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Stressed About Word Stress? Posted by yelena on Aug 16, 2010
Are you struggling with stresses in Russian words? Well, don’t feel alone. You’ve got plenty of company. The issue of improperly stressed words affects native speakers of Russian, including such well-educated and highly trained professionals as «телеведущие» [TV anchors]. Add to the mix politicians who constantly entertain their «электорат» [voters] with «ляпы» [bloopers] and…
Tea-kettles, Dummies and Dumplings Posted by yelena on Aug 13, 2010
«Честно признаться» [to be honest], I don’t have a favorite birthday cake or pie. Instead, I prefer «вареники» [dumplings] to any «выпечка» [baked goods] and not just any dumplings, but only «вишнёвые вареники» [cherry-filled dumplings]! After all, there are so many different fillings for «вареники» – with «творог» [farmer’s cheese], «печёнка» [liver], «капуста» [cabbage], «яблоки»…
Spy v Spy Posted by yelena on Aug 9, 2010
«Песня о далёкой Родине» [Song about a faraway Motherland] aka «Где-то далеко» [Somewhere far away] I chose the video because of a very good (IMHO) translation in the comments (by SoundofMusic777). It seems that hardly a day goes by without another Russian spy story in the news. First it was «горячая десятка» [the hot ten]…
Reading «Мастер и Маргарита»: Chapter 9 Posted by yelena on Aug 2, 2010
What is «жилплощадь»? Ah, the wonderful or rather wonder-inspiring language of «Совдепия» [Sovietdom]! «Жиплощадь» is short for «жилая площадь», meaning «обитаемая, предназначенная для жилья площадь дома, квартиры» [floor space of a living areas of an apartment or a house]. So why not say «квартира» [apartment] or «комната» [room] when referring to one’s living quarters? Back…
5000 Words or Mission Impossible Posted by yelena on Jul 27, 2010
Do you remember Josefina’s post about all the English words that are widely used in Russia? I hope you read the comments as well because Neil, Colin, Steve, saint and Svetlana all provided more great examples and insights into these “lazy” words. I’m in NY now, «в гостях у моих родителей» [visiting my parents]…
Russian Politics 101 Posted by yelena on Jul 22, 2010
Our next guest blogger, Natalie, is a university student studying history and the Russian language. She writes the blog birdbrain and can be found on Twitter at @natalie_. Her interest in the Russian language was sparked by Russian history and a Russian course at university and she’s been hooked ever since. When learning about a…
Reading «Мастер и Маргарита»: Chapter 7 Posted by yelena on Jul 19, 2010
Have you ever been hung over after an especially rowdy night of partying? If yes then you can probably relate especially well to the opening of the Chapter 7 of M&M, «Нехорошая квартира» [The Evil Apartment]. After all, poor «Стёпа Лиходеев» [Styopa Likhodeyev] suffered through a horrible «похмелье» [hangover] all through this short chapter. Another…