The Moscow Times

Support The Moscow Times!

Contribute today

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Of Snobs, Show-Offs, and Arrogant Jerks

Curiosity about the origins of the word "snob" sent me down a rabbit hole - or make that rat hole.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Hazard a Guess on the Meaning of Азарт

What do you do with untranslatable words? Well, you translate them as best you can.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Good and Bad Manners the Frenchified and Russian Way

Is моветон having a moment? Why yes, it is. It's on everyone's lips. So what the heck is it?

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Getting Married and/or Rejected in Russian

Marriage can be confusing, but wait until you hear about Russian marital confusion!

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Clean Up Your Act the Russian Way

How to wash that bum right out of your hair and other tricks of the Russian launderer's trade.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

How to Survive a Russian Heat Wave

Don't drink hot coffee. Don't work (brain fog). Wear nighties to the store. And moan about the heat.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

How to Interpret a President

Everyone's an interpreter! Or at least, everyone loves to criticize interpreters...

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Many Faces of Живопырка

A magical word that seems to acquire new meanings wherever it goes.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

On, Near, About and Round About in Russian

Another in my series of Mastering Russian Prepositions, this one is all about being near.

Photographer Victoria Ivleva Exhibits Her African Diaries

From the inside of a Chernobyl reactor to wars in Africa, Ivleva is there with her camera and a hand.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Maybe I May Be But Probably I'm Not

Maybe seems like such an easy concept. Может быть I'm wrong? Or is that быть может?

opinion Michele A. Berdy

No Way, No How, No Matter What

What do courts and approaches and truth have to do with no one, nothing and no?

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Nos Have It in Russian

How many ways can you say "no" in Russian? You have no idea...

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Russian Bravery and Bravado

What's the difference between true courage and reckless swagger? Lots! Read on.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Cleaning House the Russian Way

All you need are four verbs to satisfy all your cleaning, washing, polishing and murderous needs.

'Memories of Moscow' Brings the Late Soviet Era to Life

Lipman's memoir of the Soviet Union in the 1980s is an invaluable and fascinating resource.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

My Sweet Little Buggie-Wuggie

When you see someone small and cute, start piling on the sibilants.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Monster Under the Bed

How to talk about human monsters in Russian - or how to avoid hearing about them.

long awaited home

Mandelshtam Street Opens at the Moscow Literature Museum

The speakers joked, darkly, that this was the best apartment the Mandelshtams had ever had.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Singin' in the Rain the Russian Way

Prepositions. I know, I know. They're miserable. I try to make them a little bit more palatable.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Procrastinating the Russian Way

Russians have so many delightful ways to dawdle, dilly-dally and delay, you may never work again.

Olga Grushin's 'The Charmed Wife' Breaks Literary Conventions

Do you wish you had a fairy godmother to wave a magic wand? Think again.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Watch What You Call That Old Woman

Why are there are more names in Russian for nasty old women than for nasty old men?

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Of Men, Galoshes and Horseradish

There are lots of Russian words, nice and not, to describe the older gentlemen in our lives.

Sergei Lebedev Spins a Dark Thriller in 'Untraceable'

Lebedev's novel is both a gripping thriller and an unflinching examination of Russia's past.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

All That Glitters is Russian Gold

Lots of things glitter and glimmer with sparkles of gold and silver in Russian. For example - air.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Language of UnFreedom from the Gulag

An exhibition at the Gulag History Museum and a new dictionary reveal the other reality of the USSR.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Two Hundred More Ways to Get Russian Wrong

Lock or castle, cotton or clapping - it's all a matter of where the stress falls. Russian is very stressful.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Insurrection and Sedition in Russian Translation

Rebellions can be good or bad. Depends on who's rebelling and who or what they are rebelling against.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

How to Protest, From A to Zip Tie Cuffs

The weather might be cool, but people are hot to protest. Here's how to talk about it.

2021 look ahead

Moscow Arts Scene in 2021: A Spectacular Year Ahead

Cultural life came to a standstill last year, but this year arts lovers may get a double dose of culture.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Moscow 2020

A special column for a special day.

'Of Politics and Pandemics: Songs of a Russian Immigrant'

A poetic reflection that is comical, lyrical, satirical and heart-breaking.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

2020 Words of the Year

This is the Year That Was in words and phrases.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

All in a Day's Work in Russian

Which Russian verb do you use to work badly? How do you ride into heaven? It's all in a day's work.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Borshch Battles

Borshch - is it Russian, Ukrainian, or Polish? Will language tell us? I dive back in time to find out.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Confusing Coffee and Bountiful Behinds in Russian

Would you want to be урод? In 1254 you would have been happy to be урод. Now - not so much.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Getting the Electoral College Right in Russian

You know how you sometimes wish your language had a foreign word in it? I want выборщик.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

What the Pundits Say: Following the U.S. Elections in Russian Media

Coverage is a strange mix of hard facts, informed commentary and biased reporting.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

It's Time to Take a Stand in Russian

What do стоить and стоять have in common? Not much - oh, except for one very important thing.

Sergei Medvedev's "The Return of the Russian Leviathan" Wins 2020 Pushkin House Book Prize

Sergei Medvedev is the first author based in Russia to win the prestigious award.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Everything Has a Price in Russian

Is it worth reading? How much does it cost? It's nothing. All this for the price of one word: стоить.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The With, By, From, Per, About Preposition

Getting Russian prepositions and cases right is my life's goal. Judging by "c" I've got a long way to go.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Fast as a Russian Fly

Russians not only like to go fast, they like to talk about going fast.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Fruit of Our Language Labor

Whoever names fruit cultivars in Russia should get a lifetime achievement award.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Giant Saber-Toothed Grasshopper and Other Endangered Species

Watch День Радио, learn Russian, and laugh your head off. Win-win-win.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Muttering and Grousing the Russian Way

Russians didn't invent griping, but they have terrific words to describe it.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Autumn Leaves Are Not Yet Falling

Take a deep dive into months, calendars, years and other joys of Russian autumn.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Deciphering Russia's August Holidays

Why do Russians panic in August? What did they do 150 years ago? Hint: involves churches and food.

Viсtoria Lomasko Reports on Belarus and Russian Vote

Victoria Lomasko shares her art and her response to events in Russia and Belarus.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Please Don't Hurt My Feelings

Is hurting someone's feelings illegal? Well, sort of. But maybe it shouldn't be. Read on...

opinion Michele A. Berdy

You Gotta Have Heart

For Russians, a heart is way more than a pump in your chest.

saving russian art

'Costakis' Choice' at Moscow's AZ Museum

The AZ Museum is celebrating the life and work of the man who saved Russian 20th century art.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

When Not Enough is Way Too Much

You can never have too much money or shashlyk.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Getting Out the Vote the Russian Way

People were voting by rules set in the Constitution they were voting on. How's that again?

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Ten Ways to Be Tired in Russian

Being tired is just so exhausting I feel like a squeezed out lemon. Really.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

When Time and Place Meet in Russian

Тут is such a simple, sweet-sounding word... and if you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you.

Russia against ALS

Russia Takes on ALS With a Marathon

Russia's only group to help patients with ALS is getting a jump on the ice bucket challenge.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Flying Objects and Other Horrors of Russian

Russian paronyms - летучий, летящий, летательный, летающий and лётный - are horrible.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

When a Russian Bum Is Not a Bum

Answering a question in my mailbag sent me down the rabbit hole of Russian abbreviations - great fun!

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Russian Dos of Don'ts

When the command нельзя means don't, and when it means something else entirely.

quarantine culture

Night in the (Online) Museum and (Online) Movie Night

Celebrate night in the museum 2020 at home, and be sure to watch a remarkable film free online.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Shall We Zoom? I Zoom, Do You?

A very silly update on the language of our new normal in Russia.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Russian Patience is a Virtue

We start today with a pop quiz about a curious word. Tune in.

Pushkin House Announces 2020 Book Prize Short List

The Pushkin House short list is made of some of the very best books about Russia published in English.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Say, Where's That Quote From?

You can take the Bible out of society, but you can't take it out of the Russian language.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Easter and Eggs, Naughty and Nice

All you need to know about celebrating Easter and how to talk - and not talk - about eggs.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Black Swans and Russian Bird Lore

A column in which I explain the difference between ворон and ворона once and for all. I think.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Cabin Fever in Russia? Never!

Feeling a bit down? Cooped up inside getting to you? Here's how to say it in Russian.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

A Guide to Russian Stance Verbs

In Russian dresses sit, money lies, plates stand and shelves hang. Какой кошмар.

quarantine culture

Watch a Prophetic Film

A disease from China ravages a country headed by a nationalist, militaristic leader...

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Telecommuting and Fist Bumps Russian Style

Pandemic vocabulary building for everyone. Just in case.

Remembering Writer Eduard Limonov

Russians argue about the man, the writer, and the political activist Eduard Limonov.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Starting the Presidency All Over Again

Russian wits had so much fun with the nullification of presidential term limits.

'Sekretiki' at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art

A show of underground art secrets and a talk with the senior curator on what unites four exhibitions.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Expat Russian Language Guide to Coronavirus

Are you panicked about coronavirus! Без паники! I walk you through Russian instructions.

garage art week

Monika Sosnowska Shares 'Exercises in Construction, Bending'

This week we highlight four extraordinary new exhibitions at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

I'm All For It!

What do you say to a bit of grammar? A preposition, say? Вы - за?

From Wales to Dzerzhinsk 'In the Footsteps of Ghosts'

A hauntingly beautiful short film about the past of a country, an industry, a family and the scars left behind.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Breathing Out and Breathing In

All about being in love, breathing, and time flying.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Russian Blahs

Feeling off? Not great, but not awful? No problem! Russian has a word for it.

'The Experiment: Georgia's Forgotten Revolution 1918-1921'

Eric Lee's fascinating book in English about Georgian history is avidly read in Tbilisi and Moscow.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Fixing It Up the Russian Way

Today I write about a Russian word I want to import into English: ремонт.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Shame On You!

Do I feel more shame in Russian or do I just talk about it more?

opinion Michele A. Berdy

50 Ways to Leave Your Government

The resignation of the Russian government produced a great crop of humor.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Key Words of 2019

What were the words of the year for 2019? And am I Cassandra?

holiday shopping

Miniature Miracles: Russian Painted Lacquer Boxes

Everything you need to know about those iconic — literally! — lacquer boxes.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Terms, Prerogatives and Matters of Taste

The interesting bits from Mr. Putin's press conference.

remembering 2019

Notable Deaths in Russia in 2019

We mark the passing of many beloved public figures.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

A Russian Holiday Party Primer

A (mostly comic) guide to holiday partying: where to go, what to wear, and what to bring.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Merry Happy Holiday to You

It's beginning to look a lot like Holiday Central.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Stand on the Right, Pass on the Left

The grammatical lessons of the Moscow metro.

Austrian Embassy Unveils Vadim Kosmatschof Sculpture

This renowned Russian-Austrian artist sees his first outdoor work unveiled in Moscow.

'The Compatriots' by Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan

This highly compelling and deeply disturbing book is a must-read.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Is Your Language Sordid and Gross?

A heated debate about Russian language use is a great way to improve your vocabulary.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Making a Fuss in Russian

Almost false friends, half false friends, semi-false friends... they drive me a bit nuts.

'The Frenchman' Premieres in Moscow

Brilliant acting, pitch-perfect casting, and visual authenticity make "The Frenchman" a must-see film.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Take a Mental Health Day in Russian

How to talk about talking about your problems.

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Russian Newspeak 2019

From оч to хейтерство Russian is picking up new words from all over.

stage sensation

'The Worker and Kolkhoz Woman' Dance Off Their Pedestal

Pavel Kaplevich's funny, nutty, snarky opera buffa played the Zaryadye Concert hall Saturday night.