Archive for January, 2018
Beyond Хорошо: 5 Ways of Saying “Good” In Russian Posted by Maria on Jan 29, 2018
Do you still answer “хорошо” when someone asks you how you are doing or how you liked that film? Here are some words to help you express positivity with more nuance. Note on grammar: different phrases will require different forms of the word. For example, when someone asks you “Как дела?” (“How are you?”) you…
Do Russians Really Adore Putin? Posted by Maria on Jan 24, 2018
Because politics is often the only aspect of Russian life that gets covered in the media abroad, I have made it a point to share other stories about Russia on this blog — from recent Russian films you can stream to renting an apartment/flat in Russia. At the same time, as Vladimir Putin (Владимир Путин)…
5 Non-Russian Languages of Russia Posted by Maria on Jan 15, 2018
Russian is not the only language spoken in Russia. According to Wikipedia, there are more than 150 languages speaking in Russia, with varying numbers of speakers. It is impossible to cover all languages of Russia in one post, so let us look at five common ones and their current status. This post is not meant…
4 Tips For Dating A Russian Posted by Maria on Jan 10, 2018
One of the reasons you may be learning Russian is because you are dating or are married to a Russian. While it is hard to generalize Russian expectations of a romantic partner, there are some common threads that you may want to know about. Naturally, they will not apply to everyone. 1. Have Memorable Dates…
Knowledge Is Power: Verbs With ‑знать in Russian Posted by Maria on Jan 8, 2018
Знать (to know) is one of the most common verbs in Russian. There are also several important verbs derived from it. Узнать — To Discover/Learn Узнать (perfective)/узнавать (imperfective) is used to talk about learning some information for the first time. О́коло полугода жильцы́ пыта́лись узна́ть, что, со́бственно, происхо́дит. The residents tried for about half a…
6 Critically Acclaimed Russian Films You Can Stream Right Now Posted by Maria on Jan 1, 2018
Happy New Year, dear readers! С Новым годом! If you are looking for something to watch on your winter break, here are six recent Russian films that were praised by critics or won awards. Make sure you check out our earlier post on new Russian movies with English subtitles, too. 1. 12 The film 12…