Tag Archives: Russian sayings
Confused About Russian Pronouns? Posted by yelena on Sep 13, 2011
Is Russian grammar confusing? You bet! Just check out this photo I snapped at a Russian store in New Jersey. Do you ever get frustrated with Russian grammar rules? Are you tired of declension tables, unpredictable word stress and having to memorize endless exceptions from the rules? Well, I am not about to offer a…
And the Winner Is… Posted by yelena on May 20, 2011
Warning: This is a very long post and the winner is announced at the very end of it. «Время подводить итоги конкурса» [It’s time to wrap up our contest]. Before I announce «победитель» [the winner], I got to say this – Russian blog readers ROCK! The total of 83 comments is a new record…
Russian Gestures – Silence is Golden Posted by yelena on May 13, 2011
And now I’m thinking of a Russian 4-letter word that starts with «ж»… Nope, not that one! The word I’m thinking about is «жест». As so many Russian words it has more than one meaning. «В переносном значении» [Figuratively], it means “an act intended for external effect”: «Его решение жениться на Марии было лишь благородным…
Let’s Celebrate Something or Other Posted by yelena on May 10, 2011
A lot can be said on the subject of Russian immigrant experience. But one thing is for sure – Russians here in the US celebrate a lot more holidays than average Americans. We eagerly adopt many American holidays, especially the ones that guarantee an extra day off. But we never abandon «свои праздники» [our own…
Bottles Under Table and Other Rules of Marital Bliss Posted by yelena on Apr 28, 2011
I disagree with the classic who once wrote «Все счастливые семьи счастливы одинаково» [All happy families are alike]. Do you know who wrote this? How about the book that starts with this famous opening line? Back to business, however. As the saying goes, «браки заключаются на небесах» [marriages are made in heaven] meaning that you…
Happy Cheese Week! Posted by yelena on Mar 3, 2011
This week Russians are celebrating «Масленица» [Maslenitsa], also known as «сырная неделя» [lit. cheese-fare week]. And even thought it’s already Thursday, the real fun stuff is just beginning. So read on. Also, I’d like to thank one of our readers, Olga Tarn, for reminding me to write this post as well as for finding…
Cows, Pigs, Wolves and Dogs – More Russian Sayings Posted by yelena on Dec 14, 2010
So in the last few days the news seems to be all about WikiLeaks and about the arrest of its founder Julian Assange. While Russian Internet gets flooded with Wikileaks-related «новости» [news] and «домыслы» [speculations], including far-out «теории заговоров» [conspiracy theories], Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is back in the news cycle as well (like…