Москва

by Don  

The Russian word for Moscow is Москва. It's а perfectly regular second declension noun:

Я каждое лето летаю в Москву. Every summer I fly to Moscow.
В Москве живёт одиннадцать миллионов человек. Eleven million people live in Moscow.
Москва — столица Российской Федерации. Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation.
Санкт-Петербург находится в шестистах тридцати километрах от Москвы. Saint Petersburg is located 630 kilometers from Moscow.
Москву основал Юрий Долгорукий. Moscow was founded by Yuri Dolgorukiy.

Now if you are a foreigner and you want to prove how stupid an American is, simply ask “What is the name of the main river that runs through Moscow?” Sadly, most Americans will probably look at you like a deer caught in headlights and say “Idunno.” (I'm sitting in my favorite coffee shop as I type this entry, and I just tried that question on the barista. He was stumped.) It's funny. Sometimes American education produces profoundly well-rounded and insightful people, but when it comes to geography almost all Americans come up short.

So for my American readers I should point out that the main river that runs through Moscow is called… are you ready for this?… the Moscow River! (Москва-река in Russian, always hyphenated.)

Москва-река течёт через центр города. The Moscow river flows through the center of the city.
Алёшин дедушка ловит рыбу в Москве-реке. Alyosha's grandfather fishes in the Moscow River.
В выходные мы ходили на Москву-реку. On the weekend we went to the Moscow River.
Народ любит загорать на Москве-реке. People love to sunbathe on [the shores of] the Moscow River.

3 comments

Comment from: black mold removal [Visitor]  

Hey! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the excellent work!

01/19/12 @ 11:56
Comment from: Yulia [Visitor]

Здравствуйте, Дон! Спасибо за Ваш комментарий в моëм блоге! Ваши статьи очень полезны и для меня!

С уважением,

Юлия.

05/08/10 @ 01:56
Comment from: Сергей [Visitor]

Как всегда, очень интересная статья, Дон! :-)

04/21/10 @ 06:43


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