Russian Writers Read Their Works Posted by Maria on Jan 11, 2016
We often think of the “greats” of the past as something almost legendary, something we can only access through their books and memoirs. However, we are lucky to have some recordings of a few Russians writers and poets reading their own work. Listening to their voices reminded me that they were living people and somehow…
3 Affordable Ways To Surround Yourself With Russian Media Posted by Maria on Jan 5, 2016
I was going to start Netflix on my “smart” TV when I saw a banner inviting me to install a TV Rain (Дождь) app. For those of you who may not know this, TV Rain is an independent TV station in Russia. This inspired me to write about the ways someone living outside Russia…
5 Ingredients For A Russian New Year Card Posted by Maria on Dec 31, 2015
New Year is approaching quickly, and, as you remember, this is arguably the most important celebration in Russia. Do you need to brush up your New Year vocabulary? Check out our previous posts on this subject. A big part of the New Year tradition is wishing your loved ones a happy new year —…
Wanted Dead Or Alive: Noun Animacy in Russian Posted by Maria on Dec 24, 2015
You might have learned at some point that all nouns in Russian are either animate (одушевле́нные) or inanimate (неодушевле́нные). Roughly speaking, living things are animate and/or sentient: студе́нт, ко́шка, де́ти; and non-living things are inanimate: стена́, телефо́н, письмо́. This subject has been covered on this blog before. As it turns out, determining whether a…
10 Most Popular Russian Posts of 2015 Posted by Maria on Dec 21, 2015
As we wrap up the year 2015, let us look at the most popular posts from 2015. Some of these were written before 2015 but they continue to remain at the top of the list. 10. Russian Names for Pets Have you ever wondered what name you should give your Russian pet? Look no further than…
In The News: Limited Parking Space in Moscow Posted by Maria on Dec 14, 2015
A thought-provoking opinion piece was making the rounds on the Russian Internet (“Runet”) last week. Moscow politician and activist Maxim Katz has published a controversial blog post suggesting all parking spaces in the city be paid. Let us look at his vision of the problem and proposed solution — in his own words. Issues Katz…
Паронимы: Frequently Confused Words in Russian Posted by Maria on Dec 7, 2015
If you grew up in the former USSR and had Russian in grade school, you will remember that most of your class time would be spent going over the numerous rules of that language. One of the aspects that often came up in my Russian classes was what is called паро́нимы. Паронимы are words that look similar…