The words for things that shut out sound and let you hear it are the same in Russian. Of course they are.

Plug It, Mute It, or Hear It

It's hard to know where general language ends and criminal slangs begins.

Alexei Navalny and the Secret List of Forbidden Words

And Yet It's Nevertheless, All the Same, After All

What you say when you bribe depends on whether you want something or they want something.

A Guide to Giving a Bribe in Russian

The preposition "c" has some weird constructions.

Who is Gulya and Why Do We Care About Her Nose?

When a person eats his teeth, is that bad or good? Or even possible?

Spitting, Eating Your Teeth and Other Weird Gestures

What happened last week is a changing story that depends on speaker, day, mood and the subjunctive.

Take Your Pick: Mutiny, Coup, Uprising or Nothing

If you thought you knew the names of the months in Russian, think again.

Wait - What Russian Month is This?

This week Russia celebrated Russia Day. If you have no idea what that holiday is, join the gang.

What's in a Name? With Russian Holidays - Everything

Сбор and сборы are unusual words: sometimes the singular and plural forms have unrelated meanings.

A Gathering of Witches, Dues, Herbs and Classmates

Get to know Russia from the inside out, with podcasts on Russian language, culture and the latest news.

This podcast features the wonderful Michele Berdy on the Russian language. Her work has been a must-read and now a must-listen, for any Anglophone Russian language learner. I speak as someone with a strong command of the language. I always learn something from her.
One complaint - the podcast title gives no indication it is the Michele Berdy show. I was pleasantly surprised to find that&#39;s what it was. They should package it as such.

Michele Berdy is a treasure

I’ve been enjoying Michele Berdy’s column in The Moscow Times for many years so it was a delight to discover it now exists in podcast form. As an eternal student of the Russian language I find her thematic deep dives help sort out some of the subtle nuances, but the real trick is making this entertaining as well.

Witty Word’s Worth Well Worth One’s While

The Word's Worth

In The Russian Word’s Worth, Michele Berdy deciphers and translates великий могучий — the great and powerful — Russian language.

<p>In The Russian Word’s Worth, Michele Berdy deciphers and translates великий могучий — the great and powerful — Russian language.</p>

Blowing Your Top the Russian Way

A Guide to Russian Stance Verbs

Extreme Russian Grammar

Stand By Your Russian What?

Let's Talk About Ukraine

Meet the Pupkins!

In The Russian Word’s Worth, Michele Berdy allows herself the pleasure of a good, long rant.

<p>In The Russian Word’s Worth, Michele Berdy allows herself the pleasure of a good, long rant.</p>

A Russian Holiday Party Primer

The Expat Russian Language Guide to Coronavirus

The Russian Shame Game

The Key Words of 2019

Catastrophes, Geopolitical and Otherwise

The Sweet Smell of Russian Money

Is Your Language Sordid and Gross?

Russian Magical Thinking

The Year of Living Toxically

Terms, Prerogatives and Matters of Taste

Seventeen Moments, Seventeen Thousand Jokes

Take a Vacation, Russian Style

Happy New Year From Your Leader

Merry Happy Holiday to You

The Best Multi-Part Documentaries, with documentaries on Obama, Federer vs Nadal, the making of Star Wars, Netflix vs Blockbuster and more. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Multi-Part Documentaries

What is this?
1 quote, 3 ideas & 1 question from a carefully curated podcast episode.
Every Monday & Wednesday.

Want a 3rd insight and episode every week? Email me at curation@owltail.com.