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So Provincial! Posted by yelena on May 22, 2012
What cities or towns would you like to visit when travelling to Russia? If you have been to Russia, what cities have you visited? While I am awaiting for your answers (feel free to post them in the comments), I’m going to venture a guess. I’d say that the vast majority of иностранные туристы (foreign…
Just a Bit About Fruits Posted by yelena on May 17, 2012
As promised, it’s time to talk fruits and berries. Of course, since this is not a gardening blog, but a blog about Russian language and culture, instead of growing advice there will be lots of useful phrases and expressions. Ready? First, the word фрукт itself is interesting. Its main meaning is “fruit”, but when…
Eat Carrots to Look Like Sophia Loren Posted by yelena on May 16, 2012
Continuing with our exploration of огородная лингвистика (vegetable garden linguistics), let’s take a look at other vegetables that made their way into Russian proverbs, sayings and literature. Лук (onion) – everyone knows that лук – от семи недуг (onion helps fight seven illnesses) and in fact so many Russian folk remedies use onion to fight…
To Each Vegetable Its Own… Phrase Posted by yelena on May 14, 2012
There is a wonderful Russian saying всякому овощу своё время (there’s time for everything). But as it turns out, всякому овощу, фрукту и ягоде – своё красное словцо (to each vegetable, fruit or berry its own witticism). Картофель (potato) is a relative newcomer to Russia, appearing only in Peter the Great’s reign. Much like in…
We Still Carry On Posted by yelena on May 10, 2012
While I was watching “They Fought for Their Land”, it occurred to me that there was something missing from the movie. Unlike most other war movies, this one did not have a feature song. Sure, the main character occasionally breaks into a tune, but it’s a popular pre-war song called Люблю (I Love), but most…
They Fought for Their Land Posted by yelena on May 9, 2012
Today Russia celebrates День Победы (Victory Day) celebration is right around the corner. На кануне Дня Победы по телевизору показывают много старых фильмов про войну (On the eve of the Victory Day a lot of old war movies are shown on TV). With fewer and fewer ветераны (veterans) left, much of what we know…
TGIF Posted by yelena on May 4, 2012
TGIF! Are you ready for выходные (weekend)? But first, if you are curious, Thanks God It’s Friday translates into Russian as слава богу, уже пятница. (The poster above explains that nighttime is not the reason to stop work) How was your work week? Are you устал, как собака (dog-tired)? It’s probably because you пахал…