Understanding the News in Russian
News Russian is its own dialect: passive, attributed, compressed. The good news about the news — it's formulaic. Learn five patterns and headlines stop being walls.
News Speaks in -ся
The -ся passives dominate reporting. You need to read them, not produce them:
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| Сообщается, что… | It is reported that… |
| Строится новый мост. | A new bridge is being built. |
| Ожидается дождь. | Rain is expected. |
| Открывается выставка. | An exhibition is opening. |
Russian
Сообщается, что…
English
It is reported that…
Russian
Строится новый мост.
English
A new bridge is being built.
Russian
Ожидается дождь.
English
Rain is expected.
Russian
Открывается выставка.
English
An exhibition is opening.
According To…
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| по данным экспертов | according to experts' data |
| по словам министра | in the minister's words |
| как сообщает агентство | as the agency reports |
Russian
по данным экспертов
English
according to experts' data
Russian
по словам министра
English
in the minister's words
Russian
как сообщает агентство
English
as the agency reports
По данным экспертов, цены растут.
According to experts, prices are rising.
Note: Half of all news sentences open with an attribution — learn to skim past it to the claim.
Headline Noun-Chains
Headlines hide verbs inside nouns. Strategy: find the action-noun, unfold it back into a verb.
| Headline | Unfolds to |
|---|---|
| Открытие нового парка | новый парк открывается — a new park is opening |
| Рост цен на кофе | цены на кофе растут — coffee prices are rising |
| Встреча президентов | президенты встречаются — the presidents are meeting |
Headline
Открытие нового парка
Unfolds to
новый парк открывается — a new park is opening
Headline
Рост цен на кофе
Unfolds to
цены на кофе растут — coffee prices are rising
Headline
Встреча президентов
Unfolds to
президенты встречаются — the presidents are meeting
The News Kit
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| новости | the news |
| событие | event |
| статья | article |
| заголовок | headline |
Russian
новости
English
the news
Russian
событие
English
event
Russian
статья
English
article
Russian
заголовок
English
headline
Common Mistakes
- Producing news-style -ся. «Мной сообщается…» — don't. Read the passives; speak in actives.
- Reading noun-chains word by word. Unfold the action-noun first; the rest falls into place.
- Trusting one headline. По данным одного заголовка… — a language lesson and a media-literacy lesson in one.
What You Can Do Now
You can read short news items, decode headlines, and discuss current events with sources attached — по данным вашего учителя, this is B1 reading in the wild.