суббота, 28 октября 2017 г.

If you prefer group Russian language lessons to individual course, plan your winter journey to fairy-tale Karelia in February to learn Russian in Russia in a mini-group of 3-6 students of your level.

Studying in a group gives more opportunities to practice Russian in dialogs, improve your speaking skills in discussions and broaden your vocabulary playing games during your Russian classes.

Staring date: Feb, 05, 2018
Duration: 2-4 weeks
Tuition fee: 320 EUR (2 weeks), 640 EUR (4 weeks)
Cultural activities: winter Kizhi island, skiing and picnic in the forest, Russian banya, ice-swimming, cooking and dancing classes, musical theater
performances, dog sledding, etc.

APPLY: https://enjoyrussian.com/courses/standard/
E-mail: info@enjoyrusian.com

пятница, 27 октября 2017 г.

LEARN RUSSIAN NUMBERS AND COUNTING WITH ENJOY RUSSIAN SCHOOL

NEW VIDEO! The lesson 6 is about numbers from 0 to 10

⚠️ Very important topic. Feel free to pause and repeat after Alina and Jack. Follow the simple rules and you will be able to pronounce the numbers like a native speaker.

четверг, 26 октября 2017 г.

100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

Landmarks and facts you may not now about October revolution of 1917

Learning Russian language in Petrozavodsk students of Enjoy Russian school do not narrow themselves with just Russian grammar exercises and phonetic drills. They talk about art, politics, and history with Russian teachers and each other to learn more about Russia and its society. On the 7th of November people in Russia are going to recall the events of the Great October revolution. In 1918 the Soviet Russia switched to new Gregorian calendar that is why starting with this year the anniversary of October Revolution falls on 7th of November.
Despite the fact the Revolution took place a century ago it remains one of the most discussed topics in modern politics and history. Its contradictive and complex nature with many questions unanswered and mysterious facts unrevealed gives rise to numerous disputes.

The October Revolution chronicle

In March 2017 the emperor Nicholas ll was deposed and the Provisional Government was formed to manage the political situation in the country. On the one hand the Russian monarchy was abolished but every significant change usually takes time. Living through the hard times people were not ready to wait. The army, workers and peasants were extremely dissatisfied with both domestic and foreign politics of the Provisional Government. At list the decision to continue participation in World War l drastically triggered the tidal wave.

At the same time more and more people supported self-formed non-governmental Soviet of Workers’ Deputies sticked up for the reforms and living standard improvement. The armed uprising willing to overthrow the Provisional Government broke out in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) on the night of 25th October. So the Soviet of Workers’ Deputies came into power. All significant city infrastructure objects were occupied. The Provisional Government did not expect that kind of move. By 2 am in the morning all of its members were arrested in the former Emperor’s Palace – Winter Palace.

In the evening of 26 of October the shift of power towards Soviets was proclaimed. Decree of Peace became the first official document of Soviet authorities and implied the start of negotiating process on bringing the War to the end. Vladimir Lenin became the head of the main governmental body, The Council of People’s Commissars.

Facts you may not know about the Russian Revolution

– Russian October Revolution became the first event in the history information about which was transmitting on the radio (Lenin’s address to the peoples of Russia on 26th of October)
– Right after the revolution Norway proposed to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Vladimir Lenin. It was written in the note to the Nobel Committee: “Lenin not only undertakes all possible measures to promote the peace but also takes concrete steps to achieve it.”
– Technically Russian Emperor was not overthrown by someone. He abdicated in favor of his son Alexey and then in favour of brother Michail. In his turn Michail supported the Provisional Government and refused the enthronement.

Every single historical event deserves hours of discussions simply because it is far more complex than we see it. To get to the crack of a matter one should talk to locals on what they think. To know Russian culture, history and people better seize an opportunity of coming to Petrozavodsk and take Russian lessons with native speaking tutors. Discuss the news, crucial events and interesting topics with volunteers, host family and in the language clubs. Sign up for a course here.

воскресенье, 22 октября 2017 г.

ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE: I TRULY LIKED EVERYTHING!

Judit from Switzerland oh her Russian language course and Russian way of life in Petrozavodsk

The best way to understand whether or not the certain Russian language course meets your expectations is to ask people. Here in Petrozavodsk Enjoy Russian language school students are always ready to share their results and progress in Russian as well as to assess their living in a Russian family and communication with volunteers.

Russian lessons, host family and Russian volunteers

“The content of the language course was excellent. Good study book with the most useful topics. The groups were small so it forced us to speak Russian. I’ve enjoyed our teachers with their games, discussions, etc. very much! I could always ask questions even if they didn’t have anything to do with the topics. The teacher always answered in a satisfying way.

I had a perfect accommodation and the best host mom ever! Super friendly, helpful and communicative, of course we’ll keep in touch! I had a nice and cozy bedroom, perfect learning area with desk and couch. I always felt welcomed.

The Russian volunteers were very nice and helpful. I’ve enjoyed the people very much. They showed us good restaurants and gave us interesting facts about the city.

Administration of the program was excellent. I could always come and ask if something would have been unclear.

Why would you recommend learning Russian at Enjoy Russian language school?

Judit has focused here on 4 main points:

good learning progress
motivating atmosphere
nice city
friendly and helpful people

And added afterwards: “I truly liked everything!”

Yes, never stop learning the language. Otherwise you’ll eventually find yourself at the point you started with. And if you are looking for the right course pay attention to the city you are going to stay, teachers’ professionalism and experience and never underestimate the testimonials of students. We believe one of Enjoy Russian school courses could be a perfect option for you.

суббота, 21 октября 2017 г.

Early bird discount for the spring courses!

Apply before Dec, 01 and save from 32 to 192 euro for the tuition fee!
Duration of the program: 2-12 weeks
Cost from 470 euro (2-week group course and homestay with breakfast)
Starting dates: March, 05, April, 02 and 30.

Apply here: https://enjoyrussian.com/apply-standart/
Ask a question: info@enjoyrussian.com

What's in the program:
- Intensive Russian course in a mini-group (40 lessons a week);
- Russian homestay with 1 or 2 meals a day;
- Communication and support of Russian volunteers;
- Celebration of a traditional holiday "Maslenitsa" (March);
- Russian banya and swimming in an ice-hole (March) ;
- Skiing and skating (March);
- Trip to the Kizhi island by snowmobile or a hydrofoil;
- Trip to Velikiy Novgorod
- Visit to Hasky Dog farm and dog-sleigh ride
- Guided tour to the Musical Theatre of the Republic of Karelia backstage;
- Cooking class on Karelian specialities;
- Dancing class “Traditional Karelian dance”
- Celebration of spring and Labor day and Victory day (May)
and lots more!

Symbols of Russian nature

If you google "Symbols of Russia" you'll find everything - from vodka to Russian Two-headed Eagle. But there is not much about Russian nature and its symbols. It's a pity because if you want to understand Russian symbolism better (in poetry for example) you really need to know what's special for us among trees and flowers, animals and landscape.

This post will help you to understand better poems of the greatest Russian poets and songs of Putin's favorite music band Lyube;)

Берёза (birch)

A symbol of Russian nature and Russian beauty, the birch tree (“bereza” or “berezka” in Russian) has a very special place in the country’s culture. It is a poetic symbol of the feminine, a lyrical image of spring, light and virginal purity. The slender birch brings to mind the image of a humble girl, beautiful,and very Russian.

Ромашка (chamomile)

see more

пятница, 20 октября 2017 г.

5 items you need to arrange perfect Russian New Year’s Eve!

+ some New Year Russian slang

It is typical of Russians to celebrate New Year’s Eve large and loudly. Even 24/7 busy Russian language teachers put away the books and make up their minds to an exciting celebration. Here are top 5 things you better buy before your Russian festive season starts. Why? In order to stay calm, happy and fully enjoy the holiday.

1 Mandarins

Every Russian woman and man knows that mandarins’ smell means New Year is coming. Even though this fruit was popular in Europe for a long time in the USSR people got a chance to taste it only at the beginning of 1960s. Since November is considered to be a very season for mandarins, people in Russia usually buy it in December and never forget to leave some for New Year’s dinner.

2 Special Soviet champagne

NOTICE: it’s not that kind of champagne produced in France, it is special Russian brand. Back to the USSR the Soviet government made winemakers to invent something similar but affordable for everyone and since that time almost all Russians buy this “Soviet Champagne” bottles for 31 of December.

3 Mayonnaise

That sauce is extremely important for all kind of dishes. You may need 1 kg, or maybe 2 or 3 to cook all the salads. Yes, that much! Russians like it a lot and add to almost every New Year treat. For example, it is number one ingredient for Olivier salad, which remains a symbol for Russian New Year for a long time so far.

4 Bengal Lights (tiny sparklers)

Also must-have thing during holiday season. These colored and bright flames are magnificent not only for Russian kids but for their parents too. Even though to use them you should be aware of safety measures Russians can hardly imagine celebration without it.

5 Tinsels (as many as possible!)

Russians love decorating houses and gardens and use different techniques and styles here. But honestly, even those who doesn’t want to spend much time on decorating always put some tinsels around the flat. To be honest some Russians keep them all year roundJ
And as promised, the piece of Russian slang you may use to congratulate your friend or stranger at the streets of Russian cities (teens are more preferable):

- Будь на хайпе и чтобы всё было бэнч! [bud' na khaype i chtoby vso bylo bench] – which means: Stay trendy and let everything be ok!

If you want to celebrate New Year 2018 in a Russian style, feel free to choose our special individual course and come to Petrozavodsk! Not only to learn Russian, but also to get familiar with the Russian festive traditions!

четверг, 19 октября 2017 г.

At the doctor's. Students' film

One of the important topics you learn at A1 level is "Health"

It usually includes some body parts, verbs like ЧУВСТВОВАТЬ (СЕБЯ) and some useful phrases that you say at the doctor's.

One of the best ways to make sure that you know some topic well is to create something using the words and phrases you've just learned. The greatest and the most interesting thing to create is a short film that let you practice specific vocabulary and grammar structures. It's useful also because when you are emotionally involved in some activity and have to express yourself in Russian, the words that you use in this kind of situations are very hard to forget, they will stuck in your head forever.

Our students Judit and Bradley made a fun video that will help you to learn the phrases you need if you go to visit a doctor. Look how well they speak Russian after learning it just for 1,5 month!

вторник, 17 октября 2017 г.

TOP 5 RUSSIAN TONGUE TWISTERS TO SPEAK RUSSIAN WITHOUT ACCENT

Tongue twisters aren’t just silly poems that use very similar sounds

They’re a great way to improve your pronunciation and get your mouth moving in Russian! Tongue twisters are originally created for little kids to learn pronouncing difficult sounds, but they can serve a very real use for people studying Russian as a second language. For example, the tongue twister about Sasha could be especially useful to Russian language learners, because it contrasts the similar “s” and “sh” sounds in Russian:

ШЛА САША ПО ШОССЕ И СОСАЛА СУШКУ

The tongue twister about Mila is a great way to practice Russian hard and soft consonants and compare Ы and И; it puts different sounding vowels between similar-sounding consonants.

МАМА МЫЛА МИЛУ МЫЛОМ, МИЛА МЫЛО НЕ ЛЮБИЛ

Here are Top 5 Russian tongue twisters

ШЛА САША ПО ШОССЕ И СОСАЛА СУШКУ
МАМА МЫЛА МИЛУ МЫЛОМ, МИЛА МЫЛО НЕ ЛЮБИЛА
ЕХАЛ ГРЕКА ЧЕРЕЗ РЕКУ, ВИДИТ ГРЕКА – В РЕКЕ РАК, СУНУЛ ГРЕКА РУКУ В РЕКУ, РАК ЗА РУКУ ГРЕКА ЦАП!
КАРЛ У КЛАРЫ УКРАЛ КОРАЛЛЫ, А КЛАРА У КАРЛА УКРАЛА КЛАРНЕТ
ТРИДЦАТЬ ТРИ КОРАБЛЯ ЛАВИРОВАЛИ, ЛАВИРОВАЛИ, ДА НЕ ВЫЛОВИРОВАЛИ

The tongue twisters above are well-known in Russia and almost every Russian knows it, but not everyone can say them quickly. Russian native speakers also have difficulties with some Russian words. Here is a fragment of old Soviet movie “Карнавал” with famous actress Ирина Муравьёва, where she is trying to improve her pronunciation (she wants to be an actress) by reciting tongue twisters КУКУШКА КУКУШОНКУ КУПИЛА КАПЮШОН, НАДЕЛ КУКУШОНОК КАПЮШОН, КАК В КАПЮШОНЕ ОН СМЕШОН and ОТ ТОПОТА КОПЫТ ПЫЛЬ ПО ПОЛЮ ЛЕТИТ, ПЫЛЬ ПО ПОЛЮ ЛЕТИТ ОТ ТОПОТА КОПЫТ

Don’t bother to try to understand the meaning of the tongue twisters. Usually they are just silly poems with no special meaning, and their purpose is let you practice some difficult Russian sounds, so focus on the right pronunciation, but not on the meaning.

Improve your Russian amazingly quickly by taking a Russian course at “Enjoy Russian” Language School. Enroll now

суббота, 14 октября 2017 г.

Dear friends, it’s high-time to enroll the individual New Year program with EnjoyRussian!

Effective one-to-one Russian course and unique table of events with holiday spirit! Let’s remember our December of 2016 and watch some photos

Here are a couple of testimonials from our individual students:
“I had an individual course which was held extremely flexible and made-to-measure for my needs and language knowledge. I learned a lot and understood how I should learn in the future. My teacher did a great job, she explained me everything in a very professional and kind way. I feel now that I really can learn and actively speak Russian!” Klaus, Germany.

“The language course was excellent. We had different themes. We watched some videos which was nice. My teacher asked me which topics would be interesting from my point of view. My teacher could always clearly explain the words when I didn’t understand. “ Pekka, Finland.

Dates of the program:
11-22 December 2017 - prepare to the New year!
9-23 January 2018 - celebrate the "Old New Year"!
Apply: https://enjoyrussian.com/courses/individual/
Learn more: info@enjoyrussian.com

пятница, 13 октября 2017 г.

HOW TO ASK PEOPLE THEIR NAMES IN RUSSIAN?

Enjoy Russian language school video lesson 5!

Recently our school set a tradition on making weekly lessons about Russian language grammar and Russian way of life. We’ve already covered such topics as weather, greetings in Russian, “How are you” vocabulary and the difference between verbs LEARN and STUDY.

This time school’s tutor Alina and our guest from the USA Jack are talking about asking people their names. After watching the video you’ll learn some useful vocabulary and will be able to ask Russian President about his name!:)

If you want take part in this video project choose one of our courses and come to Petrozavodsk! And you are going to be our next guest!

четверг, 12 октября 2017 г.

ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS: LET’S CLARIFY THE DATES AND LOOK THROUGH RUSSIAN TRADITIONS

When and how do people celebrate Christmas in Russia?

Sometimes “Enjoy Russian” school students who come to learn Russian in Petrozavodsk during winter time (December and January in particular) associate Christmas in Russia with the 25th of December. Catholic world does celebrate Christmas on this day, but not the Orthodox communities. At least, not all of them. To understand the reason dates differ from country to country one should get an insight into the history.

Why Christmas date is different around the world

The reason for this 13-days-difference is hidden in the calendars people use. Starting with the year 1582 many countries around the globe switched to Gregorian calendar from the Julian one (introduced by Julius Caesar in ..) According to some statistics the process took almost 300 years. And when it finally came to Russia the Orthodox Chirch did not approve shifting to this new-made year calculating system and remained stick to the Julian calendar.

As a result, in modern world we have Catholic communities using Gregorian calendar, some Orthodox communities living with renewed Julian calendar (which nowadays coincides with Gregorian one and Christmas in these countries is celebrated on 24-25th December) and countries living with Julian calendar like Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Montenegro, Belarus, Egypt that celebrate Christmas on 6-7th of January.

What do Russians do on Christmas day

At all times people in Russia were preparing themselves to Christmas day very carefully. From November 28 till January 6 the religious are fasting and mentally purifying themselves. On this holiday people cook traditional Christmas food, but do not start dinner ceremony before participating in a night church service (usually starts at midnight). Making a wish on this night is also a common tradition.

On the next day the front doors of all houses were open to everybody: people congratulate each other with the great day and invite even strangers to drop by.

And after that the 12-day holiday season starts. Through to the Epiphany Day (January 19) people go sledding, join open-air celebrations, play musical instruments at the streets. An integral part of Russian Christmas celebration is called «колядки». People dress up in a fancy way, come to random houses and sing short humorous songs. The men of the house usually give some sweets to unexpected guests.

Even though Russians do not celebrate Christmas in a grand-scale manner as they do on New Year’s Eve, they find it very enjoyable and delightful.

To experience your Christmas in Russia, choose our 1 or 2 week Russian language course with special festive cultural program! You will have a chance to enjoy a trip to Russian Uncle Frost Residence, will be able to decorate your own Christmas tree toys and attend special theatre performances! Sign up for a course here

вторник, 10 октября 2017 г.

If you want to make your Russian more correct and fluent the first thing you need to do is to memorize the following list of the essential verbs!

In this post we are going to put together all the need verbs and their conjugations.

ЖИТЬ – to live

я живу мы живём

ты живёшь вы живёте

он / она живёт они живут

ХОТЕТЬ – to want

я хочу мы хотим

ты хочешь вы хотите

он / она хочет они хотят

ЕСТЬ – to eat

я ем мы едим

ты ешь вы едите

он / она ест они едят

ПИТЬ – to drink

я пью мы пьём

ты пьёшь вы пьёте

он / она пьёт они пьют

ПЕТЬ – to sing

я пою мы поём

ты поёшь вы поёте

он / она поёт они поют

ПИСАТЬ – to write

я пишу мы пишем

ты пишешь вы пишете

он / она пишет они пишут

МОЧЬ – to be able to

я могу мы можем

ты можешь вы можете

он / она может они могут

Join our courses and polish your Russian language skills!

понедельник, 9 октября 2017 г.

IT WAS VERY PROFESSIONALLY DONE!

Enjoy Russian student shares the impressions on Individual Russian language course

Klaus from Germany had been learning Russian language in Petrozavodsk for two weeks. Daily classes, constant practice with the host family and personal motivation have brought him to a great result. On the last day of classes Klaus told the story of his life completely in Russian. Without any help, uncertainty or hesitation.

“My friend from Berlin has recommended me this school. I had an individual course which met all my requirements. I learned a lot and what is more important I understood how I should learn Russian language in the future. My teacher Katya did a great job. As a result my ambition and interest in learning Russian increased. She got far beyond my most optimistic expectations on this stay in Petrozavodsk.
Communication with the family was very pleasant too. I also got a chance to meet a student from the Netherlands who was living in this family. And we had very nice evenings.
As for organization of the course I got everything in time. The moderators are friendly, efficient and flexible. I would like to participate in the program again because the school is good, teachers are very professional and kind and I had a nice homestay.
My progress in the Russian language? I improved everything. Pronunciation and spelling. Now I actively speak Russian!”

Watch the video to get a valuable piece of advice on how to learn Russian efficiently!

Choose your own dates to start an Individual Russian language course and become fluent in Russian!

NEW YEAR’S MANUAL:

Simple steps on how to celebrate it in Russia!

For each person winter festive season is especially precious and magical. People all over the world enjoy getting together with the family, sharing the memories of the year ending and maybe someone discuss where to learn Russian language next year:) For some countries this holiday is not in the list of let’s-celebrate-it-loud holidays but every country has some certain traditions connected to December 31. In Denmark people place the piles of broken dishes in front of the friend’s door as a symbol of friendship. Chinese people tend to paint the front doors in red to attract happiness and fortune. The Dutch way of celebrating this holiday reminds the full-scale party and swimming in the North Sea next morning. So what about Russians?

Step 1. Prepare yourself for hours of cooking

The 31 of December is a working day all over the country. But! It is shorter than an ordinary one: people finish all the tasks (or leave them till better days in new year) one our earlier and here they could be divided into two groups. Some people have everything ready: they’ve done all shopping a week ago to beat the rush, know exactly how many guests they are going to have. But others start running there and back in attempts to find the missing ingredients or trying to decide on the better place to spend the night. But what is common for all is the fact that they spend so much time in the kitchen making salads and sophisticated delicacies while watching Soviet movies.

Step 2. Watch the Russian President’s speech and eat your wish!

Anyways all of them find themselves in front of big plates with ОЛИВЬЕ and glasses filled with champagne around 11.45. And the celebration starts! Never ever forget to say goodbye to the ending year and don’t you dare miss the President’s speech! Make a wish (or write it down on a piece of paper, then burn it, then put the ash into your glass and drink! 100% the dream will come true). See the flash lights? Grab your friends and get out of the house to enjoy colorful fireworks. Russian people usually don’t tighten the purse strings when it comes to fireworks. Jump into the snow and make a snowman, sing a song around the Christmas tree and say something pleasant to all the strangers you meet. And remember – you are not allowed to sleep!

Step 3. Be ready to entertain yourself for 8-10 days

Yes, even your boss takes a rest for that long. Take a tour to the residence of Дед Мороз (Russian Father Christmas, Santa, Jack Frost) or join the crowds at street festivals, invite all the relatives and go to a deer farm. Leave some time for writing down your New Year resolutions. Skiing and ice skating, snowball fighting, dog racing… Be creative and make something amazing! However hard you may try it’s basically impossible to hide from that total festivity!

Step 4. Sign up for a special New Year program at Enjoy Russian!

If you decide to learn Russian starting with the 11 December you have a unique chance to become a part of this huge holiday through Russian traditional food cooking classes, making toys, banya with snow-bathing, festive theater performances and many many other activities! Or feel free to choose individual course and come whenever you want!

суббота, 7 октября 2017 г.

Last places available in the Russian learning groups in 2017!

Levels: A1+ (elementary) and B1 (1st certificate)
Duration: 2 weeks
Dates: November 13-24
Tuition fee: 320 euro (40 lessons)

If you want to achieve fast results in Russian, intensive Russian course in Petrozavodsk, Russia is what you're looking for! Effective Russian lessons, creative teachers, friendly atmosphere and joyful amusements will make your Russian vacation unforgettable!

How to participate? Just apply: https://enjoyrussian.com/courses/standard/
Ask a question: info@enjoyrussian.com

вторник, 3 октября 2017 г.

RUSSIAN IMPERATIVE MOOD (COMMAND FORM)

Imperative mood is very important in Russian!

And your first Russian word ЗДРАВСТВУЙТЕ is an imperative aspect of the verb ЗДРАВСТВОВАТЬ (to be healthy and wealthy). Did you know that?

How do we form imperatives? We need to conjugate a verb in the third person plural form and change the ending to -й (for the first group verbs) and -и (for the second group).

Here are a few examples:

1.ДЕЛАТЬ (First group verb)

ОНИ ДЕЛАЮТ —> ДЕЛАЙ

To make it formal add -те:

ДЕЛАЙ + ТЕ —> ДЕЛАЙТЕ

2. ГОВОРИТЬ (Second group verb)

ОНИ ГОВОРЯТ —> ГОВОРИ