Archive for 'language'
Putin vs. Medvedev Posted by Natalie on May 16, 2011
Well, «дорогие читатели» [dear readers], I owe you an apology for abandoning you for so long. I was delayed in returning to England and «в результате» [as a result], I had to do extra work to catch up. «Весь день» [All day], I would be reading. However, now I seem to have caught up, so…
Russian Gestures – Silence is Golden Posted by yelena on May 13, 2011
And now I’m thinking of a Russian 4-letter word that starts with «ж»… Nope, not that one! The word I’m thinking about is «жест». As so many Russian words it has more than one meaning. «В переносном значении» [Figuratively], it means “an act intended for external effect”: «Его решение жениться на Марии было лишь благородным…
Let’s Celebrate Something or Other Posted by yelena on May 10, 2011
A lot can be said on the subject of Russian immigrant experience. But one thing is for sure – Russians here in the US celebrate a lot more holidays than average Americans. We eagerly adopt many American holidays, especially the ones that guarantee an extra day off. But we never abandon «свои праздники» [our own…
There Is More To Marriage Than “Брак” Posted by yelena on Apr 21, 2011
Are you married? Please don’t be offended by what seems to be my idle curiosity. There’s a reason for my asking you this (or is it “me asking you this”?) How would you ask this simple question in Russian? The answer depends on the gender of the person you’re speaking with. So if you…
Using the Instrumental Case, Part 3 Posted by Natalie on Apr 14, 2011
«Дорогие друзья» [Dear friends], I don’t know about you, «но мне надоедает творительный падеж» [but I am tired of the instrumental case]. But luckily, this is the last post in the series on the instrumental case. Russian grammar is good, but only in small doses, right? But luckily we haven’t only had grammar this…
Wordbuilding Tetris Posted by yelena on Apr 13, 2011
Every Russian knows that Russian language is «великий и могучий» [great and powerful]. Nowhere is the “mighty” part as evident as in «словообразование» [word-building], the process of creating multiple derivatives of any given word. Take any Russian «слово» [a word] and play with it like a child would play with his building blocks: «нести»…
Using the Instrumental Case, Part 2 Posted by Natalie on Apr 12, 2011
«Дорогие читатели» [Dear readers], as we say in Russian: «Сколько лет, сколько зим!» [Long time, no see (literally it means “How many summers, how many winters”)]. «Простите меня» [Forgive me] for having such a long hiatus between posts–I’m sure you’re just dying to learn more about the instrumental case, right? This post is a continuation…