Advice for First-Time Travelers to Russia by Emily Owens Altman Posted by Maria on May 1, 2018
This post is the first in a series of first-hand accounts and tips from people who have traveled to Russia. They will share their experiences and give prospective visitors some advice. Our first guest author is Emily Owens Altman, a librarian in Richmond, Virginia. The rest of this post is by Emily, with Russian spellings and…
6 Verbs of Talking in Russian Posted by Maria on Apr 26, 2018
What Russian verbs do you know to describe people talking? Russian has a few ways of talking about communication, and this post will mention six common ways of referring to that activity. 1. Говори́ть Говори́ть (imperf.)/сказа́ть (perf.) is probably the first verb that comes to mind. This verb may serve as an equivalent of “to…
As Good As Dead: Macabre Russian Sayings Posted by Maria on Apr 17, 2018
Russian has its share of gallows humor, so I have put together a list of sayings having to do with the dead. Горбатого могила исправит Горб is a hump, so горбатый is a hunchback (not a very nice way to describe someone). Могила is a grave, and исправить is to correct or fix. So, this…
5 Verbs of Cause and Effect in Russian Posted by Maria on Apr 12, 2018
When you are trying to make an argument, it is important to talk about what caused a certain state of affairs. This post will list five ways to express cause and effect in Russian. All verbs will be given in pairs of imperfective/perfective. Приводить/привести Вести (“to lead/take someone somewhere”) is one of the verbs of…
5 Ways To Describe Rudeness In Russian Posted by Maria on Apr 5, 2018
Is someone showing a lack of consideration for other people’s feelings or needs? Learn 5 ways of describing rude behavio(u)r in Russian, depending on what the person is doing and whether they are aware of how they affect others. To vary the conventions of Russian lexicography, I will be listing the feminine forms for the…
Russian News: Fire in Kemerovo Mall Posted by Maria on Mar 28, 2018
A lot of the Russian internet is discussing a tragedy that happened last Sunday, March 25, in the Western Siberian city of Kemerovo (Кемерово). A fire broke out in a mall and killed at least 64 people, many of them children. Let us look at how it is being covered in Russia. Meduza reported: Днём…
5 Ways To Say “Because” in Russian Posted by Maria on Mar 21, 2018
Linking words are one of the things that help you express your thoughts coherently in a new language. This post will look at some of the common conjunctions (союзы) that express causality in Russian. Потому что This may be the best known transition word in Russian. Потому что is a neutral way of saying because…