Quote Originally Posted by Helenej View Post
Very much the same here. We use “знаешь” much more often than it is necessary. I often catch myself overdoing the word “понимаешь?” which means “do you understand?” I’m sorry about that but my “speaking skills” are mainly applied in the kitchen when my people come home. My Russan is apparently not that of Lev Tolstoy.
Well, I actually wish I had stumbled onto this site a long time ago and not spent the time I did reading literature that taught me things that native speakers don't really say. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble...lol. I almost feel as if I'm starting over. In some ways that's good, but it can be discouraging, too. I'm still trying to catch the knack of general conversation, but I'm trying