Test your knowledge of the Russian idioms
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Test your knowledge of the Russian idioms
Do you know what an idiom is?
It’s a phrase with the overall meaning different from the meaning of each individual word in the phrase. For example, “kick the bucket” or “to pull yourself together”.
Just like in English, there’re hundreds of idioms in Russian. Some of them will never make any sense if translated into English word for word.
Test your knowledge of Russian idiomatic expressions! See if you can guess the meaning and get to know some most commonly used idioms.
Test your knowledge of Russia
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Test your knowledge of Russia
Let’s play and find out interesting facts about Russia!
5 great Russian films with English subtitles
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5 great Russian films with English subtitles
Манчестер – Ольга Макаренко, 2021
Learning Russian is a challenge but also fun! Apart from learning grammar and vocabulary of the Russian language, you could also familiarise yourself with the diverse, rich culture that Russia has. Russian films can be arranged int a number of categories – from Soviet Propaganda movies to post Perestroika films depicting harsh reality of the time.
To help you choose from a wide range of Russian/Soviet films, we’re offering to you 5 best easy to follow films with English subtitles. Our selection represents a variety of cinematic genres.
No 1. “The Diamond Arm”
A Soviet crime comedy film was first released in 1969. The film was directed by a legendary Soviet film director Leonid Gaidai. The cast is made up by popular Soviet comedian actors. The film shows the life of the Soviet people before Perestroika. The films has become a cult movie and is loved by the Russian to this day.
If you like this genre, you may also want to watch similar movies, for example, “Ivan Vasilievich changes Profession” or “Caucasian Prisoner”
No 4. “Courier”
It’s a 1986 comedy drama. directed by Caren Shakhnazarov. It’s more tru-to-life than the above comedy. The plot is centred around the life of a 17 year old boy who enters adult life and is faced with uncertainty of the future.
Similar films: “Love and Doves”, “Train station for Two”
No 3. “Brother”
This is a true Soviet gangster movie. The film is set in the perestroika period and depicts very well poverty and anarchy that spread across the USSR, prior to the major economical and political changes. After its release, the film quickly became one of the most commercially successful movies the 90’s.
Similar films: “Brother 2” , and “Assa” and “Little Vera”
No 2. “Legend 17” 2013 biographical sports film. The film is based on real events and tells of the rise of the fame of the Soviet hockey player Valeri Kharlamov. Starring Danla Kozlovsky – a rising star of New post perestroika Russia.
Similar films: “What men talk about” and “Elki”
No 5. “Dukhess” This is a film about nowadays Russia, modern, stylish and cool. It’s not like one of those cult movies that are hard to watch at times. “Duchess” is easy.
Similar films: “Method” (film available on Netflix)
Enjoy!!
5 Soviet Satirical Caricatures Explained
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5 Soviet Satirical caricatures explained
Learning Russian language is not simply learning painstakingly grammar rules and words that may or may not be relevant to you. If it were that straightforward, the Tower of Babel would be completed… Learning any foreign language entails thorough understanding of the culture of the people whose language you’re learning, particularly, understanding its humour.
Russian humour is peculiar they say. Do you want to study some examples of Russian satire? One good place to start is a famous satirical magazine called “Krokodil”. It was first published in 1922 and discontinued in 2000 after the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union.
As you can imagine, during USSR period political satire was quite a dangerous affair. However, Krokodil was given considerable freedom to lampoon political figures and events. Typical and safe topics for this were the lack of initiative and creativity promoted by the style of an average Soviet middle-bureaucrat, and the problems produced by drinking on the job by Soviet workers. Krokodil also ridiculed capitalist countries and attacked political, ethnic and religious groups that apparently opposed the Soviet system.
The topic of Soviet satire is a huge subject from which you can learn a lot about the life in the USSR, or at least, the aspects of life that was allowed to be criticised.
Without further ado, let’s look at some of the examples of fascinating caricatures.
1. “About Russian Mafia”
In the 90’s dissolution of the USSR began. Boris Yeltsin was elected President of Russian in June 1991. Yeltsin announced that Russia would proceed with radical reforms, including market-oriented reform. The transition of the world’s largest state-controlled economy to a market-oriented economy would have been extremely difficult. And it was. Elderly and theworking-class people were the losers. Among the winners were the new class of entrepreneurs and black marketeers that had emerged under Mikhail Gorbachov’s perestroika. Criminal elements started to emerge, such as, so called “Рэкет”, or in other words is Mafia. They would raid newly emerging small businesses and demand payments for “protection”. These payments are being ridiculed in this caricature. The waiter is showing a couple a menu where amongst reasonably-priced food items, you can see a very high “Рэкет” tax. It shows how the free-economy couldn’t function in Russia in the 90’s creating one of the major obstacles to the reform.
2. “More on economical reforms”
More on the same topic of the birth of market economy in Russia in the 90’s. The caricature depicts simple folk, working-class people who are trying to run their own business of selling vegetables on a market. They’re being robbed by a gang of thugs. The writing says, “It’s not a robbery, it’s a regulation of the market economy “.
Search Google for more caricatures from “Krokodil”, see if can now understand the message and the satire.
3. “Lost Generation”
Many people born in 1970’s to a good Soviet family lost their identity and a sense of belonging after the collapse of the USSR. The Soviet Union collapsed, nothing new was built on its ruins, the transition was not natural and smooth, it was more like a shock therapy. Today you watch one channel, tomorrow they switch the channel and forcing you to watch it. Young people had nowhere to turn to, no common ground to stand on. Hence a huge influence of Western culture that was firmly established in many countries. The problem was, it was like trying to put on someone else’s shirt, someone who’s built differently – it just didn’t fit. Russia lost its uniqueness and its tradition. The whole generation was lost with it.
The Series representing the lost generation of the 90’s and how the views of the youth clashed with old generation’s views is still very relevant even today in 2020.
4. “More on lost generation”
More on the topic of “Lost Generation” – The writing under the picture says, “Guys, since you’re loitering about anyway, can you put this advert up?”
The writing on the ad says,”Factory looking for workers. HR”
No comments…
5. “Alcoholism”
Alcoholism was and is the one of the biggest problems in Russia. No amount of anti-alcoholism measures have improved the sad statistics – alcohol consumption of alcohol is highest in the world – 15.76 litres per/capita is consumed a year.
Needless to say, this problem tends to worsen during economic turmoil which was the whole of history of Russia.
Loss of control, lack of financial stability, low prices of vodka most certainly stimulated the appetite for hard sipping liquor.
Alcoholism destroys families, economy and moral.
The series on alcoholism is very well presented in “Krokodil”, here’s one example. A couple is sitting in a registry office to file for divorce. She is a young woman and he’s an alcoholic. The officer opening the door is a bottle of vodka. Enough said. Very clever…
There’re many other topics that are presented in this wonderful magazine! For example, politics, health, lack of creativity, education. If you take time to search and read cartoons, you will find that you’re able to understand Russian language so much better than before.
If you have any questions, suggestions or would like to learn Russian, please, email us.
Contact info@russianlanguagecentre.co.uk for more info.
5 Russian comedy films
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5 Russian comedy films with English Subtitles you MUST see
Learning a foreign language is a challenge, there’s a lot to take in – there’re new words, new grammar, new culture… But do not despair! After having done tons of grammar exercises and reading through “War and Peace” with a dictionary (I would say a large dictionary, but most of us don’t remember what paper dictionaries look like…), it’s high time to sneak into the comfort of your mother tongue! No, no, no… Just as you’re about to give in, think about a more relaxing and enjoyable way to press on with your Russian – yes! It’s watching movies! I would suggest, open YouTube and watch a Russian film with English subtitles.
It’s fun, it’s in context and it’s authentic!
Here’re my top 5 films that I would recommend watching if you’re learning Russian as a foreign language. All of the films are available on YouTube.
1. “What Men Talk About”
О чем говорят мужчины
It is a 2010 Russian comedy written and directed by Dmitriy Dyachenko, filmed in the genre of road movie based on the Russian play “Conversations middle-aged men have about women, movies and aluminum forks”.
The film starts with four friends getting ready to go to Odessa for their friend’s birthday bash and a concert of a famous Russian rock band ‘B-2’. Each character represents a stereotypical Russian man – a family guy, not-the-marrying-type, romantic one and a Casanova. They all have different outlooks on life – and yet they’re friends and they’re in the same car discussing philosophical and less so issues. They agree and disagree, laugh and cry. All ends well, the party is in full swing – friends make it there in one piece.
2. “Soulless”
Духлесс
It is a 2012 Russian black comedy-drama film directed by Roman Prygunov and based on the novel Soulless: Tale of an Unreal Man by Sergey Minaev. It was selected as the opening film of the 34th Moscow International Film Festival.
The film is about a successful young top manager Max Andreev who’s used to spending extortionate amount of cash on luxury cars, women and night clubs. He’s everything a man ever wanted to be and to possess. His life is a dream-come-true. But one day Max meets a 19-year-old girl named Yulia, a lower-middle-class university student, who has a “McJob” for a living, and who occasionally participates in various social activism groups of Moscow. Realizing that he wasted 10 years of his life away, Max decides to befriend Yulia, and together they live through numerous peripeteias, shaking and changing both of their lives for the better.
3. “Peculiarities of National Hunt in the Winter”
Особенности национальной охоты
Another great Russian comedy made in 2000. There’re other versions like “Peculiarities of the National Fishing” or “Peculiarities of the National hunt”. All are equally worth watching.
The story goes like this: Kuzmich and Semyonov feel bored at the 13th cordon until the season of “checks” and “inspections” begins. The first inspectors are from the Ministry of Forestry, followed by two more from the environmental department. The heroes even have to drink tea for a while since the environmental leader is a teetotal lady who also hates hunting. Later, Leva Soloveichik and General Ivolgin join the company. As always the company survives a lot of absurd but completely legitimate adventures. The philosophical story-parable compiled by Kuzmich about the Chinese hunter Hu Zhou who comprehends all the secrets of Russian hunting and tries to understand the Russian soul, is carried throughout the storyline.
4. “Yolki”
Елки
It’s a 2010 Russian comedy film directed by Timur Bekmambetov. The film takes place in 11 different cities in Russia and tells the story of a series of different characters whose acquaintance is purely coincidental. The characters find themselves in difficult situations which they can only escape if they find help, by miracle or through six degrees of separation. According to this theory all the people on Earth are connected through six handshakes. The characters in the film are a student, a thief and his connections with the policeman who caught him, a taxi driver in love with a famous pop singer, a businessman rushing to his beloved, two snowboarders.
It’s a feel-good movie for a relaxing evening in.
5. “Zhmurki
Жмурки
This is a truly hilarious comedy similar to the British crime-comedy “Snatch” by Guy Ritchie. Director Aleksei Balabanov, who directed Brother and Brother 2, uses Russia’s most prominent actors. The film suggests that in the mean free-market streets of Russia in the beginning of 90s, the only real liberty was the freedom to kill.
The film opens with a professor lecturing a group of university students about the primitive accumulation of capital. The professor says: “Start-up capital is how everything begins – it makes it possible to start a business and multiply the initial investment many times over. The key question is how to get start-up capital…” By way of example, she begins to tell a story that supposedly took place a decade earlier during the socio-economic tumult in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The subtitles in this film are auto-generated, so not the best quality. It would definitely help if you knew some Russian.
Have you seen any of these films? What are your favourite Russian comedies?
Need help learning Russian? We offer online Russian lessons with superb Russian teachers. Groups of all levels are available, as well as individual lessons. Contact info@russianlanguagecentre.co.uk for more info.