What are the basic steps to learn Russian

Learning Russian is exciting and fascinating, whether your goal is fluency or learning the basics. Russian accounts for more than 280 million speakers globally making it the world’s 8th most spoken language. Russian-speaking people are mainly concentrated in Russia and spread out across the former Soviet States, including Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, and more.

In this article, we give you some basic tips to follow when you start learning Russian.

Understand the Cyrilic alphabet

Russian uses the Cyrilic alphabet, consisting of 22 letters: 20 consonants, 11 vowels, and the two soft and hard signs. Take your time to study the Cyrillic alphabet, so you succeed in deciphering Russian words.

Learn basic phrases

Understanding Russian isn’t any different from other foreign languages. The step-by-step study process should also be the same. After studying the Russian alphabet and vowel sounds, learning basic Russian phrases and their pronunciation is the next logical step you should take. Of course, you can use Russian-English dictionaries and other online tools to understand Russian and navigate its vagaries.

Learn basic vocabulary

After learning some main Russian phrases, it’s time to further expand your Russian vocabulary. The best place to start is by learning the name of everything that the eye can see: in your living room, bedroom, kitchen, or even on the street. Learn at least ten new words per day. This is a good way to improve and better understand Russian without the pressure of intense studying.

Russian Grammar

A good learner should learn the main grammar rules to write basic Russian sentences. Strive to understand the different Russian grammar variations and the various concepts that are new to English speakers. For example, all beginners should know that Russian has three tenses: past, present, and future.

Study and practice Russian’s declension system

The word order in most Russian sentences is flexible and different from the subject-verb-object English sentence structure. Therefore, you will need to understand Russian’s declension system to understand the sentence’s structure flexibility. According to this system pronouns, numerals, adjectives, and nouns change their endings depending on the number (whether singular or plural) or gender.

Learn with an experienced Russian teacher

And last but not least, enrolling in person or online lessons is one of the best ways to learn Russian. A professional teacher will provide you with a structured learning plan and lead you through intricate grammar concepts and rules.

Learning Russian is exciting, but you need the best advice to learn efficiently. By combining the above-mentioned tips with 1-on-1 lessons you can learn Russian online in a short time. On italki, you can get in touch with professional Russian teachers and tutors, and you can start learning at your own pace, for the price of an afternoon meal with friends.