Tag Archives: Russian words
From Exasperating to Unobtrusive – Customer Service Words Posted by yelena on Dec 9, 2011
Hello! Boy, am I happy to be back! I apologize for such a long absence from the blog. In case you have been wondering, I am not trekking across Siberia nor is my time taken up by re-reading “War and Peace” for the umpteenth time. I have been stranded без ноутбука (without a laptop) or…
Let’s Learn the Learning Verbs Posted by Natalie on Nov 22, 2011
Well, I think it’s finally autumn. For a while, the weather was quite warm, but recently, whenever I walk outside, «мне холодно» [I am cold]. This means I have to wear my «пальто, сапоги, и шапка» [coat, boots, and hat]. And I try not to forget «перчатки» [gloves] either! In the photo: birches near Novosibirsk…
Let’s Unite and Learn Russian Grammar! Posted by Natalie on Oct 21, 2011
I am back, «дорогие читатели» [dear readers], ready to explain obscure points of Russian grammar to you. What have I been doing in the past weeks? Many things, all of which relate to school. I am writing «тезис» [a thesis] on a famous Soviet leader and just generally studying for exams (I just took…
One Hard-Working Russian Word Posted by yelena on Oct 18, 2011
Do you know that in Russia the expression “birthday suit” translates as «костюм Адама» if talking about a male and «костюм Евы» if talking about a woman. But «фиговый листок» means exactly the same thing, a fig leaf, in its proverbial sense. Just be careful with the stress or you end up saying “worthless leaf”…
Prefixed Verbs of Motion: Part 2 Posted by Natalie on Jul 20, 2011
I was going to make this post about something fun, but that will have to wait until Friday. This is Part 2 of this post. Today, I will be writing about «глаголы движения с приставками» [prefixed verbs of motion]. Last time, we talked about the actual prefixes. Today, I will discuss how some verbs…
Tea in Russia is More Than Just Tea Posted by yelena on Jun 27, 2011
If you meet and befriend a Russian, at some point you will be invited over to his or her place. Such invitation won’t be anything formal. Your friend might say «будешь рядом, заходи в гости» [when you are in the area, do stop by] or «приходи, чайку попьём» [come over for some tea] or «будет…
Self-Employed Doesn’t Mean Self-Serving Posted by yelena on Jun 20, 2011
When I was «маленькая» [a child], «лето было моим любимым временем года» [summer was my favorite season]. I had 2 hugely important reasons to love summer – my birthday and «летние каникулы» [summer break from school]. As I started getting older, the excitement of celebrating yet another «день рождения» [birthday] wore off. But I did…