10 Essential Tips for Learning Russian

Slavic languages like Russian can be challenging for native English speakers to learn, but not impossible! Some people learn Russian fast, while others take their time and focus on mastering pronunciation and grammar. Regardless of your timeline, if you want to master Russian, you need to be patient with yourself and build a good foundation. To help you get closer to fluency, we've put together a few essential tips for learning Russian.

1. Start By Learning the Cyrillic Alphabet

The Cyrillic alphabet is a writing system developed in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 9th century. It is used in many Slavic languages, including Russian, Ukrainian, Macedonian, and Serbian. Needless to say, if you want to learn the Russian language, you need to start by learning how to use the Russian alphabet. 

Learning the Cyrillic alphabet is also beneficial if you want to become fluent in even more Slavic languages, so take your time mastering these new letters.

2. Practice Your Pronunciation

Learning Cyrillic also means you'll need to practice pronunciation, as the sounds can be different from the English alphabet. Still, some letters are pronounced like their Latin equivalents. The sounds should also be familiar, even if they don't coincide with what you're used to. If your native language is English, you'll only need to learn a few new sounds. 

Luckily, Russian is a phonetic language, so all words are pronounced exactly like they're spelled. This means that once you master the Cyrillic alphabet, you'll be able to start reading words with ease! The following chart shows some basic Russian alphabet pronunciations with examples of the sounds in English words.

The Russian R (which is written as Р(р)) is one of the most difficult sounds to pronounce because you need to roll or trill it. While it may seem a bit awkward at first, don't be shy. Practice moving your mouth in new ways to start sounding more like a local, and remember; practice makes perfect!

3. Understand How Stress Changes Vowels

Stress also plays a big role in determining the pronunciation of vowels and can significantly alter the sound and meaning of words. Unlike in English, Russian stress is dynamic and can fall on any syllable within a word, often shifting when words change form. This shifting stress affects vowel quality, particularly for the vowels 'о' and 'е.'

When stressed, 'о' is pronounced as [o], similar to the "o" in "more." However, when unstressed, it typically reduces to a sound closer to [a] or even [ə], like the 'a' in "sofa." Similarly, 'е' when stressed is pronounced as [je] or [e], but in an unstressed position, it often reduces to [i] or [ɪ].

This vowel reduction under unstressed conditions contributes to the unique rhythmic quality of the Russian language and can create significant pronunciation challenges for learners. For instance, the word "молоко" (milk) has the stress on the last syllable, resulting in the pronunciation [məɫɐˈko], where the first 'о' reduces to a schwa-like sound. It might seem a bit hard to learn at first, but it will eventually come naturally to you as you grow in fluency.

4. Practice Soft and Hard Consonants

In Russian, consonants can be either hard (твёрдые) or soft (мягкие), which is a key feature of the language's phonology. Hard consonants are pronounced with the tongue positioned farther back in the mouth, similar to their English counterparts. Soft consonants, on the other hand, are pronounced with the tongue raised towards the hard palate, creating a palatalized sound that is often represented by adding a "y" sound, akin to the English "you."

The distinction between hard and soft consonants can change the meaning of words, making it crucial for proper pronunciation and understanding.

For example, the word "брат" (brat) means "brother," while "брать" (brat') means "to take." In writing, soft consonants are often indicated by the following vowel letters: я, е, ё, ю, и, or by the soft sign (ь), while hard consonants are followed by the hard sign (ъ) or the vowels а, э, ы, о, у. 

5. Learn Some of the Most Common Russian Words

Technically, you can carry on a basic, everyday conversation as soon as you know about 750 to 1,000 words in a new language. While this might seem like a lot, fluency is gained when you reach 10,000 or more. So, starting off with a strong Russian vocabulary can help you reach conversational fluency pretty quickly. Some of the most useful words to know when you start learning Russian are:

• и — and
• в — in, at
• не — not
• он — he
• на — on, at
• я — I
• что — what, that
• быть — to be
• с — with
• а — but
• весь — all, everything
• это — this, it
• как — how, like
• по — by, along
• она — she
• из — from, out of
• мы — we
• за — for, behind
• вы — you (plural/formal)
• так — so, thus
• но — but
• к — to, towards
• у — at, by
• ты — you (singular/informal)
• его — his, him
• который — which, who
• о — about
• ещё — still, yet
• себе — to oneself
• что-то — something
• меня — me (genitive/accusative)
• нет — no, not
• да — yes
• вот — here is, here are
• бы — would, should
• мой — my, mine
• если — if
• уже — already
• они — they
• когда — when
• кто — who
• потому что — because
• сам — oneself
• какой — what kind, which
• совсем — completely, entirely
• ни — neither, nor
• или — or
• время — time
• теперь — now
• ну — well
• дело — matter, business
• жизнь — life
• даже — even
• очень — very
• потом — then, later
• человек — person, man
• другой — other, another
• один — one
• ещё — still, yet
• так — so, thus
• день — day
• что-нибудь — anything
• никуда — nowhere
• раз — time (instance)
• новый — new
• знать — to know
• просто — simply, just
• надо — need, must
• до — until, before
• где — where
• такой — such, so
• хорошо — well, good
• здесь — here
• что-то — something
• из-за — because of
• много — many, much
• хотеть — to want
• делать — to do, make
• перед — before, in front of
• говорить — to speak, talk
• тоже — also, too
• работа — work, job
• первый — first
• видеть — to see
• надо — need, must
• просто — simply, just
• потом — then, later
• чем — than
• теперь — now
• снова — again
• ничто — nothing
• место — place
• думать — to think
• хорошо — well, good
• голова — head
• каждый — every, each
• рука — hand
• проблема — problem
• спросить — to ask
• последний — last

6. Speak with a Native Russian Speaker

One of the most important tips for learning Russian is to speak with a native speaker regularly. This gives you a chance to practice pronunciation and sentence structure while getting feedback on your speaking skills. If you don't know anyone who speaks Russian, download Tandem today. Tandem allows you to match with a native speaker and have real-life conversations that will help you grow your confidence and immerse yourself in the Russian language and culture.

7. Be Patient with Russian Grammar

Grammar in any foreign language can be difficult, and it's no different when you start learning Russian. However, even people who have been speaking Russian for years struggle with rules from time to time, so try to be patient with yourself. Russian grammar is complex and, while important, will take time. To help you get started, consider some of the following basic grammar rules to know.

• Basic Sentence Structure — Although there are some similarities, Russian sentences usually follow the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order. They're also a lot more flexible due to the Russian case system (more on that later).
• Noun Gender — Nouns are either masculine, feminine, or neuter, and the gender of the noun affects other words in the sentence.
• Adjective Modifications — Adjectives need to match the gender, number, and case of a noun, so they come in several different forms.
• Verbs — Verbs are conjugated based on the gender, number, and tense of the sentence. There are also several types of Russian verbs and two verb aspects (perfect and imperfect).

Although Russian grammar can feel like a never-ending battle on your learning journey, one benefit is that there are no articles. This means you won't need to deal with placing words like "a" or "the" into a sentence or changing them to match gender and number like in other languages.

8. Work Your Way Through the Russian Cases

The Russian case system is another challenge for many language learners, as there are six different grammatical cases you need to know: nominative, accusative, dative, genitive, instrumental, and prepositional.

The Russian nominative case is the default case used for the subject of a sentence, indicating who or what performs the action. It answers the question "кто?" (who?) and "что?" (what?). 

The Russian accusative case marks the direct object of a verb, answering the question "кого?" (whom?) and "что?" (what?). It indicates who or what is directly affected by the action. 

The Russian dative case is used to indicate the indirect object of a sentence, answering the question "кому?" (to whom?) and "чему?" (to what?). It often corresponds to the English prepositions "to" or "for."

The Russian genitive case often denotes possession and answers the question "кого?" (of whom?) and "чего?" (of what?). It is also used after certain prepositions and to indicate absence.

The Russian instrumental case is used to denote the means or instrument by which an action is performed, answering the question "кем?" (by whom?) and "чем?" (by what?). It can also indicate companionship.

The Russian prepositional case is used after certain prepositions to indicate location or the object of speech or thought, answering the question "о ком?" (about whom?) and "о чём?" (about what?).

9. Adopt an Immersive Approach to Learning Russian

An immersive approach to learning Russian means surrounding yourself with the language in several ways. It's one of the best ways to learn the language, as you both consciously and subconsciously start to recognize words, digest grammar, and understand how Russian is naturally spoken. So, some of the best (and most fun) ways to help you learn Russian is by:

• Watching Russian movies with Russian subtitles
• Watching Russian TV shows
• Reading Russian books
• Reading Russian textbooks
• Listening to Russian audio like podcasts, talk shows, or audiobooks
• Listening to Russian music
• Creating Russian flashcards
• Learning about Russian culture
• Downloading language learning apps
• Changing your phone language to Russian
• Writing Russian 
• Speaking with Russian people

10. Study Russian Every Day

It can take around 1,100 hours to become fluent in Russian, so one of the best things you can do is to practice every single day. While many apps boast taglines of learning a language in as little as 15 minutes per day, if you want to improve your language skills, you'll need more than that. On busy days, though, 15 minutes is still better than nothing! But if you really want to learn Russian you'll need to dedicate time to do so. To avoid getting bored or burned out, diversify your learning with some of the recommendations for immersion techniques.

For example, when you get up and start getting ready for the day, play some Russian music. When you've got some downtime at lunch, read a Russian book. Then, spend an hour or so studying Russian vocabulary or grammar when you get home for the day before bed. Breaking up your activities can make learning a new language easier and more fun.

Improve Your Russian Skills with Language Learning Apps

The best way to learn Russian is to study and put yourself out there. To help you supplement a Russian course or grammar book, download Tandem today. Tandem is a unique language-learning app that takes an innovative approach to learning. With millions of members worldwide, you can match with a Russian speaker regardless of where you are. Plus, having real-world conversations with like-minded individuals will help you build your skills, from basic Russian pronunciation to Russian slang words and everything in between. Who knows, you might even make some lifelong friends along the way! All you need to do is create a profile, match with a native speaker of your target language, and start communicating. Sign up for Tandem today to join our community.