Russian Perspective on International Women’s Day Posted by Jenya on Mar 4, 2014
In a few short days, on March 8 to be exact, most Russian women will wake up in anticipation of something special. For many of them this feeling will be confirmed with gifts of love and affection from family and friends, yet others will face disappointment when their expectations do not come to pass…
Proper Use of Russian Proper Names Posted by Maria on Mar 3, 2014
One of the first things you might have learned in your Russian course is the Russian names. So, you may know that Миша and Паша are guys’ names and that last names have male and female forms, but some of you may still be confused about the finer points of calling people by their name…
What You Didn’t Know About Ethnic Heritage in Russia Posted by Maria on Feb 27, 2014
Talking about identity and ethnicity is probably a can of worms for every country. Russia is no different in that respect, and национальный вопрос (ethnic question) is a very щекотливый вопрос (touchy subject). However, the dynamics of ethnic relations in Russia may differ from how they work in your country, and I’d like to point…
Understanding Foreign Humor: Russian Humor Posted by Jenya on Feb 25, 2014
When I first came to America in the distant 2003, many things seemed pretty amazing to me. Sadly, the same could not be said about American humor. Despite the fact that I understood English really well even then, I did not find most of the humor funny. I really tried: I watched multiple episodes of…
Four Resources for Natural-Sounding Russian Posted by Maria on Feb 20, 2014
We struggle with sounding idiomatic in our second language(s). We may master vocabulary and grammar and be able to express ideas in a way that is technically not wrong, but… так не говорят (you don’t say that). Naturally, learners are encouraged to watch TV, listen to music and podcasts, and travel to the country of…
Popular Nutritious Russian Dishes and Food Items Posted by Jenya on Feb 18, 2014
If you haven’t spent a significant amount of time in Russia, it would be pretty hard for you to give an accurate account of what Russian cuisine is like. Russian cuisine (русская кухня) is a massive aggregate of traditional Russian dishes (русские блюда), Russian adaptations of dishes that came from neighboring cultures, and dishes…
Introducing and Repealing Rules Posted by Maria on Feb 17, 2014
Many times when I would start to have Russian conversations with learners of Russian, the conversation would quickly slip into discussions about Russian politics. This is only to be cherished, of course; however, the problem is that learners often lack the vocabulary to talk about current events and, therefore, switch back to English. Let’s go…