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🎻 Калинка

Иван Ларионов (1860) · народная · 1860 · A2 · Medium · Folk · Nature · Diminutives

🎬 Official video no YouTube. See the full lyrics and translation

🎤 Lyrics · karaoke

Traditional lyrics (public domain). Tap a line to hear it; sing along with the video!

About the song

Самая известная русская песня в мире. Припев играет с уменьшительными словами: калинка, малинка, ягодка.

The most famous Russian song in the world, written in 1860 by Ivan Larionov and long since sung as a folk song. The refrain plays with diminutives (калинка, малинка, ягодка) and speeds up with every repeat — a fun way to practise the -ка endings and fast pronunciation.

🎧 Words you will hear in the song

These words really appear in the lyrics. Listen and try to catch them when they are sung.

  • калинаguelder rose / snowball treeкалинка = little kalina (diminutive)
  • малинаraspberryмалинка = little raspberry
  • ягодаberryягодка = little berry
  • садgardenв саду = in the garden
  • мой / мояmy (m. / f.)

💬 Expressions and notes

  • калина → калинкаkalina → little kalina

    the diminutive suffix -ка

  • в садуin the garden

    locative -у after в (not в саде)

Comprehension

  1. Что такое «калинка»?

  2. Где растёт малинка в песне?

  3. Что делает суффикс -ка в слове «ягодка»?