A House and a Home in English and Russian In English we can use two different words to speak about place where we live and both of them have the same meaning 'дом' in Russian. They are a house and a home. If I understand it right, a house in English is just a building where family can live, but home is the place where you belong to. If you want to describe a building you or someone else lives in, you use the word 'house'. For example, my house is beautiful and comfortable. One more example I've learned here on iTalki, you use the word 'house' when you say about your visit to someone. I have been to my friends house for several days, for example. When you return from work or school, or wherever else, you come back home, not house. When you answer the question: "Where are you?" you say "I'm home", not "I'm in the house". I think, everybody know the expression 'Home, sweet home'. Am I right about the English meanings of the words 'house' and 'home'? As I wrote above, In Russian we use the same word 'дом' to say about any building where people can live or about the place we are belong to. We also use the word 'дом' in Russian when we write a postal address, whether it a house as a separate building or an apartment house, or a condominium.

My new handmade helper and the first project - kitchen set 'Gzhel' Recently my dream about Embroidery and Sewing machine came true. Now I am a happy owner of Brother SE425! First of all I started to make a textile kitchen set for our friends to show our gratitude for the heartly welcome they make for us. Seeing the donees' kitchen is decorated in Gzhel palette I decided to continue that theme and keep to white and blue colors. The whole set consist of two potholders, which can be used as mug rugs, an apron, and a towel. I used paper piecing technique to assemble patchwork pieces for potholders and an apron pocket. I also tried embroidery - I made four embroidered flower motives in the corners of the towel using the multicolor threads. You can see Russian version of the text and more pictures here - http://mywct.blogspot.com/2015/07/kitchen-textile-gzhel.html

A Family Happiness. Part 2 The man decided to return to the wise man: - Why? Why did you manage it and your wife did all you said, but my wife made a scandal and still laughing at me? - asked he when he just entered. - It's easy. I do not argue with her and do not command her. I defend her and it makes her easygoing. My wife is a guarantee of my family's well-being. - Do I have to find a new wife now? - It is the easiest way that will lead you to the worst outcome. You and your wife have to learn how to respect each other. You, as a man, have to do everything to make her happy. - But I do everything for her! - Is she happy? Are you happy? You create a family to love each other, take care of each other, and have fun. Instead of it you have fights, argue about who is the major and judge each other. The man plodded home in contemplation. He saw a beautiful rose bush on his way. There was exactly the same roses he gave her when he romanced her. Every day he used to gave her a rose in any season... When he gave her such flowers last time? He couldn't remember. He picked a rose brought it home. Everybody in the house had already slept. He didn't want to bother his wife and placed the flowers near her bed. Next morning, once for many years, the breakfast was ready and his beautiful wife with shining eyes was waiting for him. He hugged her and dearly kissed her as long years ago. He stopped doing unimportant things, started to pay more attention to his wife and tried to make her happy. His care, tenderness, and love returned to him multipled much more times. The wife began to care about her appearance, started again to cook his favorite dishes for him, they stopped arguing, and everything became to go smoothly. After several years, a young man knocked their door. - I heard, the relationship between you and your wife is a good example for others. But I can not handle with my family. My wife and I have fight every time, she spend all money, we are constantly arguing. What's your secret? I read a lot of books, but none of them helped... The home owner smiled and said: - Come in, my dear guest. My wife is going to bake a pie... ------------------------------------------------ See part 1 here - http://www.italki.com/entry/579012 ------------------------------------------------ I find the whole story in Rusiian here - http://www.adme.ru/tvorchestvo-pisateli/pritcha-o-tom-kak-sohranit-semejnoe-schaste-973510/?vksrc=vksrc973510

A Family Happiness. Part 1 Once upon a time, a young man asked a wise man: - How do you keep your family happiness? You and your wife have never had a fight, everyone respect you and come to you for advise. What's you secret? The wise man smiled and called his wife. A smiling and beautiful woman entered the room. It seemed that all her appearance beamed a happiness: - Yes, darling! - Honey, please, make a dough for a pie. - Fine! She came out and returned in twenty minutes to say that the dough was ready. - Put in it all of the best butter we have and all those nuts we keep for our son's birthday cake. - Okey. And again she came back in ten minutes, and her husband said: - Add a clay from our yard to the dough and bake it. - Okey, - the wife replied. In a half an hour that strange pie was in her hands. - Of course, we will not eat this! - the husband said. - Give it to pigs outside. - Okey, - the wife said. The guest was surprised. How could it be possible? The wife didn't say any single word to argue with her husband even when he offered an absurd thing. The man decided to do a such experiment at his home. When he entered there, he heared his wife's laugh. She played a board game with her friends. - Wife! - the man addressed to her. - I'm busy! - the spouse crossly replied from the bedroom. - Wife! She appeared in ten minutes: - What do you need? - Make a dough! - You are crazy! There is a lot of food in the house and I have something to do! - I said make the dough! In half an hour the wife crossly reported that the dough is ready. - Put in it the best nuts and all of the butter we have. - You are crazy! My sister's wedding will be the day after tomorrow and I need those nuts to the pie! - Do as I said! The wife put in the dough only a part of nuts and come to her husband again. - And now, put some clay in the dough! - Are you really crazy? Am I waste all of those ingrediens? - Add some clay, I said! And bake it. In an hour the wife brought the pie and throwed it on the table: - I extremely want to see as you will eat this. - I will not eat this, give the pie to pigs! - You know what, - the wife boiled over, go and feed your pigs by yourselfe! She slammed the door and went to her room. She laughed at him for several more days telling this story for all. So the guest decided to return to the wise man... (To be continued)

Ukrainian embroidered shirt Five years ago when I was going to go to my uncle's jubilee I decided to give him traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt. I had been embroidering a pattern on the front of the shirt every day from early morning till late evening for a week, and understood more clearly every next day that I couldn't made the shirt in time... But this year the embroidered shirt was successfully made! My uncle was wearing it at his jubilee. I am glad he love my gift and that the shirt still fits him. I'm planing to make more Ukranian embroidered shirts in the future.

Whom do you prefer to practice your target language with?

Do you prefer to practice language with the native speakers of your target language or with those who study it yet?

Please, explain your opinion.

 

Вы предпочитаете практиковать изучаемый вами язык с носителями языка или с теми, кто еще изучает его?

Пожалуйста, объясните свой выбор.

What is preferable 'I like_gerund (= verb_ing)' or 'I like_infinitive (= to_verb)? For example, 'I like riding a bicycle' or 'I like to ride a bicycle'.

Who love Russian sound 'R'? Russian sound 'R' is a problem not only for foreigners. Russian-language children have difficulties with this sound too. When I was a child, I ignored this sound. For example instead of word 'Три' (= 3, Three) I pronounced 'Ти'. It's like instead of 'Tree' pronouce 'Tee'. Then I learnd how to pronounce that and started to use this difficult sound with ease. Some Russian-language people pronounce Russuan 'R' like English or French. You can hear many news-reporters on TV with such pronunciation of that sound. My parents and me tought my little brother to pronounce Russian 'R' with word 'трактор' when he was in first grade. Now he can pronounce the sound with ease.

Misunderstanding My husband and I was talking in Russian about what to cook for a dinner and what time to start cooking. I said: "Я начну готовить через час (= I'll start cooking after an hour)." He ask something. But I could hear only the beginning of the question 'Сколько времени...' I replied: "Семь (= Seven PM)." He said: "Тогда надо было начинать готовить вчера (= Then you need to start cooking yesterday)." I wondered: "Почему? (= Why?)" "Потому что тебе нужно семь часов, чтобы приготовить ужин (Because you need seven hours to have dinner cooked)," he replied. This misuderstanding can happen when speak Russian and can not when speak English and that's why: The whole question in Russian was: "Сколько времени ты будешь готовить ужин?" = How much time will you cook dinner? But I guessed he asked me: "Сколько времени сейчас?" = What time is it now?