LEVEL: Second-, Third-, and Fourth-Year Russian

PARTICIPANT(S): Aleksandr

UNIT TITLE: Studying in Russia as a Foreign Student

DESCRIPTION OF UNIT: In this videoclip, Aleksandr, a faculty member at a Russian university, speaks about the differences in Russian everyday life: what students should know about Russia before heading off to study abroad. This videoclip is encoded in Apple's QuickTime format; you may need to download the QuickTime plug-in before being able to watch the video.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR UNIT: First watch the video and try to follow the Russian without worrying about whether you are catching every word. To help you initially, there is a short glossary of words and phrases to the right of the video. Watch it as many times as necessary in order to be able to understand it. After watching the video once in this fashion, write a short paragraph in English summarizing what you understood. Feel free to explore other units!

  • измерение: measurement
  • система ценности: system of values
  • из начала: from the beginning, at the start
  • предположить: to suppose
  • предпочитать: to prefer
  • соблюдение: observance, maintenance
  • интерьер: interior
  • оборудование: equipment, equipping
  • справедливо: fair
  • иероглиф: hieroglyph
  • противоположно: opposite, opposed
  • вмешиваться: to get involved, mix in
  • поступок: action, deed
  • поддерживать: to support
  • нравственность: morality
  • повесить на друзей: (literally: to hang on [your] friends)
  • (не)посредственный: (not) mediocre
  • ответственный: responsible
  • радоваться: to rejoice
  • поступить в школу: to enter (get accepted) in a school
  • жаловаться: to complain
  • тёща: mother-in-law (wife's mother)
  • преувленчение: exaggeration
  • любезный: courteous, polite, kind
  • безопастность: safety ("without danger")
  • железно: "ironly", meaning firmly, strictly
  • сутки: 24-hour period
  • в одиночку (одиночка): alone (a lone person)
  • отличаться: to distinguish (oneself)
  • предположение: supposition
  • внешние карманы: outside pockets
  • вор: thief, robber
  • преступник: criminal
  • угадать: to guess
  • угощать: to treat
  • берегись!: (verb: беречься) careful! (to be careful)


The Russian Language Video Project was made possible through a generous grant from the University of Denver's
Center for Teaching and Learning.


All video clips and materials on this site (www.du.edu/ahss/schools/langlit/programs/russian/resources) and its subdirectories are the property of Luc Beaudoin and are subject to intellectual copyright. All participants in these video clips have signed an agreement with Luc Beaudoin about their participation in these video clips. This agreement is on file at the University of Denver. All the names of the participants have been changed and any similarity to the identity of any person, living or dead, is unintentional. Any unauthorized use of these video clips or materials will be pursued through all available legal means.

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