Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Describing States of the Body in Russian Posted by Maria on Jan 22, 2019
You might have noticed that, to talk about physical sensations or afflictions in Russian, you often use an impersonal construction, where the person not feeling well is technically not the subject of the sentence. Here are some of the most common patterns for these sayings. Dative noun + predicative expression First, what’s a predicative expression?…
Царь, царевич, or Royal Titles in Russian Posted by Maria on Jan 17, 2019
Are King Arthur and King Solomon both “коро́ль” in Russian? Why are both принц and князь used to say “prince,” and what’s the difference? This post will look at some royal titles in Russian and give examples of famous bearers of these titles. Коро́ль/Короле́ва The term “коро́ль” (king) is believed to come into Slavic languages…
Move With The Times: Uses of Современный (“Modern”) In Russian Posted by Maria on Dec 27, 2018
One of the words that is used a lot in Russian is совреме́нный. This word, which literally means “modern” or “contemporary,” is extremely versatile and can express meanings ranging from timeliness to technological advanced to being hip. Let us look at these related but distinct senses. Happening these days This is a neutral sense of…
Russian “Хозяй-” Root for Ownership and Property Posted by Maria on Nov 20, 2018
Russian has a versatile root that is used to describe ideas having to do with ownership, such as a property or a landlord. Can you guess what that root is? It is -хозяй-. This post will look at some of the most common words with this root. Хозя́ин/хозя́йка Хозя́ин (masculine), хозя́йка (feminine), and хозя́ева (plural)…
Russian Folk and Medieval Vocabulary in Melnitsa Songs Posted by Maria on Nov 6, 2018
The Russian band Ме́льница (Mel’nitsa, “mill”) performs songs in a genre that could be described as Celtic-inspired fantasy folk. You can not only enjoy their music but also use their lyrics (слова́) to learn more rare vocabulary having to do with nature, old-time weapons and occupations, feudal titles, and magic. While not immediately useful in…
Russian Songs About Luck with Везёт Posted by Maria on Aug 8, 2018
One useful word for talking about luck is везти́. This post will explain how this word is used and illustrate it — with famous Russian songs! Везти́/повезти́ To express the idea of having good luck, we use the verb везти́ (yes, the same one you may already know as a verb of motion meaning “to…
Talking About Weight in Russian Posted by Maria on Jul 31, 2018
Do you know how to describe a person’s weight in Russian? Here are some ways, from neutral to complimentary to derogatory. Вес The most basic word is вес, weight. You may also hear масса тела (body mass) in medical or scientific contexts. To weight is весить. Weight in Russian is measured in kilograms (килограммы). —…