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Out With the New, In With the Old Posted by yelena on Jan 13, 2012
What are your plans for tomorrow, Saturday the 14th of January? Better cancel them and instead celebrate старый Новый год (the old New Year). Today, January the 13th is yet another the New Year’s Eve. Yes, it’s another chance to finish last year’s unfinished business, to set goals and make promises, and to start afresh…
What Your Russian Spouse Calls You (When You Are Not Listening) Posted by yelena on Jan 12, 2012
Ever wonder what your Russian spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend is talking about on the phone? Are they talking about you? First of all, it’s safe to assume that a phone call you have overheard is not all about you. The only exception is if it’s your Russian wife calling her лучшая подруга (best friend) or…
При чём тут arrow in the knee? Posted by yelena on Jan 9, 2012
Do you play видеоигры (video games)? Turns out, they can provide a whole new dimension to language-learning. And it goes beyond Russian language интерфейс (interface) and ability to follow instructions in Russian. Playing games, or at least following friends who play, can give you a glimpse into культура современного общества (society’s contemporary culture) in a…
What to Do on Christmas Eve Posted by yelena on Jan 6, 2012
‘Twas the night before Christmas… when the devil stole the moon, two drunken Cossacks lost their way in a snowstorm, a village blacksmith spoke with a Russian tsarina and a young peasant girl got her wish. Since this is the night before Christmas in Russia (remember, Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7) as…
Top New Year Resolutions in Russian Posted by yelena on Jan 3, 2012
Do you know that there are THREE Russian-language versions of the “Jingle Bells” song? In addition to the more grown-up version from the video above, here are the texts of two more. Three days into новый год (the new year), how are you doing with your новогодние решения (New Year resolutions) also known as новогодние…
Most Popular Posts in 2011 and Plans for 2012 Posted by yelena on Dec 28, 2011
With just a few more days до конца года (left in the year), this is a good time for обзор проделанной работы (review of the work done). So how do you feel about your progress with learning Russian? This might sound strange, but I certainly feel that my Russian has improved since I started…
Let’s Make Фонарик (a Lantern) For the Holidays Posted by yelena on Dec 23, 2011
If you celebrate Christmas and New Year, then you have already украсили ёлку (decorated the Christmas tree). Still, there’s always room for just one more ornament, isn’t there? That’s why today я научу вас (I will teach you) how to make a very simple украшение (an ornament) that even children can make за несколько минут…