Posts under "Russian for beginners"

Russian No-nouns

Posted by yelena 10 Comments
Jan 31 2012

I love good sci-fi (this is not an endorsement of this particular book since I haven’t read it). The phrase братья по разуму (lit: intellectual brethren) is sometimes used to describe intelligent (and presumably friendly) space aliens. In this case the aliens are not only unattractive, but definitely unfriendly. 

This post’s idea comes from Richard who mentioned that he was confused by the noun нежить (lit: the undead) that he encountered reading Nabokov’s story “The Wood Sprite”. Indeed, the noun нежить (undead) sounds exactly like the verb нежить (to pamper), but the meanings of the two words couldn’t be more different. False cognates strike again!

As you’ve undoubtedly realized by now, the noun нежить is related to the verb жить (to live). In fact, one of the definitions of the word нежить is всё, что не живёт человеком, что живёт без души и без плоти, но в виде человека… (everything that is not a human being, that lives without soul and flesh, but in human likeness). Simply put нежить не живёт и не умирает (the undead neither live nor die).

This would be a good post for Halloween, don’t you think?

There are quite a few nouns in the Russian language that are formed according to the same principle as нежить:

Неуч (ignoramus) is someone who не учится (does not study). So a teacher might scold нерадивый ученик (lazy, negligent student): А ты, Петров, как был неучем, так им и останешься (And you, Petrov, have always been an ignoramus and will remain such forever).

Нелюдим (misanthrope) is someone who не с людьми (is not around other people, a loner). Я думала, что мой начальник меня терпеть не может, а он просто нелюдим. (I thought my boss hated my guts, but he’s just a misanthrope).

Недруг (enemy) is someone who is не друг (not a friend) as in the old saying без недруга веку не изжить (can’t live out one’s life without having an enemy).

Незнайка (a know-nothing) literally не знает (does not know) much. It is a character from a popular children’s book that also features a character named Знайка (the know-it-all). An adult know-nothing is невежда since he or she не ведает (does not know). Невежда is an old-fashioned word much like the word it came from, ведать (to know).

Somewhat confusingly, the alike-sounding невежа (a boor) is someone who is не вежливый (is not polite). As this quote from Приключения Незнайки и его друзей (Adventures of Know-Nothing and His Friends) shows: Если … какой-нибудь малыш даже скажет обидное слово малышке, то над ним все смеялись и говорили, что он невоспитанный невежа, который незнаком с самыми простыми правилами приличного поведения. (If… a boy were to say rude words to a girl, then all would laugh at him and say that he was an ill-mannered boor, unfamiliar with even the simplest rules of proper behavior.)

Недоделка is an unfinished item, something that is не доделано (is not completely done). Another good word is недоработка, something that is not up to standard yet. Я – человек быстро увлекающийся и легко отвлекающийся, так что у меня больше недоделок, чем поделок. (I am quick to get into something, yet easily distracted.  As a result, I have more unfinished projects/crafts than finished ones.)

Невольник is a rather высокопарный (highfaluting) word that means someone who lacks воля (free will, freedom). In other words, it’s a slave. The most famous line that uses this word is probably the opening of Lermontov’s poem: Погиб поэт! – невольник чести… (The poet’s dead! – a slave to honor…)

Неурядица is probably my most favorite word in this list. Sure, its meaning isn’t all that pleasant – trouble, woe, confusion. But it comes from the word ряд (here: order, harmony). The old Russian уряд (order, rule) is no longer used, but порядок (order) is as popular as ever. После длительной череды финансовых неурядиц Росавиация аннулировала сертификат «Авиановы» (After a long streak of financial trouble, Rosaviatsiya (Federal Air Transportation agency) withdrew Avianova’s (Russian low-cost air carrier) certificate.

This is not исчерпывающий список (an exhaustive list) of Russian не (no) words. Feel free to add more. And if you have a question, let me know and I’ll blog you the answer (or at least something entertaining and educational).

What Your Russian Spouse Calls You (When You Are Not Listening)

Posted by yelena 8 Comments
Jan 12 2012

Ever wonder what your Russian spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend is talking about on the phone? Are they talking about you?

First of all, it’s safe to assume that a phone call you have overheard is not all about you. The only exception is if it’s your Russian wife calling her лучшая подруга (best friend) or мама (mother) after you two had an argument. (Do men call their best friends to complain or rehash the arguments? I don’t know.)

It is also a good assumption that, although you will not be central to the conversation, except as noted, you will be mentioned at least вскользь (casually, lit: in sliding) or мимоходом (in passing).

Most likely, you will be mentioned at the beginning of the conversation in phrases that answer the Как у вас дела question (How’s everything with you):

У Майка всё нормально (Everything is ok with Mike)

У Джона проблемы на работе (John’s got some problems at work)

Диана прибаливает (Diana feels a bit under the weather)

Sometimes the “how’s everything” question is followed by чем вы заняты (what are you doing) question and again, you might be mentioned:

Линда смотрит «Танцы со звёздами» (Linda is watching “Dancing with the Stars”)

Крис идёт выгуливать собаку (Chris is going to walk the dog)

You will also likely be mentioned at the end of the conversation when Russians typically ask to передавать привет (say hi) to you. This time you will likely hear он/она тоже передаёт привет (he/she also says hi).

But what if your name doesn’t come up in the conversation? Then you have to listen carefully for these words (the ones marked with * are used ironically):

For муж (husband):

Вторая половина (the other half)

Cильная половина (the strong half)

Супруг (male spouse)

Благоверный* (husband, lit: the pious one)

Добытчик* (breadwinner)

Also, listen for the word мой (mine) that is not followed by a noun. It usually means “my husband” or “my boyfriend” as in

Мой вчера пришёл с работы взвинченный (Yesterday, my husband came from work all wound up)

Мой развалился на диване, смотрит футбол и пьёт пиво (My husband is lounging on the couch, watching soccer and drinking beer)

Мой вчера букет цветов принёс, да ещё и ужин приготовил (Yesterday my husband brought me a bouquet and prepared dinner)

For жена (wife):

Вторая половина (the other half)

Лучшая половина (the better half)

Благоверная* (the pious one)

Супруга (female spouse)

Супружница* (same as above, but usually used ironically)

Подруга жизни* (life partner)

Also, listen for моя (mine) that is not followed by a noun as in

Сейчас говорить не могу, моя рядом (Can’t talk right now, my wife is nearby)

Завтра идём на корпоративную вечеринку, так что моя поехала в магазин за платьем (Tomorrow we are going to an office party so my wife has gone shopping for a dress)

How do you know when your significant other is talking about you on the phone? If you are a Russian speaker, what do you call your вторая половина (other half) when talking about him or her to Russian friends or family?

Top New Year Resolutions in Russian

Posted by yelena 8 Comments
Jan 3 2012
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Do you know that there are THREE Russian-language versions of the “Jingle Bells” song? In addition to the more grown-up version from the video above, here are the texts of two more. 

Three days into новый год (the new year), how are you doing with your новогодние решения (New Year resolutions) also known as новогодние обещания? Have you made any? Have you broken any yet?

Have you ever promised yourself to начать новую жизнь в новом году (to start a new life in the New Year)? Except who can ever start anything new on первое января (January 1st). Нет, нет и ещё раз нет! (No, no and once again no!). This day is reserved for sleeping in, nursing hangovers and finishing the leftover салат Оливье (Russian potato salad known in Russia as the Olivier salad). That is if you celebrate the New Year как положено (as expected).

Of course, you can skip all the excessive noise, eating, drinking and merriment, go to bed early and be свежий, как огурчик (as fresh as a cucumber) on the first day of the year. You also probably earn a reputation of a person with whom и Новый год по-человечески не встретишь (can’t even celebrate the New Year properly; lit: humanly).

Fortunately, 2012 is a year that lets you и на ель влезть, и зад не ободрать (lit: both to climb up a pine tree and not skin one’s rear end; less literally – “to have your cake and to eat it too).  After all, January 2 falls on a Monday this year.

If you поставили перед собой цели (set goals for yourself) this year, then you likely already read полезные советы (helpful tips) on как эти цели достичь (how to reach these goals). I thought, maybe writing them down in Russian would help you to a) strengthen your resolve and/or at least b) teach you some useful phrases.

So I did a quick search online and found out that some of the most popular New Year resolutions include:

  • Снизить вес or похудеть (lose weight)
  • Прийти в лучшую физическую форму (become more physically fit)
  • Придерживаться бюджета (stick to a budget)
  • Избавиться от долгов (get out of debt)
  • Проводить больше времени с родными и близкими (spend more time with family and friends; lit: with our kin and those close to us)
  • Найти родственную душу (find a kindred spirit) or любимого человека (one’s love), hopefully this being one and the same person
  • Бросить курить (quit smoking) or бросить пить (quit drinking)
  • Найти лучшую работу (find a better job)
  • Научиться чему-нибудь новому (learn something new)
  • Стать организованнее (become better organized)
  • Научиться справляться со стрессом (learn how to deal with stress) or уменьшить уровень стресса (lower stress level)
  • Больше помогать другим (help others more)

Does this sound like something you are attempting to accomplish this year? So how do you say “This year I want to…”?

В этом году я хочу… then add any of the above options, except for #9, and you are good to go.

#9, the “to learn something new” goal is a bit tricky since you typically would want to specify what it is you are trying to learn. But never fear and meet the challenge head on by saying:

В этом году я хочу + научиться + infinitive of the verb that describes what it is you plan on learning plus any clarifying words.

В этом году я хочу научиться рисовать (This year I’m trying to learn to draw)

В этом году я хочу научиться водить гоночные машины (This year I’m trying to learn to drive race cars)

If you already know how to do something, but would like to learn how to do it better, you’d say

В этом году я хочу научиться лучше рисовать (This year I’m trying to learn to draw better)

В этом году я хочу научиться лучше говорить по-русски (This year I’m trying to learn to speak better Russian)

Of course, есть шанс (chances are) that you have made a resolution or several that don’t fall under #1-12 above. Unless it’s something сверх-секретное (super-secret) or очень приватное (very private), let me know what it is вы хотите сделать в новом году (you would like to accomplish in the New Year).

Most Popular Posts in 2011 and Plans for 2012

Posted by yelena 10 Comments
Dec 28 2011

With just a few more days до конца года (left in the year), this is a good time for обзор проделанной работы (review of the work done). So how do you feel about your progress with learning Russian?

This might sound strange, but I certainly feel that my Russian has improved since I started writing for this blog. Even though Russian is мой родной язык (my native language), I do have a hard time with some of the more obscure or complicated rules of it. And so do most Russian speakers, I assure you.

But enough о себе (about me). Let’s talk о вас (about you) and what you want to read and learn about. There are a couple of ways you can let me know what you want to see on this blog:

Оставьте комментарий с пожеланием в конце любого поста (Leave a comment with your request at the bottom of any post) or

Оставьте сообщение на нашей страничке в Фейсбуке (leave a message on our Facebook page)

Without any of this, all I have to go by are the numbers. And according to the number of views and the number of comments on posts on this blog, it looks like I should be writing more about

  • Russian social networks, such as Vkontakte.ru, as well as about Russian communities on international networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter;
  • Must-know Russian phrases and strange Russian expressions for anyone who plans on traveling to Russia some day;
  • Everyday Russian expressions, such as спасибо (thank you) and я застрял в пробке (I got stuck in traffic);
  • Russian grammar and its peculiarities, starting with the basics. The post about noun genders generated 98 comments, the record on this blog, and that’s including posts with give-aways.
  • Russian last names, possibly, since the two posts about Russian first names and Russian names for pets have been popular.
  • Anything Russian as long as the word секс (sex) is in the title or at least implied;
  • Besides, I still owe you a post about curse words, don’t I?

Now, someone who is just starting to learn Russian, asked me today, what would be a good resource to learn some basic household Russian phrases so that he can talk to his wife and child. So he wants to learn to say things like “we are out of milk” and “please pick up your toys”. I am wondering, how many of you are interested in something like this? Please, let me know in the comments.

At the same time, we have lots of readers here who are either native speakers or very fluent. And I’d love to do something together with you guys and gals, like maybe have a book club or a movie club once a month. Again, let me know in the comments.

Finally, here’s something that occurred to me as I was writing about declensions a few weeks ago – I have a native speaker’s perspective on a lot of the grammar issues. This can be both helpful and not so helpful as I try to explain things. If you are an advanced learner of Russian and would like to share your experience, let me know (in the comments), so we can either collaborate on a post or you can write a guest post on the subject of your choice.

And with that, I am wishing you весело встретить Новый год (merrily greet the New Year) since как год встретишь, так его и проведёшь (how you greet the year is how you will spend it). С Новым годом, с новым счастьем! (Happy New Year!)

Let’s Make Фонарик (a Lantern) For the Holidays

Posted by yelena 4 Comments
Dec 23 2011
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If you celebrate Christmas and New Year, then you have already украсили ёлку (decorated the Christmas tree). Still, there’s always room for just one more ornament, isn’t there? That’s why today я научу вас (I will teach you) how to make a very simple украшение (an ornament) that even children can make за несколько минут (in just a few minutes).

Actually, I’m going to show it with a video. Yep, this is something new I’m trying for the blog. This way you get to hear the Russian words as well as read them.

Now, since this is my first ever video, not just for this blog, but like for everything, it is not very fancy. «Эмми» за него я не получу (I will not be getting an Emmy for it). But as simple as it is, it was quite a challenge снимать (here: to shoot).

First, it was hard придумать (to think of) something for a video. Thankfully, one of the blog readers, Rob, gave me an idea when he sent me сценарий (a script) for an origami how-to video (awesome script and I do hope Rob makes a video with it).

Then I had to go through close to дюжина дублей (a dozen takes) before getting it almost right. On the first try, my видеокамера (video camera) fell down in the middle of all the folding and creasing action. In several takes I held the materials either слишком высоко (too high) or not in the center of the screen. In one of the takes I started заикаться (to stutter). And in one otherwise perfect take I completely blanked out on how to say “to eyeball it” in Russian.

Now, you notice that I said everything in the video is “almost right”. Yes, there’s one little thing in it… Try to spot it (hint: it has to do with how counting in Russian).

Oh, and the ornament you will be making or at least watching me make is called фонарик (a lantern) in Russian. So сделайте мне одолжение (do me a favor), watch this video and tell me what can I do better next time. And if you make фонарик (a lantern) or even a whole гирлянда (a string) of them, I’d love to see the pictures!

Finally, to all the readers who are getting ready to celebrate Рождество (Christmas) this Sunday – Merry Christmas!

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