full version – слава Богу, уже пятница! (Thank God, it’s Friday!) Somehow coming up with a good-sounding Russian acronym is really hard. Anyway, it is Friday which means завтра – выходной (tomorrow is a day off) for many of us. What…

Continue Reading

10 Must-Know Russian Phrases for Dating a Russian Posted by on Nov 20, 2013

Years ago, when I was single, my first dates tended to be fairly predictable. A guy would ask me where I was from always remarking that he was curious because of my “lovely accent”. When I would reply that I was from Russia, he would say: “Wow, this is cool! I’m trying to learn Russian…

Continue Reading

Sing, Dance and Get Lucky Posted by on Nov 15, 2013

Have you watched it yet? If not, do so now because a) am I to suffer from this ear worm all by myself?! b) it’s time to forget тверкинг and c) it’s now a viral sensation. Lots of great vocabulary today thanks to the YouTube clip of Russian “police” singing Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”. Almost…

Continue Reading

Fall Weather, Foul Weather Posted by on Nov 13, 2013

The next couple of days in Moscow are expected to be пасмурные (overcast) and холодные (cold). Синоптики (meteorologists) say there might be a chance of снег (snow). But the experience has taught us that метеорология (meteorology) is not exactly точная наука (an exact science). On the other hand, the gloomier the forecast, the more chances that…

Continue Reading

100 Must-Know Russian Words and How to Learn Them Posted by on Nov 8, 2013

Russian is one of the more difficult major languages to learn because of its crazy grammar (from the point of view of a native speaker of English). But grammar is only one piece of the puzzle. Another one is developing a good словарный запас (vocabulary) which means memorizing lots and lots of Russian words…

Continue Reading

Russian Rebus Rules Posted by on Nov 4, 2013

Have you ever tried solving a Russian crossword puzzle? How about “Найдите слово” (Find a word) challenge? Don’t feel bad if you haven’t. Crosswords are tough and “find-a-word”s can be downright boring. So, ditch those and try your hand at something way more fun instead. And what can be more fun than a ребус (rebus…

Continue Reading