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The softness of <щ> palatalizes the following <а>. Compare...
лошадь: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%88%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%8C
площадь: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%89%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%8C
Also notice the final <ь>, which palatalizes the <д> into a "t" sound.
I thought that at the end of a word a lot of consonants lose their voice anyway; what's the point of having the ь as well?
The soft sign palatalizes the consonant before it, giving it a slight y/j/й type sound.
I posted Vot boshit. Fortunately it was wrong
Same here, and since the accent is foreign, I imagine that the speaker means something slightly different.
You have to learn the stress of each word by listening to the audio. Keep in mind also that when a Russian word changes form (есть - ем), the stress can shift unpredictably, so you must memorize the stress of all forms of all words! Luckily, shifts tend to fall into common patterns.
Correct stress is a very difficult part of learning Russian. It's also why the course waited so long to make sure the audio was good quality!
At his point, probably you already know, but I'll answer it to help new students: Some sites can help you to know what is the stressed syllables:
https://easypronunciation.com/en/russian-phonetic-transcription-converter
http://starling.rinet.ru/morph.htm
http://cooljugator.com/ru/ (for verbs)
http://cooljugator.com/run/ (for nouns)
Not as bad as me just now. My audio stuttered. I hear horse instead of square, and dutifully, without looking, typed "Here is a horse."
I believe площадь means something closer to "plaza" or like a town square. Kвадрат appears to mean square as in the shape.
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You are absolutely right. To retain the possibility to confuse city elements with geometry, площадь also means "area": "площадь квадрата" = "area of a square"
Почему используется "вот", а не "это площадь" ? "вот площадь" - это ответ на вопрос "где площадь?". А иначе, я даже придумать не могу, зачем может понадобиться такая фраза.
Допустим, ищешь магазин, который должен быть возле площади и говоришь другу: "Вот площадь. А где же магазин?"
Could ploshchad’ also mean the geometric figure of a square, or just square as in plaza?
Could mean both. There is a joke about it:
-- Как найти Площадь Ленина? ("How can I find Lenin Square?" Meaning is "how can I get to it".)
-- Надо длину Ленина умножить на ширину Ленина. ("You should multiply Lenin's length to Lenin's width". Calculation of rectangle's area).
Hope you could understand it.
The four sided geometric figure is Kвадрат :) In the geometric sense, площадь means exactly the "Area" of a square instead, which gives the "Lenin Square" joke above more sense. :)
1-square (open area in the town) Красная площадь - Red Square 2- space, living space 3- (geometry) area
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%89%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%8C
[Native Speaker] Площадь квадрата - Square of the square 2 в квадрате - 2 squared квадрат<>площадь площадь<>площадка
Would this sentence be correct if I used здесь instead of вот? And if so, what would be the difference in meaning?
Good question. It would have a different meaning.
здесь (or more informally, тут) is the word for "here". So "здесь площадь" means "the town square is here." You would use these words if you are trying to express precise location.
вот on the other hand functions kind of like a verb, which means "here is...", like when you're showing someone something, or handing them something. "Here's your exam results!" or "Here's the thing you were looking for." So "вот площадь" means "here's the square!", like you and your friend just enter the площадь and you inform them "вот площадь!" with a big wave of your arm.
If anyone reading this has done the beginning of the Esperanto course, вот is exactly like Esperanto's "jen".
I keep hearing "лошадь", as in the translation for horse. Is this an issue with the speech engine or just the way the word is pronounced?
Why "here is" and not "this is". You can use this same phrase to show someone around the town and once you reach the square say "vot ploshchad"
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"b" is a sign that indicates the consonant it follows is palatalized
And for those who don't know what "palatalized" means, apparently it involves moving the point of contact between the tongue and the roof of the mouth forward.
What I want to know is, how do you palatalize a D sound? It's already nearly against the teeth. Or is that what makes it sound more like a T than a D?
palatalisation is basically pronouncing it with a little y sort of sound after. Дь ~= dy. Sometimes in the case with d, this makes it sound a little like j as in jenny though very soft.
Not necessarily forward, but toward the position of a Y sound. So move a G forward, but move a D backward.
I'm hearing several words differently to how they're spelled. I think its a case of trying to get used to it.
Second duolingo "Ploshad" or "площадъ" means "Square", but if i translate it - meaning "Area", why the difference between translation?
i wish i could tell you. perhaps it has to do with multiple meanings? i got a question. could anyone help clarify the ъ for me?
ь means ' and ъ means B. but as i've seen depending of some words the ь can change the meaning of the phrase. probally..
Б means B. Ъ is a "hard sign", it has no sound and is used like some kind of divider.
In early lessons we learn only nouns with simple meaning, something that we can see and touch (you can see the Red Square and touch its stones). Площадь-area is too abstract for beginners.
Duolingo didn't accept this answer. Is there any specific reason why not?
Look at the discussion under mahankr's comment for the reason why this is different.
Is it just me, or does Russian seem easier than Esperanto? Or is it just a placebo effect?
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Unless I play it back slowly, it sounds to me like "Вот лошадь" Is it just me?
What's with the slurred pronunciation of л in so many of the words? The "L" sound is virtually absent in the audio. Is that's how the word is generally pronounced or is this some issue with the audio?
If you are writing Russian in the Latin alphabet, щ is 'sch' not 'sh'. (Ш is 'sh').
Why is the щ written as a "shch" if it only ever seems to be pronounced like a "sh"?
Because it's NOT pronounced like "sh".
Ш = "sh". Щ = likе Ш, but softer; something like a hybrid of "sh" and "ch".
Yeah, the difference is hard to hear, but something that I found useful in trying to differentiate is my copy of "Teach Yourself Russian" which says ш sounds like the "sh" in "shift" while щ sounds like the "shch" in "posh china".
I'm told I'll eventually be able to hear the difference. Until then, however, I guess we just have to memorize...
Why does the 'Л' have like a 'w' sound? Or am I just not listening well?
Why is Вот лошадь wrong? The instructions say "Type what you hear" and THAT is what I hear!
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In general, a translation of the phrases-sentences in the header of the comments would be great!
