Archive for 'Uncategorized'
In a Russian schoolbag Posted by Maria on May 12, 2014
I was shopping in a pharmacy the other day and noticed that the stationery/back-to-school section didn’t have any pencil cases (пеналы) on display. It makes sense, with the school systems being different that the students’ “equipment” will be different, too. However, these differences may not be as obvious to someone who didn’t go to school…
Proper Use of Russian Proper Names Posted by Maria on Mar 3, 2014
One of the first things you might have learned in your Russian course is the Russian names. So, you may know that Миша and Паша are guys’ names and that last names have male and female forms, but some of you may still be confused about the finer points of calling people by their name…
Photography in Russia(n) Posted by Maria on Feb 10, 2014
Whether you shoot selfies by the bathroom mirror, take snapshots of your family at picnics, or do professional photoshoots, chances are you deal with photography in your life. When learning languages, we often chase the practical, “everyday” vocabulary, so arts and crafts tend to fall by the wayside. Let us go over some phrases that…
Maria joins the Russian blogging team Posted by Maria on Feb 3, 2014
Hello everyone! Всем привет! My name is Maria (Меня зовут Мария), and I will be joining the Russian Language Blog as a contributor. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and remind you of how you can introduce yourself and talk about your biography in Russian. I was born in the Russian…
Fall Weather, Foul Weather Posted by yelena on Nov 13, 2013
The next couple of days in Moscow are expected to be пасмурные (overcast) and холодные (cold). Синоптики (meteorologists) say there might be a chance of снег (snow). But the experience has taught us that метеорология (meteorology) is not exactly точная наука (an exact science). On the other hand, the gloomier the forecast, the more chances that…
How to Talk About Studying Like a Russian Posted by yelena on Sep 17, 2013
The first thing a visitor to my old school saw upon entering the massive front doors was the famous quote Учиться, учиться и учиться (To study, to study and to study). Bonus point if you know whose quote it is. The quote was in large gilded letters which, by the time I reached high school…
Sympathy for the Devil (or: A Look at Bulgakov’s Word Choices) Posted by Rob on Apr 9, 2013
During the recent Easter season, I found myself dipping into certain chapters from Bulgakov’s «Мастер и Маргарита» — after all, the master’s novel-within-a-novel retelling of key events from Страсти Христовы (“The Passion”) is quite central to the story . And, in fact, Bulgakov’s masterpiece was originally conceived as a short sketch in which the Devil…