Archive for 'Russian for beginners'
Most Useful Russian Phrases Posted by yelena on Dec 15, 2011
I once met a person who коллекционировал (was collecting) words. Actually, he only collected one word, “hello”, but in many different languages. He knew how to здороваться (greet) in over 30 languages and was working hard on expanding his collection for a future кругосветное путешествие (around-the-world trip). I think learning just one word or phrase…
From Exasperating to Unobtrusive – Customer Service Words Posted by yelena on Dec 9, 2011
Hello! Boy, am I happy to be back! I apologize for such a long absence from the blog. In case you have been wondering, I am not trekking across Siberia nor is my time taken up by re-reading “War and Peace” for the umpteenth time. I have been stranded без ноутбука (without a laptop) or…
How to Figure Out Gender of Russian Noun Posted by yelena on Dec 1, 2011
Can you believe it? It’s December already. Let’s start the new month with some Russian grammar, specifically with a short (sort of) post about «род» [gender] of Russian nouns. As you know, Russian language has 3 genders – «мужской» [masculine], «женский» [feminine] and «средний» [neutral]. There are two reasons why it is extremely important to…
How to Say Thank You in Russian Posted by yelena on Nov 24, 2011
This old song is called “I am Grateful to You”. It is interesting how the more formal way of saying “thank you” is combined with the solemn music. Today is «День Благодарения» [Thanksgiving Day] in the US. «Вы празднуете?» [Are you celebrating?] Once «индейка съедена» [the turkey is eaten], «гости разъехались» [the guests left], and…
Traffic, Road Rage and Other Useful Driving Words Posted by yelena on Nov 21, 2011
Stuck in traffic on I-95 a couple of days ago, I thought of a post full of Russian words that can be used «по будням и праздникам» [workdays and holidays]. First, I have a confession to make – as «водитель» [a driver], I am in the category that subscribes to the philosophy of «тише едешь…
This Russian Grammar Round-Up Will Make Your Head Spin Posted by yelena on Nov 15, 2011
If you are looking for entertaining and helpful takes on some of the stickier problems of Russian grammar, then this post is for you. NOTE: not all the posts mentioned below were written by me. In fact, I wrote just a tiny portion of them. So if you leave comments on those posts (with links…
Scary Stories to Read This Halloween Posted by yelena on Oct 26, 2011
Well, it’s that time of the year again. Halloween is just a few days away. If you remember, last year we had a post about «празднуют ли Хэллоуин в России и если да, то как» [whether Halloween is celebrated in Russia and if yes, then how]. Sure, Halloween does not have deep roots in Russia…