{"id":4946,"date":"2013-12-05T08:00:23","date_gmt":"2013-12-05T08:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=4946"},"modified":"2018-08-16T20:06:36","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T20:06:36","slug":"using-mnemonics-to-learn-russian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/using-mnemonics-to-learn-russian\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Mnemonics to Learn Russian?"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Early Soviet poster pushes for literacy among women: “Woman! Learn to read!”. The young girl says to her mother: “Oh, mother! If you could read, you’d be able to help me!”)<\/em><\/p>\n

Memorizing grammar rules and, especially, exceptions to them, can be, to put it mildly, not fun at all. What\u2019s worse, they tend to \u0432 \u043e\u0434\u043d\u043e<\/span> \u0443<\/span>\u0445\u043e \u0432\u043b\u0435\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u044e\u0442, \u0438\u0437 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e \u0432\u044b\u043b\u0435\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u044e\u0442<\/strong> (go into one ear and out of the other).<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I am a big fan of mnemonic devices. I still remember the very first one I learned back in the primary school, \u201c\u0436\u0438\/\u0448\u0438 \u043f\u0438\u0448\u0438<\/span> \u0441 \u0431\u0443<\/span>\u043a\u0432\u043e\u0439 \u0438<\/strong>\u201d (write letter \u201c\u0438<\/strong>\u201d in the \u201c\u0436\u0438\u201d<\/strong> and \u201c\u0448\u0438\u201d<\/strong> syllables even though you hear it as \u201c\u044b\u201d<\/strong>), I\u2019ve relied on it ever since.<\/p>\n

Some others that stuck in my mind and that I still use include:<\/p>\n

\u0418\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u043d \u0420\u043e\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u043b \u0414\u0435\u0432\u0447\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u043a\u0443 \u0412\u0435\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u043b \u0422\u0430\u0449\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u041f\u0435\u043b\u0451<\/span>\u043d\u043a\u0443<\/strong> – the beginning letters of each word correspond with the beginning letters of the noun cases – \u0438\u043c\u0435\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (nominative), \u0440\u043e\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (genitive), \u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (dative), \u0432\u0438\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (accusative), \u0442\u0432\u043e\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (instrumental), \u043f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u043d\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (prepositional).<\/p>\n

\u041a\u0430<\/span>\u0436\u0434\u044b\u0439 \u041e\u0445\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a \u0416\u0435\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u0442 \u0417\u043d\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0413\u0434\u0435 \u0421\u0438\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442 \u0424\u0430\u0437\u0430<\/span>\u043d<\/strong> (lit: each hunter wants to know where pheasant sits) does the same trick for the colors of the rainbow – \u043a\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u043d\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (red), \u043e\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0436\u0435\u0432\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (orange), \u0436\u0451\u043b\u0442\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (yellow), \u0437\u0435\u043b\u0451\u043d\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (green), \u0433\u043e\u043b\u0443\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0439<\/strong> (light blue), \u0441\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0439<\/strong> (dark blue), \u0444\u0438\u043e\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (purple).<\/p>\n

Another one I remember, but fail to use most of the time is \u043d\u0430\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u043e\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0436\u0434\u0443, \u043e\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u041d\u0430\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0436\u0434\u0443<\/strong> (to put on clothes, to dress Nadezhda). It helps to remember when to use the verb \u043d\u0430\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c<\/strong> (to put an article of clothing on oneself) and when to use \u043e\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c<\/strong> (to put an article on clothing on someone else).<\/p>\n

I was recently reminded of a little rhyme that helps remember the planets in order and that goes like this: \u041c\u0435\u0440\u043a\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u0439 – \u0440\u0430\u0437, \u0412\u0435\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0430 – \u0434\u0432\u0430-\u0441, \u0442\u0440\u0438 – \u0417\u0435\u043c\u043b\u044f<\/span>, \u0447\u0435\u0442\u044b<\/span>\u0440\u0435 – \u041c\u0430\u0440\u0441, \u043f\u044f\u0442\u044c – \u042e\u043f\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u0440, \u0448\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c – \u0421\u0430\u0442\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u043d, \u0441\u0435\u043c\u044c – \u0423\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043d, \u0432\u043e\u0441\u044c\u043c\u043e<\/span>\u0439 – \u041d\u0435\u043f\u0442\u0443<\/span>\u043d<\/strong> (Mercury is one; Venus – two; Earth – three; four – Mars; five – Jupiter; six – Saturn; seven – Uranus; Neptune is the eighth.)<\/p>\n

There are lots of other “little helpers” that I use to, among other things, remember to write the word \u0442\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0436\u0435\u043d\u0438\u043a<\/strong> (worker) with only one \u043d<\/strong>, to not add \u044c<\/strong> at the end of \u043d\u0435\u0432\u0442\u0435\u0440\u043f\u0451\u0436<\/strong> (can’t wait) or to stress the correct vowel in the word \u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u0442\u044b<\/strong> (cakes).<\/p>\n

The problem with many of these rules is that they are easy for native speakers. But I think they aren\u2019t all that helpful if you are learning Russian as a foreign language. What, if any, mnemonics have you used to memorize Russian words or grammar rules? Have you tried creating your own \u043c\u043d\u0435\u043c\u043e\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430 (mnemonics)? On the other hand, do you have a favorite English-language mnemonic rule that you wish you knew how to say in Russian?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Early Soviet poster pushes for literacy among women: “Woman! Learn to read!”. The young girl says to her mother: “Oh, mother! If you could read, you’d be able to help me!”) Memorizing grammar rules and, especially, exceptions to them, can be, to put it mildly, not fun at all. What\u2019s worse, they tend to \u0432…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4946","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-language"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t