A Spring Storm (Весенняя Гроза) - Ф.И. Тютчев

Inspired by last night's thunderstorm, our next poem is by Ф.И. Тютчев "Весенняя Гроза".

English translation by Dmitri Obolensky

p.s. for those wondering why the regular lessons are not uploaded more frequently. I am currently working  towards purchasing a more current Mac for using iMovie or FinalCut Pro for top nothch 1080 quality podcast production. 

At the moment my 2006 Mac mini cannot handle anything but some sound recording in GarageBand. To add videos, transitions, animation, etc. I wind up using 5 different programs and apps between my Mac and iPad. Goes without saying it is quite time-consuming. 

I'm somewhat of an Apple Fangirl:) (hush, Stephen!) and wanted to see first what WWDC will be bringing before getting a new Mac. But I promise to keep on going with the regular lessons. 

Russian Poetry Reading - New Playlist on YouTube

Subscribers spoke. Some of you mentioned you would enjoy listening to Russian spoken without thinking of grammar. I've been thinking of doing it for a while now. Auditory training is an integral part of any foreign language learning.

Thus, I created a dedicated playlist within my YouTube channel. I hope to fill it with masterful creations of Russian poets. 

Question: would any of the parents of young kids out there be interested in Russian fairy tale/poetry/short stories recorded by 'yours truly'? 

Finally, I am not ashamed of the audio quality. Just received my RODE Podcaster mic back from repair!

Mother-Daughter Duet (Опять Метель)

Just to change the pace a little, my daughter Emily and I are trying our hand at covering one of the most popular contemporary Russian songs originally performed by Alla Pugacheva and her daughter Kristina. Those two don't need introduction.

Lesson 26 - Consonants [p][b] and [n][t][d]

1. Greeting by a subscriber (Thank you, Jeanette, and Happy Birthday!) - Спасибо! С днём рождения!

2. Recommendation of recording apps

- Voice Record Pro (for iOS)
- Hi-Q mp3 Voice Recorder (for Android)

Another way - Google voice 209-980-RUSS (209-980-7877)

BIG thanks to all who show their support by:

- subscribing for free trial with Audible.com via the banner on my site
- purchasing authentic Russian food at Russiantable.com also via a banner
- last, but not least getting free Dropbox account via a link on my site. Every referral increases my Dropbox space, which in turn allows me to store more podcast files in the cloud.  Although, free account tops off at 18GB, still ... That is plenty enough space for me.

3. Lesson - bilabial stop consonants [p] [b] and dental consonants [n] [t] [d]


Twitter @russianspoonful
Email:  spoonfulofrussian@gmail.com
Website: speakrussian.blogspot.com

You can also leave a voicemail by dialing 209-980-RUSS (209-980-7877) and I will play your recording on the air and will try my best to answer

p.s. my apologies again for the sub-par sound. IPad's mic produces uneven sound even with a slight deviation from it. Can't wait till I get a Mac!

p.p.s. I also appreciate your rating of the podcast in iTunes:)

To all my Russian friends: "С Днём Победы!" 

Lesson 25 - Russian Accented Vowels

Russian accented vowels sound much richer and fuller than their English equivalents. That is because Russian is spoken much more vigorously than is English - there is greater muscular tension throughout the organs used in speech production....

Lesson 25 - Russian Accented Vowels

Lesson 24 - Russian Sound System. Introduction

Ученье свет, а неученье тьма

(Knowledge is light, ignorance is darkness)

Век живи - век учись

(Live and learn)

And the last one is quoted around our house quite often:)

Повторенье - мать ученья

(Repetition is the Mother of learning)

I thought I would start talking about the Russian sound system. Since I want to be true to the podcast's format and keep it short'n'sweet and to the point ... It will take us several lessons. 

Some of the items used for pronunciation practice will be isolated syllables or words whose meaning is of no immediate relevance, while others will be complete sentences that you will be able to add to your Russian phrase book and practice it as often as you'd like. You should not concern yourself with the grammatical forms of the sentences used at this point. You should simply learn them in the form given to you, striving to imitate your teacher as closely as possible. You must always keep in mind the importance of the spoken models presented.  While descriptions, transcriptions, and diagrams maybe of some help, you should rely mainly on the spoken model in your attempts to approximate the sound patterns in Russian. Remember always that at the early stage of instruction it is the sounds of the language that are our primary concern, not the written forms, which are a secondary and imperfect system of representing speech. While Russian spelling is more regular than that of English, there are places where it does not represent the sound system accurately. Strive always for good pronunciation, and don't let the written forms mislead you!

Next time we are going to talk about the Russian Accented Vowels, but for now I will leave you with a few phrases you should just listen to without trying to repeat. Listen to them as many times as you'd  like to. 

(YouTube link to this list)

Это дом. 

Это он. 

Он там. 

Это мама. 

Это она. 

Это папа. 

Это он. 

Это Анна. 

Она тут. 

Это Антон. 

Он там. 

Мама дома. 

Она дома. 

А папа там. 

Анна тут. 

А Антон там. 

Song in Russian - (Дорогой Длинною, performed by Nani Bregvadze).

Ехали на тройке с бубенцами, 

А вдали мелькали огоньки... 

Эх, когда бы мне теперь за вами, 

Душу бы развеять от тоски! 

Дорогой длинною, погодой лунною, 

Да с песней той, что в даль летит звеня, 

Да со старинною, да с семиструнною, 

Что по ночам так мучила меня. 

Да, выходит, пели мы задаром, 

Понапрасну ночь за ночью жгли. 

если мы покончили со старым, 

Так и ночи эти отошли! 

В даль родную новыми путями 

Нам отныне ехать суждено! 

...ехали на тройке с бубенцами, 

Да теперь проехали давно!

---------------------------------

You rode on a troika with sleigh bells, 

And in the distance lights flickered.. 

If only I could follow you now 

I would dispel the grief in my soul! 

By the long road, in the moon light, 

And with this song that flies off, ringing, 

And with this ancient, this ancient seven-string, 

That has so tormented me by night. 

But it turns out our song was futile, 

In vain we burned night in and night out. 

If we have finished with the old, 

Then those nights have also left us! 

Out into our native land, and by new paths, 

We have been fated to go now! 

...You rode on a troika with sleigh bells, 

[But] you've long since passed by!

-----------------------------------

ekhali na troyke s bubentsami, 

A vdali mel'kali ogon'ki... 

Ekh, kogda by mne teper' za vami, 

Dushu by razveyat' ot toski! 

Dorogoy dlinnoyu, pogodoy lunnoyu, 

Da s pesney toy, chto v dal' letit zvenya, 

Da so starinnoyu, da s semistrunnoyu, 

Chto po nocham tak muchila menya. 

Da, vykhodit, peli my zadarom, 

Ponaprasnu noch' za noch'yu zhgli. 

esli my pokonchili so starym, 

Tak i nochi eti otoshli! 

V dal' rodnuyu novymi putyami 

Nam otnyne ekhat' suzhdeno! 

...ekhali na troyke s bubentsami, 

Da teper' proekhali davno!

Closing word, reminders, etc.

I love hearing my subscribers speak Russian. I encourage all who are listening right now to record yourself saying Привет, Наталия or Здравствуйте, Наталия. I would love to open up my next podcast with your greeting! 

Twitter @russianspoonful

Email:  spoonfulofrussian@gmail.com

Website: speakrussian.blogspot.com

You can also leave a voicemail by dialing 209-980-RUSS (209-980-7877) and I will play your recording on the air and will try my best to answer.

#1 Fan, here is the answer to your question: 

"I love my wife" in Russian is "Я люблю свою жену"

Spoonful of Russian is now LIVE on Twitter and YouTube!

Follow me on Twitter @russianspoonful now and get your Russian language related questions answered. Ever wonder how to pronounce words in Russian? Just ask me and I'll upload an audio file just for you.

I wondered how to satisfy people's inquiries and fit it into my schedule. Looks like Twitter is the perfect medium for that. So, go head and click  @russianspoonful

I just created my YouTube channel, but I have many ideas how to make it awesome!

The Russian Cursive files are now compatible with iPhone!

Please,

Refresh your browsers

also, you may need to 'unsubscribe' and 're-subscribe' to the podcast for the changes to take effect. Feedburner might need a few hours to refresh their data as well.....

Announcement: by popular demand

...by popular demand of many of the subscribers I am now offering one-on-one video/audio chat for the purpose of going in depth of my podcast's lessons.

This would be a perfect way to solidify all you've learned, practice your pronunciation, and ask questions.

All you need is a computer, broadband internet connection, and an iChat, AIM, or Skype screen name. Google video chat is also an option.

Along with this I am still offering translation services (letters, docs, etc).

Please, email me for more info.

Lesson 23 - Nouns and Gender

Today we'll talk about nouns and genders. Keep in mind that we are going to look only at singular nouns in nominative case (more on the 6 noun cases later).

As you know, a noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, event or idea. All Russian nouns are divided into 3 genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. It's important to know the gender of a noun, since it needs to agree with other parts of speech. Let me give you an example: красивая девушка (a pretty girl) is correct, while красивый девушка is not. Ending -ый of the adjective красивый denotes masculine gender.

Learning gender rules is not an easy process. Many times you will be able to determine the gender of a noun simply by using your biology knowledge. Ex.: мальчик (masculine), девочка (feminine), etc. But most of the time noun gender is random and unchangeable. Gender rules MUST be memorized. However, the secret is simple: the ending of a noun determines its gender. After learning a few rules you'll be able to instantly recognize whether nouns are masculine, feminine or neuter.

Here's a Russian Noun Genders table for your convenience.(Click the table for an enlarged view)







Highlights:

*Every Russian noun has a gender (masculine, feminine or neuter)
*Every adjective or verb must agree with the gender of a Russian noun (and pronoun)
*Most masculine nouns end in a consonant, as well as -ь or -й
*Feminine nouns usually end in -а, as well as -я, -ия, and -ь
*Most neuter nouns end in -о or -е, but can also take endings like -ие, and -[м]я
*A handful of Russian nouns appear to be feminine by their endings, are in fact masculine. Commit them to memory!

-------------------------------------------




It's been a while since I added a Russian song to my podcast. So many of you requested this feature back! I promise to add one when I get a chance to obtain license-free Russian music. May 9th is the Victory Day in Russia. (День Победы). To mark this day I am including a well-known song from the Soviet era called «В землянке» - "In the Dugout" performed by Михаил Гулько.

Here are the lyrics of the song and its translation.

В землянке
Музыка: К.Листов Слова: А.Сурков

Бьется в тесной печурке огонь,
На поленьях смола, как слеза.
И поет мне в землянке гармонь
Про улыбку твою и глаза.

Про тебя мне шептали кусты
В белоснежных полях под Москвой.
Я хочу, чтобы слышала ты,
Как тоскует мой голос живой.

Ты сейчас далеко, далеко,
Между нами снега и снега.
До тебя мне дойти не легко,
А до смерти - четыре шага.

Пой, гармоника, вьюге назло,
Заплутавшее счастье зови.
Мне в холодной землянке тепло
От моей негасимой любви.


В землянке
in English:

The fire beats in the tiny hearth,
Resin shines on the wood like a tear,
An accordion sings about love,
And your eyes and your smile reappear.

The trees have whispered of you to me,
In the snow-white plains of Moscow,
Oh, my love, if it only could be,
If you heard me here singing alone.

You are far, far away at this hour.
Snows between us and winter's hard breath.
To rejoin you is not in my power,
Though just four steps divide me from death.

Sing, accordion, mocking the storm,
Call back joy, drive off sorrow and doubt.
In the cold of the dogout I 'm warm
For the fire of our love won't go out.




-------------------------------------------------

In closing, I'd like to thank Bethany for her lovely greeting that I started today's lesson with. To the rest of my listeners: you are welcome to send in your greetings in Russian. Don't forget to visit speakrussian.blogspot.com for some lagniappe* (11 years in New Orleans have taken their toll:) . Send all your questions and comments to spoonfulofrussian@gmail.com

До свидания и всего хорошего, друзья!



-------------------------------------------------
* (Lagniappe derives from New World Spanish la ñapa, “the gift,” and ultimately from Quechua yapay, “to give more.” The word came into the rich Creole dialect mixture of New Orleans and there acquired a French spelling. It is still used in the Gulf states, especially southern Louisiana, to denote a little bonus that a friendly shopkeeper might add to a purchase. By extension, it may mean “an extra or unexpected gift or benefit.”)

Lesson 22 - Russian Cursive (Letters "Ш,Щ,ь,ъ,Ы,Э,Ю,Я")

'Привет', my old friends, and 'Здравствуйте', my new listeners! Welcome to Lesson 22 of 'A Spoonful of Russian with Natalia'. I am Natalia, your host and instructor. And today we are going to finish the Russian Cursive Letters series.

But before we start, I want to thank again all those of you who support this podcast by first of all, keeping subscribed, also by purchasing Rosetta Stone's software through the link on my site (that really helps), and via PayPal donations. There's another and rather fun way of supporting the show - by getting a little souvenir from my Cafepress. com store. Did you know that they have "A Spoonful of Russian" stamp now? And "A Spoonful of Russian" license plate? Since I enjoy cooking, my favorite is the apron. And what pet can live without "A Spoonful of Russian" T-shirt? The store's ID is speakrussian.

Oh, and a special THANK YOU goes to Norman, who surprised me with a new RODE PodCaster microphone. The sound quality has gone up since I started using it. Thanks, Norman, if you are listening:)

Now , for the lesson! Давайте начнём!

Break

Today we are off to Louisiana. The next spoonful will come out soon after we return. Всего хорошего!

----------------------------------------------------

(added later: Don't want to keep you in the dark. We are back in NC. Stay tuned!)

Lesson 21 - Russian Cursive (Letters "У,Ф,Х,Ц,Ч")

Today you will learn how to write Russian Cursive letters "У,Ф,Х,Ц,Ч" .


(updated on November 25, 2009)

To answer Chris' question about forming a cursive 'ф' in the middle of a word I made a little demonstration vid.

Lesson 20 - Russian Cursive (Letters "О,П,Р,С,Т")

8th of March - Women's Day .

It's Women's Day in Russia today, a holiday of spring and attention to women. It's one of most important holidays in Russia. The celebration is similar to a combination of Valentine's Day and Mother's Day in the West, but better. This is a national holiday and a day off. Several nations celebrate this, but only a few acknowledge it as an official, non-working holiday .

If you forgot to send a rose on Valentine's Day, it's only half the trouble. But if you forgot to send flowers to the special women in your life you are in a really big trouble!

On this day Russian men congratulate all women in their lives (mothers, wives, daughters, grandmothers, girl-friends, teachers) by presenting them with first spring flowers, candy and cards, and self-made short poems. My Dad always presented my Mom with red carnations early in the morning, while reading a poem specially-written for this occasion.

Every woman of any age is honoured on this day. Russian women are surrounded with flowers, poems, love and care. They are not allowed to do any work in house that day: men do all cooking, cleaning and take care of the children. The Women Day - 8th of March is the best holiday for Russian women of any age.

In other countries where the 8th of March is celebrated, it's usually a celebration of feminist and women's rights groups. But in Russia, where the life is different in many ways, the 8th of March is one of most favorite holidays for all Russian women, along with New Year and Christmas. For Russian Women the 8th of March "Women day" is a holiday of Love and Spring. One of my most favourable memories are of this Day:)



Letter 'О' is represented by word 'очки' (glasses)
Letter 'П' is represented by word 'паровоз' (steam engine)
Letter 'Р' is represented by word 'рыба' (fish)
Letter 'С' is represented by word 'сыр' (cheese)
Letter 'Т' is represented by word 'телефон' (telephone)

Bad Cold Took me Down (Я простудилась).

Yes, I know, this bunny looks like he broke his leg, and the photo is not related to common cold. But he looks so cute:) Просто милашка!


Thank so much for checking up on me and asking for more 'spoonfuls' of Russian:) I got so many e-mails I decided to post on my blog. Next episode is coming out very soon, so stay tuned.....

I want to share a cold remedy that was sent to me by one of my listeners, Michelle.

"For that nasty cold:

Take "Emergen-C" vitamin C fizzy drink daily. I would also recommend making a morning smoothie with 30 grams of whey protein (I like the "biochem" brand) 1 packet of Emergen-C and a piece of fruit (I use a banana). You can add Echinacea or any other little tincture you like to the smoothie. (I make mine with a Gatorade base, for the electrolytes.)"

Спасибо, Michelle, and спасибо to all who wished me 'Выздоравливай'!

Lesson 19 - Russian Cursive (Letters "Й,К,Л,М,Н")

Russian Cursive (Letters "Й,К,Л,М,Н")

Letter 'Й' is represented by word 'Йогурт' (Yogurt)
Letter 'К' is represented by word 'Кошка' (Cat)
Letter 'Л' is represented by word 'Лодка' (Boat)
Letter 'М' is represented by word 'Машина' (Car)
Letter 'Н' is represented by word 'Носки' (Socks)

Video Vocabulary #01

Video Vocabulary #1 - Common Greetings and Phrases. You can find a PDF file of the vocabulary in the DOWNLOADS section of the site.

p.s. Isn't the sound of that BALALAIKA great in the video?

Lesson 18 - Russian Cursive (Letters "З,И")

Добрый день, мои дорогие слушатели ( Hello, my dear listeners)! Welcome to 'A Spoonful of Russian' , where we learn Russian one bite at a time. Добро пожаловать ( Welcome)!

(Samir's audio message)

I thank all the listeners who stuck with the show since the beginning and welcome the newcomers. I appreciate all the mail that you send my way. Questions, comments, suggestion and even criticism....I read them all and try to reply as time allows. We've covered a lot of ground already, and there's more to come!

And now, for the lesson.

(Please follow the video for this lesson. Just click on the title of the blog entry.)

Letter 'З' is represented by word 'Зонтик' (Umbrella)
Letter 'И' is represented by word 'Иголки' (Pins)
Letter 'Й' is represented by word 'Йод' (Iodine)

Help with iTunes for our Windows users?

Updated:

So, from what I gather, since "A Spoonful of Russian" is classified as an audio podcast, the latest .mov files will show up as part of this podcast in iTunes, but not on your iPod. They will be synced with your iPod under 'VIDEOS -->MOVIES'.

---------------------------------------------------------


Got an e-mail from one of the listeners needing help in transferring my .mov files to his iPod.

Quote: "Natalia: I’m sorry about being so much trouble; but am having a problem with the cursive lessons. I can’t get them to load to my iPod. I am hoping one of your other listeners will be able to assist me. Suggestions?

Thanks,
Dan"

Dan's running Windows XP and has iTunes. If anyone could help, post a comment to this blog entry!

Lesson 17 - Russian Cursive (Letters "Д,Е,Ё,Ж")

(Please follow the video for this lesson. Just click on the title of the blog entry.)

Добрый день, дорогие друзья! You are listening to and viewing 'A Spoonful of Russian' podcast, where we learn Russian 'one bite at a time'! I am your host, Natalia. Давайте начнём (Let us begin)!

First, I want to take just a few seconds to thank all those who contributed to this show either by donating through PayPal, purchasing products with 'Spoonful of Russian' logo at my cafepress.com store of going to russiantable.com online grocery store via the link on the right. Thanks to you I was able to purchase Snapz Pro X software that enabled me to record visual lessons for you, just like this one.

And now for our next Russian letters in cursive......

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I'd like to ask my listeners to e-mail me short accounts of the reasons behind your interest in Russian language and culture. You can either shoot me an e-mail telling me why you love Russian or send me a short audio. If you want me to play it on the show, let me know.

Всего хорошего и до скорой встречи (All the best, and see you soon) !
-------------------------------------------------

Lesson 16 - Russian Cursive (Letters "Б,В,Г")

Today I'll show you how to write Б,В,Г in cursive.

(Please follow the video for this lesson. Just click on the title of the blog entry.)

Lesson 15 - Russian Cursive (Letter "А")

Today you will learn to write Russian cursive "А". I will include more than one letter in my future lessons.
Thanks to one of my listeners I was able to upload a "Russian Cursive Workbook" in the DOWNLOADS section on the right.

The Cyrillic alphabet was adopted by the Slavs in about the 9th century. Although it is named after St. Cyril (Constantine), it was not invented by St. Cyril. It is based on the system of Greek capital letters. If you know the Greek alphabet, many of the letters will be familiar to you.
The Cyrillic alphabet, with some modifications, is used by many nations in Europe and Asia, including Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, and Mongolia, to name only a few.

Few Americans write in cursive script anymore. All Russians write in cursive. You won't need to learn cursive to "get by" such as reading street signs or newspapers, and Russians will be able to read your notes if you print your letters. But you'll need to learn cursive to read Russians' handwriting. If you want to learn "good Russian" then learn to write in cursive. If you just want to "get by" on vacation you can skip this.

Russian cursive letters looks quite different from Russian printed letters. Some letters look like English cursive letters, but represent different letters. The bane of Russian cursive is the letters м т л и ш щ ц, which look almost identical.

Upper- and lower-case cursive letters look quite different. Thus Russians use three distinct alphabets: printed, upper-case cursive, and lower-case cursive.


In this example, each letter--upper and lower case--is followed by the same letter in Russian cursive. You will notice that in the block style, the only difference between the upper and lower case letters is the size. In the cursive style, certain letters distinguish between upper and lower case.

(Please follow the video for this lesson. Just click on the title of the blog entry.)
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Little survey (Небольшой Опрос)

How many of you, my dear listeners, would be interested in learning how to write in Russian cursive? Please, e-mail me.

Update: survey is closed

С Новым Годом, Друзья! (Happy New Year, Friends!)

Emily made a little сюрприз for you. Please, listen to the song attached to this podcast. The lyrics to the song are in Lesson#14.

Lesson 14 - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

• ❑ Opening Word

Ну, здравствуйте, мои дорогие слушатели = Well, hello, my dear listeners!
Как вы поживаете? = 'How are you?'

'Как вы поживаете' is basically the same as 'Как дела'. The difference is in the use. I'd never say 'Как дела' to a person I just met, or to someone who's a lot older than I am. 'Как дела' is reserved for close firends, family and children. The use of 'Как поживаете' in turn is more appropriate when addressing people much older than you, groups of people, someone you don't know very well, or simply to show respect.

So, как вы поживаете? У меня всё хорошо. (I am doing fine). Are you ready for another spoonful of Russian today?

• ❑ Lesson#14 - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It would be more than appropriate to teach you a few Christmas and New Year-related phrases.

Many of you probably know that Russians have always been big on celebrating the New Year's rather than Christmas. After the 1917 Revolution, Christmas was banned throughout Russia, along with other religious celebrations. In 1992 the Christmas celebration was revived and announced to be an official state holiday. Note that the Orthodox Christmas falls after the Western Christmas on the 7th of January! Together with the Russians the Orthodox Christmas is celebrated by Romanians and Serbs, while the Greeks adopted the Western Christmas.

Did you know that the New Year holiday haс been celebrated in Russia for more than 300 years? It's Peter the Great who established the New Year celebration on the 1st of January. In his documents the evergreen trees were concidered the main decoration for the holiday. That will explain my choice for today's song later.

But let us turn to Russian Chritmas and New Year vocabulary.

Now, during the time right before the New Year holiday people say 'С Наступающим Новым Годом' literally 'With forthcoming New Year'. But I'd translate is as 'Happy Holidays'!

Natalia: Джулия, с Наступающим Новым Годом! (S Nas-too-pah-you-schim Novym Godum)
Julia: И тебя тоже, мам.(Ee te-byah toh-zhah, mum) = ('You, too, Mom.')

When the clock stikes 12 on January 1st, it's safe to yell out: 'С Новым Годом!' You can hear people saying 'С Новым Годом' well into February. Especially to the ones they haven't seen since the previous year:)

'Merry Christmas' will be 'С Рождеством Христовым' (S Rozh-deh-stvom Khris-to-vym). I do not remember the particulars of the Russian Christmas celebration, since I left Russia in 1995. But I did some research on the subject and compiled some facts that I hope you'll find interesting. You can find the text file 'Russian Christmas' in my 'downloads' section spoonfulofrussian dot com

Once again, if you want to wish someone a Merry Christmas, say 'С Рождеством Христовым!' And if you want to wish a Happy New Year, say 'С Новым Годом!' But all through the holiday season 'С праздником' (S prahz-knee-kom) will be always appropriate and timely.

'С праздником, дорогие товарищи! :))))))) Well, maybe not that official... 'товарищи' means 'comrades'.
'С праздником, друзья!' ---- 'Happy holidays, friends!' Now, that's more like it.


• ❑ Song

"В лесу родилась ёлочка"

("A Little Fir Tree's Born") performed by a children's choir.
This is the most popular Russian New Year's song. Every Russian knows it. It's something that no winter holiday can do without. The author of the lyrics is a school teacher, who was also a librarian: Raisa Adamovna Kudashova. The song was born in 1903 and since then it brings joy and excitement to Russian kids just like that little fir tree from the song......

"В лесу родилась елочка"

В лесу родилась елочка,
В лесу она росла,
Зимой и летом стройная,
Зеленая была.
Зимой и летом стройная,
Зеленая была.

Метель ей пела песенку: 
"Спи, елочка, бай-бай!"
Мороз снежком укутывал:
"Смотри, не замерзай!"
Мороз снежком укутывал:
"Смотри, не замерзай!"

Трусишка - зайка серенький
Под елочкой скакал.
Порою волк, сердитый волк,
Рысцою пробегал.
Порою волк, сердитый волк,
Рысцою пробегал.

Чу! Снег по лесу частому
Под полозом скрипит;
Лошадка мохноногая
Торопится, бежит.
Лошадка мохноногая
Торопится, бежит.

Везет лошадка дровеньки,
А в дровнях старичок,
Срубил он нашу елочку
Под самый корешок.
Срубил он нашу елочку
Под самый корешок.

Теперь ты здесь нарядная,
На праздник к нам пришла,
И много, много радости
Детишкам принесла.
И много, много радости
Детишкам принесла
------------------------------------------------------

(the English Translation)

In the woods a spruce was born,
It was growing in the wood
In summer and winter
it was straight and green.

The blizzard sang it a lullaby:
Sleep dear spruce, sleep tight!
The frost put snow around it
saying: Don't freeze!

The timid grey rabbit
hopped under the tree,
From time to time
The angry wolf just trotted by.

Hush, listen! Deep in the woods
Snow scratches under a sleigh.
A heavy horse
Runs smoothly.

The sleigh carries firewood,
and in it was an old man
He chopped it down
at the very roots.

And here it is, all dressed up,
it's come to us for the holiday
And lots and lots of happiness
it brought to the children.

• ❑ Closing Word

Вот и всё. That's it. You can find the Russian lyrics of the song and it's English translation on my site spoonfulofrussian.com as well as the transcripts of today's lesson. Check the site also for some helpful downloadable material. (Just follow the grey arrow!)

Don't you just love the sound of balalaika that's playing for you right now? I want to thank a New York-based Russian folk dance and music ensemble "Barynya" (БАРЫНЯ) and her director Mikhail Smirnov for kindly letting me use their music in the production of the podcast. You can read their fascinating story and order CDs with this authentic Russian music on their website: barynya dot com They have a Russian Christmas Music Balalaika album out that I find just awesome! Go over to barynya dot com and get yourself one. It'll put you in the mood for Russian Christmas like nothing else!

А я прощаюсь с вами и говорю вам 'Счастливого Рождества и с Наступающим Новым Годом!'
(I am saying 'good-bye' and 'Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!')

Увидимся в следующем году!
('See you next year!')

Help - Which Mic to Get?

I wrote a special Christmas edition of "A Spoonful of Russian" and trying to record it now. My current mic (Samson C01U) is acting up and giving me the same problems as last time. (Remember the poor sound quality?)

I decided to go out and get a new mic. Any suggestion as to which USB mic to get would be much appreciated!

Lesson 13 - Family Matters

Добрый день, друзья! Как дела? Хорошо? Отлично.
(Hello, friends! How are you? Doing well? Great!)

It's December now, and I am a bit late with my coming back to the 'Spoonful of Russian'. I was hoping to get it started again in November, but....like they say in Russia: "Люди предполагают, а Бог располагает!" Which literally means "People make plans, but everything is in God's hands'.

To quickly bring you up to date we are in our new house in Charlotte, NC and lovin' it! Still lots of things to do around the house to make our home --> thus lack of time for making podcasts:(

For all the listeners who were asking about our trip to my hometown in Russia - the trip did not materialize for a couple of reasons. The Russian embassy told me I had some problems with my Russian passport at the last minute when I had the tickets in my hands! Then the airline company refused to refund us after we told them we were not going to Russia. But enough of that. Let's get to our lesson.

-------

А теперь давайте окунемся в сегодняшний урок = Let us dive into today's lesson. We are in the middle of great family holidays now. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving (День Благодарения) and now you are looking forward to Christmas (Рождество)! One thing these 2 holidays have in common is family gatherings. Dads, Moms, Grandmas, Grandpas, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, cousins, daughter, sons, grandchildren....get together for a very special time. Would you know how to label a specific branch of your Family tree in Russian? To help you out I made a chart of the family members and relations. All family members have gender-specific names. Please, listen carefully as I pronounce the words. You are welcome to pause this podcast recording, rewind and repeat.


(click on the chart for a larger view) ...




-----

For the musical part of the podcast I chose a timeless song performed by a singer from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia - Nani Bregvadze. The song is called "Снегопад" or "The Snowfall" where the snowfall stands for the end of one's youth. The singer is pleading with the Snowfall to wait and not to knock on her door. She still has love and tenderness to give, and hopes to share. The text is full of beautiful metaphors and similies. Almost 40 years have passed since Nani sang the song for the first time, but it still resonates in people's hearts, because the theme is eternal.

"СНЕГОПАД"

Я еще не успела испить свою осень
А уже снегопад сторожит у ворот
Он надежды мои как дороги заносит
И грозит застелить надо мной небосвод

Снегопад, снегопад, не мети мне на косы
Не стучи в мою дверь, у ворот не кружи
Снегопад, снегопад, если женщина просит
Бабье лето ее торопить не спеши

Не спеши, снегопад, я еще не готова
Ты еще не успел мою душу смутить
Неизлитую боль лебединого слова
Не тебе, а ему я хочу посвятить

Снегопад, снегопад, не мети мне на косы
Не стучи в мою дверь, у ворот не кружи
Снегопад, снегопад, если женщина просит
Бабье лето ее торопить не спеши

Я еще разобьюсь о твою неизбежность
Голубая метель запорошит мой дом
Я прошу, снегопад, не заснежь мою нежность
Не касайся любви ледянящим крылом

Снегопад, снегопад, не мети мне на косы
Не стучи в мою дверь, у ворот не кружи
Снегопад, снегопад, если женщина просит
Бабье лето ее торопить не спеши
Торопить не спеши, торопить не спеши


--------

That's it. Now you can call your family members using the words you've learned today. But be advised, when addressing your brother, he might have a negative reaction to the word. It's somewhat close to the English word 'brat' :)

I want to apologize for not answering all of your e-mails. After the move I have taken up some new responsibilities and am very short on spare time. But I still welcome all your input and comments.

This lesson's recording quality leaves much to be desired, but I promise next lesson will be much better.

----------

Just a little bit longer....

Summer break is over, and the wonderful Autumn days are here. We are loving it here in Charlotte. The colors of the leaves are breathtaking! But I am still unable to set up my recording studio like I'd like to. It looks like I'll be able to do so in the next 2 weeks though. So, stay tuned!

Many thanks to all those who send me e-mails, 'bugging' me about coming back.

Summer Break

Привет всем! Looks like it's going to be a long summer break for you and a busy summer for me:) From now till the new academic year my family will be going back and forth to Charlotte, NC to settle things concerning our new residence, my husband's new job and our kids' new schools. In addition to that we are still working on getting visas for our trip to Russia in August. (What a lengthy process!)...

I haven't seen my family and friends in Russia in 7 years, and it's quite a job to find presents for all of them now. Which size clothes to bring? :)))))) Maybe I should go with 'one-size-fits-all' baseball caps?

Please, don't despair and look forward to more Russian lessons from me after this summer is over. I can't wait to start producing again!

С любовью,
Наталия.

Lesson 12 - Happy Birthday!

Topic - Birthday Greetings

• ❑1 intro


Добрый день, друзья! (Hello, friends!)
Как дела? (How are you?)
Надеюсь, что у вас все хорошо. (Hope you are doing well.)



Thank you for keeping up with this podcast even though I do not produce them as often as I'd like to. I am excited to get e-mails and comments on the spoonfulofrussian.com site. Your enthusiasm is contageous! For those who asked about the condition of our house, we just sold our restored home and are planning on moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, right after our trip to Russia in August. I can hardly wait!


• ❑2 Happy Birthday!

It's lesson 12 (двенадцатый урок). Tomorrow we'll be celebrating my youngest daughter's 6th birthday. I taught my daughters to say a few birthday greetings in Russian. Let me share them with you.

So, How do you say 'Happy Birthday' in Russian?
Эмили: "I know." It's "С Днем Рождения".
That's right, Emily. "С Днем Рождения" means 'Happy Birthday' . So, what are you going to say to your sister tomorrow?
Эмили: 'С Днем Рождения, Джулия". To which Julia will probably reply "Спасибо, Емили".

Then Russians usually wish health, happiness and longevity to the birthday person among other things. The phraze 'I wish you' will be 'Я желаю тебе...' (informal, to be used addressing friends, family, children) or ' Я желаю Вам'... (formal, to be used addressing older people, people you are not very close to, or just to show respect). Can you say 'Я желаю тебе...' 'Я желаю Вам...'?

Good. Let us wish Julia health. 'Я желаю тебе здоровья'. Emily: 'Я желаю тебе здоровья'.
Now, let's wish her happiness. 'Я желаю тебе счастья'. Emily: 'Я желаю тебе счастья'.
Let's also wish her long life - долгих лет жизни. 'Я желаю тебе долгих лет жизни.' Emily: 'Я желаю тебе долгих лет жизни.'
Молодец, Эми. What would I do without you? ('Что бы я без тебя делала?')
Emily: 'Пожалуйста, мама.'

Alright! Now you know what to say next time you are invited to a Russian birthday party. And if any of my listeners happen to celebrate their birthday today, we are saying 'С Днем Рождения' to you!

Here are the phrases again:











• ❑3 song

For the musical part of today's podcast I chose a song from a Russian cartoon "Cheboorashka". The character that sings this song is happy on a very dreary day. It's his birthday! The people passing by cannot understand why he's so happy. The singer also regrets that birthdays only come once a year.


" Чебурашка и Крокодил Гена"


День рождения

Пусть бегут неуклюже
Пешеходы по лужам,
А вода по асфальту рекой.
И не ясно прохожим
В этот день непогожий,
Отчего я веселый такой.

А я играю на гармошке
У прохожих на виду.
К сожаленью, день рожденья
Только раз в году.

Прилетит вдруг волшебник
В голубом вертолете,
И бесплатно покажет кино.
С днем рождения поздравит
И конечно, подарит
Мне в подарок пятьсот "эскимо".

(You can download just the song by itself here).


• ❑4 closing

I hope you enjoyed the song and learned something new today. As always, e-mail me if you have any comments or questions. My e-mail address is speakrussian at mac dot com. You can also leave your comments on this website. До свидания и всего хорошего! ('Good bye and all the best')!

Lesson 11 - Love is in the Air

(Due to lack of interest in the enhanced version of the podcast I am going to stick with the audio only version. Below is the Valentine's Day enhanced show converted into .mp3 file)

Привет! Hey there, all you Russian language addicts and all those who have just subscribed. Welcome! (Добро пожаловать!)





It’s Lesson#11 - Love is in the Air. It's been a while since I cranked up my Microphone and my Mac to produce a podcast. My house renovations are still going on, and we are still living with my in-laws. Even though my current environment is not ideal for writing and producing podcasts, I felt that I needed to get back out there for several reasons. I'm still getting lots of e-mails on a daily basis from listeners who express their desire for more of 'A Spoonful of Russian'. Another reason is we are working on getting things ready for our trip to my hometown in Russia this summer, and my daughters are in serious need of freshenning up their Russian:) There are other reasons as well. But personally, I just miss it myself. I miss plotting the idea of the lesson, typing it on my PowerBook (while listening to some nice classical music. Russian, of course), recording it, choosing different audio transitions, piecing it all together in GarageBand, uploading it, and getting your responses later.

As much as I'd like to produce lengthy and in-depth lessons on a weekly basis, that would not be possible for the time being. The next few lessons will probably be shorter and carry less info. Hey, it's 'A Spoonful of Russian' after-all:)



LESSON - "Love is in the Air"

You all know that Valentine's Day ( 'День Святого Валентина' in Russian) is just around the corner. I am not going to go into the history of the holiday. You can do a little research on the subject at wikipedia.org if you want. But wouldn't it be cool to send your sweetheart a valentine written in Russian? I'm gonna show you how to do it. Here are some simple phrases you can use:





- "I love You" , of course. "Я Тебя Люблю." For your convenience I created some flash-cards to go with the lesson.




- Another phrase you can put down in your valentine is: "Be Mine". And depending on the gender the Russian translation is either "Будь Моим" or "Будь Моей".




- "We're Made for each Other" - "Мы Созданы Друг для Друга".

- If you are an older couple I have a perfect card for you on Apple site. It's one of the iCards Apple offers. It uses one of my photos that depicts a pair of old boots. It says: "We May be Old, but we Match!" In Russian, "Хоть Мы и Стары, Мы - Идеальная Пара!" You can locate my card on mac.com --> iCards --> under "new in iCards".







ENDING WORD and a SONG

Now that you have a few phrases in Russian to dazzle your sweetheart, you might want to play this next song for her/ or him. It's called БЕЛОЙ АКАЦИИ ГРОЗДЬЯ ДУШИСТЫЕ. Literally "Sweet-smelling clusters of acacia". It's a romantic song about 2 lovers reminiscing about their time together one summer. The unforgettable time they spent under an acacia tree, listening to the nightingale's song and whispering the words "I am yours forever".




БЕЛОЙ АКАЦИИ ГРОЗДЬЯ ДУШИСТЫЕ
(А.Пугачев – музыка неизвестного автора)


Целую ночь соловей нам насвистывал,
Город молчал и молчали дома...
Белой акации гроздья душистые
Ночь напролет нас сводили с ума.

Сад весь умыт был весенними ливнями,
В темных оврагах стояла вода.
Боже, какими мы были наивными,
Как же мы молоды были тогда!

Годы промчались, седыми нас делая.
Где чистота этих веток живых?
Только зима да метель эта бела
Напоминают сегодня о них.

В час, когда ветер бушует неистово,
С новою силою чувствую я:
Белой акации гроздья душистые
Невозвратимы, как юность моя!
Белой акации гроздья душистые
Неповторимы, как юность моя...

'A Spoonful of Russian' is back!

This is just a short note to those of my listeners, who read my blog, informing them of my come back. Please, fire up your iTunes or any other RSS aggregator of your choice this weekend to get your next 'Spoonful of Russian!' During this transition period I'll be storing my files on my dot mac space.

You can subscribe to it by visiting www.spoonfulofrussian.com

~Natalia

BBC interviews Natalia

Hi, everyone. Добрый день. This is just a short note to let you know I haven't forgotten about my listeners and "A Spoonful of Russian' podcast will be coming back! I also wanted to share with you an interview I recently gave to a BBC reporter and producer April Peavey. It aired today, January 4th, 2006. It was a pleasure and honor to work with April.

The interview is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston.

Lesson 10 - No Lesson, but rather 'Bye for Now'...

Bought a new mic, new headphones, iMac G5 - all set up to produce 'killer shows', yet this show will be the last one before I can get settled in our house.

This is show#10 and the last one as far as my introductory lessons go. After almost 7,000 visitors to my site and close to 3,000 subscribers (at one point) I decided to take a sabbatical to re-evaluate the show and make some changes. Renovating of the house damaged by hurricane Katrina is another reason for the break.

I would like to thank all my loyal long-time listeners as well as new ones for downloading the show. I really enjoyed getting the lessons ready as well as doing the production itself. I wouldn't be able to do it without you inspiring me.

There will be no lesson today. If you sent me a comment or a question - don't worry. I will be answering all the questions via e-mail personally in the days to come. Stay subscribed to 'A Spoonful of Russian' - that way you'll be informed of all the changes.

I did include a song in this last show.

"Сердце" ('Heart')
also known as "Как много девушек хороших" ('There are so many nice girls")


Как много девушек хороших,
Как много ласковых имен,
Но лишь одно из них тревожит,
Унося покой и сон, когда влюблен.

Любовь нечаянно нагрянет,
Когда ее совсем не ждешь,
И каждый вечер сразу станет
Удивительно хорош, и ты поешь:

Припев:
Сердце, тебе не хочется покоя.
Сердце, как хорошо на свете жить!
Сердце, как хорошо, что ты такое,
Спасибо, сердце, что ты умеешь так любить!

Microphone trouble:(

The mic I am used to is a 'gonner'. Found out today as I was getting ready to record the audio. Not only that. I also managed to sit on my Sony headphones I use for podcast production. That's quite embarassing, although the room was totally dark and the headphones were right on the chair. Anyway, Lesson#10 is pushed to the next Saturday. Hopefully, I'll be able to aquire new mic and earphones by then.....Stay tuned.

Lesson 9 - Food

How do you feel about food? Я люблю поесть! (I love to eat!) most people will say.






 Whether you love it or hate it, we deal with food and talk about food every single day. That reminds me, I have to throw together PLOV (rice-based national dish of Uzbekistan) for tonight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plov) ....be right back.

(Natalia making noise in her kitchen)

First, let me give you a list of some popular food items in Russian:

Хлеб - bread
Соль - salt
Сахар - sugar
Яйца - eggs


Икра - caviar


Масло - butter
Молоко - milk
Кефир - kefir (a sour-tasting drink made from cow's milk fermented with certain bacteria.)
Сок - juice
Овощи - vegetables
Фрукты - fruit
Сыр - cheese
Мясо - meat



Рыба - fish


Колбаса - sausage
Шоколад - chocolate
Торт - cake




Вода - water



Пиво - beer
Шампанское - champaign
Водка - vodka
Чай - tea



Кофе - coffee


Just to name a few. Now, some dishes in Russian:



Салат - salad



Плов - plov (Uzbek-style Rice Pilaf)
Суп - soup
Горячее - main course
Беф-строганов - Beef Stroganoff
Солянка - Russian Spicy Meat Soup




Борщ - Ukranian Beet Soup



Винегрет - Russian “Pink” Salad Vinaigrette
Пельмени - Beef dumplings
Грибы Фаршированные - Stuffed Mushrooms
Баклажанная икра - Chopped eggplant simmered with tomatoes, carrots, pepper and onion.
Селедка под шубой - Chilled slices of vinegar-marinated herring, served with sliced onions, turnip salad, boiled potatoes with a touch of butter and fresh dill.
Блины - Crepes



Шашлык - Kebab



Голубцы - Cabbage leaves stuffed with meat+rice mixture
Фаршированный Перец - Stuffed Greeen Peppers
--------------------------------------------------------------------




Below is the dialog from today's lesson. Let's try to make an order at one of the Russian restaurants. It's lunch time and you are a client, клиент (speaking in masculine gender in this dialog) at one of the nicer Russian resaturants.

By now I am sure you will be able to greet your server (официант) properly in Russian. You would say 'Добрый день', 'Здравствуйте', but never 'Привет' or 'Здорово'....Leave the latter for your friends and family.

Your официант would probably ask you if you'd want a starter.

Официант: Что вы хотите на закуску?
Server: What would you like for a starter?

Клиент: Порцию фаршированных грибов, пожалуйста.
Client: A serving of stuffed mushrooms, please.

Официант: Отлично. Что закажeте из горячего?
Server: Great. What would you like for your main course?

Клиент: Я возьму борщ со сметаной. А винегрет у вас есть?
Client: I'll take some borsch with sourcream. Do you have vinaigrette on the menu?

Официант: Конечно есть. У нас отличный винегрет!
Server: Of course we do. We serve one great-tasting vinaigarette!

Клиент: Тогда возьму тарелочку и винегрета.
Client: Then I'll take a plate of vinaigrette as well.

Официант: Так, а на второе что будем? Позвольте порекомендовать Вам голубцы.
Server: OK. What would you have for your second course? May I recommend Golubtzi to you?

Клиент: Голубцы так голубцы. Давненько я их не едал.
Client: Golubtzi it will be. Haven't eaten them in a long time.

Официант: Очень хорошо. Что будете пить? У нас есть чай, кофе, пиво, шампанское, водка.
Server: Very well. What are we going to drink? We have tea, coffee, beer, champaign, vodka.

Клиент: Ну для спиртного еще рановато, да и компания нужна. Принесите мне просто кофейку.Client: It's a bit too early for alchohol, and one has to have company for that. Why don't you just bring me coffee.

Официант: Сделаем так, как скажете! Через парочку минут принесу закуску.
Server: Will do as you ask. I'll bring your starter in a couple of minutes.

Клиент: Спасибо.
Client: Thanks.



After your meal, if you are inclined to do so, you can leave a tip (чаевые), which is between 18-20% of your bill. Leaving a tip is still only customary at upscale restaurants in Russia as my sources tell me.
---------------------------------------------------------

Today, I'm gonna play a song from a Russian comedy called "Кавказская Пленница" ("The Prisoner of Caucasus"). The song is titled "A Song about Bears". It's a funny song about polar bears who spin the axis of the Earth so that the life would go on. :) And how do they do that? They rub their backs against the axis!

Где-то на белом свете
Там где всегда мороз
Трутся спиной медведи
О земную ось

Мимо плывут столетья
Спят подо льдом моря
Трутся об ось медведи
Вертится земля

Ля ля ля ля ля ля ля
Вертится быстрей земля
Ля ля ля ля ля ля ля
Вертится быстрей земля

Трутся они стараясь
Вертят земную ось
Чтобы влюблённым раньше
Встретиться пришлось

Чтобы однажды утром
Раньше на год иль два
Кто - то сказал кому - то
Главные слова

Ля ля ля ля ля ля ля
Главные сказал слова
Ля ля ля ля ля ля ля
Главные сказал слова

Вслед за весенним ливнем
Раньше прийдёт рассвет
И для двоих счастливых
Много - много лет

Будут сверкать зарницы
Будут ручьи звенеть
Будет туман клубиться
Белый как медведь

Ля ля ля ля ля ля ля
Вертится быстрей земля
Ля ля ля ля ля ля ля
Вертится земля

Где-то на белом свете
Там где всегда мороз
Трутся спиной медведи
О земную ось

Мимо плывут столетья
Спят подо льдом моря
Трутся об ось медведи
Вертится земля

Ля ля ля ля ля ля ля
Вертится быстрей земля
Ля ля ля ля ля ля ля
Вертится быстрей земля

Ля ля ля ля ля ля ля
Вертится быстрей земля
Ля ля ля ля ля ля ля
Вертится быстрей земля