I’m a beginner in Russian, tell me how to start to learn Russian?

4 Comments

1. Listen2 R says:

   November 2, 2009 at 3:57 am

   Hiya and privyet!

   To start learning Russian, here’s what you do:

   1. Get an easy-peasy beginner’s book like Teach Yourself Beginners Russian by Farmer (comes with a CD). It’s not the best book in the world in terms of teaching the grammar rules in a systematic way, but it’s great for raw beginners who are just learning the alphabet, basic vocabulary and basic sentence construction.

   2. Buy a Russian-English dictionary – if you’re serious about Russian then you must have a dictionary at your side. I’ve got the huge Oxford dictionary (it’s as fat as my calf muscle!), but if you want something less expensive then Ive also used the pocket Collins and Oxford dictionaries while traveling around – they will have most of the words a beginners needs.

   3. Buy a pocket phrase book – I really recommend the latest Lonely Planet Pocket phrase book. You won’t learn the grammar rules from a phrase book, but it’s great to be able to say common phrases right from the beginning – motivation plays a big part in learning Russian.

   4. Improve your listening skills and pronunciation by listening to native Russian speakers. I created a site specifically for this purpose at http://listen2russian.com/ Go through all the free lessons and make sure you can understand what you are hearing without looking at the words. Often there is a big difference between how you say Russian words in your head and how they are pronounced by native Russians.

   5. When you know the alphabet, and some basic words, enroll in a Russian class at an education centre. You’ll impress all your fellow classmates by already knowing the alphabet!

   6. While you’re doing some face-to-face classes, buy the New Penguin Russian Course by Brown. When you come across something that’s confusing, ask your Russian teacher.

   If you follow these 6 points you should be doing well – better than most! Good luck!

   Jonathon.
2. thaliabarbararadia says:

   November 2, 2009 at 3:57 am

   Hello,
   Try these websites:
   http://www.babbel.com
   http://www.livemocha.com
   http://www.busuu.com
   http://www.polyglot-learn-language.com
   http://www.myhappyplanet.com
   http://www.mylanguageexchange.com
   Good Luck.
3. Joe says:

   November 2, 2009 at 3:57 am

   I’d advise downloading the free "Byki" program, the Russian version, it’s really useful for conversation tips and so on!
   If you’re serious then I would advise to you the program "Rosetta Stone"
   I use Rosetta all the time and my Russian is actually surprisingly good from it. I speak to Russians all the time and have Russian friends. It takes you through literally everything and it credits itself on teaching you in the way you would naturally learn your mother tongue. It is really really fun! You can see yourself progressing very quickly. I love using it.
   The downside of Rosetta:
   Very expensive. Not THAT good at improving your conversational skills (I’d advise the payable Byki version for that)
   I would also advise trying to find Russian community websites, Russian MySpace? If there is such a thing. Try to find yourself a good Russian friend over the net!
   If you would prefer face to face, I have heard people rave about evening classes, but they may be costly. Nothing beats learning a language while you can hear and speak it face to face.
4. RussianTeacher says:

   November 2, 2009 at 3:57 am

   Jason, there are a couple ways to go about it: self study or instruction.
   If you are looking to do self study online, others provided you with good links and ideas. Also try http://www.masterrussian.com
   If you are looking to find a Russian teacher, you can try to find him/her locally or connect with one online. You see, hear and talk with the teacher in real time online via such program as Skype or Yahoo Messenger, many provide you with structured classes and all the materials for both the class and homework.
   http://www.PrimeLanguageServices.com has Certified Russian Instructors, who are native speakers experienced in teaching Russian as a foreign language, they also record every class which allows you to listen to it as many times as needed for review.
   Good luck in learning Russian, it is a beautiful language!