Russian Nicknames That Became Popular Abroad Posted by Maria on May 8, 2014
We have talked about names before, but what fascinates me is how certain Russian names have a life of their own abroad. While their origin may be Russian or Slavic, the usage of these names in English may be drastically different from Russian in terms of formality and gender. 1. Natasha The Russian name Наташа…
10 Particularly Useful Russian Words and Phrases Posted by Jenya on May 7, 2014
These particular words seem to come up in conversations time and time again. Some of them you may already know. Nevertheless, let’s see why the following selection became particularly useful for people trying to learn Russian. Где (where) appears to be a very convenient word because, unlike in English, you do not need to…
Fascinating Russian: Things you didn’t Know Posted by Jenya on May 6, 2014
А, Б, В are not just letters of the Russian alphabet but also words. Technically, there are 10 single-letter words in the Russian language: а, б, в, ж, и, к, о, с, у, я. «А» – conjunction, could be translated as “but, while, and, while, as opposed to” in English. Example: Я предпочитаю сырую…
Ten Most Common Russian Abbreviations Posted by Jenya on Apr 30, 2014
Abbreviations are common in any language. Only a few short years ago instant messaging introduced a ton of new abbreviations that a lot of us are still trying to learn. On the other hand, there are examples that have been around for years. The Russian language is no exception. Any native speaker of Russian…
Five Mistakes Native Speakers Make in Russian Posted by Maria on Apr 28, 2014
I hope my last post about frequently made mistakes did not scare anyone from learning Russian. Not only are mistakes a natural part of the learning process, but native speakers make them, too! In fact there are several points of the Russian language that native speakers struggle with so much that they can’t always tell…
Six Words You May Be Saying Wrong In Russian Posted by Maria on Apr 24, 2014
Russian did not contribute nearly as many loanwords to English as French or Spanish did. However, a few of these words of Russian origin are floating around in English. Naturally, many of them changed their meaning or pronunciation comparing to Russian. Here are a few words you should pay attention to when speaking Russian to…
First Time in Russia: an American Perspective (Part 2) Posted by Jenya on Apr 22, 2014
Hello everyone! Here is the second part to the story we started last week (you can find part 1 here). Our first full day in Mogilev saw us getting my visa stamped, grocery shopping, and walking around town. Downtown Mogilev was a very beautiful city and the cloudy weather did not spoil it. The city was…