Archive for March, 2016
Basic Russian: “What Is It?” Posted by Maria on Mar 28, 2016
This post is meant for beginner students of Russian. One of the first things we learn in a new language is asking what something is. However, there are many situations and reasons we ask “What is X?” and they require different phrases. Let’s look at the different scenarios where you may need to use…
Five Soviet Divas to Sign Along To Posted by Maria on Mar 21, 2016
A little while back, we talked about famous crooners from Russia and the former USSR. There are also plenty of female singers who left their mark on the popular music of the Soviet period. I will share five as a teaser, but there are, naturally, many, many others. I hope this post inspires you to…
Three Basic Russian Words You Shouldn’t Be Scared To Pronounce Posted by Maria on Mar 14, 2016
This post is geared towards beginner students of Russian or those who have casually picked up a few words from their friends or from living in a Russian-speaking environment. Perhaps you’ve been in this situation, where you casually ask your Russian friend how to say “Hello” in Russian. After all, that should be easy. Hola and Hallo…
Five Russian/Soviet Crooners You Should Know About Posted by Maria on Mar 7, 2016
Are you a fan of “Old Blue Eyes” Frank Sinatra? Then perhaps you will enjoy the music of these singers from the former USSR. Naturally, there have been more than five notable singers in the USSR or Russia, so this list is nowhere near exhaustive and should be seen as an invitation to explore…
Four Alcohol-Related Concepts You May Struggle To Express In Russian Posted by Maria on Mar 2, 2016
What? Struggling to talk about alcohol in Russian? Surely, with the fourth-highest per capita alcohol consumption in Europe, Russia must have developed an extensive booze vocabulary, much like the proverbial, if debunked, words for “snow” in Eskimo languages? Well, yes and no. 1. Shots You know those small glasses of straight liquor college kids do…