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In Russian, there are three verbs that have the same English translation – “to try.” Despite this, they have a slightly different meaning. These verbs are “про́бовать“, “пыта́ться,” and…
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Many Russians devoted May 11th this year to visiting the graves of their loved ones. Known as Роди́тельский день и́ли Радо́ница (Roditel’skiy Den’ or Radonista), this day is directly related to Orthodox Easter and you can read more about…
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Originally, I had a Радо́ница (Radonitsa) blog for today and if I had to write about visas, this is the type of embassy-themed blog I would rather be writing right now, but alas. Russia and US relations like to frequent major headlines and…
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Below I will share the most popular phrases that people say to each other exclusively right before going to bed. Of course, first of all, you should understand how close you are to the person to whom you are addressing. You probably…
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Правосла́вная Па́сха вы́пала на второе ма́я в э́том го́ду. (Orthodox Easter fell on May 2nd this year) and I wanted to share как мы с брати́шкой и сестрёнкой  первый раз кра́сили яйца (how I and my siblings dyed eggs for the first time)…
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On May 1st, Russia celebrates Spring and Labor Day (День Весны и Труда), which is a public holiday (праздник). The holiday may also be known as May Day (Первое мая) or International Worker’s Day (День международной солидарности…
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What better month than April to cover a few words that confuse even native Russian speakers? Ведь не даром говорят, «Непостоя́нен обма́нщик-апре́ль: на дню семь пого́д». (There is a good reason people say that “April-liar is fickle because…
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Thank you in Russian You probably already know how to thank others in Russian. We discussed this topic earlier in this blog. But it’s equally important to know what to answer when someone thanks you. Today we will learn how to respond to…
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Legion Media; Getty Images; Anton Romanov Want to count your money in Cyrillic style? Discover why the Slavs saw a flock of ravens in a million and darkness in 1,000 million. You’re…
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Word Order Matters Take the phrases “ты мне о́чень ну́жен” and “о́чень ты мне ну́жен”. Though they literally translate to “I really need you”, just with slightly different word order, they are opposites. The first one is a sincere “I…
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Today, Russia celebrates Cosmonautics Day (День Космона́втики), also known as The International Day of Human Space Flight. On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut (Do you want to know why Russians call their astronauts cosmonauts? Read THIS…
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Does anyone else here have a drawing of their mom or grandma like this one? When I was in kindergarten I had to make one of these for Восьмо́е Ма́рта (March 8th). I actually never finished mine in time for the кла́ссный ча́с (homeroom)…
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When writing an essay or in a conversation, you have probably often faced the need to express your opinion. For this, you can use some short introductory text constructions. You may have already heard the most common Russian phrases “я…
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A trip to ру́сская ба́ня (Russian banya/ Russian sauna) is a healing cultural experience for your mind and body. Many Russians have a баня (banya) on their dachas and might be enjoying the “jumping in the snow after banya” in their…
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If you want to protect your home, you do not have to install security cameras and alarms. You can get a domovoi. What is “домовой“ Домово́й (domovoi, domovoy, or domovoj – singular, домовы́е–domovye – plural; literally, “ of the…
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