Many students feel confident when they hear the word “interesting”. It is a familiar word. A safe word. An easy word. Interesting = интересный. Simple. Until somebody looks at your idea, pauses for a second, and says: “Hmm. Interesting.” And suddenly something feels wrong. The sentence sounds polite. But the atmosphere changes. You understand the […]
Tymur LevitinThere are few words in English that seem simpler than the word “fine”. Most students learn it very early. Fine = хорошо. Problem solved. But then one day they hear somebody say: “I’m fine.” And they understand immediately that nothing is fine. The voice is cold. The face is different. The silence after the sentence […]
Tymur LevitinWhy “Побыть с тобой” Cannot Be Translated — Only Understood Author’s Column | Tymur Levitin on Language, Meaning and Respect One Question That Didn’t Belong — But Stayed One of my students once asked me a question that caught me off guard — not because of the word itself, but because of where it came […]
Tymur LevitinYou hear a word. You recognize it immediately. You know the translation. And yet something still feels wrong. You understand every word in the sentence — but somehow you do not understand the sentence. For many years students have told me: “I know this word. I learned it years ago. But when native speakers use […]
Tymur Levitin
Author’s Column by Tymur LevitinLanguage. Identity. Choice. Meaning. “Politeness is not in the phrase. It’s in the power dynamic.”— Tymur Levitin Most students believe they understand thank you. They can translate it.They can pronounce it.They use it daily. And yet — they often don’t understand what it really does in a conversation. This article is […]
Tymur Levitin
Author’s column by Tymur LevitinFounder and Head Teacher at Levitin Language School🔗 Start Language School by Tymur Levitin A word is not just a meaning — it’s a choice You find a word in the dictionary. It looks right.You use it. And something feels… off. The sentence is “correct,” but the meaning — not quite.That’s because a […]
Tymur Levitin
