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Superlatives for March 8th Posted by bota on Mar 3, 2021
Does anyone else here have a drawing of their mom or grandma like this one? When I was in kindergarten I had to make one of these for Восьмо́е Ма́рта (March 8th). I actually never finished mine in time for the кла́ссный ча́с (homeroom) and when my mom came in, she saved my grace by…
Russian dachniki in February Posted by bota on Feb 22, 2021
Да́чный сезо́н на но́су! [lit. “the season of dachas is on the nose”, meaning “the season of dachas is almost here!”] The final week of February is a busy time for many Russian gardeners or those who have a “да́ча” (dacha or a country house). More on the history of dachas here. Here are some…
Russian grammar is fun Posted by bota on Feb 16, 2021
There is a fun Russian grammar post circulating online that’s said to have been compiled by the Associate Dean of Foreign Languages Faculty at Moscow State University, Alla Leonidovna Nazarenko. Most Russian speakers find the post funny, whimsical even, or at least curious. Today, we go over my favorites from her list. Brace yourselves for…
Russian Cooking Verbs Posted by bota on Feb 4, 2021
Last month we looked at Kitchen Appliances. Now it’s time to learn Russian verbs for cooking. At the table The general verb for eating is “ку́шать” [kushat’]. Similar to English, there are specifiс verbs for eating at different times of the day: За́втракать [Zavtrakat’] – to have breakfast Обе́дать [Obedat’] – to have lunch Ужинать…
Russian Diminutives Part II Posted by bota on Jan 26, 2021
“Diminutives” is one of the coolest aspects of Russian, but you know what’s even cooler? Finding an old Part I blog on this channel about diminutives and realizing that there isn’t a Part II in the archives. Your insightful comments on that blog (and really all the blogs here) are so contagiously curious about the…
Kitchen Appliances Posted by bota on Jan 15, 2021
What comes to your mind when you think of kitchen spaces in Russia? Maybe you think of beautiful hand-painted wooden cups and spoons like in the pictures below? Or is it a big samovar, an infamous symbol of Russian teatime and, in my opinion, the grandest of…
Whole-foods shopping in Russia Posted by bota on Jan 4, 2021
Whether your New Year’s resolution was to eat healthier and try new foods or your diet is already rich in plant-based meals, this collection of Russian words will come in handy for your next grocery outing. And one certainly doesn’t have to be a vegetarian (вегетериа́нец/вегетериа́нка), vegan (ве́ган/вега́нка), or rawtarian (сырое́д) to stock up their…