Archive for 'Grammar'
Thanks, mama. Posted by bota on Nov 22, 2021
Understanding humor in another language is a whole new level of engaging with it. Those learning Russian know that Вели́кий и Могу́чий Ру́сский Язы́к , being the rich language that it is, loves to indulge in word play and irony. That can be a bit confusing, but with practice and exposure to more Russian jokes…
The “Secret” Life of под- Posted by ryan on Nov 19, 2021
You have probably seen под in some way or another in your studies of Russian. It is a common preposition that usually means “under.” As a prefix attached to verbs and nouns it also has a literal meaning of “under.” Подписа́ться means “to subscribe.” Подчеркну́ть means “to underline.” Perhaps you have read Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s «Запи́ски…
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…
Pretty in Prefix. Part II Posted by bota on Sep 2, 2021
In my last blog I left a little exercise on prefixes for you. Today, I will give you the answers and dive into what each word means and how the prefix пре or при changed its original meaning. Превраща́ть Враща́ть means to turn, to spin, or to rotate. Земля́ враща́ется вокру́г со́лнца Here, the prefix…
Pretty in Prefix Posted by bota on Aug 23, 2021
Should I write пре or при? Whether you are a beginner Russian learner or a native speaker, dealing with these two prefixes is a handful. Actually, dealing with all the prefixes in Russian can be overwhelming without some of them sounding almost exactly the same. Is it приле́чь or прелечь на дива́н (to lie down…
The curious case(s) of shashlik Posted by bota on Aug 4, 2021
*All images are by author Шашлы́к и падежи́ (shashlik and cases) are quintessentially Russian things and a lot has been said about each one but always separately. What do you say if we take the best of both worlds and revise Russian cases while talking about the most perfect summer dish? That’s right, I want…
News: US visas for Russian citizens Posted by bota on May 13, 2021
Originally, I had a Радо́ница (Radonitsa) blog for today and if I had to write about visas, this is the type of embassy-themed blog I would rather be writing right now, but alas. Russia and US relations like to frequent major headlines and while it’s not a surprise that the two got caught in the…