Archive for 'language'
Здравствуйте! [Hello!] Posted by Natalie on Nov 18, 2010
«Дорогие читатели!» [Dear readers!] As you can probably see from the author name on this post, there is a new blogger here on Russian Blog: me. «Чуть-чуть обо мне:» [A little bit about me:] «Меня зовут Наталия.» [My name is Natalie.] «Я студентка и я занимаюсь историей и русским языком.» [I’m a student and…
Same-Same but Different IV: Paronyms Posted by yelena on Nov 17, 2010
Quick grammar check: what’s the right way of saying this – “Девушки одели платья в горошек” or “Девушки надели платья в горошек”? If you’re not sure, then read on. Sometimes I set out to write a post about one thing, but life gets in the way and I end up writing about something totally different…
Reading “Мастер и Маргарита”: Chapter 18 Posted by yelena on Nov 15, 2010
How much do I love bookstores? So much that I am ready to fly to Moscow for just one day to browse through books at “Библио-Глобус” (one of the largest bookstores in Moscow). While I’m saving up for the transatlantic flight, I shop online and, when possible, on Brighton Beach (Brooklyn, NY). That’s where I…
Russian Days of the Week Posted by yelena on Nov 9, 2010
«Как прошли выходные?» [How was your weekend?]. Mine was not so hot. And it’s not just the «прохладная погода» [cool weather] that’s to blame, but a nasty case of a 24-hour flu. Well, at least it was supposed to last only «сутки» [24 hours], but as of Monday I was still «в кровати» [in…
Reading “Мастер и Маргарита”: Chapter 17 Posted by yelena on Nov 5, 2010
Did you enjoy reading Chapter 17 of Bulgakov’s “Master and Margarita”? «Лично» [personally], I love all of it, from the sniffing dog «Тузбубен» whose «кличка» [name] literally means Ace of Diamonds to the empty suit, «ведущий дела» [conducting business] to the hapless and unwilling «хор» [choir]. But what I love even more is the…
Есть такое слово! [There is a Word Like This!] Posted by yelena on Oct 18, 2010
I’ve been watching a lot of «русские мультфильмы» [Russian cartoons] lately. I justify it as education, not as entertainment. Seriously, cartoons can provide fantastic insights into the real everyday speech. The golden nuggets of linguistic wisdom – phrases, idioms, words – that can be found in many cartoons usually appear in «повседневная речь» [everyday speech]…
Russian Seasons – Autumn Posted by yelena on Oct 11, 2010
«Унылая пора, очей очарованье» [a melancholy season, bewitchment for the eyes] – that’s how Alexander Pushkin described «осень» [autumn]. The classic wasn’t alone in «воспевание» [celebration, lit.: singing of praises] of this «закатный сезон» [sunset season]. Russian poets love autumn (ok, it’s called Fall here, in the USA, but autumn seems a bit more romantic…