About Russian

If you are looking for a very rewarding intellectual challenge, learning how to speak Russian is an excellent choice. The Russian language is by far the most prominent and widely used of the Slavic languages, and it is also one of the most popular and influential languages used around the world. Russian is even one of the official six languages of the United Nations. This is a language that can certainly help you socially and professionally, especially if you plan to visit or work within the global market.

Today, approximately between 160 and 180 million people speak Russian, making it one of the most popularly spoken languages in the world. Of course, majority of these speakers live in Russia, but the Russian language is being taught in an increasing number of schools worldwide. Russian is part of the East branch of the Slavic languages, along with Ukrainian. There are so many similarities between the Slavic languages that by learning Russian, you can easily learn how to understand many of these related languages when they are spoken. However, the Russian alphabet is a Cyrillic alphabet, while many other Slavic languages use a Latin alphabet. The Cyrillic alphabet is based largely on the Greek alphabet, but has many letters borrowed from Hebrew.

The Russian vocabulary can be quite tricky for native English speakers to master. This is largely because many of the vocabulary words will be very similar to English words, but have completely different definitions or pronunciations. There are, however, many Russian words that have been incorporated into the English language, such as “vodka” and “tundra”, which have the same meaning in each language.

The grammar of the Russian language is what makes it so difficult for foreign speakers to learn how to speak Russian. When speaking Russian, you must pay close attention to inflection and the stress of syllables in order to portray the proper meaning. This is made even more difficult because the stress to be placed on the words does not follow a strict set of rules. Russian verbs use prefixes to indicate if they are perfective or imperfective, meaning the verb is either showing perpetual action or completed action. This concept does not exist in English and can be difficult to master.

The Russian language can be very difficult for foreign speakers to learn because of its punctuation, foreign alphabet, and strange grammar. However, like with many other languages, it can be learned through regular practice and helpful resources. The best way to learn Russian is to find a program that you enjoy and complete at your own pace.

About Russia

Though the Russian Federation only began in 1991, it has a history that dates back to hundreds of years ago. Ruling parties have ranged from Tsars to Soviets to Presidents. From 1922 to 1991, the country was known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and was ruled by the Communist Party. That ended in 1991 and from then on, it became known as the Russian Federation. While faced with economic troubles in the beginning, Russia has an ever growing economy that is seeing growth every year.

Moscow is the largest city in Europe and is also the capital of Russia. It has a rich history that dates back to the mid 1100´s. Moscow boasts a population of over 11 million people and has several world famous landmarks including Saint Basil´s Cathedral and the Kremlin. There are many museums, stadiums, and churches within the city limits that attract tourists from all over the world. Connecting all these different places is Moscow Metro, which is the second most used metro system worldwide.

Sport is embedded in the culture of Russia and this is evident when it competes on the world stage. Russia finishes near the top of the medal standings in every Olympics. The national sport is ice hockey and its men´s national team has been traditionally one of the world powerhouses. Today, many of the most successful players in America´s National Hockey League are of Russian descent.

Russia has been one of the world leaders in the various fields of science and technology since the 18th century. Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev created the first version of the periodic table of the elements. Russia has a very successful space program and launched the first man-made satellite, Sputnik 1, in 1957. The Russian Federal Space Agency teamed up with NASA to build the International Space Station in 1998 making it the largest of its kind.

Те́трис, or Tetris as it is more commonly known, was created by Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. It was first developed for the IBM PC before being ported to many different systems. It has successfully endured today and has won several awards from video game magazines as well as the Guinness Book of World Records. Tetris and its several variations has sold well over 170 million copies worldwide.

One of the most famous Russian souvenirs is the matryoshka doll. It is typically a large doll that has many smaller dolls nested inside of it. The matryoshka doll is normally made out of one piece of wood and can be painted with the various designs ranging from the traditional woman in a sarafan to famous politicians.