Tag Archives: Russian language
Playing Board Games… In Russian Posted by yelena on Jan 20, 2011
Do you like playing «настольные игры» [board games]? Let me tell you, board game «любители» [fans] in the US are absolutely «избалованны» [spoiled]. There’s such a variety of board games here «для всех возрастов» [for all ages] and «на любой вкус» [for every taste]. Growing up, I remember playing just a few board games –…
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…
How to Learn Russian While Enjoying Yourself Posted by yelena on Jan 14, 2011
They say you need to practice something for 10,000 hours or so to get really good at it. This means that if you spend 2 hours a day studying and practicing Russian language and you do it every single day of the year, it’ll take you almost 14 years to get functionally fluent. It is…
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…
Clothes, Russian-Style Posted by Natalie on Jan 10, 2011
We depart from our posts «об истории Киева» [about the history of Kiev] to talk about… «одежда» [clothes]! Don’t worry, I will resume telling you about the history of Kiev in another post very soon. «Я типичная девушка» [I’m a typical girl]: «я очень люблю ходить по магазинам» [I really love shopping]. «Я также люблю…
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]…