Archive for 'Russian for beginners'
Using Cell Phones in Russia Posted by Maria on May 11, 2015
If you are traveling to Russia or staying there for a long time, you probably want to keep in touch with your friends back home. Besides Skype and other similar programs, cell phones are an important tool for staying in touch. No Strings Attached Almost everyone in (urban) Russia has a mobile phone (моби́льный…
These Six English Loanwords Don’t Mean What You Think in Russian Posted by Jenya on Apr 22, 2015
The fact that loan words are present in nearly every language is well-known to most people. It is fairly clear that Russian language has been affected by this practice more than some other languages. Whether certain rulers of the past, certain technologies of the present, or globalization are to blame is a topic of…
Why Won’t Russians Answer Me In Russian? (Part II) Posted by Maria on Apr 20, 2015
We are continuing from last week’s post on why some Russians will seemingly give you the cold shoulder and won’t answer you in Russian. We looked at how certain pronunciation gaffes can obscure understanding. There are also social and interpersonal reasons for the person’s reluctance to respond to you in Russian. Hungry for Practice As…
Russians VS Americans in the Battle of Sauerkraut, Pancakes, Sandwiches, Dumplings, and Hot Dogs. Posted by Jenya on Apr 8, 2015
Warm sauerkraut and kielbasa, a hot dog on a steamed bun with all the fixings, holiday ham straight from the oven, fluffy pancakes with syrup – there is definitely a certain way we eat these foods here in America. The way people eat the very same foods elsewhere can be vastly different. Is it any…
Songs from Russian Cartoons: Grammar Clinic Posted by Maria on Mar 23, 2015
Many a student of Russian learned from the songs in Soviet cartoons. These cartoons are widely-known classics, some of which, like Cheburashka, have developed a cult following abroad. However, all too often learners will recogniz/se the cartoon and hum the tune but won’t know the lyrics or what they mean. Why don’t we take this opportunity to…
Loanwords Frequently Mispronounced in Russian Posted by Maria on Mar 16, 2015
Once Russian learners whose first language is a Romance or Germanic one get past the “this language is like nothing I know” stage, they may start noticing that Russian has acquired and assimilated scores of loanwords. Many navigation terms come from Dutch (киль — keel); art, from French (бале́т — ballet) and Italian (пиани́но —…
Beyond ты and вы — formality in Russian Posted by Maria on Mar 12, 2015
One of the first things you learn in Russian is that there are two ways of addressing a person depending on your relationship with them. Ты is reserved for friends, family, and young children. Вы is the polite form of address to strangers, older people, officials, and anyone you are interacting with in a formal…