Ever had a conversation in Russian that started well… and then suddenly went nowhere? 👀 Sometimes you know the right words, but your answer is just too short to keep the conversation going. 🎧 Episode 2 of «Так говорят по-русски» is about a simple trick that can help you make your answers longer, more natural, and give the other person something to respond to. There’s a little speaking practice at the end for A1–A2 learners. Приятного прослушивания!

One thing I’ve noticed after teaching Russian for a while… The hardest question for some students isn’t “What does this word mean?” It’s “Okay… but what do I say now?” 😭 For example you meet a Russian person for the first time. They ask: Откуда ты? Чем ты занимаешься? Ты давно учишь русский? Почему ты учишь русский? You understand every single word. But then you have to answer… and suddenly you forget how to speak Russian. Does this happen to you too? 👀 What Russian question makes you think “oh no, what am I supposed to say?” For me, it’s probably «Расскажи немного о себе». And honestly, even as a native speaker, I find this question surprisingly difficult. Like… what exactly am I supposed to tell you? 🫠

You know how to say "привет". But... what comes next? 🤔 My new podcast «Так говорят по-русски» will help you speak naturally in real-life situations. 🎧 Episode 1: Как знакомятся русские: practical phrases and real conversations for A1–A2 learners. Приятного прослушивания!

Представьте: у вас звонит телефон. Вы снимаете трубку, а на другом конце линии голос человека, которого боялась вся страна. Это Иосиф Сталин. А вот Михаилу Булгакову представлять не надо. В новом выпуске подкаста поговорим о том, как телефонный разговор с Иосифом Сталиным помогает по-новому понять одну из самых известных фраз русской литературы. Обсудим роман "Мастер и Маргарита", жизнь Михаила Булгакова и его личный опыт. 📚 В описании выпуска вас ждут список полезной лексики и небольшой тест на понимание. Приятного прослушивания!

Most Russian textbooks explain verb aspect in a way that's technically correct... but not very helpful 🫪 They usually say: Imperfective = process Perfective = result The problem? 🤨 Sooner or later, that explanation stops being enough. Here's a simple trick: Imperfective is a movie 🎥 You're watching the action unfold -> Я читал книгу. Perfective is a photo 📸 The action is over. You see the completed event -> Я прочитал книгу. So instead of asking: ❌ Am I talking about the process or the result? Try asking: ✔️ Am I showing a movie or a photograph? Works surprisingly well, doesn't it? Just when you think you've got it... Russian surprises you again 🤡 Sometimes Russian uses the imperfective even when the action was definitely completed! 📚 Ты читал "Войну и Мир"? 🎬 Ты видел этот фильм? 🥣 Ты когда-нибудь пробовал борщ? Why not прочитал, увидел, or попробовал? Because these questions aren't about the result. They're asking: "Have you ever had this experience?" That's why Russian uses the imperfective here. Sometimes aspect is about perspective, not completion 👀

Your Russian sentence makes sense in English… but not in Russian? 🫪 You translate word-for-word, and Russian says: absolutely not! Welcome to the club 🤝🏻 The problem is not you. Russian is just being Russian. Especially when it comes to cases. In English, you often rely on words like of, to, in, about. But in Russian, you can’t always translate these little words directly. Very often, the verb itself tells you which case to use. A lot of Russian verbs come with their own “case bestie”: бояться + Genitive Я боюсь ошибок. I’m afraid of mistakes. помогать + Dative Я помогаю другу. I help my friend. интересоваться + Instrumental Я интересуюсь музыкой. I’m interested in music. So don’t ask: “Which case should I use here?” Ask: “What case does this verb want?” That’s why I made a vocabulary list with common Russian verbs we use all the time in real speech: Russian Verbs & Their Case BFFs 🤝🏻 You can find it on my page 🙂‍↕️

• плати - pay rent • за проживание - for living • в моём сердце - in my heart

Some Russian words look like English words, but they mean something completely different. Here are 6 tricky Russian words to remember: фами́лия ≠ family It means surname. Example: Моя́ фами́лия — Ивано́ва. My surname is Ivanova. семья́ = family Example: У меня́ больша́я семья́. I have a big family. магази́н ≠ magazine It means shop / store. Example: Я иду́ в магази́н. I’m going to the shop. журна́л = magazine Example: Я чита́ю журна́л. I’m reading a magazine. арти́ст ≠ artist It usually means performer. Example: Э́тот арти́ст хорошо́ поёт. This performer sings well. худо́жник = artist Example: Э́тот худо́жник рису́ет портре́ты. This artist paints portraits. аккура́тный ≠ accurate It means neat / careful. Example: Он о́чень аккура́тный. He is very neat/careful. то́чный = accurate Example: Э́то то́чный отве́т. This is an accurate answer. симпати́чный ≠ sympathetic It means pretty / nice-looking. Example: Она́ о́чень симпати́чная. She is very pretty. отзы́вчивый = sympathetic / helpful Example: Он о́чень отзы́вчивый. He is very sympathetic/helpful. проспе́кт ≠ prospect It means avenue. Example: Мы живём на проспе́кте. We live on the avenue. перспекти́ва = prospect / perspective Example: Э́то хоро́шая перспекти́ва. This is a good prospect.

Когда в произведении 90% - это описание, очень хочется наконец добраться до сюжета 👀 Кстати, а вы знаете, что такое сюжет?