A Spoonful of Russian - Learn Russian Online from Russian Tutor

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No more updates, but the site will still exist Nov 08, 2017

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This blog has been in a vegetative state hooked up to life support for a looooooong time. I do not have time to upkeep it, but at the same time I am not going to pull the plug and delete it. The site provides a lot of helpful info and has a right to exist. Browse away....

My YouTube Channel Has Been Re-Enabled! Apr 07, 2016

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Finally! Thanks to the Big G tech support we were able to sort out the problem. Now I will be able to upload my videos to The Spoonful Of Russian channel again. So relieved.
It's been sooooo long. I feel like I am a bit rusty. My last vid was uploaded 1 year ago. I am going to ask you, guys, for your suggestions as far as my next video. Go!

Unable to log in to my YouTube to upload or approve comments Nov 04, 2015

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Not sure what happened exactly, but I am unable to log in to my own YouTube account in order to upload new videos or manage my subscribers' comments. At the same time there is no problem logging in to Google, GooglePlus or Blogger. Hmmmmm. Thank you for being patient as I am looking into solutions.

a Spoonful of Russian 032 Nov 14, 2014

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Today I fill a request of one of my Podcast listeners/ YouTube subscribers by reciting a short poem written by one of Russia's greatest talents - Anna Akhmatova. Лотова Жена - Анна Ахматова (Lot's Wife - Anna Akhmatova). To view the text: http://youtu.be/2fEWD9bqAWk

a Spoonful of Russian 031 Oct 20, 2014

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The video that goes with this episode can be found on my YouTube channel: Episode 031

Toasting is a huge thing in Russia. Has been for ages. A full glass must be drunk to the bottom after every toast, because “a toast without wine is like a wedding without a bride!” A traditional Russian drinking party usually includes a sequence of several standard toasts.
You can refresh them by watching my Most Common Russian Drinking Toasts/Phrases video.

The most common first toast is...
To our meeting!
За встречу!
[za FSTRYE-tchoo] … sort of an ice-breaker toast:)
Another good opener toast is…
To our health!
Будем здоровы!
[BOO-dem zda-RO-vy]
The toasts that follow largely depend on the occasion that brought the people together. At a birthday party, the first toast (with wishes of health, success and a long life) is usually to the birthday guy or lady. The second toast is to their parents as a sign of honor.
At a wedding, the first toast is “To the health of the newlyweds.” After that, the guests shout "Горько!"(Gorko!) often and loudly, all through the banquet. “Gorko” literally means "bitter” in Russian, implying the bitterness the wine being drunk. By yelling that the wine is bitter, the guests are inviting the newlyweds to make it sweeter by giving each other a sweet long kiss. As the bride and groom kiss, the guests count the seconds: “Один! Два! Три! Четыре! Пять! ... One, two, three, four, five..." until the kiss is over, whereupon they raise their glasses in a toast.
At a funeral banquet, the first part of the toast is usually an uplifting or touching story about the dearly departed; it is concluded with the words Пусть земля ему/ей будет пухом! Вечная память! (Let the ground in which he/she rests be like goose down. Eternal memory to (him/her). When people in Russia drink to the dead it is customary not to clink glasses.
Without a doubt towards the middle of the party someone usually proposes a toast “За женщин”! “To beautiful ladies!” or “To the ladies present here!" At this point someone else usually says that real men stand up when they drink a toast to beautiful ladies, and they drink to the bottom. All the gentlemen present promptly comply.
The last toast, “На посошок!” / “Na pososhok", is usually pronounced when the guests are about to leave. In olden days, travelers used a walking stick, called posokh or, diminutively, pososhok in Russian, during long journeys. A toast to the walking stick, therefore, is meant to make sure that the return journey is safe.
Learn some Russian today!

a Spoonful of Russian 030 Oct 14, 2014

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The video that goes with this episode can be found on my YouTube channel: Episode 030
Asking questions in Russian can be quite a daunting and intimidating task, especially if you try to follow the proper grammar rules of declention, gender agrement, etc. What if you are a beginner? Should you not even try? Of course not.
By knowing basic Russian interrogatives, you'll be able to express your questions, even without an extensive vocabulary or grammar knowledge. Lots of times you don’t even need to form a complete sentence to ask a question. All you need is to know the ‘question word’ and your pointer finger:)
Learn some Russian today!