10 Must-Know Russian Phrases for Dating a Russian Posted by yelena on Nov 20, 2013
Years ago, when I was single, my first dates tended to be fairly predictable. A guy would ask me where I was from always remarking that he was curious because of my “lovely accent”. When I would reply that I was from Russia, he would say: “Wow, this is cool! I’m trying to learn Russian…
Sing, Dance and Get Lucky Posted by yelena on Nov 15, 2013
Have you watched it yet? If not, do so now because a) am I to suffer from this ear worm all by myself?! b) it’s time to forget тверкинг and c) it’s now a viral sensation. Lots of great vocabulary today thanks to the YouTube clip of Russian “police” singing Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”. Almost…
Fall Weather, Foul Weather Posted by yelena on Nov 13, 2013
The next couple of days in Moscow are expected to be пасмурные (overcast) and холодные (cold). Синоптики (meteorologists) say there might be a chance of снег (snow). But the experience has taught us that метеорология (meteorology) is not exactly точная наука (an exact science). On the other hand, the gloomier the forecast, the more chances that…
100 Must-Know Russian Words and How to Learn Them Posted by yelena on Nov 8, 2013
Russian is one of the more difficult major languages to learn because of its crazy grammar (from the point of view of a native speaker of English). But grammar is only one piece of the puzzle. Another one is developing a good словарный запас (vocabulary) which means memorizing lots and lots of Russian words…
Russian Rebus Rules Posted by yelena on Nov 4, 2013
Have you ever tried solving a Russian crossword puzzle? How about “Найдите слово” (Find a word) challenge? Don’t feel bad if you haven’t. Crosswords are tough and “find-a-word”s can be downright boring. So, ditch those and try your hand at something way more fun instead. And what can be more fun than a ребус (rebus…
Word of the Day – Side Gig Posted by yelena on Sep 19, 2013
I have a friend who works as a bookkeeper during the week and as a landscaper in the evenings and on weekends. Another friend’s side gig is fixing cars. Yet another moonlights as a Снегурочка (Snow Maiden) during the winter holidays in Russia and her husband sticks on a white beard and accompanies her as…
How to Talk About Studying Like a Russian Posted by yelena on Sep 17, 2013
The first thing a visitor to my old school saw upon entering the massive front doors was the famous quote Учиться, учиться и учиться (To study, to study and to study). Bonus point if you know whose quote it is. The quote was in large gilded letters which, by the time I reached high school…