Archive for 'Grammar'
When “Yes No Maybe” Is A Complete Sentence Posted by Nadya on Apr 22, 2020
Words or whole phrases, intonation, and stress are used to express confidence and uncertainty in speech. In the Russian language, as well as in other languages, there are formal and informal forms of expression. Let’s look at a few examples. Modal words Modal words (мода́льные слова́) in the Russian language is the category of words…
Should You Use Также Or Тоже in Russian? Posted by Maria on Jan 23, 2020
One of the questions that came up in the comments was the distinction between то́же and та́кже in Russian. Both expressions can mean “also,” but they are not always interchangeable. This post will look at some common scenarios where you might use these phrases. Та́кже а та́кже — as well as This usage is pretty…
Prepositions of Direction in Russian Posted by Maria on Jan 16, 2020
This post will talk about Russian prepositions that are used for talking about motion in Russian. Let’s look at some common cases. От От means “from” but this translation alone may not be helpful because из can mean “from,” too. От is used in the following cases: sender or source of information Мы узна́ли о…
Asking Questions in Russian with Ли Posted by Maria on Jan 9, 2020
Did you know Russian had a particle for asking questions? Furthermore, that same word can be used as a conjunction in dependent clauses and reported speech! Let’s talk about the main uses of ли. Yes or No Questions Ли can be used in yes or no questions. As you may remember, Russian does not use…
Top 10 Russian Verbs — Part I Posted by Maria on Dec 16, 2019
If you find yourself struggling to come up with the right verb, you may want to learn the conjugation of the most common Russian verbs. They come up frequently in conversation, so being able to recognize and use them will help you with your fluency. 1. Быть – to be Present tense For all intents…
Gotta Do What You Gotta Do, or Expressing Obligation in Russian Posted by Maria on May 23, 2019
Most learners of Russian will remember the word до́лжен (have to) for talking about your obligations. It may be trickier to remember other expressions. Let’s review some ways of expressing obligation in Russian. Должна́ The following short adjectives mean “owe” or “have to”: должна́ (feminine) должно́ (neuter) до́лжен (masculine) должны́ (plural) These words are related…
Поэт или авторка: Gendered Names of Occupations in Russian Posted by Maria on Apr 17, 2019
Russian is a gendered language, which means that nouns have a grammatical gender (род): feminine (же́нский), masculine (мужско́й), or neuter (сре́дний). True, it can be confusing to grasp why a table (стол) is masculine and a river (река́) is feminine, but it should be much simpler with names of people’s occupations, right? In theory, yes…