Archive by Author
Russian Craftsman Posted by yelena on May 12, 2010
If you are interested in all things Russian (and since you’re reading our blog, I guess you are), then it’s likely you regularly read (or rather, view) the posts from EnglishRussia.com. If you do, then you likely have seen this post about an old craftsman who takes the meaning of «жить по-царски» [to live like…
Victory Day – All You Want to Know Posted by yelena on May 5, 2010
In just a few days Russia will be celebrating one of its most significant days, «День Победы» [Victory Day]. How much do you know about this holiday? Well, I hope after reading this post you will know quite a bit more. So let’s get going with the «День Победы – вопросы и ответы» [Victory Day…
Russian News – It’s All in the Comments Posted by yelena on Apr 30, 2010
When planning what to write about in April, I decided to write one news-related post. With so much going on in the world and in Russia, the task didn’t seem too difficult. Except, of course, that April turned out to be one heck of a month with catastrophes and tragedies piling up on top of…
DIY Russian Language Immersion Posted by yelena on Apr 26, 2010
Some time ago we asked just this question – What is the most difficult part about learning Russian? – on our Learn Russian Facebook page. Evidently, the question touched the nerve since we’ve got over 150 responses in just a couple of days. One of our participants, Alice, brought up an excellent point in her…
I Love Volgograd Posted by yelena on Apr 20, 2010
Volgograd, my hometown, is relatively obscure in the West. Most Americans ask me where in Russia I am from and look seemingly lost when I say I’m from Volgograd. The notable exceptions are these three categories: «Знатоки Второй Мировой войны» [WWII history buffs] – «Сталинградская битва» [Battle of Stalingrad] was one of the major battles…
Real Poetry for Real Russians – Part II Posted by yelena on Apr 14, 2010
Remember the Real Poetry for Real Russians post? At the end of it I promised to tell you whether having to memorize, as children, lots and lots of poems helps Russians in practical daily life. I was all fired up to write the Part II of this post when something quite unexpected happened – I…
Russian-English Linguistic Perpendicular Posted by yelena on Apr 7, 2010
Long time ago I read a Russian sci-fi story that was titled, if I’m not mistaken, «Лингвистический перпендикуляр» [Linguistic Perpendicular]. In this short story, we, the Earthlings, were trying to establish communications with the aliens. The aliens were very friendly and peaceful, but unfortunately every word in their language meant some kind of curse word…