New Link: Declension Generator

This awesome website (link is located under "Helpful Websites" on the right) allows you to search for a Russian word, and it will immediately decline it for you on the bottom.

Some technicalities:
The website's in Russian, so you'll need to know a few Russian words (not vocab words for class, unless you want them to be.  :P)

-поиск=search (type your word in the box above this, then click this word or hit Enter)

-Падеж: Case (the cases)

• И.=Именительный   (Nominative)
• Р.=Родительный   (Genitive)
• Р(2).=Родительный (2)
•  We won't worry about this for now.  Hope it piques your interest though!  :)
• Д.=Дательный   (Dative)
• В.=Винительный   (Accusative)
• неод.=неодушевлённое   (inanimate)
• одуш.=одушевлённое   (animate)
• Т.=Творительный   (Instrumental)
• П.=Предложный   (Prepositional)
• П(2).= Предложный (2)
• We'll talk about this one when we get to talking about this case at length.

If you wanted to read dictionary definitions to each word (in Russian!  Awesome.), click on ТСО for shorter definitions and БТС for lengthier ones.

С Днем Благодарения! (Have a great Thanksgiving!)
~ИИН.
  

Updates to Blog (Including Email notifications! :D)

Hello, all!

I've made a few changes to the nuts 'n' bolts of the blog.

First off, now, every time I post, y'all should receive an email notification (something everyone's been asking about).

Also, I changed the permissions on who can post comments.  If that was an issue for anyone before, it shouldn't be now.

Of course, with all of these changes made to better facilitate use of the blog, it would be awesome to see some activity here (besides my posts...lol).  I understand that time is scarce and precious, and we all have busy lives, but I just wanted to remind y'all that this is a space we can all use to communicate about the class (and whatever else), such as asking questions, blowing off some steam about the crazy Russian teacher (I'll gladly join in), etc.

Let's getting our blogging on!

~Иванофон (лол)
_______________________________________________
Update: You will also receive emails after people comment, so you'll never miss a beat.  :)

Also, the link for the website should show up at the bottom of the email, appearing like so:

Posted By Jonathon Nazaroff to Блог Русского Языка at [date & time].

Sweetness.

Test for Email Notifications of new Posts

Testing, 1...2...3......

New link: Anki

Hello, everyone!

I placed a new link in the "Helpful Websites" section for the Anki flashcard website Mish has described several times in class.  I'll be trying it out as well, so I'll get back to you about it!

Also, no class this Sunday (tomorrow); I'll be pretty busy with other things (school, for one).  What do you guys all think about having class next Sunday?  Personally, I'm down, but I don't know about you all.  Let me know your thoughts!  :)

TTYL,
~Иван Иванич

Agenda, Week 4

Привет, студенти и друзья мои!

Here's what's on the menu for today's lecture:

• Review/Refresher
• Flash Cards practice
• Group Work
• Adjective endings for the #- and o-Declensions
• More on Accusative Case
• Accusative pronouns

Скоро увидимся!  :)

~И.И.Н

Класс нету на следующие воскресенье

Hello, everyone!

I sent a text out to remind everyone that class is canceled for this Sunday.

In the meantime, I would advise making flash cards of the following:

• The Cases (Nominative, Genitive, etc.)
• One one side of the card, write the name of the case, 
• and on the other side, write what the case represents grammatically and what it roughly translates to (e.g., Dative represents the indirect object, and it translates usually to "to/for [noun]").
• Underneath that, create four rows or columns (you decide), title each according to Declension type, and write down the suffix ending for the case you know (e.g., one of your four columns/rows is the -# declension; you will then write what ending exists for whatever case you have on the other side.)
• The Subject Pronouns (e.g., я, ты, и.т.п (etc. in Russian :P)
• Verb conjugations
• I would recommend the following approach to these flash cards:
  On one side, write the person and number (e.g., 1st Person Singular [Я]), and on the other side the possible endings (e.g., у/ю)

It sounds like a lot after listing it all out, but look how much we've covered in only 3 class meetings!  Any questions on what we've gone over thus far?

As I mentioned in the text, when we meet up next, you'll have something new to put in your "Cases" flashcards as well: the -a declension.

До встречи! (Until our next meeting!)

~И.И.Н