This article is the result of a diligent inquiry into the question of how native Russians are actually telling time in Russian. If you’ve taken a peek at this topic before, you probably know that Russians usually add one of the following words to the number of hours: утра (utra) — "of the morning"дня (dnya) — "of the day"вечера (vechera) — "of the evening"ночи (nochi) — "of the night"  But how would you define three a.m.? Is it still night or is it already morning?  Well, the Russian language is very flexible, so both options are possible depending on the context and what you want to emphasize. If you’re talking about early wakeups, saying Сегодня я встал в 3 утра (Segodnya ya vstal v tri utra), or "Today I woke up at three in the... Show more

When you’re taking a cab, asking for the nearest toilet, and making sure that the bus goes where you need it to go, being able to understand directions in Russian is essential for tourist survival in Russia. Of course, you can always use translation apps, but sometimes it’s just inconvenient to do that. The taximeter is counting ruble by ruble, a full bladder doesn’t want to lose a second more, and the bus is already at the bus stop ready to take off—and you have no idea when the next one is. Learning all about directions in Russian will help you save time, money, and nerves. Also, knowing how to say basic things—such as the cardinal directions in Russian, the words for "far" and "close," "straight," "left" and "right" in Russian,... Show more

You’ve probably noticed that a lot of kids start learning words with nouns—besides sound imitations, of course. They say "mom," "dad," "dog," "cat," and so on. Only after that do they start to glue sentences together with verbs and add adjectives. It’s just so easy to point at something and pronounce its name—causing loud excitement in the rows of grannies and grandads. It’s actually a great way for grownups to study as well. You can put stickers with Russian nouns on things around you, practice saying the names of things in Russian while walking down the street, or talk about what you’re eating during dinner with Russian friends. It may also be helpful to make learning cards and draw pictures on them. In this article, RussianPod101... Show more

Sincere compliments are wonderful! Every person loves to hear about his or her merits. Compliments make people happy, increase self-esteem, and smooth out sharp edges in relationships. Of course, they’re not obligatory, but they are helpful in many situations. That’s why you should know some Russian compliments if you study this language or simply want to fly to Russia in the future. This article will help you learn about giving compliments in the Russian language. Table of Contents General Information Compliments on Someone’s Look Compliments on Someone’s Skills or Abilities Compliments on Someone’s Personal Traits Compliments on Someone’s Work How to Make Sincere Compliments How to Respond to Compliments ... Show more

Everyone experiences anger, regardless of temperament, strength of character, endurance, or other similar factors. Anger is a biologically programmed feeling. It was one of the first emotional experiences available to primitive man, and contrary to popular opinion, anger is a useful emotion. It was given to humans in order to survive. We get angry when something violates our inner peace, threatens our lives, or damages our self-esteem. Scholars say that those who don’t let their anger out suffer both psychologically and physically. Thus, if you study Russian, it’ll be useful for you to learn how to talk about your rage in this language. You need to know angry phrases in Russian by heart so you can put your feelings into words in any... Show more

Did you know that there’s a Russian holiday called Крещение (Kreshcheniye), or "Baptism," when everyone jumps into прорубь (prorub’), or an "ice hole" in just their underwear? This holiday is in January, so it might be -10°C or -20°C, or even -50°C outside. Russian people believe that it washes off their sins and improves health. This holiday salutes the end of Russian winter holidays, each of which contains even more peculiar traditions. (You thought you were just going to learn Happy Birthday in Russian, didn’t you?) To feel confident in living in Russia and communicating with Russian people, it’s important to know these traditions, especially how people congratulate each other. So, let’s dig into the festive side of life and learn how... Show more

It’s великолепная идея (velikolepnaya ideya)—"a great idea"—to learn Russian adjectives ahead of nouns and verbs. They can be used as a whole sentence when speaking, so once you have the most essential Russian adjectives down, you can start characterizing objects, people, and occasions right away. For advanced learners, Russian adjectives will make your speech richer, wittier, and more expressive. Table of Contents Russian Grammar: Adjectives & How They Work Top 100 Russian Adjectives Every Language Learner Should Know Conclusion 1. Russian Grammar: Adjectives & How They Work The declension of Russian adjectives might seem difficult at first, but after seeing some example sentences and getting deeper into the language as a... Show more

Compared to verbs, nouns, and adjectives, conjunctions in Russian don’t decline, agree, or conjugate. Yaaaay! Moreover, they’re very similar to those in English. Once you learn the top ten (well, the top twelve) conjunctions—if you’ve set your mind seriously—your Russian language skills will become undeniably better. Ready to start learning the most basic conjunctions in Russian? Let’s get to our Russian conjunctions list! Table of Contents What is a Russian Conjunction? Conjunctions to Correlate Similar Thoughts: И (I) — "And" Conjunctions to Express Opposition: Но (No) — "But" Conjunctions to Express Choice: Или (Ili) — "Or" Conjunctions to Express Condition: Если (Yesli) — "If" Conjunction for Comparison: Как (Kak) —... Show more

Did you know that it’s considered good etiquette in Russia to bring something к чаю (k chayu) or "for the tea?" That means something sweet: cake, chocolate, candies, or a sweet pastry. There are many interesting and exciting Russian customs which may not seem obvious, but definitely are to native Russians. Knowing even basic Russian etiquette for tourists can go a long way during your visit to the country! Let’s start this exciting journey. Learn Russian etiquette with RussianPod101.com’s Russian tourist etiquette guide! Table of Contents Do's and Don'ts in Russia #1: Basic Russian Etiquette Do's and Don'ts in Russia #2: Russian Dining Etiquette Do's and Don'ts in Russia #3: Russian Drinking Etiquette Do's and Don'ts in... Show more

Just imagine that you need to make an appointment to save the world with native Russian super heroes—just for the usual international superhero meeting. :-) Well, you’d definitely need to be able to tell the date...the Russian date. Maybe you have a super ability to read other people’s minds? Well, you still need to learn the dates because Russian superheroes—and actually all other Russians—think in…yep, Russian! Surprise. :-) So, gonna save the world? Learn how to read and tell the date in Russian. Let’s get started with the basics, and you’ll soon see that expressing dates in Russian really isn’t so hard. Table of Contents Russian Dates: Calendar Dates in Russian Days of the Week in Russian Must-Know Phrases and Words to Talk... Show more