To emphasize one more time that - and why - it is useful and important to to know where the emphasis added in Russian falls. And how that knowledge helps you, in both the spelling of the word крокодил (crocodile) and the pronunciation of names such as Tolstoy.

‘The man we all know: Putin. Does that name actually mean something?’ A question from an interview on FunX with Ellen Rutten, in celebration of Russian Language Day (June 6) 2019.

A Russian name consists of three parts: a first name (имя), a patronymic or father’s name (отчество), and a last or family name (фамилия). The abbreviation Ф.И.О. (фамилия, имя, отчество) is well-known to Russians and appears on their passports, driver’s licenses, and related documents.