r/russian Mar 10 '22

Other Нет войне, да миру | Say No to War and Yes to Peace

6.3k Upvotes

A Russian-language version of this post is available below the English. Русская версия поста находится сразу после английской.

As moderators of this subreddit, in the last two weeks, we have seen countless posts about the ongoing war. Many of these posts are cries for help: folks despondent about loved ones in the line of fire, young people disillusioned about the future, and professionals losing their livelihood and prospects overnight.

The reason we have not allowed these posts to surface in the feed is neither callous indifference, nor false neutrality, nor tacit complicity. The moderators of this sub are from many different countries and backgrounds, and we are all horrified and appalled by the war unleashed by the Russian government on Ukraine, a sister culture, just as ancient and storied. We share an abiding love of Russian language and culture with each other, and this brutal assault is not just an attack on the people of Ukraine—it’s also an attack on the rich culture of Ukraine, and it’s even an attack on Russian culture and everything it stands for.

In dark times like these, we feel it’s more important than ever to explain and to uphold the true values of the Russian language and culture. Russian is a language of decency, kindness, modesty, and love for kin and stranger alike; we hope, against all odds, that these fundamental threads from which Russian culture is woven will prevail, and all Russian-speaking people will rise against the war on their sister culture and their own. This cannot be accomplished from the outside: natives of the language and the culture must make a stand from within. We don’t know if this will happen any time soon—or at all—but if it doesn’t, the culture will cease to exist, because no culture can be rooted in oppression and destruction. Instead of taking its place in human history as a story of strife for truth and beauty, it will go down in flames of infamy.

This is why we continue to choose to keep the focus of this subreddit exclusively on the language. Language breaks down communication barriers, allows us to find points of commonality and understanding, and gives us ways to explain our emotions rather than keeping them pent up within until they explode. We badly want to address every cry for help, and we are doing what we can outside of this space. Here, though, we must focus on teaching and learning the concepts that will give us all a chance to rebuild connections and relationships that have been shattered by the war.

While we understand that mistakes happen and folks might post without reading the rules of the sub or post in a heat of the moment, we have to ban some users who repeatedly flood the sub with political content or threaten and insult others with their comments. If you feel you’ve been unfairly banned, we encourage you to appeal the ban: we promise to approach each case thoughtfully.

In the days and weeks to come, our schedules permitting, we will try to create educational posts about poetic and literary works from Russian and Ukrainian authors that speak out against the horrors of war. Please stay tuned, and please continue learning Russian. The language will outlive every ruthless regime and every brutal autocracy.



За прошедшие две недели мы, модераторы этого саба, видели огромное количество сообщений о продолжающейся войне. Многие из этих сообщений – это крики о помощи: от отчаявшихся людей, чьи близкие находятся на линии огня; от молодежи, разочарованной в будущем; от профессионалов, в одночасье потерявших перспективы и средства к существованию.

Причина, по которой мы не позволяем этим сообщениям появляться в ленте, не в черством безразличии, фальшивом нейтралитете или молчаливом соучастии. Модераторы этого саба – это выходцы из разных стран, и все мы в ужасе и в шоке из-за войны, развязанной российским правительством против Украины, родственной культуры, такой же древней и легендарной. Мы разделяем неизменную любовь к русскому языку и культуре друг с другом, и это жестокое нападение - это не только нападение на народ Украины: это атака на её богатую культуру, но это также и атака на русскую культуру и на все, что она олицетворяет.

В такие тяжелые времена, мы считаем как никогда важным объяснять и подчеркивать истинные ценности русского языка и культуры. Русский язык – это язык порядочности, доброты, скромности, любви как к родным людям, так и к незнакомцам. Мы надеемся вопреки всему, что эти основополагающие нити, из которых соткана русская культура, возобладают, и все русскоговорящие народы восстанут против нападения и на родственную и на собственную культуру. Этого невозможно добиться извне: эту разрушительную войну могут остановить только сами носители языка и культуры изнутри. Мы не знаем, произойдет ли это в ближайшее время или произойдет вообще, но если этого не произойдет, культура окажется в руинах, потому что никакая культура не может расти и процветать на почве угнетения и разрушения. Вместо того чтобы занять свое место в истории человечества как повесть о борьбе за красоту и правду, русская культура погибнет в огнях позора.

Именно поэтому в этом сабе мы продолжаем концентрировать наше внимание исключительно на языке: язык разрушает барьеры к общению, он позволяет нам найти точки соприкосновения и понимания, он дает нам возможность разъяснять наши эмоции, а не держать их в себе, пока они не взорвутся. Мы очень хотим откликнуться на каждый крик о помощи, и мы делаем все возможное за пределами этого форума, но здесь необходимо сосредоточиться на преподавании и изучении концепций, которые дадут нам всем шанс восстановить связи и отношения, разрушенные войной.

Мы понимаем, что случаются ошибки, и люди пишут сообщения, не прочитав правила саба или погорячившись, но мы вынуждены банить тех пользователей, которые постоянно засоряют саб политическими дискуссиями или выставляют комментарии с угрозами и оскорблениями. Если вы считаете, что вас забанили несправедливо, мы рекомендуем вам обжаловать бан: мы обещаем вдумчиво рассматривать каждое обращение.

В ближайшие дни и недели, если позволят наши графики, мы постараемся создать образовательные посты о поэтических и литературных произведениях русских и украинских авторов, которые выступают против ужаса войны. Пожалуйста, оставайтесь с нами, и продолжайте изучать русский язык: он переживет все безжалостные режимы и любую беспощадную диктатуру.


r/russian 8h ago

Promo Tutor Tuesday: Offers from Russian Language Tutors

4 Upvotes

Alla Pugacheva - A Half-baked Wizard (\"Волшебник-недоучка\")

In this post, tutors offering Russian language tutoring advertise their services in the comments.

Tutors: introduce yourself to the learners, describe what you offer, and how to contact you. Top level comments are reserved for tutor offerings only, but everyone is welcome to ask questions or comment (in a civil manner) in response.

This post repeats every two weeks on Tuesday.


r/russian 6h ago

Interesting Homework and drawings of Novgorodian 6 years old boy from 1260

69 Upvotes

In the middle of the right picture he writes "I am beast", which is readable for a modern Russian speaker.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onfim


r/russian 58m ago

Interesting Super-complex memes for those who want to understand Russian on a hard level.

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Upvotes

r/russian 6h ago

Translation Ищу короткую надпись на витрину для русских туристов в Харбине Need short natural Russian window sign for women’s shop on Harbin Central Street

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33 Upvotes

Здравствуйте!
У меня магазин женской одежды на втором этаже Центральной улицы Харбина. Магазин работает уже год, каждый день сюда приходит огромное количество русских туристов за покупками.

Сейчас на витрине только надписи на китайском языке, большинство русских гостей их не понимают. Они догадываются, что здесь магазин одежды только по выставленным вещам на окне, потом случайно поднимаются на второй этаж. Многим очень нравится ассортимент моей одежды, они регулярно делают покупки.

Я хочу сделать лаконичную надпись на русском на окне, чтобы русским посетителям было легче найти мой магазин. Но место на витрине небольшое, поэтому текст должен быть коротким. Мой вариант: «Женская одежда».

Прошу носителей русского языка подсказать мне два момента:

  1. Естественна ли эта фраза, часто ли её используют для вывесок магазинов в России?

  2. Есть ли более короткие, заметные варианты надписей, подходящие для небольших витринных наклеек?

Мне нужно оставить все уже существующие надписи на витрине без изменений, и дополнительно добавить эту русскую фразу. Не будет ли слишком тесно, не выйдет ли весь текст за пределы свободного места на окне?

Большое спасибо за любые советы!

Hello everyone!
I run a women’s clothing store on the second floor of Harbin Central Street. My shop has been open for one year, and a huge number of Russian tourists come to shop every day.

At present, only Chinese characters are posted on my window. Most Russian visitors cannot understand Chinese text. They can only guess that this is a clothing store by seeing the clothes displayed in the window, then search and walk upstairs by chance. Many of them love my clothing styles and make purchases here.

I want to add concise Russian signage on the window to help Russian guests find my shop easily. However, the window space is limited, so the text must be short. My draft phrase is Женская одежда.
I have attached photos of my storefront window. Could you check whether this sentence fits the window layout visually? Also, please tell me:

  1. Is this sentence natural and commonly used for storefront signs in Russia?

  2. Are there shorter, more eye-catching Russian phrases suitable for narrow window stickers?

Thank you so much for all your advice!

I need to keep all the existing text/fonts on the window as they are, and I want to add this Russian phrase on top of that. Do you think this will make the text layout too crowded and exceed the available window space?


r/russian 9h ago

Grammar Languages of Friendship

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35 Upvotes

In the Summer of 1991, the Gorbachev and Bush Administrations agreed to exchange of youth. USSR youth went to the Boy and Girl Scouts in US. US youth went to Pioneer Camps. Here is a picture of Tankograd students with Americans. As someone who watched the Day After film and Red Dawn, when they were made available. I was enamored with the idea of meeting with my staunch “enemy”. Red Dawn obviously hate propaganda, but it scared me and my friends into thinking the other side were our sworn enemies.

The biggest complaint about Russian was the gender roles in everything. I heard, “why do I need to know if this table has genitalia or is neutered?” Enjoy some peacetime images of what people do best when governments and egos do not interfere. Hope and plan for better tomorrow.

Летом 1991 года администрации Горбачёва и Буша договорились об обмене молодёжью. Советская молодёжь отправилась в скаутские и герлскаутские организации в США. Американская молодёжь поехала в пионерские лагеря. Вот фотография студентов из Танкограда с американцами. Как человек, посмотревший фильмы «Послезавтра» и «Красный рассвет», когда они стали доступны, я был очарован идеей встречи со своим заклятым «врагом». «Красный рассвет», очевидно, ненавидит пропаганду, но это напугало меня и моих друзей, заставив их думать, что другая сторона — наши заклятые враги.

Самая большая претензия к России касалась гендерных ролей во всем. Я слышала: «Зачем мне знать, есть ли у этого стола гениталии или он кастрирован?»

Насладитесь мирными пейзажами, демонстрирующими, что люди делают лучше всего, когда правительства и эго не вмешиваются. Надежда и планы на лучшее завтра.


r/russian 11h ago

Translation What does "Ялъ Яъш" mean?

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41 Upvotes

Sorry if i was on wrong subreddit :)

I have downloaded a old Visual Basic program, it is an Arabic joke program thing, but right after i extracted the file, it got renamed/corrupted as "Ялъ Яъш" which is a Cyrillic alphabet but i can't get a true translation for a reason? Anyone can read this?


r/russian 1d ago

Resource My favorite Russian words!

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325 Upvotes

I just enjoy showing you guys my cursive


r/russian 1d ago

Translation Listening

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371 Upvotes

Here is a good listening exercise for beginners, as it is based on a real-life situation.


r/russian 2h ago

Handwriting Is there any point in learning handwritten Russian?

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4 Upvotes

I'm trying to get the hang of Russian cursive, but it just seems so complicated and unnatural to me, like why does the letter T end up looking like an m..

Is it necessary to learn if planning to go study in Russia at uni? I'll be studying in English though

I wouldn't say im bad at practing writing the letters myself, but spending my time to learn it to be able to properly write in it without looking at my chart just seems so daunting


r/russian 2h ago

Request Stuck between beginner and intermediate Russian after years of on and off- where do I go from here?

3 Upvotes

Здравствуйте!

I've been learning Russian on and off for about 4 years now and I mean months at a time of inactivity. I know simple phrases, have an active vocabulary of about 200 words (more if we count words I know if somebody else says them first) and know basic grammar.

I can follow basic conversations in Russian, mostly written. I can read Cyrillic, write in Cyrillic and have begun intuitively inferring where the stress of a word might be. If I had to put it simply - I wouldn't starve if I was plonked down smack bang in the middle of an Oblast

My ex-girlfriend, who was a native Russian speaker, used to correct me but told me my accent was very heavy - something I wish to correct (at least I can roll my r's). However, as is the case with most native speakers of most languages, she could not explain why something is what it is, she only knew that it was. I have since lost access to a native speaker 24/7 but I would be amenable to paying a tutor once a week.

The issue I'm finding is that I'm no longer a complete beginner but I'm not hitting intermediate, so I'm unsure how to progress from this bizarre, premature plateau.

Right now, my schedule consists of 1h practice daily, with a mix of textbooks, stories, Pimsleur and cartoons. I've never really followed a structured plan; I've learnt what I know pretty much passively with great help from my ex-girlfriend, through context and video games but I don't think:

"Мир ополчился против нас, но мы не остановимся! Мы - будущее человечества! Сражайтесь за весь угнетенный класс, товарищи!"

или

"Восточный фронт раздавлен, добьём же Габсбургов! Пуля - дура, штык - молодец"

Is much help in daily life.

However, I'm unsure if I should prioritise vocabulary first and foremost whilst learning whatever grammar I can alongside it. Should I tighten my schedule? Should I focus on speaking more than reading at this point and throw myself into as many native interactions as possible?

Where would you counsel I go from here?

Благодарю.


r/russian 4h ago

Request could anyone translate this ?

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2 Upvotes

hello, i dont know if this is the right place, but could anyone help me translate this text? what its about? thank you very much


r/russian 5h ago

Request Language Learning at work

2 Upvotes

Hello all. I have a unique situation that I would like your help with! At my job, I have about 2-4 hours of downtime, but I still need to be at my desk. I usually fill this time with scrolling social media which is destroying my brain and it is usually not quiet enough for me to read. I want to instead use this time for language learning. I had started learning Russian a few years ago and have been very off and on, but now that I can dedicate dependable time to this I want to make a good effort.

I have access to a computer, headphones, etc. but I cannot practice speaking. I can download pdfs but not software. Does anyone have a routine that works for them? I was thinking:

  • 20-30 mins Anki
  • 1 hour Penguin Beginner Russian
  • ? What else?!

Thanks for your help.


r/russian 9h ago

Resource Learning Language through Literature

2 Upvotes

Hey guys!

I am a native german speaker and, beyond that, I really love the German as well as the Russian literature. Then I thought, well, why not create a place where other people can start to embrace this culture as well? Even if it's a foreign language to them? Where you could translate every word by simply hovering over the text and then save and revise the sentences. I found that reading it in its original captures the rhythm and emotion the reader intended in a much better way.

I learned the Russian language that way. By constantly reading texts and therefore letting my brain infer the meaning from its context. I have included a Russian as well as a German Room where you can experience the Literature with English as well as Spanish translation.

Well, overall, I create a website which is called languagethroughliterature.com and I wanted to share this resource with you. I'm happy to receive any remarks about my little project. I do believe it can provide genuine value for anyone trying to learn German and/or Russian without having to learn arbitrary Duolingo sentences. It's mostly free so nothing speaks against trying it out.

The famous Brüder Grimm, are included there. They are not too complex and rather simple to read. Furthermore, the Russian room features a collection of stories from Chekhov, alongside works by Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Turgenev.

Anyways, let me know what you think.

All the best on your language journey :)


r/russian 1d ago

Handwriting any tips?

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27 Upvotes

im a beginner with russian, probably obvious by my very simple notes lol, but i was wondering if my russian handwriting was any good? and also is anything wrong with these notes? like any translations i might have gotten wrong. the parenthesis arent meant to be literal translations btw, theyre just to help me pronounce the words


r/russian 19h ago

Resource learning russian using doulingo

6 Upvotes

is duolingo not a good tool to learn russian? if not are there any other unpaid resources to learn?


r/russian 1d ago

Handwriting im studying russian, how is my handwriting?😭

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126 Upvotes

im basically at the beginning of the a2 level and i want to know if my handwriting is legible to most people because writing in cursive feels.. off for me. im only trying to find one answer: is this good, bad or somewhere in the middle?


r/russian 1d ago

Interesting Gothic Words in Modern Russian

31 Upvotes

There are some basic words in Slavic languages including Russian that were borrowed from Gothic (ancient Germanic language) sometime during the 2-4th centuries AD. At that time Goths were occupying territories of modern Southern Ukraine and Crimea.

Some of this words were in turn borrowed into Gothic from somewhere else, such as Latin and even some Celtic languages.

Examples:

To Buy: Latin caupō (merchant/innkeeper) → Gothic kaupōn (to trade) → Proto-Slavic *kupiti (to buy) → Modern Russian купить (to buy)

To bite: Gothic kausjan (to test/taste) → Proto-Slavic *kusiti (to bite/taste) → Modern Russian вкусить / кусать (to taste / to bite)

Debt: Proto-Celtic *dligeto- (duty/debt) → Gothic dulgs (debt) → Proto-Slavic *dъlgъ (debt) → Modern Russian долг (debt)

Flattery: Gothic lists (cunning/skill) → Proto-Slavic *lьstь (deceit/flattery) → Modern Russian лесть (flattery)

To heal: Proto-Celtic *lēgi- (healer) → Gothic lēkeis (physician) → Proto-Slavic *lěčiti (to heal) / *lěkъ (medicine) → Modern Russian лечить (to heal) / лекарь (healer)

Bread: Gothic hlaifs (bread/loaf) → Proto-Slavic *xlěbъ (bread) → Modern Russian хлеб (bread)

Wine: Latin vinum (wine) → Gothic wein (wine) → Proto-Slavic *vino (wine) → Modern Russian вино (wine)

Onion: Gothic lauks (leek/onion) → Proto-Slavic *lukъ (onion) → Modern Russian лук (onion)

Sword: Gothic mēkeis (sword) → Proto-Slavic *mečь (sword) → Modern Russian меч (sword)

Glass: Gothic stikls (goblet/cup) → Proto-Slavic *stьklo (glass) → Modern Russian стекло (glass)

Dish: Gothic biuþs (table/dish) → Proto-Slavic *bljudo (dish) → Modern Russian блюдо (dish)

Letter: Gothic bōka (rune/letter) → Proto-Slavic *buky (letter) → Modern Russian буква (letter)

Emperor: Latin Caesar (Roman title) → Gothic kaisar (emperor) → Proto-Slavic *cěsarь (emperor) → Modern Russian царь (tsar)

And since Gothic and English share the common Proto-Germanic ancestor, some of this Russian words cognate with modern English words.

"Хлеб" (bread) has the same Proto-Germanic source as the English "loaf"; "буква"(letter) is cognate with "book"; "лук" (onion) with "leek" and "garlic".


r/russian 22h ago

Handwriting Help identifying artist

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5 Upvotes

This linocut/woodcut print was given to my grandmother by the artist in Russia. Unfortunately she’s passed away in 1978 and I don’t know his or her name (the artist) — I can only make out that the signature starts with “Р.” (R.) followed by a surname I can’t decipher, and possibly a small flourish or date after it.

I’ve attached close-up photos of the signature plus one of the full print for context (bus/trolley in front of mountains and birch trees). Any help reading the name would mean a lot — I’m hoping to learn more about the artist and the piece’s history.

Thank you!


r/russian 5h ago

Interesting Mail order bride

0 Upvotes

What do Russians call a mail order bride? It's been a pretty well known, I don't know, joke? Meme? Момент? In American culture for so long. American guy gets a Russian mail order bride from the internet.

But what are these women called in Russian? And do Russians roll their eyes when they hear about it and make jokes about this topic? Or like what's the sentiment towards this phenomenon in Russia?


r/russian 23h ago

Request Looking for subtitles for Молодежка

3 Upvotes

As the title says, looking for subtitles for the show Молодежка, if anyone has them? I cant seem to find them anywhere. Thank you!


r/russian 1d ago

Request Russian goth / post-punk music playlist - recs

5 Upvotes

Hi! I have a new Spotify playlist dedicated to Russian-language goth / post-punk / darkwave/ coldwave genres. Please send suggestions which songs to add, thank you.


r/russian 1d ago

Other Имеется желание показать не русскоговорящему другу "Смешариков"... / I kinda want to show "Kikoriki" to a friend who does not speak Russian...

5 Upvotes

Но дубляж честно говоря такой себе. Те, кто видел оригинал поймут недовольство. Голоса по ощущениям не подходят, да и перевод иногда похрамывает. И что же тогда? Может есть где-то английские субтитры? Или самому пилить придется?

But the English dub is pretty bad. Those who have seen the original will understand this statement. The voices sometimes feel like they don't belong and the translation is sometimes lackluster. Then what? Maybe there are existing subs? Or will I have to make those myself?


r/russian 2d ago

Interesting French trying to speak russian

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217 Upvotes

This is a popular French show that consist in several pairs competing in a roughly four week race with other "side quests". With a budget of just one euro per person per day, they must hitchhike to reach the finish line and rely on locals for food and lodging. The goal is to collect amulets of varying values to win the grand prize.

This edition was taking place in Russia and China. The "side quest" (that you can see in this vidéo) consist in hearing a sentence in russian, to retell it to your partner and then retell it one more time to a Russian kid, who has to interpret what he hears.

Hope you enjoy the translation I did !

(This edit is only one part of the full side quest. If you're interested, I can translate the others parts)


r/russian 1d ago

Other Learning Russian

4 Upvotes

I’ve been very interested in the Russian language for a long time and I’ve always wanted to learn a new language. I’ve decided I want to start studying Russian but I have no idea where to start. If anyone has any advice that would be great.