Tag Archives: Russian language
Test Time – Check Your Knowledge of Russian Language Posted by yelena on May 25, 2012
It’s the end of the school year in Russia. The good news is that летние каникулы (summer school break) is about to start. The bad news is that first there are some экзамены (exams) that need to be passed. Of course, if you studied hard all year or, say, took time зазубрить (here: to cram)…
To Each Vegetable Its Own… Phrase Posted by yelena on May 14, 2012
There is a wonderful Russian saying всякому овощу своё время (there’s time for everything). But as it turns out, всякому овощу, фрукту и ягоде – своё красное словцо (to each vegetable, fruit or berry its own witticism). Картофель (potato) is a relative newcomer to Russia, appearing only in Peter the Great’s reign. Much like in…
Лениниана Posted by yelena on Apr 24, 2012
Guess whose birthday is celebrated on April 22? Well, lots of famous and important people were born on this day, for example, Alexander Kerensky and Vladimir Nabokov. And, of course, Владимир Ильич Ульянов (Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov) was born on this day back in 1870. He is usually better known by his alias, Ленин (Lenin). So let’s talk about Lenin’s influence…
Tax Time Posted by yelena on Apr 9, 2012
What’s on your mind, уважаемые читатели (dear readers)? If you live in the US, then you probably have two problems to tackle this week. One is what to do with all the empty plastic eggs from the Easter egg hunts. The other one is, of course, налоги (taxes). Have you heard this Russian expression –…
Particle -ка and How to Use It Posted by yelena on Apr 4, 2012
As you’ve realized by now, my previous post about the letter Ё being removed from the alphabet was just первоапрельская утка (April Fool’s spoof). What шутки (jokes) did you play on your friends this year? What kind of розыгрыши (pranks) did they try to pull on you? This year, one of the spoofs prepared by…
Breaking News – One Fewer Letter Posted by yelena on Apr 1, 2012
I don’t post on this blog on weekends, unless something happens that is из ряда вон выходящее (out of the ordinary). Today is just such a day. As you know, the Russian alphabet has 33 letters. Or rather, it had 33 letters until today when the number was reduced by 1 letter. Can you guess…
Woman’s Work – Part 2 Posted by yelena on Mar 19, 2012
I am pretty sure that most Russians over 30 are familiar with the opening lines of Gianni Rodari’s poem Чем пахнут ремёсла (What jobs smell like): У каждого дела Запах особый (Each trade Has its special smell) This short poem mentions quite a few jobs, all using masculine nouns – маляр (painter), стекольщик (windows installer)…