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Не дай мне Бог сойти с ума: Mental Illness in Russian Posted by Maria on Oct 4, 2017
Mental health is a sensitive subject around the world, and Russian certainly attaches a certain stigma to mental health issues. Read about the different ways to refer to mental health in Russian and learn which expressions to use and which to avoid if you want to talk about this delicate issue with compassion. At Wits’…
A Sign of the Times: Words with ‑знак‑ in Russian Posted by Maria on Sep 26, 2017
We are continuing our popular series on Russian word “families” with this post about words with the -знак- root. Знак means “a sign,” and you may know it from the following expressions: мя́гкий знак (soft sign, ь) or твёрдый знак (hard sign, ъ) вопроси́тельный знак (?) восклица́тельный знак (!) знак ра́венства (=) знак зодиа́ка (star…
What Does A Russian Miss Abroad? Posted by Maria on Sep 21, 2017
Naturally, the answer to this question will vary depending on the person, their preferences, and the destination of their travel. However, I can think of several things that are likely to be missed by many Russians abroad and perhaps by some people from the neighboring countries, too. Tea Kettle As we mentioned on this blog…
Cossack or Kazakh: What’s The Difference and What To Call Them In Russian? Posted by Maria on Sep 14, 2017
You might have come across several similar words in English: cossack, kazakh, perhaps even kozak or kazak. You probably know they refer to groups of people, but which groups? Are they interchangeable? This post will explain the corresponding words and their definitions in Russian so next time you come across any of them, it will be a little clearer…
Describe Your Boat Ride In Russian Posted by Maria on Sep 11, 2017
If you took any boat rides over the summer, perhaps you would like to learn to talk about your boating adventures in Russian! Types of Boats First of all, I’d like to point out that while in English you may sometimes hear a large vessel (судно) called a boat, in Russian this kind of vessel…
Russian For Farming Posted by Maria on Aug 30, 2017
Do you like gardening, or perhaps you farm for a living? Then you would probably like to know how to talk about growing things in Russian. This post will list a few common farming words to get you started. Сад Сад translates as a garden or an orchard and is an important word for agriculture…
6 Russian Words For Talking About The Solar Eclipse Posted by Maria on Aug 28, 2017
On August 21, people in North America could view a solar eclipse for the first time in 38 years. If you would like to discuss this rare event with your friends, here are six Russian words you may need. Затмение The basic word to know is затмение, eclipse. This word is related to тёмный (dark)…