Tag Archives: thematic vocabulary
Царь, царевич, or Royal Titles in Russian Posted by Maria on Jan 17, 2019
Are King Arthur and King Solomon both “коро́ль” in Russian? Why are both принц and князь used to say “prince,” and what’s the difference? This post will look at some royal titles in Russian and give examples of famous bearers of these titles. Коро́ль/Короле́ва The term “коро́ль” (king) is believed to come into Slavic languages…
8 Russian Football Words for the World Cup Posted by Maria on Jul 11, 2018
Now that Russia is out of the running at the World Cup and the tournament is nearing its end, and I’m sure football—or soccer for our US readers—is on many people’s minds. Sasha recently shared his experience at the World Cup. Here are eight words that will helps you talk about the game. 1. Чемпиона́т…
4 Ways to Refer to Living Things in Russian Posted by Maria on Jul 3, 2018
Do you know what to call that cute fuzzy creature in the woods? Read on to learn four ways you can talk about living creatures and what distinguishes each of these ways. 1. Животное Живо́тное is related to жить, to live. This word is a general word for “animal.” You can hear it in speech…
Bob’s Your Uncle, or Using Kinship Terms for Strangers in Russian Posted by Maria on Jun 21, 2018
Did you know that some words normally reserved for family members can be used in Russian to refer to people you are not related to? This post will look at some of the situations when this may happen. Тётя The primary sense of тётя is “aunt.” This word may also refer to any adult or…
5 Ways To Describe Rudeness In Russian Posted by Maria on Apr 5, 2018
Is someone showing a lack of consideration for other people’s feelings or needs? Learn 5 ways of describing rude behavio(u)r in Russian, depending on what the person is doing and whether they are aware of how they affect others. To vary the conventions of Russian lexicography, I will be listing the feminine forms for the…
Knowledge Is Power: Verbs With ‑знать in Russian Posted by Maria on Jan 8, 2018
Знать (to know) is one of the most common verbs in Russian. There are also several important verbs derived from it. Узнать — To Discover/Learn Узнать (perfective)/узнавать (imperfective) is used to talk about learning some information for the first time. О́коло полугода жильцы́ пыта́лись узна́ть, что, со́бственно, происхо́дит. The residents tried for about half a…
Political Labels That Don’t Mean The Same Thing In Russian Posted by Maria on Oct 16, 2017
Most of Russian political terminology is international in origin, so the words are easy to recognize: демократия, капитализм, либерализм, национализм, and so on. However, the definition of the foreign-language cognate will not always match how the corresponding word is used in Russian. Либерализм Либерализм may have a different connotation in Russian than “liberalism” does in…