Introduction:

Self-study is the most powerful tool to grow knowledge. 

Russian is widely believed to be one of the most difficult languages to learn. The need to learn the Russian alphabet serves as yet another obstacle for many people who would like to learn the language. They might be surprised to know that the Russian alphabet actually takes only about 10 hours to learn.

Learn the Cyrillic alphabet

The Russian language employs the Cyrillic alphabet. At first glance, it may look intimidating. However, it is actually quite easy to learn.

The Cyrillic alphabet shares several letters with the Latin alphabet that the English language uses. Additionally, many letters that are not the same between the alphabets still look similar. Because of this, the Cyrillic alphabet is relatively easy for English speakers to learn.

learning the Cyrillic alphabet because: 

• It will make pronunciation easier. Each letter has a specific sound. Knowing these letters makes pronunciation a lot easier than does looking at a pronunciation guide, or attempting to sound out phonetic spellings in the English alphabet.

• It will allow you to use a Russian-English dictionary. Without knowing the Cyrillic alphabet, you can’t effectively look up words in a Russian-English dictionary, so learning the alphabet is important for finding the meanings of words you see and hear.

How to learn the Cyrillic alphabet:

• Use online programs.

Learn a few basic nouns and adjectives

The next step in the learning process is to learn some nouns and adjectives. This will help you describe and identify things.

Why learn nouns and adjectives:

• It will help you practice the Cyrillic alphabet. You finally know the letters, but seeing them in context will help cement them in your mind.

• It will start to build your vocabulary. Focus on these words at the beginning so you don’t have to worry about grammar. When you start learning verbs, you are also going to need to think about conjugation and sentence building. Not so with nouns and adjectives—at least not to start. And even once you know the rules of the language, vocabulary is still key, so you will continue to use even these basic words once you are fluent.

Learn present tense verb conjugations

Russian only has one present tense, so conjugating is often simpler than in other languages. Even though present tense is not the simplest type of conjugation, it is the most widely used, so it is important to learn this before other conjugations.

Why learn present tense verb conjugations: 

• Learning the present tense will allow you to put together basic sentences.

• You will be able to describe everyday activities. Every time you do something simple during your usual, daily routine, you can start to think about how to describe that in Russian.

How to learn present tense verb conjugations:

• Study conjugation rules. Going over them time and time again will help you remember them.
• Use online resources.

Put together simple sentences

Finally, the step you’ve been waiting for.

Putting together simple sentences is one of the most exciting things an early-stage language learner can do. You can finally start to communicate in Russian. Plus, putting together simple sentences is very useful.

Why put together simple sentences:

• It will help you combine your previous learning sessions. Putting together sentences will help you cement your knowledge of the Cyrillic alphabet, basic words, and present tense conjugations.

• It will help prepare you to hold conversations.

Learn to pluralize words

In the Russian language, whenever a noun is a plural, the adjective must be plural too. Practicing pluralizing both nouns and adjectives together is an important way to ensure your nouns and adjectives always agree.

Why learn to pluralize words:

• It is an essential building block to communicating clear ideas.

How to learn to pluralize words:

• Use online resources to study pluralization.

Russian for Everyone offers a guide to basic plural nouns.

Build your verb vocabulary

Now that you are able to put together basic sentences, you will need more verbs in order to more accurately convey your ideas.

Why build your verb vocabulary:

• Building vocabulary is key to fluency. You will need accurate, specific verbs to get your ideas across.

• The more verbs you know, the more ideas you can communicate.

How to build your verb vocabulary: 

• Use online resources.

Learn past and future verb conjugations

Good news! Basic past and future tense verb conjugations are surprisingly simple. For many learners, they are actually easier than the present tense. Be sure to send a thank you note to the creators of the Russian language for this one.

Why learn past and future verb conjugations: 

• This will help you communicate more complex ideas. By being able to communicate a time frame, you can better discuss actions.

How to learn past and future verb conjugations:

• Use online resources.

And One More Thing which helps you in learning Russian : 

If you love learning Russian and want to immerse yourself with authentic materials from Russia, then I should also tell you more about Multibhashi.

Multibhashi naturally and gradually eases you into learning the Russian language and culture. You’ll learn real Russian very easily without going to institutions or other places.