#4weekrussianchallenge

дорожить /dərɐˈʐɨtʲ/ verb, imperfective -- to value, to prize, to treasure

Я очень дорожу нашими отношениями! I really treasure our relationship!

Tomorrow we are lunching the Four Week Russian Challenge. The rules are simple. 

Every day at 6 am EST I will post a Word of the Day. You should make a sentence (in Russian) using the word of the day and post it in the comments. 

To qualify, your sentences should be at least three words long. Prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, exclamations don’t count as words in this challenge. 

The sentences should not be perfect. Please, do not be afraid to make mistakes - this is how learning happens! I and other Russian speakers, if they want, may correct your mistakes, so the challenge would be more helpful for you. Everyone  who has all 28 sentences posted in the comments to the Word of the Day posts will get an award for having the challenge completed. The award is a bookmark with the Russian alphabet (type and cursive): 

Participants who will post 28 sentences and make no mistakes will receive this award: 

If you skip a day - no worries, you can always return to the word and post your sentence later, as long as the challenge is still on. By the end of the four weeks, you should have 28 sentences - that’s all that counts. 

Any questions? Let me know!

относиться /ɐtnɐˈsʲit͡sːə/ verb, imperfective -- to treat (к + dative case); to feel about somebody or something; to apply, to have to do, to relate

Я не знаю, как ты ко мне относишься. I don’t know how you feel about me.

Another versatile verb that is very common and quite hard to translate. 

подгореть /pədɡɐˈrʲetʲ/ verb, perfective -- to burn slightly (because of overcooking), to burn out

Подгореть is an intransitive verb that may only refer to things that are burnt, not to the cook that burn them. 

Пока я разговаривала по телефону, у меня подгорел пирог. While I was talking on the phone, my cake burned out.

разлюбить /rəzlʲʉˈbʲitʲ/ verb, perfective -- to fall out of love (with) someone, to stop loving, to un-like

Interestingly, влюбиться, the yesterday’s word of the day, normally refers to romantic relationships, but the verb for the opposite feeling, разлюбить, may refer to any kind of disappointments - romantic and not so romantic. For example, if you liked tomatoes, but no longer like them, you can say: 

Я разлюбила помидоры. I no longer fancy tomatoes. 

Он разлюбил меня. He doesn’t love me anymore. 

Oh, who would think that tomatoes are so important for him! jk 

нравиться /ˈnravʲɪt͡sə/ verb, imperfective -- to like, to please 

Please note that the verb нравиться makes a reverse sentences. In Russian, you literally say “You are liked to me” - Ты мне нравишься. The person who likes takes the dative case, and the person or a thing that is liked, becomes a subject and takes the nominative case. 

влюбиться /vlʲʉˈbʲit͡sːə/ verb, perfective -- to fall in love

Я верю, что можно влюбиться с первого взгляда. I believe that it is possible to fall in love at first sight. 

свобода /svɐˈbodə/ noun, feminine -- freedom, liberty

Одним из жизненно важных принципов демократии является свобода слова. Freedom of speech was one of the vital principles of democracy.