Archive for 'language'
Fun Uses of the Instrumental Case in Russian Posted by Maria on Jul 24, 2018
The instrumental case (твори́тельный паде́ж) is primarily used to talk about the tools or means that allow you to do something. There are also other, less literal, uses of this case that express the manner in which something is done. The most common use of the instrumental case is, of course, the instrument with which…
5 Words You Hear in Informal Russian Conversations Posted by Maria on Jun 14, 2018
If you’ve listened to a speaker of Russian in an informal conversation, you know that there are a few words they say over and over again. Some are fillers, meant to give the speaker some time to come up with what to say. Others mark logical connections in a conversation or express the speaker’s attitudes…
Command Forms Beyond the Imperative in Russian Posted by Maria on Jun 7, 2018
You may know the imperative mood as one way of making requests or giving commands in Russian, but there are other, less common, ways you may come across. Read on to learn how to recognize and use them. Imperative Mood — Повелительное наклонение The most common way is, of course, the imperative mood. The forms…
Key Online Privacy Concepts in Russian Posted by Maria on May 31, 2018
If you’ve ever subscribed to any online service, chances are you have received a few GDPR privacy notices. So I thought it might not be a bad idea to go over some key privacy concepts in Russian. This list is not exhaustive, so feel free to add other terms in the comments! Конфиденциальность You might…
Phrases for Presenting Opposing Points of View in Russian Posted by Maria on May 17, 2018
Introductory phrases are useful for linking ideas and expressing attitudes. In this post, we will look at Russian expressions that let you present an opposing point of view. Тем не ме́нее Тем не менее is similar to “nevertheless” or “however.” It often comes at the beginning of the sentence and, unlike similar phrases in English…
Expressing Your Desires In Russian Posted by Maria on May 10, 2018
Expressing your wishes and desires is one of the most basic things in any language. Here are some ways you can do that in Russian. Я хочу The most common way of saying you want something is simply Я хочу (I want). This can either be followed by a noun, in the accusative case for…
As Good As Dead: Macabre Russian Sayings Posted by Maria on Apr 17, 2018
Russian has its share of gallows humor, so I have put together a list of sayings having to do with the dead. Горбатого могила исправит Горб is a hump, so горбатый is a hunchback (not a very nice way to describe someone). Могила is a grave, and исправить is to correct or fix. So, this…