Why foreigners love and hate Russian

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Russian learners talk about why hissing sounds are maddening, the word "slippers" is pleasing to the ear, and difficult cases teach humility.

Russian is one of the most difficult languages. Those who teach it as a foreign language are looking for clues: what words of Russian can you fall in love with, what you cannot find an analogue in your native language, the meaning of which words can be easily guessed. They orient themselves as best they can in the wondrous world of the Cyrillic alphabet, conjugations and cases. We have unearthed the strangest and most interesting life hacks of those for whom Russian is not native.

Just add "-to"

When you get tired and forget all your vocabulary, just throw "-at" at the end of any English verb "and pray to the gods of cross-cultural communication," writes BuzzFeed journalist Susie Armitage, who studied Russian.

Susie Armitage BuzzFeed Journalist

If “start” is a real word, then the possibilities are endless.

"Y" as the sound of a punch in the stomach

Some sounds are especially difficult for foreigners. The French, for example, learn to pronounce "x" from scratch. There is no such sound in their language, and instead of the familiar words we get “kleb”, “korovod” and “kalva”. It’s hard for everyone. “Imagine that you have just been kicked in the stomach, then you will get the perfect Russian 's',” the professor taught the American Armitage.

"NS! NS! NS! NS! NS! NS! NS! NS! NS! NS!" you howl like a bunch of drunken sea lions.

Susie Armitage

Three friends who will drive you crazy: "h", "w" and "u"

"Why?" and "For what?" - approximately such questions are asked by people who first get acquainted with Russian consonants. It is easy to confuse "sh", "u" and "h" when the sounds are new to you, and as a result, native speakers do not understand you at all. You need the Shukhovskaya tower, asked for directions as best he could, arrived at the Shukinskaya station. This is the norm.

What do you mean? Open the box? Ah, "box".

Susie Armitage

Falls teach humility

Everyone who learns Russian goes through levels of humility. It looks like this: first you learn, then you learn more, then you learn a little more, you start to feel confident, and then you make mistakes in the cases. The only way to stay calm and carry on is to learn humility.

Six synonyms for to go

A sophisticated challenge for a foreign student is to compose a short story about walking around the city. In order to tell it, you have to use six different verbs instead of the native to go: "go", "go", "go out", "bypass", "go over" and "go in". To indicate the scale of the tragedy, let us recall that in Russian, a glass is on the table, and a fork lies.

The handwritten text looks like an encrypted curse

Armitage says that written texts in Russian for a foreigner have a special status. Firstly, no matter how hard you try to write beautifully, it will turn out like a third grader. Secondly, you still won't be able to read texts written by hand by native speakers for quite a long time. Third, you will likely become much worse at handwriting in your native language. The vicious circle.

Polite phrases seem rude to Russians

It seems strange to native English speakers that their usual way of asking for something, for example, making an order in a cafe (I would like a cup of coffee, please. - "I would like a cup of coffee, please.") Seems to Russian speakers rude, as if a person is putting on airs.

Instead of "Could you give me the salt, please," foreigners learn to say in imperative moods: "Pass me the salt, please." Russian English learners suffer from being considered rude by native English speakers.

The harmless "Pass me the salt, please" in English sounds like an ultimatum: "Pass me the salt, please".

"Write" and "write" - a trap for a beginner

The sphere of the Russian language for a foreigner is a hotbed of awkward situations. Due to the consonance of the words "circumcision" and "education", the bizarre change of stress in the word "write" depending on the meaning, many beginners catch smiles on themselves when talking with Russians. Of course, you can understand what is meant, but it's hard to resist laughing.

If you want to be understood, say English words with an accent

Western brands, penetrating the Russian market, begin a new linguistic life. The most striking example is Nike. For decades we have been buying Nike sneakers, while everyone in the US, UK and other countries called Nike. It is curious that in the cinema in Russian dubbing, the translators still leaned towards the folk version.

To order Sprite or Long Island in a Russian bar, writes Armitage, one must name drinks with a hard Russian accent, otherwise they will not understand. Well, or just point your finger, it often makes life much easier. Many English speakers also find it difficult to realize that all their lives they incorrectly called the main alcoholic drink from Russia and said "vadka".

Take care of others - call yourself in Russian

“If you call your name the way you used to do it, in Russia they will not understand you or they will still speak incorrectly,” complains Susie Armitage. It is especially hard, she notes, for people with names like Seth or Ruth. Ruth? Ore? What?! How right ?!

"Yacht club", "copier" and "bodyshaming" as a big hello from home

In the Russian language there are many borrowings from English and just similar words: we really start, finish, flirt and invest. There are especially many words that have come into use recently: "post", "google", do "drawing". Therefore, when a student studying Russian, after cramming cases and stresses, stumbles upon this, his soul becomes a little calmer.

"Beloruchka" and "lawlessness": words and their unique meanings

Many concepts familiar to us seem strange to foreigners, albeit accurate. They cannot find synonyms for them in their own language. Business Insider quotes 9 Incredibly Useful Russian Words With No English Equivalent a few such words: "melancholy", "vulgarity", "being", "lawlessness", "why", "dry", "white-handed".

"Slippers" as a reason to fall in love with the Russian language

Many people touchingly perceive new words when they begin to learn Russian. Someone thinks a charming "front garden" instead of a garden, to someone - a "pillow" that is under the ear, and an "eye". Katherine Sperling for the magazine about foreign languages Babbel told 8 Russian Words We Should Be Using In English about which ones sunk into her soul.

In the first place - "slippers". Against the background of the English version of house slippers, our word contains something more.

Katherine Sperling is learning Russian

The very sound "top-top-top", which is heard when you walk, is even in their name and refers to the verb "stomp". Therefore, the word "slippers" crept into my speech when I speak English or German.

Following the "slippers" - "hedgehog". In English, these animals are called hard: "hedgehogs" (hedgehogs). There is no diminutive form for them, often the word little is added for this, and it turns out nicer: "little hedgehog". But, says Sperling, the affectionate hedgehog perfectly reflects the animal's appearance.

The multifaceted word "so"

"So" has a special magic - an adverb, a union, a particle and an introductory word in one person. Sperling notes that the short "so" carries many tones. It takes a moment to think - say "so". If you want to seem formidable - say "so". Do you want to draw attention to a problem? "So"!

"So" I learned from my husband's grandmother. I still don't speak Russian fluently enough, so our communication often goes downhill. When we both decide to give up, she says "so", which means: "Everything is fine, at least we both agree that trying to explain further is useless." When we understand each other, she also says "so", that is: "Yeah, great." A word for all occasions, that's why I like it.

Katherine Sperling

No, probably

In addition to the fact that the very passage from "yes no, probably" can drive a meticulous person crazy, a foreigner needs to deal with commas in it. On the other hand, those who, while learning Russian, take its tricks into their arsenal and begin to use them themselves, get special pleasure. A foreigner who has learned to say “yes, no, probably” to a place is already almost a native speaker.