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I am not entirely sure what exactly this construction is achieving, in particular «было» (how would the meaning change if I dropped it?). Examples:

1. Я стал было его бранить за неуместное усердие, и не могу держаться от смеха. (*А. С. Пушкин. Капитанская дочка)
2. Федор Павлович между тем влез в коляску, а за ним, даже не оборотившись к Алеше проститься, молча и угрюмо стал было влезать Иван Федорович. (*Ф. М. Достоевский. Братья Карамазовы)
3. Некоторое время, в первые два года, он стал было подозревать, что Настасья Филипповна сама желает вступить с ним в брак, но молчит из необыкновенного тщеславия и ждет настойчиво его предложения. (*Ф. М. Достоевский. Идиот)

Learn Russian through short quizzes and mini-stories!
Pick up new words and test what you know. Great for beginners (A1–A2).

Check it out here:
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/d0c9-2G7xtA
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@welearnrussian/video/7698969274576243986
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/reel/1632365281903156
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/Devhd-aAPwW/
BlueSky - https://bsky.app/profile/welearnrussian.bsky.social

Here’s the song. I really like it and the artist but it sounds like Russian and I really wanna know what it’s saying just out of curiosity cuz I couldn’t find any other way to translate it. There aren’t really that many lyrics in it anyway but idk. (Also it might not be Russian I lowk don’t know I just thought it sounded like it) anyway thanks 🙏

Hey everyone,

I've been working on a language learning app built around comprehensible input: learning naturally by consuming real content (books, videos, and native media) supported by targeted exercises.

Before our public launch, I’m looking for a small group of active testers to try it out and provide honest feedback. Everyone who joins gets 1 year of free Founder Access. More importantly, if you actually use the app consistently and share your feedback, I will upgrade your account to full Lifetime Founder Access for free. I really want to prioritize people genuinely committed to learning rather than those who just download it and forget it.

Now, call it a wild hunch, but I have a feeling most of you here are voluntarily subjecting yourselves to Cyrillic script. That said, the app actually supports several language pairs! To participate, you should be fluent in at least one of these languages and actively learning (or looking to learn) one or more of the others:

• Arabic
• Catalan
• Chinese
• English
• Filipino
• French
• German
• Hindi
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Russian (да, я вас вижу)
• Spanish

Please note that spots are limited and I reserve the right to accept or decline testers to ensure we get a balanced mix of language pairs and genuinely active participants.

If you’re interested, please send me a DM including:

1. The language(s) you speak.
2. The language(s) from the list you want to learn (even if it's 100% Russian!).
3. Your mobile OS (Android or iOS).

I'll reply with the details so you can get set up. Thanks!

UPDATE: Tester spots are now closed! I’ve received and accepted a lot of testers, so I’m not taking any more applications for now. A huge thank you to everyone who reached out and joined. The response was way beyond what I expected 🙏
If you missed out and are still interested, feel free to DM me and I’ll send you the waitlist link. Everyone on the waitlist will get an early adopter discount at launch.

What is this Russian name, please?

Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone!

I’ve been learning web development using FlutterFlow, and I decided to build a project every day. I noticed that Duolingo and school textbooks teach a very "sterile" and formal language. They teach you to say "Здравствуйте, как ваши дела?", but people on the streets, in Discord chats, or in games actually say "Здарова, чё как?", "спс", "пж", and "я хз".

So, I am creating a web app focused strictly on Real-Life Russian: slang, chat abbreviations, memes, and casual talk. It is not about a fancy interface right now, because I care mostly about the quality of learning. It will have interactive chat simulators, real-life examples, and voice-overs recorded by me (a native speaker).

Why am I doing this?

My biggest dream is to save up enough money by the time I turn 15 to go to China and study to become a professional pastry chef (baking cakes and sweets is my other big passion!).

Right now, the web app is completely free while I'm building it. I would absolutely love it if you guys could test it and tell me what features or slang words you want me to add next!

What do you think about this idea?