Archive for 'Culture'
The Russian Romance with the Guitar Posted by ryan on Oct 15, 2021
It is difficult to imagine modern music without the guitar. It occupies an irreplaceable space in the modern ensemble. Its repertoire is vast, having been adapted to all genres of music. Each place it goes, it is adapted, and it was adapted for Russia as well. When the guitar first came to Russia, it had…
More Macabre Sayings Posted by bota on Oct 11, 2021
While Halloween on October 31st might not be a widely recognized or endorsed holiday in Russia, there are plenty of macabre Russian sayings to use this spooky season. Some are very similar to English idiomatic expressions, for example: то́лько че́рез мой труп – over my dead body. Others are dark but humorous and colloquial. Спать как…
Do svidaniya, leto, do svidaniya! and Two Singers You Should Know About Posted by ryan on Sep 24, 2021
Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels In many parts of the world, we say до свида́нья to summer on September 22, the date of the осе́ннее равноде́нствие [autumn equinox – from the words ра́вный equal and де́нь day], but did you know that Russians actually have a calendar understanding of the seasons? What does that mean? В Росси́и…
What date is it today? Posted by bota on Sep 20, 2021
Would you like to correctly answer that question in Russian? Вы на ве́рном ме́сте. If you need a quick refresher on поря́дковые числи́тельные see my blog here. Вы гото́вы? Пое́хали! Following this table in my old blog, you’ve learned how to name some of yours firsts in life, for example: Пе́рвый поцелу́й Пе́рвая побе́да Пе́рвое…
The Wonderful World of Snacking Posted by ryan on Sep 18, 2021
Imagine it’s 10:30am, you had breakfast not too long ago, but you realized that you проголода́лся [have become hungry] and you just can’t make it to your обе́денный переры́в [lunch break]. Мо́жет быть, пора́ закуси́ть что́-нибудь [Perhaps it’s time to snack on something]? But before we dive into the endless world of snacking and to…
V biblioteke (at the library) Posted by bota on Sep 13, 2021
Смо́тришь в кни́гу ви́дишь фи́гу? (Looking into a book but seeing nothing – see note below) That certainly won’t be the case with Transparent’s Library Sign-up month. See here if your local library offers Transparent Language Online so that you can access Russian courses. Remember to read the official rules here and поторопи́тесь — вас…
Oaks, fins, and hooves Posted by bota on Aug 16, 2021
No, this is not a Russian bar or a metal band name, though last I checked it’s up for grabs. We are talking about more простонаро́дные фразеологи́змы о сме́рти (more informal idioms about death). So, today’s blog is an add-on to the one about death euphemisms and to the one about verbs that mean “to…