Learn Russian Language resources

The Mendeleyev Journal is committed to assist you learn the beautiful Russian language.

Here is a directory of related pages to assist your study:

The Cyrillic alphabet learning tools are on this page.

This list on Russian grammar will help advance your skills.

The Russian numbers are essential.

Now, let’s look at some of the incredible resources avail to you…many of them free or at low cost:

Services we recommend:

Beginners Russian” by Kudyma gives consistent lesson by lesson instruction, with correct pronunciation by native speakers. This includes a full interactive online workbook and exercises from UCLA! http://www.russian.ucla.edu/beginnersrussian/student/home.htm

We also give GOLOSA very high marks: http://www.gwu.edu/~slavic/golosa/. This is one of the few University level class that provides the free accompanying tools (from George Washington University) in which an individual could have a chance at successful self-study at that level.

GOLOSA (means “voices”) and is now available on Amazon and Ebay for around $100 for a good condition used text. Including CDs, videos, and easily available online audio and videos in which you participate in life-like conversations, courses like this run circles around Rosetta.
http://listen2russian.com (One of the best and highly recommended by the Mendeleyev Journal. Includes an online textbook, downloadable resources, and voice tools to listen and practice.)

http://www.study-languages-online.com/course.html

http://www.russianpod101.com (This is a very complete yet simple course. The features are awesome and include a way to record and check your accent, grammar checker, pdf downloads of each lesson, and great sound resources. One of the best! Pricing is FREE for a short beginners course, then $8 monthly for the next level and the premium service is just $25 per month and there are discounts for the longer you study.)

http://primelanguageservices.com/learnrussian.html

http://www.learningrussian.net

Free courses are also available at:

http://www.ielanguages.com/russian1.html

http://www.russianforfree.com/
http://www.russian-plus.com
http://russianforeveryone.com
http://www.trymango.com
http://www.russianlessons.net
www.word2word.com

http://listen2russian.com

www.masterrussian.com

http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/russian

http://learnrussian.elanguageschool.net

http://passionforrussian.com

http://russian.speak7.com

http://www.privyet.org.uk
http://www.unbound.ru/2b/russian2.html
http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/Learn/Russian.asp
http://www.101languages.net/russian/basics.html
http://www.open-of-course.org

http://elearnrussian.com/ru/learn-russian-01.htm

http://www.russian-language-for-lovers.com/russian-lessons.html A free online beginners course, features include sound and translation tool.
http://speakrussian.blogspot.com (Known as “A Spoonful of Russian” this popular series no longer provides updates, however the existing material is excellent.)

Bridge to Russian http://www.bridgetorussian.com/

Time to Speak Russian http://debug.speak-russian.cie.ru/time_new/eng/

Additional resources include:

http://www.declan-software.com/russian/wordfiles_russian.htm

http://onlinerussianlanguageschool.blogspot.com/
http://babel.uoregon.edu/russian
http://www.uni.edu/becker/Russian2.html#photos
http://www.alphadictionary.com/rusgrammar/index.html

http://www.ilearnwords.com
http://www.russianclass.co.uk
http://tasteofrussian.com (Podcasts as beginning lessons)

English-Russian Dictionaries:
- The Oxford Russian Dictionary: Russian-English English-Russian, by Della Thompson, Editor. (Excellent, up-to-date Russian-English, English-Russian dictionary containing over 45,000 words and phrases.)

Tests and Quizes:
www.practicerussian.com

Word of the Day from Transparent Languages:

http://www.transparent.com/wotd/today/russian.htm

Word of the Day, with explanations on grammar from a very capable professor of Russian at Arizona State University: http://shininghappypeople.net/rwotd/blog4.php

Fun Russian with our friend Viktoria: http://funrussian.com

Vocabulary words from various sources:

http://www.syvum.com/learn/vocabulary/russian
http://www.happychild.org.uk/freeway/russian/index.htm

Cyrillic Keyboards:
www.imtranslator.com (Includes online keyboard, a dictionary and allows you to hear words spoken.)

http://www.rusklaviatura.com/

Voice Pronunciation online:

http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php Paste words and listen to Russian speakers.

Best College level texts:

- Learn Russian the Fast and Fun Way (Fast and Fun Way Series) by Thomas R. Beyer Jr. Ph.D. — Considered the most common text/workbook used in community colleges in the USA for beginning Russian classes. Excellent! You will learn to read, write, listen and speak with correct grammar. Note: If you find it on Ebay or Amazon make sure the cassettes or CDs come with it. It’s a textbook and workbook all in one large soft paperbound and is great especially as the listening and speaking practice is invaluable. With audio included with the work book you can do this at home.

- Golosa: A Basic Course in Russian, Book 1 (3rd Edition) by Richard M. Robin, Karen Evans-Romaine, Galina Shatalina, and Joanna M. Robin.

- Beginners Russian” by Kudyma gives consistent lesson by lesson instruction, with correct pronunciation by native speakers. This includes a full interactive online workbook and exercises from UCLA!

- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Learning Russian, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot’s Guide to) by Christopher Froehlich. Great for grammar in a way we idiots can understand it.

- Live From Moscow/Russian Stage One — probably one of the best at University level, yet with the ability to use it by yourself at home. Hardback textbook and large paperback workbook with 2 CD’s and one VHS. Combines visual, audio, video, and you’ll learn to read, speak and write as well as hear/see as you learn. However, it’s been discontinued from active printing and if you buy it on Ebay or Amazon, make certain that the VHS, CDs (or cassettes) are included with the text and workbook…otherwise the learning value diminishes quickly. Getting hard to find the complete package. There is a stage Two for advanced students.

- Teach Yourself Beginner’s Russian Script by Daphne West – learn how to write cursive Russian since it’s very different from printed Russian lettering. Many of you know that Russians rarely print, they write everything from love letters to grocery lists in long-hand cursive. Cyrillic cursive is very different from printed letters. Very helpful book!

- The Everything Russian Practice Book: Simple Techniques to Improve Your Speaking And Writing Skills (Everything: Language and Literature) – Paperback (Jan 2007) by Nina Wieda

- Colloquial Russian: The Complete Course for Beginners, by Svetlana Le Fleming & Susan E. Kay

- Colloquial Russian 2: The Next Step in Language Learning is next in the series. (Introduction to spoken and written Russian. Includes a course book containing dialogues, grammatical notes, exercises and cultural information, together with two cassettes with recordings of some of the dialogues and exercises. The Russian text is written in the Cyrillic alphabet throughout.)

- Teach Yourself Russian Language Life and Culture, by Stephen Webber and Tatyana Webber (Very interesting introduction to Russian society and culture. Covers a wide range of topics, including literature, music, language, art, architecture, cinema, theatre, science, the media, politics, education, health, work, leisure, transport, family and religion. It isn’t a language textbook, though each chapter does include a list of useful Russian words and phrases, and further examples of key vocabulary appear in the main text.

This book also contains a guide to additional reading, useful websites and places of interest. If you’re learning Russian, or just interested in Russian, this book is essential reading.)

Grammar books/workbooks:

- A Comprehensive Russian Grammar, by Terence Wade
(Comprehensive, in-depth guide to the grammar of written and spoken Russian. Includes numerous example sentences taken from comtemporary literature and media sources illustrating the grammatical points. This book is suitable for intermediate to advanced level students of Russian.)

- 501 Russian Verbs: Fully Conjugated in All the Tenses Alphabetically Arranged, by Thomas R., Jr. Beyer
(Great little resource!)

- The Oxford Russian Grammar and Verbs, by Terence Wade
(Excellent, clear, concise guide to the grammar of written and spoken Russian. Covers all the essentials and also the exceptions. Includes numerous example sentences illustrating the grammatical points.)

Excellent Video instruction:

A great way to start learning Russian as a beginner is to watch the Russian lessons on YouTube by Victor Dmitrievitch Huliganov. (Those who understand Russian will understand the play on his last name.) His lessons are a combination of serious learning and humour, and most will find this a good combination to learn quickly. Each lesson is concluded with a joke or poem and then a song (yes, he does the singing!). On a serious note he is a highly regarded professor, but very eccentric and very, very funny with his accent and use of humour.

All the lessons of Series One and Series Two are now available on YouTube. You can search them by his name or by RL 101 and RL 102. The RL 101 series teaches the alphabet and the concepts behind it and the RL 102 series is for beginning grammar. Start here with the introduction to learning Russian:

Suggested Lesson Plan for beginners:

1- Daily lessons from “Beginners Russian” by Kudyma for consistent step by step instruction, with correct pronunciation by native speakers. This includes a full interactive online workbook and exercises!

2- Do the accompanying exercises daily and review on weekends: Use resources such as http://www.russian.ucla.edu/beginnersrussian/student/home.htm. Use the “homework” to learn to master the alphabet, how to use numbers/counting, pronounce names/titles of relatives, how to tell time, and some other basics. This supplemental homework will take you further in your ability to put sentences and phrases together.

3a-  Watch and review a video each week RL101 and the other Russian lessons in the RL 101 and the RL 102 series. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlJw08uMvE4  Complete all the lessons, both series.

3b-  Print and write the alphabet, two times daily until you can do it forward and backwards in your sleep, including cursive. Do the same with numbers.

4-  Once a week, read one chapter and make notes from “The Idiot’s Guide to Learning Russian.” Re-read the same chapter again later in the week.

More coming soon…