I’m stuck with the Russian language, what should I do?

Time, effort and encouragement are needed to learn a new language. Especially how you study and have a positive attitude! Here, we have some valuable tailored tricks for people who want to learn Russian or think to learn Russian.

Please note that learning a language takes time and effort. In addition to these broad concepts, the research you need to practise more as much you can. The more you practise, the more you are certain of your success and the more confident you are, the happier you are.

Start with Sounds

Now that you’ve decided to learn Russian, it’s time to get started. But where do you begin?

The answer is simple: Start with sounds. Learning how to hear, pronounce and understand written Russian sounds is an excellent choice to start before even words and meanings begin to be memorised.

Most Russian words, unlike English, are spoken just like they are written. Therefore, it is always a good idea to learn how to speak Russian sounds before learning vocabulary and grammar. You would need to learn the Russian alphabet to do this.

It is not as impossible to learn the Russian alphabet as you might imagine. There are also some letters you remember! And indeed, a few words without Google translation you’ll be able to read and understand!

Learn on the Go

Let’s face it: you probably have a busy life, and time to learn Russian is hard to put aside. But fortunately, one of the best ways to enjoy your free time is to learn Russian on the go.

As soon as you hear the sounds, say them out loud. Don’t wait for the whole term. In reality, you could only catch a small portion of what’s being said at first, making you sound like you’re talking gibberish. This will at first sound stupid, but the results will surprise you.  Speaking loudly and listening will enhance you to build a feeling for the structure of the language and the Russian sounds, even though you don’t understand everything that is said. 

Don’t panic if you can’t catch it all. As you improve, the emphasis and rhythm of Russian will gradually be developed. As your studies advance, you will also learn more and more vocabulary.

Learn the Practical Words First

Language learning allows for several new words to be learned. There’s no way of avoiding it. Many people use their “poor memories” as an excuse for not learning a new language, but the good news is that you don’t need to know all—or even the majority—of the words in a language to be able to communicate effectively in it. You don’t even have to know half! In any language, the majority of people use between 5,000 and 10,000 words.

For a Russian beginner, the minimum number of words for learning is 780. You’ll need to learn around 1300 words to pass Level 1, which is equal to the Key English Test. So, as a Russian learner, what does this mean for you?

You will cut the workload in half by mastering the practical words first in Russian vocabulary. With far less effort, you can communicate faster.

Keep a Russian Vocabulary Notebook and Flashcards

Keep the entire Russian vocabulary journal, paper or book you are learning with. Writing a word and its translation, notes, imagery, or mnemonic device makes you memorise it not only helps you organise your words and sentences easily.

This notebook can also be converted into study-oriented flashcards and you can use it to generate a programme for your mobile or computer. You can use them on your mobile devices as flashcards to learn on the go while you’re on the bus, to work or just wait in line at the supermarket.

Your Russian notebook and flashcards will be very valuable as a study resource in the future. You have a few free minutes wherever and whenever you can use them as a reference.

Find the patterns if you get stuck with the Russian language

The language of Russian is inflected, like Latin or Greek, whereas English does not. This suggests that Russian words have relatively stable roots and reflexes. The above can vary according to the purpose of a term or the context of a word. But don’t despair when you find a common word that has some additional letters on the front or the back!

At first, you may not even know that you might have lots of “relatives” when you start learning some Russian words, that is related words that all have the same root. Furthermore, various inflexions can convey different meanings. You can understand new Russian words, including those you haven’t seen before, by recognising these inflexions in your vocabulary quickly.

Getting stuck with the Russian language isn’t the end of the world! The important thing is to communicate, talk and think as much as possible in Russian. This is something that can be achieved everywhere. Make the most of all of the excellent Russian learning resources available to you and incorporate Russian into your everyday life!