Pushkin House Book Prize Short List

The six books vie for the 2019 prize In Moscow on Thursday, the short list for the 2019 Pushkin House Book Prize was announced. This year they are: “1983: The World at The Brink” by Taylor Downing (Little, Brown) “The Vory: Russia’s Super Mafia” by Mark Galeotti (Yale University Press) “To See Paris and Die:…

Indifference (n.)

Today’s Word of the Day is: “indifference” (n.) Transcription: [ɪnˈdɪfərəns] Russian Translation: равнодушие, безразличие Definition: lack of interest in someone or something Example: “What is the opposite of love?”, he asked. “Hate.”, she replied. “No,” he responded “the opposite of love is indifference.” Synonyms : disregard, apathy, lack of interest

Grammar Tip

Past Continuous Tense. Use #3: Parallel Actions We use the past continuous to describe two actions occurring at the same time in the past. Example: I was reading the newspaper while he was making dinner. – Я читала газету, пока он готовил ужин. Example: What were you doing while you were waiting? –Чем вы занимались,…

Business Communication Skills Tip

Language of Meetings. Tip #3: Giving Your Opinion Now let’s learn some phrases for giving your opinion – with some detail in order to give you some flexibility (гибкость, предприимчивость) in the way you express your opinion: Strong I strongly believe that… I’m convinced that…   Normal I think / believe / feel that… From…

Yekaterinburg’s Demolished TV Tower is Being Rebuilt by AR

A team of artists have resurrected Yekaterinburg’s beloved TV tower using AR tech (технология дополненной реальности) to create a new “digital monument”. A new app will allow locals to glimpse (мельком взглянуть) a ghost of the now-demolished landmark through their smartphone screens. The digital image will appear at specific points around the city, each marked…

Itinerary (n.)

Today’s Word of the Day is: “itinerary” (n.) Transcription: [aɪˈtɪn.ər.ər.i] Russian Translation: маршрут, путь Definition: a detailed plan or route of a journey, trip Example: We planned our itinerary several weeks before the trip. Synonyms: planned route, route

Grammar Tip

Past Continuous Tense. Use #2: The Background of a Story We use the past continuous to describe the background of a story or to create the atmosphere in the story. Example: When I arrived at the restaurant, people were chatting, eating and somewere even having an argument. One man was talking loudly on the phone…

Stale (adj.)

Today’s Word of the Day is: “stale” (adj.) Transcription: [steɪl] Russian Translation: черствый, несвежий Definition: no longer new or fresh, usually as a result of being kept for too long Example: Cake goes stale quickly if it’s not covered. Synonyms: dried out, old

Grammar Tip

Language of Meetings. Tip #2: Asking For Opinions Meetings often begin with the presentation of some information and then a request for opinions. To ask people for their opinions, you can say: What does everyone think about…? I’d like to get your feedback on… What are your thoughts about/on… ? After one person has expressed…

Moscow’s Monuments Get a Spring Shower

When you’re serious about your city’s statues, it isn’t just your home that needs spring cleaning. Muscovites headed (направляться) outside to give the capital’s famous monuments a solid scrubbing (чистка) and clean off the winter dirt. For more photos visit https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/04/18/moscows-monuments-get-a-spring-shower-a65297