Tag Archives: Russian language
Phrases To Express Your Opinion Posted by Nadya on Mar 12, 2021
When writing an essay or in a conversation, you have probably often faced the need to express your opinion. For this, you can use some short introductory text constructions. You may have already heard the most common Russian phrases “я думаю” (“I think”) and “мне кажется” (“it seems to me”). We talked about them earlier…
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…
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…
Kitchen Appliances Posted by bota on Jan 15, 2021
What comes to your mind when you think of kitchen spaces in Russia? Maybe you think of beautiful hand-painted wooden cups and spoons like in the pictures below? Or is it a big samovar, an infamous symbol of Russian teatime and, in my opinion, the grandest of…
Making Plans For The Next Year Posted by Nadya on Dec 30, 2020
The time is approaching to take stock and make New Year’s Resolutions: make yourself promises and plans for the next year. Let’s summarize the year’s results (результаты) first. 2020 has been a crazy year. But finally, it is ending. After the holiday wishes (пожелания) this year, people invariably add, “I hope 2021 is a better…
ЖЕ: particle or conjunction? Posted by bota on Dec 14, 2020
ЖЕ [pronounced “zhe”, see here for audio] can be either a particle or conjunction. Either way, it is written separately from the words it modifies and can add a lot of “flavor” to your Russian. ЖЕ as a particle The main function of this particle is to either intensify the word before, or show the…