Archive for 'language'
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…
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…
How To Apologize In Russian Posted by Nadya on Aug 31, 2021
Mistakes are inevitable, but a sincere apology can help fix the situation. Let’s see how to apologize in Russian. The Most Common Ways The most popular ways to apologize are using the noun “извини(те) [iz-vi-NEE-(tye)]” and “прости(те) [pras-TEE-(tye)].” When talking to someone you know and address in “ты,” use “прости” and “извини.” If talking formally…
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…
Patience à la russe Posted by bota on Jul 27, 2021
Patience is a virtue and also a fascinating word in Russian: терпе́ние. Let’s look at how to use that word and its derivatives in a sentence. Towards the end we will talk about translating the imperative “потерпи́” and a few idiomatic expressions with “терпе́ние”. Терпе́ние — patience It means «выноси́ть страда́ние» (endure suffering) but used…
Things That Get Called Russian – Part 2 Posted by Nadya on Jul 23, 2021
We continue to discuss what people around the world call Russian, except the Russians themselves. Black Russian – Чёрный русский Black Russian is a classic cocktail (коктейль) based on vodka and coffee liqueur. It was created in 1949 by Gustave Tops, a Belgian bartender (бармен). The cocktail recipe is simple: for five parts of vodka…
Things That Get Called Russian – Part 1 Posted by Nadya on Jul 20, 2021
There are some things that are called Russian in the world. But not in Russia. In today’s blog, I will tell you about what is called Russian and why. Nevertheless, not all Russians know it. Russian Mountains – Русские горки The interesting fact is that the oldest roller coasters were called “Russian Mountains.“And they really…