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Tag Archives: useful Russian phrases

Hang on, I want to weigh in on something… Posted by on Aug 8, 2012

In her excellent Friday post about telephone-related expressions, Natalie mentioned the verb вешать — which is literally “to hang,” and in the context of telephones can mean “to end the phone call by hanging up.” So I wanted to take a closer look at вешать, along with some other verbs (and a few nouns) that…

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Лгун (“The Liar”) — a VERY short fairy tale! Posted by on Aug 6, 2012

I’ve mentioned before that I’m captivated by сказки (fairytales). So, let’s start out this week with a “short and sweet” example of Armenian origin. I chose this one not only because it’s so short, but also because it features an unexpected twist. The plot involves a poor person outwitting a rich and powerful person, which…

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Talking on the Phone – In Russian! Posted by on Aug 3, 2012

If you are learning Russian, it is a great idea to cultivate friendships with русскоговорящие [Russian speakers]. Your Russian friends will be thrilled that you are learning Russian and can help you learn new words and phrases. When I was за границей [abroad], I made friends with a few Russians who were also studying…

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Vacation Season Posted by on Jul 12, 2012

Ah, summer, prime vacation season not just in Russia, but in many other countries as well. Я жду не дождусь (I can’t wait) for my vacation that’s just a few days away. I can’t even remember the last time я была в отпуске (I was on vacation). How about you? If you are an американец…

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Look It Up in Ozhegov! (or, “Using a Russian dictionary”) Posted by on Jul 11, 2012

Ozhegov's Dictionary (with lab rats for scale)

From the earliest days of learning Russian as a foreign language, we all make frequent use of a переводный словарь (“translation dictionary”), whether it’s English/Russian, French/Russian, Chinese/Russian, or whatever our native language may be. But as you gradually progress in your studies, it helps to become familiar with a different kind of reference tool, namely…

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Назовите Эту Птицу! (Name That Bird!) Posted by on Jul 9, 2012

A laquer-box and a CD cover depicting the Жар-Птица (''Fire Bird'')

Today, we’re going to get some sentence-reading practice as we play a round of that thrilling new шоу-викторина (“trivia-game show”), Назовите Эту Птицу! (“Name That Bird!”). And without further ado, here’s the ведущая (“TV-show hostess, moderator”) of our show, direct from her sold-out concert appearances in Vegas! Дамы и господа (“ladies and gentlemen”), please put…

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Blood and Brains: One more look at anatomy Posted by on Jun 27, 2012

Goslings following Konrad Lorenz

If you read the previous posts about Russian terms for human anatomy, you now know some words related to the biological process of eating, as well as moving around and reproducing. But we haven’t yet covered the most crucial “life-support” functions that keep the body alive — so let’s look at… Органы кровообращения и дыхания…

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