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Here are the resources I consider essential to learn how to speak Russian.
FAVOURITE COURSES & APPS TO GIVE YOUR RUSSIAN A BOOST
RussianPod101 – This is my favourite audio Russian course. This course is much better value than more famous audio courses, and in my opinion it’s more effective too!
Glossika – Learn through sentences and repetition. Glossika uses the “mass sentence method” combined with an advanced spaced repetition system to teach you Russian in context. Best for upper-beginner to intermediate learners.
RUSSIAN SPEAKING TOOLS: PRACTICE WITH NATIVE SPEAKERS
Speak from day one is my approach to any new language. I have one tool I recommend for this:
Italki – connects you with native Russian speakers for spoken practice on Skype. You can pay Russian tutors for (affordable) one-to-one video lessons, or find a free language exchange partner! This link takes you right to the Russian tutors on the site.
RUSSIAN TEXT-BASED COURSES AND BOOKS
Teach Yourself: Read and Write Russian Script – teaches you new Cyrillic letters in the context of actual words, so you’re learning to read Russian, not just memorizing what individual letters sound like, which is what most tools do.
Assimil Russian – A beginner's text-based course with audio, if you're more of a textbook person. Assimil's explanations are a bit on the technical side, though. If you like that, this is a great course. If you prefer more down-to-earth explanations, RussianPod (above) will be a better fit.
RUSSIAN LEARNING WEBSITES YOU MUST BOOKMARK TODAY
You’ll return to these resources again and again in your Russian study sessions.
Forvo – find out how any Russian word is pronounced. Just type the word you’re looking for into the search bar in Russian!
Russian Dictionary Tree (by Cornell) – A Russian-English dictionary that gives several options, explains their differences, and provides contextual information.
START SPEAKING RUSSIAN NOW
Need help getting started? I designed this course to guide you through your first week:
Conversation Countdown – Have your first conversation in Russian in just seven days. This is one of our most popular courses, and with good reason, because you’ll get results fast.
MUST-READ ARTICLES ON LEARNING RUSSIAN FASTER
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