Russian

  1. PCommie
    Well, I'm insanely desperate to learn Russian. Anyone who wants to help, point me someplace I can learn it online (and well) for free, or teach me on RevLeft, whatever, much appreciated. Спасибо.

    H&S forever,
    -PC
  2. sanpal
    sanpal
    I should warn, Russian is very difficult for learning. May be China language would be easier?
  3. sanpal
    sanpal
    Some helpful site could be found here:: www.sharedtalk.com
  4. PCommie
    Chinese? Are you kidding me? Symbolic language, four different pitches that totally change the meaning of the word is definitely easier than a phono-correlative (or whatever that word is) language.

    До свидания, моя коммунистического камрад.

    -PC
  5. PCommie
    Oh, and the Shared Talk thing, not going to do well on Windows ME.

    -PC
  6. sanpal
    sanpal
    Chinese? Are you kidding me? Symbolic language, four different pitches that totally change the meaning of the word is definitely easier than a phono-correlative (or whatever that word is) language.

    -PC
    "To learn Russian is a bit harder than to learn Chinese" - i've heard this on TV from chinese teacher of Russian language who speakes Russian seems more than perfect though she said it with some doubt. But any opinions can be very subjective. If a lot of people learn and speak Russian successfully so it is quite POSSIBLE though it's not easy. It's not easy to learn any not native language in my opinion. For me, it is English, i still don't overcome beginner level. The most ideal period of life for learning - teen age. Maybe till 25-30.

    One more problem could be with typing Cyrillic text because of lack of keyboard with Cyrillic buttons.

    До свидания, моя коммунистического камрад.
    After correction of your phrase: "До свидания, моЙ коммунистическИЙ комрад "(слово "товарищ" мужского рода).
  7. sanpal
    sanpal
    Oh, and the Shared Talk thing, not going to do well on Windows ME.
    ??
  8. PCommie
    After correction of your phrase: "До свидания, моЙ коммунистическИЙ комрад "(слово "товарищ" мужского рода).
    Да, I didn't think that was exactly right, thanks. What's the Russian after it translate to? Also, what is your native language?

    -PC
  9. Vincent P.
    Vincent P.
    Try the Michel Thomas method. You can download it via bittorent (or buy it for 100$:P). You will learn oral russian with it within 2-3 weeks, it will give you grammatical basics and all, and once it's done you can learn written russian by yourself easily enough.
  10. Dr Mindbender
    Russian is tough, but it's definitely easier than chinese if you're used to the latin or cryllic alphabet.
  11. sanpal
    sanpal
    What's the Russian after it translate to?
    -PC
    "До свидания, моЙ коммунистическИЙ камрад" => "Good bye my communist comrade" though "comrade" in Russian is "товарищ" but not "камрад"

    Also, what is your native language?
    Russian of course.
  12. PCommie
    Try the Michel Thomas method. You can download it via bittorent (or buy it for 100$:P).
    You help me figure out how to get a Bittorrent downloader working properly on Windows ME, and I'll do it.

    Russian of course.
    Ah, хорошо. You can help me then. Is й stressed as a rule? Because I have a friend at school who is "Russian" and says so, and I really don't believe her.

    Спасибо.
    -PC
  13. sanpal
    sanpal
    Ah, хорошо. You can help me then. Is й stressed as a rule? Because I have a friend at school who is "Russian" and says so, and I really don't believe her.

    Спасибо.
    -PC

    You know there is syllabi(fi)cation in russian words. Every word consist of not less than one stressed syllable. Single
    [FONT=Arial CYR][FONT=Arial CYR]"й"[/FONT][/FONT] is never being used but only in syllables. Syllable with [FONT=Arial CYR][FONT=Arial CYR]"й" [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial]with[/FONT][/FONT]in it could be stressed and unstressed in different words. The words which consist only of one syllable are always stressed: for example чАй (tee), мОй (my), Эй (Hey), etc. The words which consist of two or more syllables could be stressed by different ways. In the "two syllables" words as a rule the last syllable with [FONT=Times New Roman CYR][FONT=Times New Roman CYR]"й" [/FONT][/FONT]is stressed: [FONT=Times New Roman CYR][FONT=Times New Roman CYR]какОй ([/FONT][/FONT]what),[FONT=Times New Roman CYR][FONT=Times New Roman CYR] домОй [/FONT][/FONT](to home)[FONT=Times New Roman CYR][FONT=Times New Roman CYR], чужОй ([/FONT][/FONT]stranger), etc.. The words which consist of three syllables could have different sense according which of syllables - second or third is stressed. For example: [FONT=Times New Roman CYR][FONT=Times New Roman CYR]дорогОй подарок ([/FONT][/FONT]expensive present), [FONT=Times New Roman CYR][FONT=Times New Roman CYR]идите этой дорОгой [/FONT][/FONT](go by this road). I hope that this was useful.
  14. PCommie
    My friend held up "Здравствуйте" as an example, saying it was "zdravstvoo-EE-tye" rather than "ZDRAV-stvooytye."

    Also, something I forgot to ask: How do you pronounce Ы and Щ? No two websites seem to agree. And, since you know Russian natively, how do Ь and Ъ really affect letters?

    Thanks for the help,
    -PC
  15. sanpal
    sanpal
    My friend held up "Здравствуйте" as an example, saying it was "zdravstvoo-EE-tye" rather than "ZDRAV-stvooytye."

    Also, something I forgot to ask: How do you pronounce Ы and Щ? No two websites seem to agree. And, since you know Russian natively, how do Ь and Ъ really affect letters?

    Thanks for the help,
    -PC
    In the word [FONT=Times New Roman CYR]"ЗдрАвствуйте" [/FONT]the first syllable is stressed.

    Also, something I forgot to ask: How do you pronounce Ы and Щ? No two websites seem to agree. And, since you know Russian natively, how do Ь and Ъ really affect letters?
    It's difficult to answer ... though ... you have to pronounce [FONT=Times New Roman CYR]И ([/FONT]i) but the tongue has to be moved from teeth and you will get [FONT=Times New Roman CYR]Ы[/FONT]
    Accordingly you have to pronounce [FONT=Times New Roman CYR]Ш[/FONT] (sh) but the tongue has to be risen close to palate and you will get [FONT=Times New Roman CYR]Щ[/FONT]
    [FONT=Arial]Ь [/FONT][FONT=Arial]does consonant to be softly. Ъ [/FONT][FONT=Arial]does rupture in connected sound[/FONT]

    Better to use voice Skype to show pronunciation though
  16. PCommie
    Sounds right. I'm sorry, I have a bad memory so I forgot to ask this before, but one last thing: Do adjectives go before or after the noun? Because I swear I've heard it both ways, here's some examples:

    Союз нерушимый республик свободних

    -Union unbreakable "republic frees" apparantly, as if the plural is on "free," which also makes no sense.

    Славься, отечество наше свободное

    -Be grorious, fatherland ours free. "Fatherland ours," with "free" thrown in afterwards doesn't make sense in English.

    Братских народов союз вековой - "Fraternal people union ancient." Again, "ancient" is just slung in there.

    Bottom line of this, what's the story on Russian adjectives?

    I'd love to get on Skype, but I have sucky Windows ME on which nothing works.

    Thanks for all the help,
    -PC
  17. sanpal
    sanpal
    Sounds right. I'm sorry, I have a bad memory so I forgot to ask this before, but one last thing: Do adjectives go before or after the noun?
    As a rule - adjective goes before noun but it is not strong rule, in Russian the sense is constructed with not exact order of words as it is doing in English language but with endings of words, so adjective can be after noun though the general sense remains but some emotion nuance can appears so these examples often could be seen in poetical works as in your example with anthem of the USSR.


    Союз нерушимый республик свободних

    -Union unbreakable "republic frees" apparantly, as if the plural is on "free," which also makes no sense.
    It can be told as not poetical form:
    Нерушимый союз свободных республик
    Unbreakable union of free republics or
    Indestructible union of free republics
  18. PCommie
    Still, though, you say "Свободных." The х makes it seem like the plurality is on свободный, so like "republic frees." Shouldn't it be "Республих свободный"? Not necessarily the correct endings on those words and whatnot, but you get the gist.

    -PC
  19. sanpal
    sanpal
    Still, though, you say "Свободных." The х makes it seem like the plurality is on свободный, so like "republic frees." Shouldn't it be "Республих свободный"? Not necessarily the correct endings on those words and whatnot, but you get the gist.

    -PC
    The correct endings are necessary

    Одна республика
    Одна свободная республика
    Много республик
    Много свободных республик
    Союз свободных республик
    Союз республик свободных

    The two latter have similar sense
  20. PCommie
    I suppose. Спасибо, товарищ.

    -PC