Dima has been doing me a great service by showing me around the awesome town of Kiev; however, this morning it was time for me to head off and try to speak Russian on my own. I was able to order a coffee AND ask for 'another one' - mostly because the expression sounds like 'Puff da weed'. However, I went to get a sandwich and a latte at a coffee shop and hit my first snag. Apparently, instead of asking for a мoлOKом (Latte?) I ordered a мoрковко (carrot juice). My first clue should have been the 3 large carrots going into the blender. Apparently, I have to work on my pronunciation...
Monday, April 27, 2009
Jeff's First Russian Language Fail!!!
Dreams of fluency in Russian fade quickly upon making one's first amateur linguistic mistake. Having only really attempted Romance and Latin languages before, I wasn't prepared for the difficulties that Anglos would face trying to memorize words with seemingly exotic stems and the facial contortions required to produce some of the more complex consonant and vowel noises. With my trusty 'Learn Russian: A Complete Course' and flash cards, I embarked on a crash course in Russian speaking with my friend Dima. I quickly grasped the need to cleanly articulate your words - note the similarities between простите (Excuse me) and проститутка (prostitute).
Dima has been doing me a great service by showing me around the awesome town of Kiev; however, this morning it was time for me to head off and try to speak Russian on my own. I was able to order a coffee AND ask for 'another one' - mostly because the expression sounds like 'Puff da weed'. However, I went to get a sandwich and a latte at a coffee shop and hit my first snag. Apparently, instead of asking for a мoлOKом (Latte?) I ordered a мoрковко (carrot juice). My first clue should have been the 3 large carrots going into the blender. Apparently, I have to work on my pronunciation...
Dima has been doing me a great service by showing me around the awesome town of Kiev; however, this morning it was time for me to head off and try to speak Russian on my own. I was able to order a coffee AND ask for 'another one' - mostly because the expression sounds like 'Puff da weed'. However, I went to get a sandwich and a latte at a coffee shop and hit my first snag. Apparently, instead of asking for a мoлOKом (Latte?) I ordered a мoрковко (carrot juice). My first clue should have been the 3 large carrots going into the blender. Apparently, I have to work on my pronunciation...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Jeff, don't get a cold, you might meet lots of girls that you didn't want to!
ReplyDeleteHave fun,
Tom Dickens
We met a Russian girl on Friday night who said she didn't think you could get a latte in Russia - just an FYI! Oh, and after telling her about you and your trip, you're invited to her wedding in August (small town near Moscow I think) but you'll be blazing trails in China by then! ...I hope you encounter similar warm hospitality along the way! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a weird Russian girl, of course you can get latte in Russia, just ask for latte (латте).
ReplyDelete