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Our blog seeks to address the specific questions that all Russian learners face while studying the Russian language.
Tolstoy's War and Peace explained

Detailed synopsis and analysis of the book, why it is considered a masterpiece, best translations.

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How to say ONLY in Russian: ТОЛЬКО, ЛИШЬ, ЕДИНСТВЕННЫЙ

The word for “only” in Russian has a number of almost synonyms: “только,” ”лишь,” and “единственный.” The most important differentiator between them is their parts of speech. “Только” and ”лишь” are adverbs; meanwhile, “единственный” is an adjective. Let’s go through the nuances between the meaning of these words with plenty of example sentences. ТОЛЬКО vs. […]

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AGAIN in Russian: ОПЯТЬ, СНОВА, ЕЩЕ РАЗ, ЗАНОВО, ВНОВЬ

There are five ways to say “again” in Russian: “опять,” “снова,” “ещё раз,” “заново,” and “вновь.” These words are almost synonyms, but have different nuances in their meaning and uses in context. We’ve explained their meanings with plenty of example sentences below. How to say AGAIN in Russian ОПЯТЬ and СНОВА "Опять" and "снова" are […]

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How to use ЛИ in Russian to say IF / WHETHER

The particle, “ли,” means “if” or “whether.” “Ли” has two main uses in Russian: as a particle for asking yes or no questions, and as a conjunction in dependent clauses and indirect speech. Beyond this, “ли” can also be used to add emphasis to questions. Regarding word order, when using “ли” in both questions and […]

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How to use ИМЕННО in Russian

Meaning of ИМЕННО The word, “именно,” in Russian means “exactly,” “namely,” or “precisely.” “Именно” puts emphasis on the word that follows it. “Именно” is a versatile adverb and you can play around with its word order. Where it appears in a sentence will result in a different meaning. Word order with ИМЕННО Consider the following […]

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How to say NEAR in Russian: РЯДОМ, ОКОЛО, ВОСЛЕ, БЛИЗКО

There are five main words that give the meaning, “near,” in Russian: “возле,” “около,” “у,” “рядом,” and “близко.” However, these words can only be used in certain contexts. Please note, to say "near" in Russian, you'll need a solid command of the Russian cases, especially the genitive case. If you'd like to review them, please […]

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How to reply to HOW ARE YOU? in Russian (The Definitive Guide)

In Russian, there are many different ways to respond to someone asking “How are you?” What's more, Russian social norms are different to how people act elsewhere, so there's room for confusion amid the variety. With that in mind, we’ve listed the top ways to answer “How are you?” in Russian according to how you’re […]

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How to say HOW ARE YOU? in Russian (The Definitive Guide)

The classic greeting, "How are you?" is typically translated as "Как делa?" in Russian. However, many other similar greetings exist that convey different nuanced meaning a variety of social settings. In this article, we introduce you to 15 different ways to ask "How are you?" in Russian. For more Russian vocab about greetings, we'd also […]

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How to convert adjectives to adverbs in Russian

It is very simple and straightforward to convert adjectives to adverbs in Russian. Adjectives form the roots of the vast majority of adverbs, so if you understand this post you'll be in a great position to use adverbs on the fly with ease. To note, you can form adverbs from adjectives, nouns, numerals, verbs, pronouns, […]

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How to use ЖЕ in Russian (with examples)

“Же” is an intensifying particle that doesn’t have an exact translation in English. What does “же” mean “Же” can be used to convey the meaning of emphasis, amplification, intensity, specificity, objection, comparison, sameness, softness, or even a rhetorical question. As such, there are many different uses for “же”. The best way to figure out how to […]

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