Same-Same but Different I: Homonyms Posted by josefina on Aug 26, 2010
Not always can I in my gigantic, personal library with photographs from Russia find something that illustrates «точка в точку» [perfectly] the topic of the post. Then I do like this: pick a random pic and hope somehow it fits! This is «закат в городе Таре в Сибири осенью 2005 (две тысячи пятого) года» [a…
The 200 ‘Rouble’ Question: Why is it «двести» and not «дваста»? Posted by josefina on Aug 25, 2010
David Roberts is English, lives in Liverpool and has always loved languages but loved science even more, and that’s why he did Chemistry at University and worked for many years as a research chemist. He got vaguely interested in Russian when doing an optional subsidiary course on “Scientific Russian”, but didn’t get very far. Then several…
Reading «Мастер и Маргарита»: Chapter 12 Posted by josefina on Aug 24, 2010
Chapter 12 – «Явление героя» [“The Appearance of the Hero”, or an even better English translation might be: ”The Hero Appears”] – is where we, the readers of “Master & Margarita”, finally come to understand what the novel’s title means. In this chapter an enigmatic «гость» [mas. guest] comes into the room of «Иван Бездомный»…
Learning Russian for Travel Posted by yelena on Aug 20, 2010
So far summer 2010 hasn’t been the best for travel to Russia. In addition to the usual visa-related headache, we have a heat wave, drought, wildfires, hurricane-force winds, and low air quality because of all the fires. «Такое вот лето фиговое.» [Such rubbish summer.] A once-popular and often-cited line from an old song – «у природы нет плохой погоды» [nature…
«Ненастоящие друзья» [False friends]: part II Posted by josefina on Aug 18, 2010
Not everything in a foreign language is difficult. If you feel like calling the vehicle above «мотоцикл» [motorcycle] in Russian, then that’s okay and even correct. But that doesn’t mean you can go ahead and assume that a bicycle is «бицикл» in Russian because really the word for it is «велосипед» [bicycle]. Today’s post is…
Stressed About Word Stress? Posted by yelena on Aug 16, 2010
Are you struggling with stresses in Russian words? Well, don’t feel alone. You’ve got plenty of company. The issue of improperly stressed words affects native speakers of Russian, including such well-educated and highly trained professionals as «телеведущие» [TV anchors]. Add to the mix politicians who constantly entertain their «электорат» [voters] with «ляпы» [bloopers] and…
Tea-kettles, Dummies and Dumplings Posted by yelena on Aug 13, 2010
«Честно признаться» [to be honest], I don’t have a favorite birthday cake or pie. Instead, I prefer «вареники» [dumplings] to any «выпечка» [baked goods] and not just any dumplings, but only «вишнёвые вареники» [cherry-filled dumplings]! After all, there are so many different fillings for «вареники» – with «творог» [farmer’s cheese], «печёнка» [liver], «капуста» [cabbage], «яблоки»…