Dina from Afghanistan: I'm learning Russian to become an IT specialist
When talking to Dina, you would hardly believe she's been learning Russian for less than a year. She already has just a weak accent, can perfectly pronounce any complex words (like ‘достопримечательности’, which means ‘attractions’) and is good at declining words.
Why Russian?
Dina didn’t know Russian in her homeland, Afghanistan. But, a year and a half ago, she had to move to Moscow with her family for work (her father is a businessman).
Now, she is studying at the preparatory faculty of the Pushkin Institute of the Russian Language and plans to receive a higher education in Russia.
“I love Russian, because it is a rich language and I also love Russian culture and want to read the works of Russian writers in their original language in the future!”
Dina never read any Russian literature in her native language, but she’s already managed to read a little of Pushkin's poetry in the original.
And yet, her career plans lie far from Russian literature and not with linguistics.
Dina wants to work in IT and, after she learns Russian well, she plans to enroll at the University of Science and Technology (MISIS) to study programming.
What’s the most difficult thing to learn in Russian?
“The most difficult thing is to understand the difference between imperfective and perfective verbs,” Dina admits.
“Many foreigners struggle with this, which is known as the ‘verb aspect’. All verbs in Russian are divided into perfective and imperfective forms. The aspect indicates whether the action is completed or not. For example, the verb ‘do’ has two forms in Russian: ‘делать’ (imperfective) & ‘сделать’ (perfective).
Sometimes, they are very similar verbs, with only a small difference: a prefix or suffix changing their appearance. And the type also depends on which one to use in each specific situation.”
Like all foreigners, Dina also notes the difficulties with cases, as, according to her, there are rules that defy any logic.
“It's hard to remember where to stress words,” she says. And, really, there are no clear rules in the Russian language, so you end up having to learn all the stresses by heart.
About life in Russia
Dina is a rare foreigner in Russia. While others complain about the cold, she boldly declares: "I love winter, that's why I like living in Russia!"
And she really likes Moscow: “It's a very beautiful city and I plan to continue living here.”
The student says she likes actively exploring the city, visiting the many attractions, going to the theater and meeting up with friends (there are already many Russians among them!).
‘Gateway to Russia’ is grateful to the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute for its help in preparing this interview.
In order to get free education at leading Russian universities, foreigners can fill out a questionnaire and submit an application at education-in-russia.com.
You can study at the Pushkin Institute for free in the Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate programs. Read more about how to enroll at the Pushkin Institute at pushkin.institute.
Moreover, the Pushkin Institute offers additional programs for those who want to learn Russian and for professional development of teachers. In particular, the institute holds an annual Summer School for foreign citizens. Detailed information is available here: clck.ru/3DmTTq.
For questions about candidate selection in your country, please contact Rossotrudnichestvo's representative offices or diplomatic missions of the Russian Federation.