Thread: Looking for language exchange

Hi, Kevin. Here is my version.
Недостаточно время в дне....ха ха. Сегодня я мало болен, но завтра у меня есть работа. Всегда важно, что я пишу. Я заглядывал ваш и-маил и посмотраю для обшая нитки совета, что я могу следовать. Был лучше ли, что я писал с короткими предложениями?
There’s not enough time in the day…haha. Today I was a bit ill, but tomorrow I have work to do. It’s always important that I write. I peeked at your e-mail and am looking for a common thread of advice that I can follow. Was it better that I wrote with shorter sentences?
В сутках слишком мало времени. (недостаточно is good too, yet it sounds a bit formal of bookish) (‘в дне’ sounds like ‘during the daylight time’ but it’s not correct grammatically at all, we say “в течение дня” or “днем” meaning “not at night”)
Сегодня я немного приболел, но на завтра у меня есть работа. (приболел = заболел, but not seriously at all)
Для меня всегда важно попрактиковаться в письме (simply писать could mean just to make words on the screen or paper without indicating any special purpose in this context, just because you passed over to this new statement quite unexpectedly. But it could be a version also. With some tiny effort anyone would understand).
I peeked at your e-mail and am looking for a common thread of advice that I can follow. Я просмотрел (or глянул, which is more colloquial) ваш имейл – sorry, I can’t understand that further even in English. I mean, where are you looking for a thread? I’m leaving it without revision)
Было лучше, когда я писал короткими предложениями?
Вам вопрос: какой разница между –какой-либо- и –какой-нибудь-? Есть ли разница с обшим разговариванием? Я ешё растерян об совершенного и несовершенного глаголов. Кажется, что моих решения ещё неисправный.
A question for you: Is there any difference between “какой-либо” and “какой-нибудь”? Is there a difference with general conversation? I’m still confused about perfected and imperfect verbs. It seems that my decisions are still incorrect.
Вам вопрос: чем отличаются слова ()? (Разница is not good at all, too colloq. in this context).
Is there a difference with general conversation? – I didn’t understand that but I would like to. Can you rephrase or comment, please?)
Я все еще путаюсь в совершенных и несовершенных глаголах.
Мне кажется, что я их еще неправильно употребляю. (кажется without мне sounds as if you hear, see or feel something you are not certain of, like Кажется, она идет meaning that you hear the sound of steps. Or in regard of your inner physical sensations, like Кажется, я заболел or Кажется, я схожу с ума or Кажется, я окончательно запутался)
Так, у вас есть какой-нибудь домашнее животное? У моей сестры есть два собаки...ха ха.
So, do you have any kind of pet? My sister has two dogs….haha.
У вас есть домашние животные? or У вас есть какое-нибудь домашнее животное? The former is more compact.
У моей сестры есть две собаки. (Собака is feminine)
У нас есть выборов на ноябрь. Я согласен с настоящий президент, а остальные моей семья нет.
We have elections in November. I agree with the current president, but the rest of my family doesn’t.
В ноябре у нас будут выборы.
Я согласен с нынешним президентом, а остальные члены моей семьи нет. (Настоящий президент implies that he may be not that person he presumes to be. Such correspondence exists only in the official style, but even there it would be better to say действующий президент)
Я знаю, что другой люди позвонит по Skype и упражняют языком. Возможно, в будушее времени я могу. Сейчас это страшный идея...ха ха. Моя способность ешё скромная, к сожалению. Я буду вам расскажу когда это более уютное.
I know that other people call by Skype and practice language. Possibly, at a future time I may. Now it’s a terrible idea…ha ha. My ability is still too poor, unfortunately. I will tell you when it’s more comfortable.
Я знаю, что люди звонят по скайпу и практикуются в языках. (If you use the singular языке I am slightly like, ”What language is he meaning?” But it will not be a rude mistake whatever and will be quite appropriate)
Возможно, в будущем я и попробую скайп.
Сейчас это кажется страшной идеей.
Мой русский еще слишком плохой. (Способности in regard of mastering a foreign language does not mean one’s store of knowledge, but only the ability to memorize, to understand a foreign language rules, to have good audial memory, to hear and produce good sounds. We say способности к языкам in this meaning. Your abilities to learn a foreign language may change with time, but they are more or less constant. Your stock of knowledge is actively changing as you learn.)
Я скажу вам, когда мне будет удобно это сделать.

Does “I fancy dark chocolate” mean “I like dark chocolate” or “I imagine dark chocolate”? Which is closer? I just looked this word up and found three meanings at least (I use ABBY Lingvo too): to imagine, to think and to like. I had always remembered something like this “But, only fancy, the thousands of wax lights.” and associated this word with “to imagine”. Now, that you explained, I’m beginning to feel the difference. A tough word, I gotta say. Thx!

” Your revisions were helpful as usual, though.” To tell you the truth, I’ve never understood why peope use “though” the way you use it now, too. I don’t think it can be adequately translated into Russian in this sentense. We use “though” = хотя as an adversative conjunction synonimous to “но” and ”однако”, like in “I will come though I may be late” – “Я приду, хотя, может быть, опоздаю.” I’ve just started a new thread about “though” on the forum. Maybe someone will help.

I could have gone to the movie, but stayed home instead. Я мог пойти в кино, но вместо этого остался дома.
I should have gone to the movie, but stayed home instead. Мне следовало пойти в кино, но вместо этого остался дома.

Is there any difference between “какой-либо” and “какой-нибудь”? They mean the same. Какой-либо is just more of literary style. “Is there a difference with general conversation?” – What is “general conversation”?

So, do you have any kind of pet? I don’t have any pet at present. I used to have a cat half a year ago. I pick him up in the street as a kitten and kept him the whole winter just to save him. He ruined almost the whole appartment, wall-paper, furniture, clothes. In sping I took him to my boyfriend’ to the country and said “Thank God”

I can’t agree with you about your withholding speaking. As I said, language is about speaking, activating what you have learned. I’m certain that it should be activated as soon as possible. I’m gonna give you an example. You can see that my written English is... umm... not bad But it has never been activated properly. Just recently I kind of spoke to an American for about half an hour (if those my 10-20 phrases can be called that, he was the one to speak). I felt helpless all the time we spoke. He said, “It was nice meeting you” while leaving. And oops, I was speachless. I was trying to recollect “It was a pleasure meeting you, too”. I was desperately turning all what I knew in my head and still couldn’t remember. I remembered that one minute later, after he has left, and was like, “I have known that for years, why on earth could I not I remember?” And it’s not that I was excited or agitated or afraid, no way. The reason was that my language is kind of a dead language. Do you know what I mean?

Anyway, if you ever decide to speak with me live, you at least will have some fun because my spoken English is way more laughable than your written Russian.