Learning Slavic Languages | Differences in Russian and Ukrainian

[@jimmycricket7385]

I hope your friendship will continue through these difficult times.

[@ЄвгенійПанасенко-н2к]

No friendship with terrorists

[@giuseppebeppe2770]

Yeah, sure...

[@jaygold7317]

I hope so too, do a follow-up Eli!

[@tjohanne]

A follow-up would be cool!

[@TheGrindcorps]

Same!

[@nieltams8665]

You two are cute, continue your friendship despite what is going on right now in your countries.

[@andrejspi]

As a native speaker of both Russian and Polish language I can understand completely what was said in Ukrainian (although I don't know Ukrainian and never learned or conversed in it). The words that are "strange" or unfamiliar for a Russian speaker usually (in 90 % of cases) sound like their Polish counterparts. Ukrainian is a part of continuum of languages between east and west Slavic tongues. The same goes for the Belarussian tongue, no problem in understanding it. Greeting from Lithuania

[@Dzidekification]

This is correct what you said about Poles understanding Ukrainian, but Ukrainians have hard time to understand Polish language--a strange phenomenon . Cheers from Canada.

[@Pilum1000]

As Russian who never studied Ukrainian specially and never lived on the Ukraine - i just understood everything that Ukrainian girl said here. quote myself : " It depend on your size of vocabulary of native language too. :> And on acumen. And, probably, a few literature scope. "Dobry den", hah... well, it's not the "Zdrastvute", yee, - it's just the Russian "Dobry den" (Good day). :> "Jak spravi?" well, i don't know any Russian who don't know what is it means "jak" like ukrainism, - kak (how/what) and is words like - spravni,is-pravny, spravitsa, etc... what have relation with deals. Ok, it's more complcated. "Laskava prosimo v Ukrainu" - Russian "Laskovo prosim" :))) how you can didn't understand this? :> Other accent in word "Ласково"? :> Of course we say - it's not a "completely different", we shall say - it's practically equally. :> What she said about her - it is just clear :)))) : "Меня звать Юлия, Мне 22 года, я народилась в( фига - НА!) Украине, но с 15 лет живу в России, я обучаюсь в университете, в магистратуре, изучаю психологию, буду работать психологичным (-ческим, конечно :>) консультантом" HOW... YOU CAN NOT UNDERSTAND THIS? :))) I NEWER LEARN UKRAINIAN ! :))))) You are kidding us... or deceiving? well, "працую" - ну хорошо, с этим могут быть проблемы (если не слыхала "без працы ни бенды кололацы" что такое :>), хотя по смыслу всей речи догадаться о сём - без проблем... Но остальное? :> Да ты паришь... :> Гоголя читать надо, и Катаева; и вообще побольше читать. :> Даа-ааа ладно, сказку она не может прочитать... : "Жили cебе дед да баба. Уже и стары стали, а детей нема.Журятся( "не журись", "пожурился", не слыхала никогда такого?:>) - Печалятся дед да баба - Кто за нашей смертью приглядит, раз у нас детей нема? Вот баба и просит деда..." Я не знааааааю просто ... для меня эти украинизмы или архаизмы - вещь привычная, на самом деле... Но никогда я специально украинский не учил и на Окраине не жил... :> Well, this girl Eli just cheat you all, people! With her "misunderstanding". I suppose... No, it's not "completely different language", and it's not "difficult for Russians". бачить - видеть. Украинизм."

[@kazimierzgaska5304]

@@Pilum1000 You understand everything ? Really ? How about months' names in ukrainian ? The same language ? Не смеши ! Here, in Poland, I met many people from east Ukraine not speaking Ukrainian, only Russian. And lerning Polish always was terrible work for them. But these, who speak Ukrainien - start speaking Polish after 1 month of living among us. What conclusions ?

[@Pilum1000]

@@kazimierzgaska5304 see above, the IQ=2. и мне плевать - кого ты там встречал или "встречал" или не встречал, и что ты думаешь об этом - подобное не имеет никакого значения в данном вопросе и имеет массу иных объяснений ;> Причем тут вообще твой польский - он не критерий :>

[@josephstalin9357]

​@kazimierzgaska5304 months is one thing which is 100% completely different between Russian and Ukranian

[@jjs6069]

omg, Im Polish and I understand basically everything what was said in Ukrainian :)) cool

[@goranjovic3174]

Kocham to ! Pozdrav iz Srbije ! :) ))

[@ThePolishlucca]

@@goranjovic3174 Pozdrowienia z Polski Goranie.

[@goranjovic3174]

@@ThePolishlucca Srdačni pozdravi iz Srbije ! :)

[@ProfessorBiceps]

I'm russian and i understood everything said in ukranian too ._.

[@thomaszaccone3960]

Ukraine was once part of the Polish Empire

[@ThePolishlucca]

This video made me realize how close Polish And Ukrainian languages are. Thank you Eli."do zobaczenia":)

[@vyrobnyk6362]

But there are different synonyms in Ukrainian. For example, instead of dyakuyu you can use spasybi, instead of trymaty - derzhaty.

[@andriyos45]

@@vyrobnyk6362 if ppl say spasybi or derzhaty it means the speak in 'surzhyk'

[@ОлексійСтешенко-ц8л]

@@andriyos45 ні, це не суржик. Держати таке ж українське слово, яке у нас із прачасів, а спасибі - спаси Боже, тобто прийшло з Християнством

[@anirbanroy9431]

We are the same ..we are common people .. those political elite just device and rule 😂 ... My land was trone into 3 pieces ...

[@ЄвгенійПанасенко-н2к]

Досить вже говорити про ми однакові. Ми всі різні, і ніхто нас не ділив

[@angelarch5352]

Interesting watching this video today-- such smiling faces between Russia and Ukraine. Wish it could get back to that.

[@ksilva2001au]

There's actually no enemity between Russian and Ukrainian people in general, it is mostly a propaganda war by the sanctioners 😉

[@tropicalpalmtree]

It still is. Basically half of Ukraine is pro-russia. The other half never liked Russia or Russians anyway (mainly western Ukraine)

[@alessandro.calzavara]

@@tropicalpalmtree Don't confuse relations between individuals with national sentiment about a state

[@the2ndcoming135]

Right. Love how you can’t really tell them apart based on appearance😎

[@haverjamarosi680]

@@tropicalpalmtree yeah dude ... i am sure those "pro-russian" ukranians in eastern ukraine are thrilled by russains bombing the sht out of their homes and killing their loved ones! They just LOVE IT!

[@rogereaston1188]

My wife (who is Polish) and myself (American) really enjoy your videos. This one was interesting to us both. My wife's first language is Polish, but she also speaks Russian. It seems Ukranian is also very similar to Polish. I enjoy exploring the differences in our cultures. I enjoyed the video where you talked about stereotypes between our countries. When you interview others, you seem to speak mostly with people close to your own age. Perhaps get a few more older folks to talk. I am 59 years old. Also, it would be very interesting to hear from the people who live outside your cities. Country or village people. I have lived most of my life in very small communities. Farming communities. I hope you can get this message with all that is going on now. Best of luck and take care.

[@qlango]

I agree that people Eli is interviewing are from Moscow and in her age and that does not represent Russians in general. But maybe it is intentional, because most viewers are probably also young and are interested in what young people think. But you still do not get opinions of people in other cities and from rural areas.

[@BartBart22]

@@qlango Seriously? I've watch a couple dozen of her videos now, and really enjoyed them, and in addition to some places outside the Russian Federation she goes all over Russia and the old Soviet Union and talks to people from all walks of life and all age groups. I think you've focused on a specific portion of her work.

[@kevingrimbeek2106]

Hi Roger, I am an "Olde Fossil" @ 74 years and have viewed most of Eli's Vlogs, which IMO are excellent! Just as an aside, the "bias" towards the russian language in the Slavic Coutries was imposed upon the people of the U$$R by the CR€ML!N where jail was meted out to nonconforming individuals!

[@keegster7167]

from what I can tell (although, I speak some Russian but no Polish) Ukrainian is like a language in between Russian and Polish in many ways, and apparently in Western Ukraine the grammar is even much more like Polish! (for example, they don't omit what would be есть in Russian as much).

[@marknovak9310]

Being from the state of Montana, USA I was very grateful for your Slavic language discussion. A very informative video in a short amount of time. Well done. Keep creating excellent work!

[@irinaivanovic9792]

Are there many Slavic people living in Montana?

[@loganflatt]

@@irinaivanovic9792 Probably not. In the USA most Slavic language speakers live in the Chicago and New York City areas as that is where multiple generations of Slavic immigrants have accumulated over decades. There are some in other US cities but few cities have large Slavic communities like Chicago and NYC. In these communities immigrants can live and work successfully and never learn English if they do not care to for their entire lives because they only trade or do business with other Slavs. It’s the same for many Asian immigrants in the US, especially Vietnamese, Chinese, and Koreans. They become Americans but English is unnecessary to earn a living in their communities if they do not care to.

[@alfaman8386]

@@ElifromRussia , privet Eli, Видите ли, в бывшей Югославии говорили на одном языке: сербский, боснийский, хорватский, словенский, черногорский и македонский. И все они понимали друг друга.

[@alfaman8386]

@@irinaivanovic9792 , koliko Srba zivi u Montani i imali pravoslavna srpska crkva, Pozdrav

[@vanklompf]

I'm Polish and I had 4 years of Russina class in my primary school 30 y ago and I undertstood almost all you said both in Russian and Ukrainian. For me Ukrainian is somewhere between Polish and Russian and if I new Russian better I would survive with no problem in Kiev and In Moscow.

[@jonatanborowicz]

As a Polish person, this video was very entertaining, because all the words that Eli didn’t understand from Julia’s Ukrainian, I did because those words were similar to Polish xD And the words Eli understood, I didn’t.

[@jonatanborowicz]

The funny thing is, we usually don’t hear any difference between Russian and Ukrainian. We don’t even notice the similarities between Polish and Ukrainian. But it really is like (to generalise a lot) ”Polishfied Russian.” Belarusian to me is a lot more similar to Polish and I can hear the similarities a lot clearer. So that, I would call ”Rusified Polish” instead. xD

[@Ctrl_Del_0]

As to how see the Ukrainian language, it is mostly a mix of Polish and Russian. So no wonder you understand only one half. A native Russian speaker would understand the other half.

[@Ctrl_Del_0]

That is an interesting remark, thanks. I know a little bit of Polish, and Russian but Belarussian is completely unknown to me. I have a Belarussian teacher, theaching me Russian. I will ask her more about Belarussian.

[@bradforddavis6497]

The universality of the human heart and spirit comes through in the clearest tones, brilliant colors, brightest light. Vocabulary and grammar are smooth, flat stones under bare feet. Maybe a little hot. No big deal. Yet here we are, 2024, because why? Because the rulers can't destroy us fast enough. Can someone explain to me how this happens?

[@Lifeisgood1111]

​@@Ctrl_Del_0the Ukrainian language is not a mix of Polish znd Russian, because it has its own words different from that two languages. In general, these three languages are similar.

[@jerryfischer3988]

You 2 were great!! Really enjoyed this video. My grandmother and her family immigrated from Ukraine. She spoke German and Russian. I have a copy of my great grandfather signature from Ellis Island New York when they arrived. I could sit for hours and l8sten to her tell stories from her former country. So you folks talking and teaching and sharing language and friendship really warms my heart ❤️

[@AtlantDnepr]

I think they were from Zaporizhya or Dnipro region, there was German colonies

[@TheTexican05]

Thank you so much for making this video! I discovered your channel by accident, but I am completely enjoying it. I started learning Russian a couple of months ago, and I will see it through to the end. I have a Ukrainian coworker and I mistook her language for Russian, now I am learning Ukrainian out of respect so I can communicate with her in day-to-day conversations . The way you handled this video was perfect, because it helped bridge the gap between the two languages I am learning this year. Your confusion as a native Russian speaker matches my confusion as a Russian learner. The best way I would tell Westerners is to compare Spanish and Portuguese to Russian and Ukrainian. They have historical influences and similarities, but they are very different overall. Love and encouragement from Central Texas, USA, ❤️ This is probably the fifth video I’ve seen from you, and I enjoy everyone of them. .

[@cadicamo8720]

Spanish and Portuguese are not good examples as, in fact, they are quite similar.

[@janetescalona6517]

My husband is Cuban and he says that you have to be careful in other Spanish speaking people because some words have a different connotation....meaning being something common in one culture and something naughty in another😂 Your feed is so informative I've been sharing your channel with my friends 💕❄️💕

[@peterjobovic3406]

As Slovak, I understood almost everything in Ukrainian. I think Ukrainian is very similar to the Ruthenian dialect. Many words have the same basis as Slovak or Polish. And words that are different in Slovak are again found in one of the Slovak dialects. The fact is that when I speak a dialect in a Slavic country, people understand me more than when I speak standard Slovak. This is probably due to the fact that the dialect is essentially the original language and is closer to the original Proto-Slavic language.

[@tarasshuliakevych3849]

for me, as a Ukrainian speaker, Slovak is understandable like for 99% 😹 Vitannia z Ukrajiny Slovaččyni! 🇺🇦🇸🇰

[@guccianddodul]

Hi Peter. Do you live in Slovakia? It would be great to make a cultural exchange. I speak 4 languages and French is one of them.

[@wilsonball7171]

@Моль и Окурок ахаха окраинец, ты несколько веков был под монголами и турками, пока вас русские не приютили и не "отмыли" ваши гены

[@RadoDani]

I totally agree. This is my experience as well. Especially, if you come from eastern part of Slovakia and was exposed to the eastern dialect as well as Ruthenian, you'll have easy time understanding Polish or Ukrainian.

[@Damian.99]

@@wilsonball7171 hello bot

[@maybeantoniovivaldi2522]

I'm Croatian, and I learned Russian, between the two I can understand about 80% spoken Ukrainian and 95% written. The more you learn the more you'll understand.

[@maybeantoniovivaldi2522]

Awesome video btw

[@eduardoschiavon5652]

Zdravo, ja sam Eduardo, drago mi je!

[@maybeantoniovivaldi2522]

@@eduardoschiavon5652 bok

[@d.d.6045]

Slovenian here, I could not make head or tail from Ukranian, but could catch some Russian, never learned it though.

[@BartBart22]

How did you learn the Russian alphabet?

[@Veshgard]

For those who keep wondering if Yulia is safe: During the part where she speaks Ukrainian, she mentions that she has been living in Russia for the past 7 years (in other words, since 2014, because this video was released in 2021). Gee, I wonder why a girl born in a Russian-speaking city left Ukraine in 2014... Those who know the recent history of the country, know the answer.

[@meowchat6175]

God bless President Putin💜

[@mitchyoung93]

Hmmm, what happened in 2014?

[@d.d.6045]

@@mitchyoung93 Nazis took over with the help of Nuland a.k.a. the US

[@jonbasa]

@@mitchyoung93 Russia invaded (annexed) Crimea.

[@mitchyoung93]

@@jonbasa Russia sent troops there. Once the Ukrainian enforcers were gone, the populace voted overwhelmingly to join Russia because...you know...they are Russian. It was never Ukraine until the Soviets gave it to the Ukrainian SSR

[@ChrisBattrick]

Both of you have excellent English! What beautiful intelligent and kind ladies! Молодец! Кахетия, я понимаю вас обоих одинаково как начинающих изучающих кириллицу и русский язык. I absolutely loved this video! Very well done!

[@chaos-kun7310]

Considering what's going on right now, this video has a new meaning. It's so beautiful and wholesome. It makes me want to cry. Why should these two girls be enemies? Why should this be happening? I can't quite express what I'm trying to say. I just know it feels so wrong that these two girls' countries should be at war. I pray that Juliya is okay, wherever she is. I pray that peace will come and that everyone can be like these friends.

[@NoamTheGOAT50]

Who said they're enemies?

[@chaos-kun7310]

@@NoamTheGOAT50 I don't necessarily mean the girls themselves, I mean that Russians and Ukrainians shouldn't be enemies. They are cousins. They are neighbors. Many Ukrainians have Russian family members and many Russians have family in Ukraine. War is usually senseless but this one is especially senseless.

[@NoamTheGOAT50]

@@chaos-kun7310 that's a better way to rephrase it. Thank you.

[@customfantasyhotwheels]

@@chaos-kun7310 - I very well understood what you meant to say without the explanation response to Noam Ben-Shalom. I completely agree with you. This current war isn't their fight, it's Putin's grudge and his war alone. Too bad that young Russian men have to be his puppets with guns.

[@jameseckman3639]

The Russian and Ukrainian people are not enemies. That war is the result of one person, Putin. He is just trying to make a name for himself, unfortunately he dose this with other peoples lives. Everyone including the people of Russia and Ukraine are against that war. It is not Russians vs Ukrainians, It is the result of a mad man in office.

[@mamo4678]

I’m an American who lived in Ukraine for a few years but where I was everyone spoke Russian so I learned that. When I hear Ukrainian I feel like I should be able to understand but can’t quite get it. Good to know Russians feel that way about Ukrainian too!

[@volodymyrdrobot9454]

Not anymore. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, many Ukrainians switched from Russian to Ukrainian because as Russian speakers, they did not want Russian troops to come and "protect" them.

[@BibEvgen]

@@volodymyrdrobot9454 Read the comments to the video, foreigners, while in Ukraine, want to learn Ukrainian, but they can't, because everyone speaks Russian. The junta seized power in Kiev in 2014, staged a civil war, killed tens of thousands of people, forbids speaking in their native language, changes history,.................

[@volodymyrdrobot9454]

@@BibEvgen if this is a "civil war" as you claim, why is Russia getting sanctions for that? Maybe, because everyone knows that it is not really a civil war? Since 2014 many Ukrainians switched to Ukrainian as their primary language. Because they don't want to wake up one day and see Russian troops on their streets that were sent to "protect" them.

[@BibEvgen]

@@volodymyrdrobot9454 Sanctions were imposed on Russia, but rather restrictions, economic barriers, always, before 2014 and after. Russia also had (has) sanctions that were inherited from the USSR. The exchange of prisoners of Ukrainians is changed to Ukrainians, see the lists. For seven years, in fact, there is no evidence of the participation of Russian troops (mobile phones, satellites,.................), there should be thousands of video clips, there are none. Ukrainian, this is citizenship, not nationality. Ukraine is a multinational country, for most Ukrainian is not a native language.

[@anirbanroy9431]

@@volodymyrdrobot9454 please Stop miss information the government made policy to abandoned russian ... I know English how the fuck I can forget it or stop using it i need it ...even those fucker destroyed my country for 200 years .. in that part of the world they need it ... Please put facts and analysis before consuming propaganda ... Every media in the world is that .. be save my friend

[@lenniebaby17]

awesome video, made me realize how much of my childhood-learned Ukrainian I retained! I grew up in Eastern Ukraine and "absorbed it" like Yuliya through TV and school. Some of it actually stuck, because I could read the children's tale at the end with the right stress and pronunciation. Thanks for making content!

[@jared40000]

Oh my God it's so hard to believe you took this video not that long ago.It really is amazing how fast things can change.But I can see you were honest in saying you're actually a happy and optimistic person.I guess we can all just hope for something really good will come out of this.Me personally I've never had a problem with Russian people I think some of the most beautiful women are Russian.

[@ronmcfarlandUnika]

Great program Eli. I have a friend here in Tokyo from Sumy, Ukraine, and she introduced me to her friend from Omsk, Russia who is married to an American like me. It was interesting to learn they some Russians don't understand Ukrainian. Thank you for sharing that.

[@edabohner3490]

Two beautiful young souls. I hope peace will return and you will all recover.

[@Lifeisgood1111]

@@edabohner3490 our victory!

[@alexmercer4515]

Major groups, Western Slavs, Eastern Slavs and Southern Slavs. Linguistically some similarities between each groups but differences. So, the basic breakdown is Polish and Ukrainian 82% similar vocabulary. Russian and Ukrainian 62%. Ukrainian and Belorussian 92%. Most Western Ukrainians can understand Russian in my experiences. Some know but choose not to speak it.

[@arsenic5249]

Not so. The percentage of the general vocabulary of Ukrainian and Russian is 86%, Russian and Polish 77%. Main problems of mutual understanding are different pronunciation of word, which complicate the understanding of other Slavic languages. P.S. Sorry for Google translator

[@alexmercer4515]

@@arsenic5249 I can see why with the Ukrainian and Russian being higher than I said. Russian and Polish I would have to learn more Polish. P.S No problem, I have to consult a translator for the languages mentioned above

[@ThePolishlucca]

@@alexmercer4515 Learning Polish would be a valuable experience for you, just like learning Ukrainian or Russian for me, a Pole.

[@Damian.99]

@@arsenic5249 source?

[@RadoDani]

Also, exposure to other Slavic languages makes big difference. For example, Slovak and Czech are exposed to each other language through television and general cultural closeness, that the intelligibility between the languages goes well beyond the similarities in vocabulary. Someone from Slovenia would be exposed a lot to Serbo-Croatian, or someon from Ukraine is often exposed to Russian through media or education. Another issue is so-called "false friends", similar words in two languages with fairly different meaning. Czech and Slovak actually has few false friends, but Slovak and Polish for example has tons.

[@aeganratheesh]

I'm learning Ukrainian and will start Russian once I'm close to B1/B2,I will also start Polish after 2 or 3 years

[@dociebiemowie915]

Cześć!! Pozdrawiam z Polski!

[@maxspirin3945]

Удачи в изучении всех этих языков!

[@Pit-Sirikos]

Good luck with it haha polish is the most coplicated language in the eu. I once bought a book for beginners for polish and also had help of my that time still fience, native polish girl, - and still did not made it till page 2 of this book. Maybe its just me, you may think. Well try it your self ;)

[@aeganratheesh]

@@Pit-Sirikos complicated* ... Btw are you American or British? Polish isn't complicated compared to Hungarian or Finnish lol

[@Pit-Sirikos]

@@aeganratheesh why are you trolling?

[@asahelmarin9324]

I am learning Russian. This video was very helpful. Thank you, Elina!

[@stradtman123]

Так чарующе ! Thank you Eli. This one of my favorite KZbin videos.

[@thevbat]

Elina your videos are so interesting and practical. I am learning Russian and love Russian history and literature. I am from Australia

[@rogerjackson484]

Haha , good video Alina, my wife is Ukrainian but speaks Russian fluently , she has the same advantage Yulia has of knowing both languages. Me, I’m an English speaker but it’s fun watching your language videos and my wife enjoyed this particular video. Also even though I do not understand German, French or Spanish I still know if those languages are being spoken, but there is no way I would be able to tell you who is speaking Russian and who is Speaking Ukrainian. Cheers from Utah USA

[@interestingproducts304]

Do you not hear the difference between Ukrainian and Russian at all??

[@CVery45]

@@interestingproducts304no one foreigners cannot hear the difference between Russian and Ukrainian

[@HershelLacey]

Stalin made Russian mandatory even in East Germany.

[@Marmocet]

Your reaction is like how I feel when I hear spoken Dutch. I can speak German, Danish and English. Dutch is closely related to all three of these languages, and when I hear Dutch, in some sense I feel like I should be able to understand it, and I can pick out many words and phrases, but I really can't follow a conversation. It wouldn't be as hard as learning Chinese, but Dutch is a language I would definitely have to study.

[@christianmiller1229]

Awesome video! Thanks! I've wondered for years what the difference is and how close they are. I think that learning one Slavic language, like Russian, will make it very easy to study other Slavic languages. I have Ukrainian and Polish friends and I often notice very similar words, even if the sentences or other important parts differ. What's more difficult is to tell how the different cultures will react to such comparisons. For example, I had some Polish friends who really did not like comparisons with Russian language because of the historical relations between their countries, even though I thought there were a lot of similar words. Keep making these videos and I'm glad I found your channel!

[@wielblad1344]

nie jest to prawda... język rosyjski jest zupełnie inny od języka polskiego i może czasem nawet utrudniać naukę... już szybciej nauka języka ukraińskiego vs języka polskiego vs czeskiego vs białoruskiego vs słowackiego... nauka któregokolwiek z nich pozwala zrozumieć komunikatywnie pozostałe języki... zdziwiłbyś się jakbym powiedział to samo co Ukrainka po polsku używając podobnych słów których użyła w swojej rozmowie...

[@bartoszkwiecien1477]

That's pretty interesting to me. As a Pole I've understood every word which Yulia said. I have always thought that Ukrainian language is more simmilar to Russian than to Polish. Cheers!

[@sashaweber3663]

As a Ukrainian , I think it really has more similarities with Polish than with Russian. I finished playing Witcher 3 in Polish and had no troubles understanding most of the dialogue throughout the game after 20-30 minutes to adjusting to the phonetic differences.

[@Mediaflashmob]

As for me Russian, Polish is about 40-50% intelligible. Less, than Ukrainian, but much more than German for example

[@amalgama2000]

@P.I Vught Russian is based of Old Church Slavonic (South Slavic) and both Ukrainian and Belarus are based on the Rus' common people language. Naturally, Ukrainian is closer to Polish and Slovak. Especially if we take the PLC time in to account

[@YamnayaSintash]

@@amalgama2000 Almost, Russian was formed through a tug of war between church Slavonic and native east Slavic dialects. If you where to remove all church Slavonic from Russian, you would very likely end up with something very close to Ukrainian.

[@CVery45]

@@amalgama2000русский не основан ни на каком южнославянском и старославянский был для всех славян, а не только для русских, а вот насчет украинской мовы то это был малороссийский говор который захотели превратить в монстра сегодняшнего

[@MI_Prepper]

I was actually a Russian Linguist in the US Army, I graduated from the Basic Russian Language course from the Defense Language Institute, (military Language school in Monterrey, California), 30 years ago. It was an intensive 47 week course of seven hours a day of Language instruction, (I started in the German course first, but when Germany reunified, there was no more East Germany so they switched me to Russian. After the Army I got a Russisn Studies degree from a University. Russians are really great, kind, and FUN people.

[@remaguire]

Same here. I was a Navy cryppie for 25 years. Basic and intermediate, 1980 and 1989. I adored many of my teachers. Salt of the earth. And I loved Monterey. Absolutely fantastic place to live.

[@yaboyed5779]

@@remaguire you both are lucky.

[@rezagrans1296]

Hihhiiiihehheeh

[@evgdjim]

Thank you very much!

[@mickeybowmeister1944]

I'm from New Zealand and met my Russian Wife in Thailand back in 2002, when visiting Moscow I happened to sit next to an older gentleman in a coffee shop on Tverskaya street, he too was an American and fluent in Russian from his military days. I felt like a very small fish in a really big pond!

[@jamiehubbs1699]

Thank you for this video ! I have been studying Russian for the last 8 months and I have many Ukrainian friends, so I was hoping to ease into Ukrainian but I think, after watching this , I will stay with Russian for now.

[@chantschu]

I‘m from Austria and I‘m learning Russian right now 😊

[@gregorysmith3341]

What a wonderful way to explore the topic. I watched the LangFocus video on the same topic, but your conversation with your Ukrainian friend was so much more personal.

[@geoffmaw4079]

Great Job Elina, I'm glad you posted this video as I'm trying to learn languages/cultures. I came across another vlogger who goes to E Slav countries and touring the less traveled places, like Degastan, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Eastern Europe and more. He learnt Russian to travel through these places. Hopefully once this pandemic is less stressful for all of us, I'd like to travel to these places too! Dam! Your friend Yulia has such a gorgeous smile. When you were trying to read the fairy tale, that's all I could look at. Does she have a channel to learn about UKR culture and language? Keep up the great work!

[@paulhenry6105]

Hello Elina. Please keep making videos comparing Slavic languages. I speak American English and German. Slavic languages are unlike any that I speak. They are beautiful and I love hearing and trying to speak them. Blessings from California and a 68 year old man.

[@westernwanderer8397]

Great subject. I am currently learning Russian. I studied German and Polish too and I have recently been dabbling in Ukrainian. I see how all these languages have words which are the same or very similar. It's funny Yullia and you were talking about mixing the languages, bouncing back and forth between Ukrainian and Russian. Here in the US when someone goes back and forth between English and Spanish, it's called speaking Spanglish. Thanks to you and Yulia.

[@ezreal2930]

We in Ukraine to have name for this, but it't different - "Surzhyk"

[@joecapesius2887]

This is very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I learn so much watching your videos Eli 🧠

[@bearth8498]

Your channel is culturally diverse and enjoy spending time watching

[@porterbrass]

Thanks Eli for helping the world to understand the difference between Slavic countries!! “Ukraine is a different country with a different language and different culture.” Although this is true, your Ukrainian friend adds that many Ukrainians speak Russian. It’s a mix of cultures and languages.

[@BartBart22]

Yeah about as mixed as Ulster and Dublin.

[@HershelLacey]

Stalin made Russian mandatory in all lands it ruled.

[@Ofek_92]

Very nice video, thanks Elli! Plus, Yulia is so adorable 😊

[@spencerwinston4334]

Would like to read Dostoevsky in Russian as the German philosopher Nietzsche was deeply influenced by Dostoevsky. The book the Gambler and Notes from the Underground in particular. Fascinating to see all the different Slavic languages and dialects. Bravo!!!!

[@kazimierzgaska5304]

Do you speak Russian a little now ? Do you know such a book by Lev Shestov: "Dostoevsky and Nietzsche. The Philosophy of Tragedy" ?

[@spencerwinston4334]

@@kazimierzgaska5304Ty for the book recommendation, and will try to find an English translation. Only the most basic Russian I know 😂, as in, the labels on the popular Russian vodkas at Las Vegas Clubs. Wish I could read Dostoevsky in Russian as well as your book suggestion on Dostovesky's profound influence on Nietzsche. The Russians have such a profound, deep perspective, and window on the world in the arts and literature. Best Regards and Vodka cheers for a relaxing weekend.

[@Lifeisgood1111]

Can you say what Slavic dialects do you know?

[@louiscervantez1639]

Excellent: started learning Russian, to further my language anthropology study - thanks for the vid - more please🤠

[@dimasveliz6745]

My native language is Spanish, studied in Poland, there took some courses and can speak some of it, I also speak Russian fluently and understood everything that the Ukrainian girl said 😊

[@MiguelSanchez-rl8kc]

Hi Eli! I really like it because I love Slavic languages and culture!! It was really amazing

[@royrockstein6520]

Eli, Thank you for this presentation on Russian and Ukrainian languages. Your friend Yulia and you both are so fluent in English. Both of you have such a command in English that I feel very inadequate since I do not speak any other language beside English. I take my hats off to you. You both are also very beautiful.

[@amalgama2000]

Nowadays if you are not fluent in English, you are f... let's just say you'd better start studding it ASAP :D

[@missymoonwillow6545]

This is fascinating! I been studying the history of the coptic alphabet and it's amazing to hear regional differences that use it. So when the bible says the languages got jumbled up, they sure are not kidding!! This was wonderful. I really enjoy videos like this that compare cultural differences with language. Blessings from USA. 🥰

[@davidroberts405]

Great video! Learning the alphabet and some conversational phrases, both of my paternal grandparents spoke Russian but my father did not speak the language at all and just curious about the language Thank you for putting out this great content!

[@fem5351]

Very informative, thank you Eli keep up the good work.

[@bill8216]

I'm learning Polish but interested in other languages. My great grandfather was from East of Warsaw while it was still Russia, so he spoke Russian but his brother knew Polish as a priest.

[@Ctrl_Del_0]

In USSR times, the USSR never oppressed any other language (or Religion). It is just that it was mandatory to learn Russian.

[@tiktak9827]

As a Pole, I understood my friend from Ukraine more, having a very similar vocabulary to Polish. (do pobaczenia - do zobaczenia, kohaju - kochać ) 😁

[@antoniomontana9430]

I was born in Odessa, Ukraine and Russian was my first language (USSR days) before we immigrated to the USA when I was a child. My parents never taught me Ukrianian but I picked up a few words over the years. My wife is from Khmelnitsky, Ukraine and she is fluent in both Ukrainian and Russian, as well as English to some extent. When I hear my wife or her mother speak in Ukrainian, it's a completely foreign language to me and I can only make out a few words if they sound similar to Russian.

[@almounasaddiyeh8685]

I didn't know there were so many slavic languages. Please make more videos like these. I went to Ukraine many years ago and learnt some words but decided to study Russian first and formally.

[@luckarl]

Thank you both for making non-Slavic understand that both Russian and Ukraine aren’t the same. I really hope both Ukraine and Russia will stand together as family. Peace peace peace.

[@ЄвгенійПанасенко-н2к]

What? Family? Tell me would you be family with a killer?

[@zaia8913]

@@ЄвгенійПанасенко-н2к I understand you because there are many people who, for example, saw their families burning while they were still alive, but people like Eli have nothing to do with it. They not supporting any war.

[@ЄвгенійПанасенко-н2к]

@Nemam Ime Don't call me a family with russians

[@giuseppebeppe2770]

@Nemam Ime a family that only the russians want, like Cain and Abel

[@giuseppebeppe2770]

@Nemam Ime None cares about the common ancestors, when your home is bombed by your "cousins". And they have also genetic differences. Russians were ruled by the mongols for centuries, ukrainians by the poles or the germanic populations. May East Ukraine is closer to Russia, but the West is very different. Anyone knows, protecting the russian minority, was just a lame excuse to attack. Ukraine and Belarus want to move to the west and the EU. Russia is far less rich and attractive to keep her former puppet states, so they have to use the military power to block this process. It's the only chance they have, so they are using.

[@Thehandsomeliberal]

The differences here are about to get bigger

[@pratikmanavi]

I'm keen to know more about other cultures and this video is truly amazing 🤩

[@allennorfad2649]

Elina have you checked on your Ukrainian friend? I hope she is alright now.

[@victor.popovici]

she said she is no interested in politics. Would that mean she does not care?

[@allennorfad2649]

@@victor.popovici i understand the political and human rights environment is not conducive to free expression. I understand Elina's condition for an ordinary red haired youtuber.

[@AtlantDnepr]

@@allennorfad2649 this girl is living in Russia since 2014 and entered russian citizenship.

[@rafaelgomez956]

Unme con Tigo sería el mallo Plase

[@richirich999]

@@victor.popovici Safe to say they’re not friends anymore.

[@franktoledo6342]

Well that explains alot. Good topic.

[@captlarry-3525]

At this time, especially in "the west", this is helpful in explaining cultural and linguistic barriers. There is some embeded pro-russian bias, but I think it is easily understood. Similar conditions exist in all former soviet satellites, where much russian influence persists, and where russians who were moved into sattelite countries generations ago remain as native born citizens.

[@robertoperezjr2631]

Very interesting, thank you for making this video.

[@alanfleming4823]

Hi Eli - thank you so much for this very entertaining and very informative video. I am an Englishman who formally studied Russian at degree level in the UK (+ 1 year at Voronezh State University, 1983-4) and later I worked for 2 years in Kyiv/Kiev in the newly independent Ukraine. I was in Kyiv from 2002-2004 and at that time all I heard spoken was Russian. In fact the only time I heard Ukrainian was the announcement on the metro warning me to be careful, that the doors were closing and that the next station would be.... The be careful part of the message was kind of comprehensible - осторожнo/обережно, the doors are closing = the same in both languages, the next station - cледующая станция/наступна станція, the word next being totally different. This simple example taught me that although I'm a competent Russian speaker, I would have never understood somebody speaking to me in Ukrainian. Thank goodness nobody did although I am sure Ukrainian is spoken there far more widely nearly 20 years later? And just a final comment about your comment regarding people learning Russian. I chose to study Russian at university not only because it is an incredibly intricate and complex language, it sounds pretty amazing. It took months of practice to say Здравствуйте!!! Sadly too few people these days are taking up the challenge to learn this awesome language, but your video has inspired me to get my Russian back to the level it once was. Thank you so much for this

[@sashaweber3663]

Yup, I live in Kyiv and it’s now about 70/30 % ratio of Ukrainian to Russian speakers here.

[@alanfleming4823]

@@sashaweber3663 Thanks for the update. Just as I thought

[@Mediaflashmob]

You mentioned that наступна is completely different from следующая, but for us Russians it's easy to understand, because we have the similar word наступающий that means "upcoming", but we use it the different way, for example С наступающим, that means Happy new year (upcoming year)

[@kibbsnowden6893]

That was a smart young lady you had helping you with languages...;)

[@jparsit]

Very intelligent video, I learn about the people of Russia and the E.U. from your videos which are easy-going and smart content. Thank you.

[@malcolmbrown5331]

You and Yuliya made a very informative video. I have studied a bit of Russian over the years and as an Alaskan I have had a lot of exposure to Russian speakers and place names.

[@valgriffin8018]

Привет Елена. I live in US, and studying русский язык. I have been curious about Russia since I was in US Navy, occasionally encountering Russian Navy ships. In 2019, my wife and I were on a cruise ship to Scandinavian & Baltic countries. I took a 2-day tour of Санкт Петербург. It was wonderful. I would like to see more of Russia, especially Москва и Екатеринбург. Does the government require that I have a guide with me in Russian cities? I very much enjoy your excellent videos!!

[@maxspirin3945]

From Russian, living in Ottawa: nope, there is no such requirement!

[@tracysparmer7952]

Privyet Eli, blagodaryu vas for all of your videos. You are one of the most powerful forces of Russia. As a westerner (cowboy hat, boots and all), The greatest obstacle I have been trying to overcome in learning the Slavic languages is the cyrillic alphabet. with your video assistance, I think it is possible. Love to you and please continue making your content.

[@jameseckman3639]

I started learning Russian through Rosetta Stone. I am not very good, at least not yet. Also I now have a Ukrainian girlfriend. So this video was especially interesting to me. Thanks

[@MuhammadHussain-tv8gd]

Elina!I love your videos.keep them coming!I enjoy trying to remember the sounds of the Russian.❤

[@bobguy7572]

As former USSR soldier 🪖 from Turkmenistan I enjoyed because I understand both

[@AnnaGoodWolf]

Юлия was so cute & friendly, like her Ukrainian voice!!! I'm learning Russian tho because my roommate is college student from Russia (in Canada). Love your channel!!!

[@user-David-Alan]

That was very interesting. I always thought those two languages were very similar. I just enjoy learning about Russia. How people all over the world are the same. Thanks for your videos. Stay well.

[@soorayaashur5960]

Well, what about polish language? POLISH is also SLAVIC LANGUAGE. for those that are not familiar - Polish Language belongs to Wester Branch of Slavic languages, together with Czech, Slovak, Upper~ and Lower Sorbian.

[@amjan]

Calm down, of course. She missed it because she's not competent. Very poor preparation, embarrassing.

[@royal1investments]

@@amjan No, he will not CALM DOWN alright?!

[@dadzkiemalaco127]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge eli i love watching every vlog you uploaded.. 🇵🇭❤️

[@youren8]

I'm still trying to learn Russian. As a westerner, it is going to take a long time. My teacher is from Moscow, but her mother is from Ukraine. So she speaks both languages at a native level.

[@TallulahBelle3276]

Thank you for the enlightenment on these different languages. I learn something important whenever I watch you.

[@lapacko]

I am from Slovakia , when she start speak Ukrainan language 90% I understood :)

[@windswept8123]

Eli, thank you for another fascinating and educational video. I love languages so this was especially interesting.

[@colinbowen8620]

Thank you for this insight into the languages of the region. I want to learn Russian but I’m currently studying Mandarin so after this then I’ll take it on.

[@carolcohen1790]

I am learning so much from your videos. Thank you Eli.

[@kristyaafa2191]

It’s definitely a huge plus growing up here in the US in a Slavic community. Although most people speak Russian amongst each other here but since there are a huge Ukrainian population (pretty much anywhere you find a “Russian” community here in the US, high percentage are Ukrainian) you will catch Ukrainian phrases and words. It becomes familiar and understanding some Ukrainian is👌🏼

[@Ctrl_Del_0]

Voila, this video perfectly describes what I have been teaching people about Ukraine and Russia in the light of present day. There are some hints in your conversation with Julia that mean a lot when one knows the background of these countries. Thank you for this video. It was very helpful for me to understand ones more that I am NOT crazy as what people here in the west are telling me.

[@Lifeisgood1111]

So what do you theach about russian and Ukrainian, in general?

[@christianbest6465]

Thanks a lot for these Informations! I dont know if i am able to learn Russian but these languages sound so cool to me i just might give it a try :)

[@nicholaswalker9779]

Dear Eli, you are being modest: as a non-native Russian speaker I understand most of this, though the text of the fairy tale was helpful. Your channel is a thing of joy! Keep going!

[@haraldtoepfer233]

Funny video, thank you! I am learning Russian since quite a while now and started to take a look into Ukrainian. One funny thing for me is for example медведь is ведмідь in Ukrainian, so the 2 letters м и в change it's really funny. Also interesting for me is, I grew up in Austria, there you say "baba" when you say "bye" to someone you know (well) and I found out, that people in some slawic countries also say this and I always have to think about it when i hear до побачення. I really like both languages, they are pretty on their own. I like the old history of Ukrainian (and thank you for борщ 😁) and the beautiful sound of Russian. And yes, I really love the healthy food, the people take the food they have in the garden for wonderful meals, I really appreciate it, don't forget your traditional cuisine 😊. I also have a large garden, it is the best you can have. Greetings from Switzerland.

[@ТатьянаЛисова-в1б]

В некоторых регионах Центральной России, тоже говорят "ведмедь". В принципе медведь и ведмедь- это одно и то же. И это описание. Речь о том кто ведает (знает) где находится мед. Просто переставлены слоги. Настоящее название этого зверя, табуировано. В английском так же обстоят дела. Название зверя мы не знаем. Но есть его описание - "Бурый".

[@bertanelson8062]

There's no question that language is closely tied to culture. So, learning the language is a direct pathway toward understanding the culture wherever you go. When I visited Romania, I was surprised to find the language a mix of Slavic & Latin language. This was fun as I am an English speaker but studied French in school, so some words were more or less decipherable while others were completely exotic. Thanks to the internet I now get to see Arabic, Chinese, Russian written out & spoken. How cool this is to me at 74! To you, young people, I suppose it is natural, but to me this is magical! Thanks for the venture into Slavic language.

[@FlorinSutu]

Most Romanian words resemble, when they are not identical, with words from Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese languages. And yes, it is also true that Romanian language incorporated many Slavic words as well, some of them very important, like "Da" (equivalent of "Yes" in English and "Oui" in French) Much lesser than Latin and Slavic influences, we have some "souvenirs" from the Turkish language as well, from the days when the Ottoman Empire made our life miserable for more than 500 years.

[@brucedavidson5400]

How incredible this conversation is today, March4, 2022!

[@HershelLacey]

The same April, 2024.

[@annihilationHaven]

Great, I'm addicted to this channel now...

[@jonmacdiarmid3671]

Really cool video

[@petebrandon8164]

I love your videos Eli- keep them coming! I enjoy trying to remember the SOUNDS of the russian Cyrillic- even if I don’t understand the meaning 😅

[@Dustpuuppy]

The Eastern church has always used a lot of Old Church Slavonic, Just as the Catholics always used a lot of Latin. This has kept the Slavic languages from drifting too far. Just as the "romance" languages were held together. The two churches had a major influence in these things.

[@ThePolishlucca]

good point.

[@robertocesarbrogiolo9735]

Thank you Eli your programs are very interesting and i love learning different cultures im spanish speaking and i speak 3 languages but Russian alphabet i would have to learn first I love Russian people they have very nice qualities ❤

[@Axemantitan]

I had an embarrassing moment yesterday with someone who had an Eastern European accent. I said to him, "Dobry den." He got a confused look and then said, "I know that's Russian for 'good morning', but I am Moldovan."

[@davidlockwood6088]

Moldovans speak a Romance language

[@AtlantDnepr]

This phrase is common for all slavic languages. -Dobriyden-dobriy den'-Dobar dan etc:) The major part of Moldova know russian as a former part of ussr

[@henningbartels6245]

@@AtlantDnepr but isn't "Dobriy den" or alike rather "Good day" and not "Good morning" ?

[@covin-xp6063]

Thanks for the wonderful video Red Saphire. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Xp

[@PsyborgMJ]

8:35 - as a native Polish I (surprisingly) understood 99% of that part, however usually I can understand 20-80% of a casual talk in Ukrainian (heavily dependant on pronounciation), while in Russian it's never more than 20%... I wonder how's Julia doing nowadays though...

[@denzilfernando11]

Very enlightening , more of the same will be appreciated, Denny from UK

[@makkreol]

Interesting, I could understand quite a bit of Ukranian being a Croatian native but Russian is a bit more difficult.

[@tombuddy100]

I agree. It sounds like Croatian or Slovenian. Ukrainian is almost like what Croatian or Slovenian could have originally been like.

[@volodymyrdrobot9454]

That is what Russians were always telling us. But in fact, Russian and Ukrainian have similarity of about 60%, and Russian is only 4th closest. Polish and Ukrainian - over 70%. The closest language to Ukrainian is Belorussian with more than 80% similarity.

[@makkreol]

@Igor Zlatkovic yes

[@makkreol]

ali mi je obitelj od svuda, od slovenije, do zagorja, do bosne, do dalmacije.

[@n.k.chauhan2011]

_Slovak women are really among one of the most beautiful in the word. A pretty woman still walks on the street. They are the Slavic type, in a group with Russian, Ukrainian and Polish women. Beauty doesn't need a language or a code to enter one's feelings. The wordly expressiveness of love needs it. Learning Slavic language from a Slovak woman is itself a feeling of blessing._ _A beautiful woman feels beautiful within, from the love she gives to her ideas and the creative ways she expresses her soul. She isn't just beautiful, she makes every byte of space around her beautiful too, she affects others and brings their beauty out of them. And she does it with ease. It is who she's. She's a flower that makes others bloom, that makes even the flowers bloom in the real sense which when strongly influences your feelings._

[@HershelLacey]

Sounds like you are describing Eli.