Archive for 'when in Russia'
What You Need To Know To Navigate Russian Airports Posted by Maria on Mar 11, 2020
In case you need to fly into, out of, or through a Russian airport, there are some common phrases that will make navigating it much more comfortable. Of course, international airports (аэропо́рты) have announcements (объявле́ния) and signs (указа́тели) in English and in the flight origin/destination language, but you if you fly within Russia, these words…
Top 5 Russian Personal Documents Posted by Maria on Feb 27, 2020
As I wrote before, life in Russia is a bit more bureaucratic than people in other countries may be used to. There are several documents that people need in order to receive certain legal or social services or even to enter buildings! 1. Па́спорт (National ID) The word па́спорт literally means “passport,” but it is…
5 Russian Phrases To Get Past Comprehension Barriers Posted by Maria on Aug 14, 2019
Some approaches to learning a language, such as the communicative method, encourage teachers and students to only use the target language in the classroom. What do you do if you don’t understand what was just said or lack the vocabulary to ask the other person to repeat or explain? This post will equip you with…
Survey: What Do Russians Do For Fun? Posted by Maria on Jul 15, 2019
The Levada pollster recently published the results of a survey that asked what Russians liked doing in their free time. It turned out that more “highbrow” activities like reading fiction or going to the theatre are losing popularity, while watching TV shows has picked up. The survey (опрос) included over 1,600 adults in 50 constituent…
5 Words You Need To Understand Russian News — Part I Posted by Maria on Jul 2, 2019
If you read news stories in Russian, there are certain words that pop up again and again. Understanding these key concepts will help you grasp the writer’s and audience’s assumptions and the overall angle of the article. This post will cover the first two, and Part II will cover the rest. 1. Власть Власть corresponds…
Things That Don’t Go Together in Russian Cuisine Posted by Maria on Jun 10, 2019
I recently attended a conference in Italy, and I thoroughly enjoyed the advice the locals gave us on following the culinary conventions, such as no cappuccino after 11 AM. This inspired me to write this post, which will look at some food-related “taboos” in Russia. This is all in good humo{u}r, and, of course, not…
How To Write a Résumé in Russian Posted by Maria on Apr 25, 2019
A résumé (резюме́) is an important part of applying for a job anywhere, and Russia is no exception. However, some conventions used for Russian résumés are different from other countries. While recommendations and preferences vary depending on the applicant, company, and time period, this post will go over some common themes. Ли́чные да́нные — Personal…