Tag Archives: russian vocabulary
Russian Summer Wardrobe: Get Your Speedo Ready! Posted by Jenya on May 20, 2015
Summer is upon us and with it the desire to finally shed multiple layers of clothing and feel the warmth of the Sun on our skin. Of course, if you live in Florida, California or some other place that is just as warm, you probably don’t get quite as excited. But what if you live…
This Weekend It’s All About Her, in Russia Posted by Jenya on Mar 4, 2015
Despite all the political chaos that Russia seems to be afflicted with right now, most Russians will turn their attention away from politics this coming weekend. In Russia, March 8th , which falls on a Sunday this year, is International Women’s Day. If you are not familiar with the origins of this holiday, I recommend searching…
Finances in Russian Posted by Maria on Aug 7, 2014
This post goes out to all the expats and businesspeople working and doing business in Russia. While finances are generally a good topic to be conversant in, it becomes especially important for those who have to manage their finances abroad. Personal Finances First, let’s look at the ways to manage your деньги (money; always plural)…
Four Resources for Natural-Sounding Russian Posted by Maria on Feb 20, 2014
We struggle with sounding idiomatic in our second language(s). We may master vocabulary and grammar and be able to express ideas in a way that is technically not wrong, but… так не говорят (you don’t say that). Naturally, learners are encouraged to watch TV, listen to music and podcasts, and travel to the country of…
Talking about your immediate family – “родные” Posted by Maria on Feb 6, 2014
Родной is an interesting word in Russian. Literally, it means “native,” as in родная земля (native land) or родные просторы (literally, “native wide-open spaces” — incidentally, also the name of a popular chocolate). This word shares its root with such words as народ (a nation/people), родиться (to be born), Родина (homeland), день рождения (birthday), Рождество…
Day of Rest and Volunteering Posted by yelena on Aug 29, 2013
In Russia, calendar week starts в понедельник (on Monday). So вторник (Tuesday) is the second day of the week. Can you guess what day of the week is субботник? Ok, so that was a trick question. Субботник is not a day of the week, but a concept. Суббота (Saturday) is the sixth day of the…
Vital vocabulary for (not) talking about religion Posted by Rob on Dec 26, 2012
Накануне Рождества (“on Christmas Eve”), I did my once-a-year attendance of a богослужение (“worship service”), more specifically a месса (“[Catholic] Mass“) — not out of personal religious sentiment but because my parents were visiting from Arizona. Also, being a неверующий (“non-believer”) who was not expected to kneel or креститься (“to cross oneself”) when everybody else…