Russian Word of the Day

One thing that surprises Americans in Russia is how often you can see people squatting. In the States I think most people lose this ability somewhere by the time they are thirty; constantly sitting in chairs allows the hamstrings and calf muscles to get tighter and tighter, which means those muscles lack the elasticity to maintain the position. (Regular attendance at yoga classes can help you bring that elasticity back.) The prepositional phrases in Russian used to describe this position include the word корточки. It only occurs in the plural, and theoretically in all six cases, though truth to tell I have never seen it in the instrumental, dative, or nominative:

If a person is in a squatting position, one mostly uses the verb сидеть/посидеть 'to be sitting' to capture the image. This verb is a location verb, thus you use with with the prepositional case and the preposition на.

When anthropologists discuss this position, they often use the word 'hunkering.' In the fully developed position the buttocks rest on the back of the shins or ankles. Young Russian men often hunker together in summer evenings smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. You aren't really supposed to drink beer on public streets in Russia, but as long as you aren't causing trouble, the police generally turn a blind eye:

To describe getting into that position, you most commonly use the verb садиться/сесть 'to sit down,' although you can also use присаживаться/присесть or опускаться/опуститься. These are motion verbs, so you use them with на plus the accusative: