Youtube for studying Russian language

  Youtube doesn't consist of only cat videos and music. You can find there recipes, BBC and National Geographic videos and even free language lessons. Here is what I found for studying Russian.

Learn Russian Online


RussianPod101


RussianPlus

Double agents of Russian language

  Many, if not all, languages have homonyms (омонимы) – words that look and sound the same but have different meanings. Think of 'bow' or 'cool' in English, they too have more than one meaning. Russian is no exception. It might make things confusing even for someone advanced in the language, when you see a word like ручка and don't know if this time it means a handle or a pen. I'll give you some examples of Russian homonyms.

лук — onion; bow (weapon)

мыло — soap; email

ручка — handle; pen

коса — scythe; braid; spit (landform)

косой — cross-eyed; askew, sideways; nickname for a hare

бабочка — butterfly; bow-tie

брак — marriage; spoilage, flaw (in a product)

мир — peace; world; society («Война и мир» - “War and peace” can also be translated from Russian as 'War and society' and 'War and world')

киви — kiwi fruit; kiwi bird

мука — torture (мука — first syllable is stressed); flour (мука — second syllable is stressed)

чайник — teapot, kettle; inexperienced driver, a beginner in general, a dummy (colloquial word).

Viktor Tsoi – a Soviet rock legend

  It's been so many years since Viktor Tsoi died, but he and his songs still live in the hearts of fans. He was – well, he still is – a legend. Of Russian and Korean origin, he formed a band called Kino, and became an icon for people of so many nations in USSR and beyond. I like his songs, and my friends in Moscow would often play them on acoustic guitar and sing. Below are just a few bits of Viktor Tsoi's heritage.

Печаль

(Pechal' - Sadness)

Группа крови

(Gruppa krovi — Blood type)

Кукушка

(Kukushka - Cuckoo)