Archive for 'language'
Translating Russian Что: What, When and Why Posted by Jenya on Sep 9, 2015
The feeling of confusion about a particular word is undoubtedly familiar to any foreign language learner. Thanks to one of our readers, one of this pesky Russian words have been brought to my attention. What might that word be? Ironically, it is none other than the word “what” itself :-). Translation of the word что…
Rock It In Russian: The Many Uses of Качать Posted by Maria on Aug 6, 2015
Today we will talk about the oft-overlooked word кача́ть. From its literal meaning of rocking to its uses in exercise and networking, качать is a useful word to have in your arsenal! Don’t Rock the Boat! The first and primary meaning of качать is to rock something back and forth, for example, качать ребёнка…
What Is Better: Beating Around the Bush or Pulling a Cat by Its Tail? Posted by Jenya on Jul 29, 2015
The short answer is neither because the expressions are synonymous. If you are pulling a cat by its tail in Russia you are, in many cases, simply beating around the bush. Set expressions in any foreign language can frequently leave you baffled and confused. I remember my first encounter with the saying “thinking outside…
The Curious Case of Russian Prefix “Without” Posted by Jenya on Jul 22, 2015
You might have noticed that some nonnative English speakers (myself included) have a way of “inventing” new words. They might say things like “unproper” instead of “improper” or “misagreement” instead of “disagreement,” etc. The abovementioned prefixes all have a similar meaning, a meaning that points to the opposite of the word they are attached to…
Where Do People Speak Russian? Posted by Jenya on Jul 15, 2015
You are learning to speak Russian and that is great! The challenges are many but the “juice will be worth the squeeze.” One question that some people are particularly curious about is this: where will I get a chance to speak it once I am comfortable doing so? Would you spend years of your life…
Russian Vocabulary: Finding and Getting Places in Russia Posted by Jenya on Jul 1, 2015
Any new place is not easy to navigate, let alone a place where a different language is spoken. In an attempt to help people who are traveling or relocating to Russia, I put together a list of questions along with some explanations that should make the…
Does Learning Russian Endorse Oppression? Posted by Maria on Jun 22, 2015
I was once talking to a young American teacher, who told me he had started learning Russian but gave it up in protest of LGTB rights violations in Russia. It is, indeed, not hard to be discouraged from learning Russian when Russian governments and people, past and present, commit offenses against principles one holds dear…