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How to Decorate the New Year’s Tree Posted by yelena on Dec 21, 2011
I don’t know about you, but конец декабря (the end of December) is always the busiest time for me. It’s all about getting ready for Новый Год (the New Year), мой любимый праздник (my favorite holiday). At first I wasn’t going to write about празднование Нового Года (celebrating the New Year) since we already covered…
Time to Learn Russian Declensions Posted by yelena on Dec 19, 2011
Do you remember the Gender of Russian Nouns post that appeared a few weeks ago? It generated the record number of comments and all of them contributed to the subject. So if, after reading the post itself, you have more questions than answers, then do check out the comments. Here’s the thing though… I originally…
Most Useful Russian Phrases Posted by yelena on Dec 15, 2011
I once met a person who коллекционировал (was collecting) words. Actually, he only collected one word, “hello”, but in many different languages. He knew how to здороваться (greet) in over 30 languages and was working hard on expanding his collection for a future кругосветное путешествие (around-the-world trip). I think learning just one word or phrase…
From Exasperating to Unobtrusive – Customer Service Words Posted by yelena on Dec 9, 2011
Hello! Boy, am I happy to be back! I apologize for such a long absence from the blog. In case you have been wondering, I am not trekking across Siberia nor is my time taken up by re-reading “War and Peace” for the umpteenth time. I have been stranded без ноутбука (without a laptop) or…
How to Figure Out Gender of Russian Noun Posted by yelena on Dec 1, 2011
Can you believe it? It’s December already. Let’s start the new month with some Russian grammar, specifically with a short (sort of) post about «род» [gender] of Russian nouns. As you know, Russian language has 3 genders – «мужской» [masculine], «женский» [feminine] and «средний» [neutral]. There are two reasons why it is extremely important to…
How to Say Thank You in Russian Posted by yelena on Nov 24, 2011
This old song is called “I am Grateful to You”. It is interesting how the more formal way of saying “thank you” is combined with the solemn music. Today is «День Благодарения» [Thanksgiving Day] in the US. «Вы празднуете?» [Are you celebrating?] Once «индейка съедена» [the turkey is eaten], «гости разъехались» [the guests left], and…
Cook This Russian Dish Tonight Posted by yelena on Nov 23, 2011
If you ever want to read a passionate account of «русская кухня» [Russian cuisine] minus the recipes, I highly recommend «Русская кухня в изгнании» [Russian Cuisine in Exile] by «Пётр Вайль и Александр Генис» [Pyotr Vail and Alexander Genis]. This is not a cookbook, but rather a collection of essays «в жанре лирической культурологии» [in…