Archive for 'Vocabulary'
The Basic Universal Facial Expressions Posted by Nadya on Sep 21, 2020
Emotion (эмо́ция) is the process of automatically reacting (реаги́рование) to events based on the personal past. Charles Darwin was one of the first to study emotions (эмо́ции). His evolutionary theory of the origin of emotions, “The Expression of Emotions in Humans and Animals “, published in 1872, described the principle of a living organism and…
Let’s dig deeper into the Russian verbs for gardening Posted by bota on Sep 17, 2020
September is a busy month if you are a gardener in Russia. Many are spending their weekends busy на да́че, reaping the fruits (and vegetables) of their spring sowing and getting their gardens ready for the winter. We’re going to get our hands dirty by digging into verbs related to gardening (садово́дство и огоро́дничество) and…
Schools In Russia Posted by Nadya on Aug 31, 2020
The First of September (пе́рвое сентября́) is Knowledge Day (День зна́ний) in Russia. It is the official school start date. Pupils on this day return to schools (шко́лы), colleges (ко́лледжи), and universities (университе́ты). You can read more about how Russian children and their parents prepare for school and celebrate this day here. Today we will…
Давай Дружить! – Let’s Be Friends! Posted by Nadya on Aug 24, 2020
Friends play extremely important roles in our lives. Friendship in Russia means a lot and is appreciated. To be honored to be called a true friend, you need to do certain things. A close friend is almost a family member. We have already discussed the types of friendship (дру́жба) in Russia in this blog. Today…
Examining a Russian spice rack. Part I Posted by bota on Aug 18, 2020
There are a number of припра́в, пря́ностей, и спе́ций (spices) that are considered standard in any Russian household, whether you are многоде́тная семья́ (a family with lots of kids) or зако́нченный холостя́к (a long-time bachelor). This blog will focus on spices commonly used for savory dishes, while Part II will cover spices used for baking…
15 Funny English Phrases To Help You Learn Russian Expressions Posted by Nadya on Jul 9, 2020
The Phonetic Association Method is a way to make vocabulary learning easier. The strategy is based on the selection of resembled sounds. With it, you can memorize up to 30-50 words per day. It is a life hack, when in a short time you need to learn a large number of words. Using this method…
Easy-breezy Russian idioms with “wind” Posted by bota on Jun 10, 2020
The Russian language is bountiful with idioms (фразеологи́змы) and there are a few particularly fun ones that use the word “ве́тер” (wind). Wind often symbolizes uncertainty, transition, and change. It also carries notions of emptiness and void since we cannot really catch it or hold onto it, but we can definitely feel its power…