Russian dachniki in February Posted by bota on Feb 22, 2021
Да́чный сезо́н на но́су! [lit. “the season of dachas is on the nose”, meaning “the season of dachas is almost here!”] The final week of February is a busy time for many Russian gardeners or those who have a “да́ча” (dacha or a country house). More on the history of dachas here. Here are some…
Russian grammar is fun Posted by bota on Feb 16, 2021
There is a fun Russian grammar post circulating online that’s said to have been compiled by the Associate Dean of Foreign Languages Faculty at Moscow State University, Alla Leonidovna Nazarenko. Most Russian speakers find the post funny, whimsical even, or at least curious. Today, we go over my favorites from her list. Brace yourselves for…
Love And Vegetable Sayings Posted by Nadya on Feb 12, 2021
As you know, Valentine’s Day (День Святого Валентина) is approaching. There will finally be an occasion to call those we love (любить) but rarely talk to. While some are looking forward to this holiday, others do not celebrate it for their personal reasons or principles. No matter what group of people you belong to, I…
Russian Cooking Verbs Posted by bota on Feb 4, 2021
Last month we looked at Kitchen Appliances. Now it’s time to learn Russian verbs for cooking. At the table The general verb for eating is “ку́шать” [kushat’]. Similar to English, there are specifiс verbs for eating at different times of the day: За́втракать [Zavtrakat’] – to have breakfast Обе́дать [Obedat’] – to have lunch Ужинать…
The Word “Разве” In Russian Posted by Nadya on Feb 1, 2021
Today I will give you an interesting Russian word that can express interest, indignation, doubt, surprise, or even mistrust. It is the word “разве”. General Meaning Of “Разве” “Pа́зве“ [RAHZ-veh] is used to express surprise, some kind of mistrust, and to have doubts about the information you have or about its mismatch. For instance, suppose…
Russian Diminutives Part II Posted by bota on Jan 26, 2021
“Diminutives” is one of the coolest aspects of Russian, but you know what’s even cooler? Finding an old Part I blog on this channel about diminutives and realizing that there isn’t a Part II in the archives. Your insightful comments on that blog (and really all the blogs here) are so contagiously curious about the…
Не За Что Or Ни За Что Posted by Nadya on Jan 22, 2021
In today’s topic, we will talk about the difference between “нЕ за что” and “нИ за что“. Even some Russian speakers sometimes make mistakes in the spelling of these two phrases. However, it is important to realize that their meanings are different. Both sound like just one word. Let’s look at some examples of using “не…