« "Is Putin that stupid?" Vy vs. ty | Main | Uncle Joe and the good old days »
March 6, 2005
Stress-related stress
Oh, god, how many of my private Russian lessons went just like this?
In which the grammar lesson becomes a phonetics lesson
Sergey: Next one.
Me: "You had a record player." "I didn't have a record player."
Sergey: Yes, but it's a question. Say it like this: "You had a record player?"
M: You had a record player.
S: No. "You had a record player?"
M: You had a record player.
S: No. "You had a record player?"
M: You HAD a record player!
S: No, that's insisting, not asking.
M: You had a RECORD PLAYER?
S: OK, but that sounds really obnoxious.
M: You had a record player.
S: No!
M: Look, I can hear how I'm saying it wrong. I just... can't...
S: Try again. "You had a record player?"
M: You had a record player?
S: Oh! You did it! OK. Next one. "You had a television?"
M: You HAD a TELEVISION!
(From Megan Case's most entertaining Petersburg blog.)
Posted by michele at March 6, 2005 4:55 PM