(no subject)

[maa-baby.livejournal.com]

Hello everyone..I've been just a lurker here for quite a long time but I guess it's now time to post here.
I'm Martie - 22 - from Milan /Italy and I've been studying Russian for 5 months at a night course at the local public library so I'd say my level is absolute beginner so my question would probably sound dumb.
At the course I learnt the word учитель for teacher and now in my exercise book there's the word преподаватель..I was wondering if they have the same menaing and one of the two is more common or if one is more general and the other is for school teachers..

another thing I wanted to ask was this ..I'm reading some books by Russian authors..the classics obviusly and then also some contemporary stuff like "Dvenik Niny Lugovskoj /Nina Lugovskaja Journal" and "Veselye Pochorny / Funeral Party " by L. Ulickaja because I do think that knowing more about life and the way of thinking of a country can help you with the knowledge of the language..is there some modern author you can suggest me ? ( Obviously I'm reading the books in the Italian or English translation! )

Thanks for the help ..I really like this place and its atmosphere ^^

Comments

[nah-nah.livejournal.com]

"Преподаватель" is a lecturer, reader at a univercity and "учитель" is more common: school teacher, music teacher and even a kind of a spiritual guru sometimes:)

[maa-baby.livejournal.com]

thanks ^^

your icon is so fun!

[nah-nah.livejournal.com]

Welcome n thank you:) It is temporarily, just to express my moral condition as I'm in the middle of the exams my exams now:)

[maa-baby.livejournal.com]

argh ..wish yuo good luck then!

[oryx_and_crake]

Not exactly; you can call a school teacher преподаватель sometimes, too, especially if he reads a particular subject, as opposed, say, to primary school teachers; the following phrases are equivalent
Он преподает физику в школе
Он - преподаватель физики в школе
Он - учитель физики в школе.

However, in general, you cannot call the university professor учитель. He will be преподаватель or лектор.

(Please note that English "professor" is not equivalent to Russian профессор either. The first is anyone who teaches at school or university. The second one is a particular position in a university or research institution.)

[insaint.livejournal.com]

In addition to that, I believe преподаватель is used more in formal speech when referring to school teachers.

[maa-baby.livejournal.com]

must take notes !

[astarta.livejournal.com]

Hello Martie, I'm not sure that some modern russian authors was translated in other languages :) I'd recommend books of V.Nabokov (not so modern, but very impressive), stories of Tatiana Tolstaya, maybe other books of L.Ulickaja (my favourite is "Medeja and her children").

[maa-baby.livejournal.com]

^^ I read Nabokov Lolita when I was 16 and another book of his that now I can't remember and I'll try to see if I can find the other ones somewhere!

[astarta.livejournal.com]

Lolita is the most famous (it was written in English and at the same time in Russian), but not the best book of this author. Good luck in reading!

The LINK

[mpp181.livejournal.com]

Here is some books by russian authors translated in english
http://lib.ru/TRANSLATION/

Re: The LINK

[maa-baby.livejournal.com]

спасибо !

[schwarzer-tod.livejournal.com]

Wagawuuuuuuuuuu!!!! Thanks man!
Where should I begin? (Already read Bulgakov)

[mpp181.livejournal.com]

Vyacheslav Mironov. Assault on Grozny Downtown
It is quite modern.

[schwarzer-tod.livejournal.com]

Oh sorry, I've already heard that one too. I really like that song "Бабочка" on the Обыкновенное Чудо soundtrack.

[mpp181.livejournal.com]

You're mistaking - "Бабочка" - ANDREY Mironov - an actor. I was taking about VYACHESLAV Mironov.

[schwarzer-tod.livejournal.com]

Heh heh, I make joke. =)

[padruka1988.livejournal.com]

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy... It's a romantic, a tragic, at times a comedy (or, i guess, tragic-comedy), a bunch of different genres in one book. It really makes you think, and gives you a bit of perspective on serfdom, social ranking, etc...

Why not read a children's book in Russian? I have this book with rhymes and short, classic Russian stories (Baba Yaga, etc). Not only are the stories pretty straight forward, the vocabulary is basic (and that's what you want... really basic, commonly used, easy to remember words... you don't become discouraged, you use them frequently so you're less apt to forget them, etc...), and you learn a little about Russian culture.

[maa-baby.livejournal.com]

Thanks.. I guess I've to read a little more before trying a children's book but probably at the end of the summer when all the basics will be clear in my mind I'll try ..I bought a Frank Baum book in Russian because the drawings in it where sooo cool ..ok..it's not a Russian author but I can give a try to it too ^^