Russian Word of the Day: один

один - one, alone, some

Возьми одно яблоко. - Take one apple.

Я расскажу тебе одну историю. - I'll tell one story.

У циклопа есть только один глаз. - A cyclops has just one eye.

Принимай по одной таблетке три раза в день. - Take one pill three times a day.

Russian Word of the Day: много

много – a lot of, much, many

Russian words about sleeping and a lullaby

  It's night time here, so I decided to share with you some Russian vocabulary about sleeping.

спать - to sleep

уснуть, заснуть - to fall alseep

просыпаться - to wake up

вставать - to wake up, to rise

будить, разбудить - to wake someone up

будильник - alarm-clock

сон - sleep, dream

бессонница - insomnia

кошмар - nightmare

видеть сны - to dream

сниться, присниться — to appear in dreams

сонный, сонливый - sleepy

храп - snore

храпеть - to snore

кровать, постель - bed

подушка - pillow

одеяло - blanket

колыбельная - lullaby

петь колыбельную - to sing a lullaby

сова - night owl, evening person

жаворонок - lark, morning person

голубь - "pigeon" (a person who doesn't have strong preferences to early or late waking up)

Idioms about sleeping:

Idioms and proverbs about fear in Russian

Below are five Russian idioms and proverbs about fear.

1. У страха глаза велики - «Fear has big eyes»

A coward sees danger everywhere.

2. Глаза боятся, а руки делают (глаза страшатся, а руки делают) - «Eyes are scared, but hands are working»

We say this when we have to start doing something difficult, something that might take forever to accomplish. It's a way to encourage someone: it's not that hard, it's doable.

3. На свой страх и риск - «For one's own fear and risk»

It's about taking responsibility all by yourself. For example, you want to do something risky that no one will help you with, no one will support you – you'll be doing it на свой страх и риск.

4. Рыцарь без страха и упрёка - «A knight without fear or blame»

Often used jokingly: a brave man, a gentleman without flaws.

5. Волка бояться, в лес не ходить - «Being afraid of a wolf means not going to the forest»
If you're afraid of something, you won't do it, so just forget about your fears (and wolves) and do it!

Basic vocabulary:

Russian anecdote about Vovochka

  This is a very old anecdote that many Russians know. It features Vovochka, a character of quite many Russian anecdotes. There are a few versions of this particular story, I'm posting the one I heard in childhood.

Учительница показывает детям ужа и спрашивает:

-Дети, вы знаете, кто это такой?

Никто не знает.

Тут Вовочка встаёт и подходит к ужу. Он гладит ужа по голове и задумчиво говорит:

-Так вот ты какой, северный олень!

A teacher shows a grass-snake to her pupils.

“Do you know who this is?” she asks.

No one knows.

Then Vovochka stands up and approaches the snake. He strokes its head and contemplatively says:

“That's how you look like, the reindeer!”

Russian idioms about cats =^.^=

  In the Russian language we have quite a few idioms featuring cats. Either we adore cats a bit too much or Russian simply is a rich language ;). Below are a few pretty common Russian cat idioms.

• жить как кошка с собакой - «to live like a cat and a dog» - to constantly argue and fight, a cat-and-dog life; can be shortened to как кошка с собакой to describe someone's relationship
• как кот наплакал - «as little as a cat wept» - very little
• кошки на душе скребут - «cats are scratching one's soul» - to worry; can also be about one's heart: кошки на сердце скребут
• доброе слово и кошке приятно - «a kind word is pleasant for a cat too»
• кот в мешке - «a cat in a sack» - something you buy without knowing much about its quality or usefulness; pig in a poke
• (идти) коту под хвост - «(to go) under a cat's tail» - go to waste; in vain, down the drain
• тянуть кота за хвост - «to pull a cat's tail» - to hesitate, to postpone
• не всё коту масленица - «not all days are Maslenitsa* for a cat» - a good situation doesn't last forever.