Author Topic: Russian word of the Day (Read 173759 times)

Kimosabe · « **Reply #25 on:** February 10, 2009, 11:23:43 AM »

In California, with the huge Hispanic population, studying Spanish in school is common. The Spanish "R" is trilled like in Russian so it is natural sound for me to pronounce.

To make this sound, you roll your tongue up to the roof of your mouth and use expelled air to vibrate the tip of your tongue. (well, that's what it feels like to me

) Try saying the sound like you are cold, Bhurrr and keep the rrr going while rolling your tongue to the roof of your mouth. It is similar to learning how to whistle, it sounds really weird at first, but keep trying.

Any linguists out there?

Jared2151 · « **Reply #26 on:** February 10, 2009, 12:03:52 PM »

RRRRRRRRUFFLES have Rrrrrrrrridges" works for me ....lol

mendeleyev · « **Reply #27 on:** February 11, 2009, 11:53:27 AM »

Word for Wednesday, 11 February

Today's word looks long and you may need to practice this one a bit.

развлекательный means "entertaining.

"raz-lee-kah-teh-ne"

Hearing you try to say it will be very entertaining!

Again, don't forget to trill the p (r) at the beginning.

You'll notice that a couple of letters in this word are silent.

Again, "raz-lee-kah-teh-ne"

Follow this link where (Today only) it's pronounced by a native Russian speaker.

mendeleyev · « **Reply #28 on:** February 12, 2009, 01:39:28 PM »

Word for Thursday, 12 February

холодно

Today's word is how you would tell someone that it's cold, thus the phrase это холодно (it is cold).

"Eta HOL-laud-nah"

Listen here for the word холодно by a native Russian speaker.

mendeleyev · « **Reply #29 on:** February 13, 2009, 08:43:51 AM »

Word for Friday, 13 February

Today's word: гость means guest/visitor

How appropiate that on Friday the 13th we're learning a word which sounds a lot like the English word for ghost.

It's a FALSE COGNATE: thats a word which sounds like an English word, but means something different.

The word for guest is part of the root word for hotel and living room. And the way to say it almost sounds like ghost. Almost, but the inflexions are very different.

"goust" Listen to the link below because you'll take that first 'gou' and stretch it out then quickly finish with the 'st' sound. While stretched, it's still a one syllable word.

гость

Listen to it (today only) spoken by a native Russian.

mendeleyev · « **Reply #30 on:** February 16, 2009, 10:57:52 AM »

Word for Monday, 16 February 2009

When we walk our dog, Lavrick, in the park my wife will use this word when she wants him to move into the bushes and do some toiletry "business."

It means take a walk or "get moving/start walking."

гулять = to walk (goul-yaht)

Click on the blue link above to hear it (today only) spoken.

mendeleyev · « **Reply #31 on:** February 17, 2009, 01:44:34 PM »

Word for Tuesday, 17 February 2009

клетка = cage, square, check, cell

Listen here (today only) to hear it spoken correctly.

mendeleyev · « **Reply #32 on:** February 18, 2009, 12:33:14 PM »

Word for Wednesday, 18 February 2009

свадьба = "wedding"

The stress/emphasis is on the first syllable: "SVAD-bah"

mendeleyev · « **Reply #33 on:** February 19, 2009, 02:46:32 PM »

Word for Thursday, 19 February 2009

температура = temperature

To say it: Well start with the word for the Arizona city, "Tempe." Then "rah," and then "tour" "ah." The emphasis/stress is on "PE."

TemPE-rah-tura

Listen here (today only) for how to say температура.

температура = temperature

mendeleyev · « **Reply #34 on:** February 20, 2009, 10:35:08 AM »

Word for Friday, 20 February 2009

подарок = gift/present "pa-DA-rak"

Listen to it spoken (today only) by a native speaker.

Notes: If you're wondering why both times the letter O is sounded more like an A, it's because of the rule that O is only spoken when it's stressed, otherwise it's spoken as "ah." In this case it's the да which carries the stress.

mendeleyev · « **Reply #35 on:** February 23, 2009, 10:36:53 AM »

Word for Monday, 23 February 2009

отделение = division or branch (Think of a delineation)

Pronouncing this correctly: The O is not stressed so it is spoken as "ah." Next, the T is silent. After that it's amazingly simple if you keep the word "delineation" in mind.

ah-DE-len-e-yeh

Listen here (today only) to hear it spoken correctly.

mendeleyev · « **Reply #36 on:** February 26, 2009, 09:05:34 AM »

Word for today, 26 February 2009

Стакан = a glass (as in a glass for drinking)

Pronunciation: "stah-KAHN"

mendeleyev · « **Reply #37 on:** February 27, 2009, 09:21:13 AM »

Word for Friday, 27 February 2009

We've been talking about McDonalds on several threads so let's learn the word for "breakfast." It's very easy.

завтрак = breakfast

"ZAhf-trak" As in many cases, that B (veh) in the spelling above is voiced as it's "counterpart," f (efh).

I tried to find a good example of the word being spoken on YouTube and this is all I could find which didn't require wading thru 10 minutes of senseless video. At :16 seconds into this short tape, the lady says "eta zahf=trak" which means "its breakfast."

mendeleyev · « **Reply #38 on:** March 02, 2009, 11:39:37 AM »

Word for Понедельник , 02 март 2009

фон = background, as in context or background materials/background documents, etc. "Phon"

Easy to speak, "Fon" sounds a lot like "phone" to us, just heavily accented. But it has nothing to do with a телефон at all. It's more like a background substantiation (Обоснование).

mendeleyev · « **Reply #39 on:** March 03, 2009, 07:22:39 PM »

Words for Tuesday and Wednesday (вторник и среду), 3-4 март 2009

The words are here.

mendeleyev · « **Reply #40 on:** March 05, 2009, 08:32:08 AM »

Word for Четверг, 5 марта (Thursday, 5 March) 2009

Everyone knows that a Russian summer home is called a "dacha." That is the word for today.

So lets learn both to spell it and speak it correctly. Both are very easy, even with the proper accent.

Spelling: дача d-a-ch-a = дача.

Now to hear it spoken correctly, just remember that the first vowel is stressed and the last one is not. So it would look like this DA-cha, да-ча.

To hear it spoken (today only) by a native Russian, listen here.

Learning point:
The key to speaking Russian with the proper accent is to learn the vowels. There are 10 and grouped in sets of 5 hard vowels and 5 soft vowels.

The vowel will effect the entire syllable so in a two syllable word like dacha (дача) the first vowel is accented/stressed so that means the first syllable is stressed. Its really the "ah" but it stresses the "deh" next to it, as DA.

Olga_Mouse · « **Reply #41 on:** March 05, 2009, 09:05:27 AM »

Quote from: mendeleyev on March 05, 2009, 08:32:08 AM

Everyone knows that a Russian summer home is called a "dacha." That is the word for today.

Logically the next 3 words would be баня, лопата and картошка?

mendeleyev · « **Reply #42 on:** March 05, 2009, 09:50:21 AM »

Sounds great, we'll do it.

Jared2151 · « **Reply #43 on:** March 05, 2009, 09:51:14 AM »

LOL ----- "I" even got that one.

mendeleyev · « **Reply #44 on:** March 09, 2009, 10:58:25 PM »

The word for Monday, 09 March 2009

баня = bath house/steam bath house.

A "BAhn-ya" is not just a word, it's a Russian tradition!

Bonus Videos to reinforce the word баня:
These guys invite you to their баня party. Takes about 45 seconds to see the banya area.

This guy takes his car to the баня -- no kidding!

mendeleyev · « **Reply #45 on:** March 09, 2009, 11:32:41 PM »

The word for Tuesday, 10 March 2009

картошка = potato (singular)

Sounds like: "kar-TOWsh-ka"

mendeleyev · « **Reply #46 on:** March 11, 2009, 09:14:18 AM »

The word for Wednesday, 11 March 2009

холод = Cold (as in cold weather, something is cold)

This one is also very easy to say: "HOLE-od."

Looks холод to me.

mendeleyev · « **Reply #47 on:** March 16, 2009, 02:27:39 PM »

The word for Monday, 16 March 2009

как = how

An adverb, как means "how."

mendeleyev · « **Reply #48 on:** March 18, 2009, 09:56:43 AM »

The word for Tuesday/Wednesday, 17-18, 2009

Let's travel to France! We'll land in the city of Париж (Paris).

Париж Par eeSH

To hear it spoken, today only, click this link.

mendeleyev · « **Reply #49 on:** March 19, 2009, 02:08:32 PM »

The word for Thursday, 19 March 2009

рубашка = shirt (Ru-BAzh-ka)

To hear it spoken, today only, click this link.

News:

Author Topic: Russian word of the Day (Read 173759 times)