Archive for 'Russian for beginners'
50 Easiest Russian Words to Remember Posted by Jenya on Feb 5, 2014
If you just started learning Russian, you might be pleasantly surprised to find out that you already know anywhere between 20 to 100 Russian words. How is it possible? Actually, there is a pretty simple explanation behind it. Every language has a slew of loanwords, e.g. words borrowed from one language and incorporated into another…
My Connection to Yuri Gagarin, The First Man in Space, and Other Fun Facts About Your New Russian Blogger Jenya Posted by Jenya on Feb 4, 2014
1. Yuri Gagarin and I are connected! My связь (connection) to Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, did not become apparent to me until I was 27 years old. Yuri Gagarin was the first Russian космонавт (cosmonaut). Gagarin received his training and met his future жена (wife) in the city of Orenburg. Coincidentally, that…
10 Must-Know Russian Phrases for Dating a Russian Posted by yelena on Nov 20, 2013
Years ago, when I was single, my first dates tended to be fairly predictable. A guy would ask me where I was from always remarking that he was curious because of my “lovely accent”. When I would reply that I was from Russia, he would say: “Wow, this is cool! I’m trying to learn Russian…
100 Must-Know Russian Words and How to Learn Them Posted by yelena on Nov 8, 2013
Russian is one of the more difficult major languages to learn because of its crazy grammar (from the point of view of a native speaker of English). But grammar is only one piece of the puzzle. Another one is developing a good словарный запас (vocabulary) which means memorizing lots and lots of Russian words…
Quick Start Guide to Speaking Russian Posted by yelena on Jul 24, 2013
What’s the best way to learn to speak Russian? The answer is pretty simple – you need to start using it as soon as possible. Which really means on Day 1. Yes, that first day you decided to learn this idiosyncratic yet beautiful language. But how can you have a meaningful conversation in a…
“Never have I felt such [fill in emotion here]…” Posted by Rob on May 30, 2013
When Russians ask you «Как ты чувствуешь себя?» (“How are you feeling?”), the expected answer would be something like “My cough seems to be getting worse” or “The traveler’s diarrhea is finally clearing up?” — in other words, they’re asking about your physiological well-being. On the other hand, if they want to know about your…
Shave and a haircut, two bits! Posted by Rob on May 23, 2013
Even if you don’t know the words, anyone who’s ever seen an old Bugs Bunny cartoon will recognize the seven-note melody of “Shave and a haircut…” — it’s classically used as a musical accompaniment to punctuate the end of a joke. And I instinctively hummed the tune after I found this great little анекдот…