Search by tag «speak like a russian» 35 results

• Speak Like a Russian: Corona-Inspired

  Last time, I promised you to write about safe Russian swear words, which is a fun topic, indeed. However, as I watched everybody get so tense because of COVID-19 and self-isolation, I couldn’t really say what’s safe anymore! “Вот зараза!”, I mumbled as I scrapped yet another list of swear words, and this kind of inspired me to change the topic. But worry not - the swear words are coming next.

  20.04.2020

• Swear like a Russian (not): Russian Mat

  It's a common thing to ask someone to teach you a swear word in their native language: you think it’s funny and cool and wins you points. For some, knowing how to swear even helps build their confidence with a language. Then again, swear words and slang hold a special place in every culture, and are very easy to misuse. For this reason, we’ve decided to touch upon this topic, and start with Russia’s most notorious way of speaking: the infamous “mat”.

  23.03.2020

• Speak Like a Russian: the Unfathomable

  To tell you the truth, today started as a total disaster for me. Just yesterday, I had plans to post a nice winter-themed article, and the first thing that I didn't see this morning were any traces of snow. A few hours later, when I was working on a gloomier backup topic, the heavy morning rain gave way to some glorious sunshine, which messed up my plans once again. Needless to say, I was ready to burst out in anger! Then suddenly, I remembered one peculiar Russian expression which helped me calm down, contemplate on the situation that I got myself into, and recall the one word that you definitely have to learn in order to truly understand the Russian culture. 

  18.02.2020

• Speak Like a Russian: On Kvetching And How Things Go Wrong

  Since early December, I’ve been looking forward to see some real winter: sparkling white snow, chilling winds, lucid sunsets. Yet, all we get now are drizzling rain and cold mud. I don’t know about you, but I find this all very frustrating, which made me choose quite a specific topic for this article. Simply put, our today’s words will have to do with kvetching and bad things in general.

  20.01.2020

• Speak like a Russian: New Year’s Words

  The New Year is almost here, and tomorrow evening will be celebration time. There will be congratulations, speeches and toasts – so let's learn a few basic expressions that’ll help you join in on the fun! 

  30.12.2019

• Speak Like a Russian: 5 Ways to Describe Winter Cold

  Winter is finally here, and since the previous Monday’s article was dedicated to braving the cold, today we’ll focus on the Russian words that you can use to describe it!

  02.12.2019

• Speak Like a Russian: Getting Around, Part 2

  In one of our previous articles, we already touched upon the key Russian words that will help you get around: things like the types of public transport and a few associated expressions. This time, we’ll focus on the words that can help you find a specific place, and the few challenges you might face in the process.

  11.11.2019

• Speak like a Russian: Autumncalypse

  We’re halfway through autumn, and it seems that we won’t be getting any late warmth or “sun-lit, golden leaves under a clear blue sky” type of scenery (though I really hope that I’m wrong). Well, don’t you worry! Fall in St. Petersburg is not just about the endless rains, but also sludge, sulk, and an occasional runny nose – the things that will be the topic of today’s Speak Like a Russian article.

  14.10.2019

• Speak Like a Russian: Student Slang

  Thus far, we’ve been learning various words and expressions that can help you adapt to living in Russia, but didn’t touch upon quite an obvious topic: student life. So, in order to catch up and since it’s the beginning of the academic year, we’ve decided to focus our today’s article on Russian student slang!

  09.09.2019

• Speak Like a Russian: of Time and Deadlines

  One thing that Russians are surely not famous for is punctuality: it is a quality that we respect in others but rarely possess. This kind of a laid-back attitude has a great effect on the Russian mentality, culture, and language. For one, everything associated with time and deadlines can be rather obscure – so when you ask a time-related question, be prepared to hear very misleading responses.

  26.08.2019