Greetings in Russian Posted by Nadya on Sep 30, 2020
There are many formal and informal ways to greet people in Russian. Depending on who you are talking to, you can choose the form that best suits your situation. Let’s take a look at the most popular variations. The most common greetings The most commonly used greetings in Russian are “здра́вствуйте” and “приве́т“. Здра́вствуйте! [zdrа́stvooyte] (plural)…
A day in a Russian kindergarten Posted by bota on Sep 24, 2020
“Зо́лушка” (“Cinderella”), “Ска́зка” (“Fairy Tale”), “Одува́нчик” (“Dandelion”), “Улы́бка” (“Smile”), “Слонёнок” (“Baby Elephant”). At first, these might seem like random words strung together, but in Russia, if they are preceded by “Де́тский Сад” (“kindergarten”) these names evoke some of the sweetest, most carefree days of one’s childhood. And what’s there not to love about kindergarten days?…
The Basic Universal Facial Expressions Posted by Nadya on Sep 21, 2020
Emotion (эмо́ция) is the process of automatically reacting (реаги́рование) to events based on the personal past. Charles Darwin was one of the first to study emotions (эмо́ции). His evolutionary theory of the origin of emotions, “The Expression of Emotions in Humans and Animals “, published in 1872, described the principle of a living organism and…
Let’s dig deeper into the Russian verbs for gardening Posted by bota on Sep 17, 2020
September is a busy month if you are a gardener in Russia. Many are spending their weekends busy на да́че, reaping the fruits (and vegetables) of their spring sowing and getting their gardens ready for the winter. We’re going to get our hands dirty by digging into verbs related to gardening (садово́дство и огоро́дничество) and…
Russian Golden Autumn Posted by Nadya on Sep 14, 2020
Officially, autumn (о́сень) in Russia begins on September 1 and ends on October 31. In each climatic zone, fall (о́сень) has its own characteristics and duration. Nevertheless, it is the shortest, but for me the most picturesque and romantic season. Autumn in Russia The weather in early September (сентя́брь) is usually cool (прохла́дно). Then the…
We’re not in Kansas anymore Posted by bota on Sep 4, 2020
Somewhere between me reading Greek myths and then diving headfirst into The Chronicles of Narnia, I remember being perfectly lost in the lore of the “Волше́бная Страна́” (Magic Land) created by the great Soviet author Alexander Volkov (Александр Во́лков). You might be thinking, Volkov who? Fear not, my friend, for I’m here to tell you…
Schools In Russia Posted by Nadya on Aug 31, 2020
The First of September (пе́рвое сентября́) is Knowledge Day (День зна́ний) in Russia. It is the official school start date. Pupils on this day return to schools (шко́лы), colleges (ко́лледжи), and universities (университе́ты). You can read more about how Russian children and their parents prepare for school and celebrate this day here. Today we will…