Questions tagged [russia]

Questions that have a specific focus on people in Russia or Russian culture.

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4 votes
1 answer
473 views

How to decline a request to say "God rest her soul" when mentioning my grandmother to my religious dad?

My dad is a Christian. I asked him a question about his dead mother, and after replying, he asked me: I loved my mother very much. She was a good person. Please, whenever you remember your ...
seed's user avatar
  • 173
5 votes
2 answers
795 views

How to respond to an obviously unfair offer in a high-stakes negotiation without offending the other side?

Background A relative of mine, whom I'll call Tania, owns the larger bedroom of a two-bedroom apartment in Moscow, Russia, while the other bedroom is owned by a guy completely unrelated to her, whom I'...
Sandra's user avatar
  • 151
5 votes
2 answers
718 views

Is it common in Russia for the first meeting to be breakfast or lunch?

I recently met a Russian woman of around the same age as me (an American man). I told her we should connect on Facebook and grab coffee sometime to practice languages as I'm learning Russian and she ...
John A's user avatar
  • 51
1 vote
1 answer
554 views

Disproving false beliefs of an acquaintance which may be dangerous or affect our relationships [duplicate]

There is a similar question here: How to tell someone believing in pseudoscience & conspiracy theories is wrong without making them feel stupid/upset? My question has a different setting: I'm ...
scriptin's user avatar
  • 271
83 votes
12 answers
20k views

How do I ask for an espresso if there's a good chance they don't know how to make it?

I like coffee and I live in Russia which is not generally a coffee drinking country. More often than not, when you ask for an espresso in Russia, you get 100 to 150 ml of liquid in your cup. The ...
Quassnoi's user avatar
  • 703
38 votes
7 answers
10k views

Is there a Russian etiquette on declining offers of food when visiting someone?

I'm 15 years old, living in Israel. Occasionally, I visit senior citizens on their birthdays - bringing balloons and stuff, with a few other people. These people who we visit are usually older ...
Mithical's user avatar
  • 4,356
5 votes
3 answers
1k views

Stop and prevent unwanted conversation with a stranger

This question comes from my wife Alice (her English is even worse than mine). In the middle of the day, my wife ("Alice") goes for a walk in the park with our 2 months old son, and a dog. ...
k102's user avatar
  • 253
4 votes
3 answers
867 views

How do I convey my disagreement with my father without disrespecting him?

I am 21 years old male and live with my parents. My father and I both have a temper on us and had a lot of disagreements over the years, but they’ve always were settled quite amicably. However, ...
Rayv's user avatar
  • 43
8 votes
3 answers
2k views

How to politely deflect a "What's the problem" question when the straight answer shouldn't be given?

TL;DR version: Sometimes people expect you to act in a certain manner, and keep pestering you with "why"s and "what's the problem"s when you don't. While the asker thinks she is being helpful, you ...
Alice's user avatar
  • 190
21 votes
5 answers
6k views

How to align personal interests with family?

I'm transitioning to the father role which is not going great. I'm facing the fact that I have less time now to follow my personal interests like watching soccer games on weekends. My wife is ...
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