Tag Archives: Russian grammar
Million Scarlet Roses Posted by yelena on Feb 3, 2011
«Миллионалых1роз» [Million Scarlet Roses], a song first sung by «Алла Пугачёва» [Alla Pugacheva] in 1983, is still very popular and well known in Russia. Our guest, David Roberts, will help us learn, among other things, a few new 4-letter words, where the modern past tense comes from, why we can sometimes use the past tense…
Swimming… in Russian Posted by yelena on Jan 18, 2011
Have you ever considered participating in «триатлон» [a triathlon]? I haven’t because… shhh… I can’t «плавать» [swim]. I know, I know, how could I, who grew up on the banks of the mighty «Волга» [Volga], not become at least a passable swimmer? Sometimes I wonder about this myself, but here I am nevertheless. «В…
On Stress Posted by yelena on Jan 11, 2011
We’ve talked about word stress before, so this time we’re talking stress as in “feeling pressured”. How’s your post-holiday stress level? I know mine is running pretty high what with all the resolutions. «У меня стресс из-за этих решений.» [I’m stressed because of these resolutions]. «Стресс» [stress] «прочно вошёл» [has come to stay] into…
How to Compare Things in Russian Posted by yelena on Dec 30, 2010
Do you know a Russian saying «зимой снега не допросишься»? It’s used when describing «скупой» [stingy], «жадный» [greedy] person from whom one literally can’t beg even snow in the winter. Well, we’ve had so much snow over the last weekend that I think even the worst tightwads are ready to part with some of the…
It Is Time to Take Stock: “Время подводить итоги” Posted by yelena on Dec 23, 2010
Russians are not alone in their «двойственный» [dichotomous] approach in the weeks before the New Year. On the one hand, it’s time for frantic and quite overwhelming preparations for the holidays, attending parties, buying gifts… On the other hand, it is time for slowing down, reflecting on «старый год» [the year that’s about to end]…
Declension of Russian Last Names Posted by Natalie on Dec 15, 2010
Whoever said «Русский язык–великий и могучий» [the Russian language is great and mighty] wasn’t kidding. Nothing illustrates this more than склонение фамилий [declension of last names]. There are complicated rules and just when you think you’ve got it, you find out there are a couple of exceptions. Russian last names typically end in «ов» [ov]…
Make Every Single Word Count Posted by yelena on Dec 9, 2010
My aunt is visiting from Russia «через пару недель» [in just a couple of weeks] and I’m seriously contemplating asking her to bring me a pair of «валенки», the traditional Russian felt boots. «Зима!» [It’s winter!] «Подмораживает» [It’s getting frosty]. One of the beautiful things about Russian language is that you can build a…