Each language has proverbs, those simple, concrete sayings that crystalize common sense. Proverbs are a genre of folklore. They were created by people and passed from one generation to another as an oral tradition. They reflect the values and unique experience of the nation, and being the accumulated wisdom of many, they are a big […]
The Hard Fate of Horror Movies in Russia
Would You Watch a Russian Horror Movie On Halloween? It’s Halloween, and many people are looking for new horror movies to kill time during the night after filling their stomachs full with the traditional mini-sweets (have you noticed that those Halloween candies are getting smaller and smaller?). Supermarkets all across North America have been displaying […]
- Syntax
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Russian Quick Fix: Impersonal Sentences
Acquiring a new language is a long journey, especially if your mother tongue is significantly different from your target language. Russian is fairly hard for English speakers as well as for speakers of other non-Slavic languages. Yet, there are some tricks that may help you to improve your Russian almost instantly. Well, maybe “instantly” is […]
What I Learned Using Duolingo
Duolingo is undoubtedly one of the most popular language learning applications, if not the most popular one. Cute and simple interface; gamified learning script; ongoing competition between users; learning materials given in small, chewable pieces; audio with pronunciation of the words; achievable goals — all that makes Duolingo a very attractive and addictive application. But […]
Questions-and-Answers Lessons
It is commonplace in pedagogy that the teacher should create a friendly atmosphere in the classroom so that students feel comfortable asking questions. Questions are important for many reasons: they help the teacher to see what should be explained better, what topics students haven’t comprehended fully, what issues students are struggling with and why. At […]
Russian Online Libraries
One of the joys that comes with learning foreign languages is reading books in their original language. Some people may even start learning a new language solely for this purpose; they hope one day to enjoy their favorite books in the language in which those books were originally written. It is easy to find a […]
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Want to Learn Russian? Watch Russian Movies and Series!
This is a guest post by Jamy Russel from learntherussianlanguage.com What do you think is the most important thing for learning Russian? If you’ve guessed talent, following a specific program, or a good teacher than you’re partly right. These things can certainly help, but I think the most important thing is putting in the time […]
Twisted Memory
In English, I have achieved a certain level of fluency that is sufficient for functioning efficiently in society, but still does not represent my personality adequately. Hence, I constantly work on expanding my vocabulary. A couple of weeks ago, my English-speaking friend mentioned the word “laborious.” I figured out that it derived from the word […]
Private Tutors vs. Language Partners
We live in a wonderful, exciting time. With so many language exchange platforms available today, everybody with a smartphone may learn any language at no cost. Yet, along with LE applications and websites, language learning marketplaces for private tutors and students are booming. Who wants to pay for a tutor, when everybody can practice any […]
How to Memorize the Russian Alphabet
The Russian alphabet scares a lot of people off from learning Russian. This is sad, because the language itself is no more difficult than any other language in the world. Russian children have a little advantage over speakers of languages that use the Latin script, because Latin characters surround Russians everywhere – from vitamins, to […]