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Popular Children’s Poems in Russian—Part I Posted by Maria on Aug 4, 2016
Children’s poems are an integral part of growing up in Russia — as they probably are anywhere. (I purposely don’t want to call them “nursery rhymes” as this separate genre of English rhymes is also well-known in Russia — in translation.) Anyone who grew up in Russia has heard them from their parents, siblings, or…
True Colors: Unexpected Hues in Russian Posted by Maria on Aug 2, 2016
We have covered basic color vocabulary on this blog before. However, it goes without saying that a direct translation from the learner’s first language into Russian will not work for all nouns. How do you say brown hair, blue eyes, or black horse? If you answered, “коричневые волосы,” “синие глаза,” or “чёрная лошадь,” keep reading…
Food For Thought: Food Idioms in Russian Posted by Maria on Jul 25, 2016
A good number of Russian sayings feature food. Let us take a look at their literal meaning and idiomatic usage. Scroll to the end of the post to test your understanding and fill in the blanks in authentic contexts. Аппетит приходит во время еды Literally, “appetite comes during the meal.” It is used figuratively to…
Test Your Knowledge of Russian Movie Quotes Posted by Maria on Jul 19, 2016
A local coffee house where I live in the US likes to use culture references for its wireless passwords. Sometimes I will know them, and sometimes it will be an obscure film or sports reference, and I will be too embarrassed to ask. The other day I was thinking, “What would be some of the…
Ten Key Russian Words for Talking About Brexit Posted by Maria on Jul 4, 2016
The news of #Brexit has been trending over the last few days. For those who were away on a desert island, the United Kingdom has held a referendum and voted to leave the European Union. Here are some useful words for discussing Brexit with your Russian friends. 1. Европейский союз Европейский союз, also known as Евросоюз…
Five Confusing Phrases of English Origin in Russian Posted by Maria on Jun 29, 2016
We know that English influences many languages, including Russian. Numerous words from the domains of science, technology, commerce, and entertainment are borrowed from English. At the same time, some Russian words have English origins but are used in ways unheard of in English. We already covered business words of English origin whose meaning is different…
Russian Verbs With Prefixes: -явить Posted by Maria on Jun 28, 2016
Our previous posts about verbs with prefixes were met with enthusiasm, so this time, let us look a group of important verbs with the root -яв-. The general meaning of this root is “to be or to make evident.” Являться One of the most frequent verbs from this group is являться, which is a formal…