Russian is not as alien as it might seem. Even so, some people are put off by the Cyrillic alphabet alone. Additionally, it is a Category 4 Language, meaning it takes native English speakers longer to learn, according to the FSI.
But does that make it more difficult? To be honest, as long as you put your heart into it, learning a language is not difficult. See the following for simple methods to learn Russian.
Reasons Why Russian Is Hard For English Speakers
- The Russian Alphabet Can Be Challenging
- Russian Nouns Have Genders
- Russian Phonology Is Easy
- You Treat Russian Verbs and Nouns Differently
- There’s Less Sentence Structure in Russian
- You Use Some Russian Words to Make Your Point
- There Are Fewer Prepositions in Russian
- Russian Often Omits Articles
- Stressing Russian Syllables Is Very Important
- Russian Spelling Is Easier Than English
Reasons Why Russian Is Easy For English Speakers
Russian is a language that initially might seem a little “scary”: for instance, it uses a different script that seems a bit confusing and has many inflection forms for different parts of speech. But there are quite a few aspects of the Russian language that, at least in some cases, make it surprisingly simple.
Russian Is A Phonetic Language
In Russian, each letter typically represents a single sound, and words are typically spoken verbatim. Given that there aren’t many exceptions, learning a few rules will make reading Russian quite simple.
Here is an illustration of a rule you must keep in mind: the unstressed ‘o’ is pronounced as ‘a’, so молоко (milk) is pronounced as ‘ma-la-KO’.
The Russian Alphabet Is Actually Fairly Easy To Learn
The Cyrillic and Latin alphabets both have Greek roots, so some of the letters are similar, which is a great start compared to many other scripts that look completely foreign. Russian and English share many letters, including “M” and “T,” almost exactly.
Some letters are a little more challenging because they look exactly like English letters but have different sounds. For instance, a Russian ‘P’ is pronounced as ‘r’, and ‘These letters appear perplexing at first glance, but after getting to know them and putting them to use, they become fairly simple to remember.
Other letters are entirely different, like ‘Ф’ (‘f’) or ‘Ж’ (‘zh’), but they are also quickly learned with a bit of practice.
You Already Know Some Russian
Between English and Russian, there are numerous words with cognates or similar forms and meanings in both languages.
Due to shared Indo-European roots, the following words sound similar: сын (‘syn’) is a son and сестра (ses-TRA) is a sister.
Other words have been translated from English into Russian or have been taken from other languages by both languages.
There Are Many Things About The Russian Language That Are Actually Very Easy
All languages have elements that are more difficult or simpler to learn, regardless of how “hard” or “easy” they are perceived to be by learners. There are a few challenging aspects of Russian grammar that we’ll look at in the following section, but there are also quite a few things that are very simple.
Here are some of the ‘easier’ Russian language characteristics:
- No articles exist.
- The wording is very movable.
- Most queries can be created by simply altering the intonation.
- Many negative forms of nouns, adjectives, and verbs are made by simply adding ‘не’ (n’e – not) to them.
- In the present tense, there is no verb for “to be.”
- To be polite, you only need one word – пожалуйста (pa-ZHA-lu-sta, which can be added to any request to make it polite, is pronounced “please.”
By the way, to learn more on how to be polite and other useful See this list of Russian phrases for travel.
There Are Lots Of Great Resources
Russian language learning resources can be found in abundance online, both for free and for a fee. See the “Recommended resources” section of this guide for more information.
Easy Steps To Learn Russian For English Speakers
Learn The Cyrillic Alphabet
The foundation for speaking and understanding any language is learning its alphabet. After this initial step, everything else will come to you quickly if you work diligently and diligently.
You can choose online courses if you’d like to learn the Cyrillic script. Russian basics are covered in depth on online LMS like Coursera, Udemy, and YouTube.
You can also use apps like Duolingo to your advantage. Writing down what you learn is another way to strengthen the neural connections in your brain that support the Russian language. Any language writing improves fluency and memory.
To understand words that sound similar, you can also use phonetics. You can learn the proper letter pronunciation and arrangement by spending time studying the Cyrillic language.
Translate From English
You’ll unconsciously use English to teach yourself Russian while you’re learning the language. As a result, once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of word formation, you can try to construct sentences on your own. If you start out by using your rudimentary Russian language skills, this could be quite challenging.
It’s probably possible for you to mentally translate a chapter from your preferred English book. You can also look for an essay written in English and translate it into Russian if your language abilities are good enough to do so.
Talk To A Native
Even more terrifying than moving on to the speaking portion are the writing and reading portions. Although you won’t be able to sound exactly like the Russians, try your best to sound normal.
Find a native speaker friend or coach to help you improve your speaking abilities. These people will be happy to assist you in overcoming any language barriers.
Read Poetry And Prose
Without the components of the culture they represent, languages are insufficient. You must also read Russian literature to fully comprehend the meanings and emotions underlying Russian words and phrases.
Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of the language, you can further your language proficiency by reading works of Russian literature.
Challenge Yourself
You can set exciting challenges for yourself to see how far along you are with your language skills. Try finishing a Russian-language book. Discuss the language with a native speaker and compose a haiku.
Watch Russian television and attempt to mentally translate the dialogue. Online language games are fun. Engage in any activity that is not academically or gravely mainstream.
When learning, try to be creative. Your proficiency in the language will advance along with your love for it.
Use An App
You don’t need to constantly torment yourself with large, heavy dictionaries and language books. Apps that will teach you Russian more effectively can be installed.
Among the well-known ones are Cyrillic, Memrise, Duolingo, Google Translate, Hello Talk, and Clozemaster. More apps can be found online and used to pique your interest in learning Russian.
Explore The Culture
It is unreal and rewarding to learn a language in its native setting. You ought to visit Russia at least once if you can. Culture, history, literature, the arts, a person’s way of life, politics, and style can all be used to learn a language.
Take a stroll through the city, eat at local eateries, visit museums, and take part in language festivals. You can learn more about the Russian language by exploring the country.
Conclusion
So, is it difficult to learn Russian? I’m assuming by this point you don’t believe it. Russian is a lovely language with its own special characteristics.
Learning Russian is simple, enjoyable, and rewarding. You can learn this language from a variety of resources, including online courses, apps, books, and private coaches.
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