13
votes
Accepted
What differences are there in the difficulty of learning Ukrainian and Russian to a very basic level?
This is a non-scientific answer from a native Ukrainian. I have deliberately removed everything that is not related to language learning, e.g. explanations, historical references, and my ...
- 1,405
9
votes
Accepted
How much time will it take a beginner to reach a B2/C1 level Russian language proficiency by self-learning?
I am going to assume that your native language is a Germanic language (English or German?).
The CEFR or CEFRL describes skill levels for four skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing. At CEFR ...
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8
votes
Where can I find graded readers for Russian?
The Russian term for "graded reader" would be something like "Хрестоматия по русскому языку для студентов-иностранцев" or "адаптированные тексты для студентов-иностранцев". Or "книги для чтения" (для ...
- 101
8
votes
Online resource to study Russian language vocabulary
Free
Duolingo is an immensely popular language learning platform, and they released their Russian course for English speakers around 8 months ago. I have experience with Duolingo, and can attest to ...
- 4,975
7
votes
Mnemonics for learning Russian alphabet (Cyrillic)?
Learn to Read Russian in 15 Minutes by Peter Starr Northrop and Ryan Estrada uses a number of mnemonics. For example,
Д is a dancer,
Р is an R with a leg ripped off,
П is a podium that makes a p ...
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6
votes
Learn Russian very very fast
Unless you can dedicate 100% of the time of the next 14 days (14 × 24 = 336 hours) to learning Russian, your goal is effectively impossible.
As mentioned in the comments, your goal is to attain ...
- 4,975
6
votes
Learning Russian from completely beginner to B2/C1
The Test of Russian as a Foreign Language or TORFL has six levels that are mapped to the six levels of the CEFR. So the Second Level Certificate (TORFL-II) in the TORFL should correspond to B2 in the ...
- 19.7k
6
votes
Accepted
How can I sound more 'native'?
I think this article has a lot of good tips for you. Even though some of the tips are about accent, many of the tips aren't. And frankly, if you want to sound like a native, then accent is absolutely ...
- 5,076
5
votes
Accepted
How to learn conjugations?
There are several things you can do.
Gabriel Wyner's book Fluent Forever advises using flashcards (e.g. in Anki): on the "front", you put a sentence using the verb form you want to learn but you ...
- 19.7k
5
votes
Mnemonics for learning Russian alphabet (Cyrillic)?
Memrise has several courses that focus solely on the Russian alphabet and provides mnemonics plus the ability to add your own. Some are better than others so I suggest trying a few briefly before you ...
- 151
5
votes
Learn Russian very very fast
You can't do all of that in two weeks. You could get proficient progress in some parts, but not all.
Like mentioned lots of times here, not only must you practice and learn new words, you must use ...
- 5,318
5
votes
How much time will it take a beginner to reach a B2/C1 level Russian language proficiency by self-learning?
Assuming that your first language is English, or another Romance or Germanic language. According to Foreign Service Institute it takes 1100 class hours to learn Russian language to achieve level 3 in ...
- 998
4
votes
Online resource to study Russian language vocabulary
I made a monster post of 100 top resources to learn Russian over at the LinguaLift Blog, categorized by type and proficiency level.
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4
votes
Have you any ideas on how I can improve my Russian pronunciation?
My approach has always been to increase input - this will automatically improve your output without you having to make a conscious effort.
In practical terms it means increasing your exposure to the ...
- 253
4
votes
Mnemonics for learning Russian alphabet (Cyrillic)?
I had previously learned the Greek alphabet before learning the Cyrillic one. Being able to mentally map Cyrillic letters to their corresponding Greek ones was helpful to me.
Г = Γ
Д = Δ
Л = Λ
П = Π
...
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4
votes
Where can I find graded readers for Russian?
The German publisher dtv has published a number of bilingual Russian-German books for learners of Russian. Below are a few example titles:
Einfach Russisch lesen ("Simply read Russian"), edited by ...
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4
votes
Spanish vs Russian rules
Short answer: Knowledge of Spanish would not help much while learning Russian.
Long answer: It could be easier for you to learn a second foreign language, but it's impossible to quantify it, as @...
- 998
3
votes
Accepted
Are there standard verbs that are proven to help learning a new language?
I have not heard of standardized lists of verbs in any language, except for word lists that you need to learn for specific language tests (especially HSK for Standard Chinese). The type of resource ...
- 19.7k
3
votes
Accepted
How can I overcome fear and failure when speaking to native speakers of my L2?
I was a bit socially awkward when growing up. (Maybe I still am, but that's a topic for another day.) Anyway, when I was in junior high school, and I finally found a small group of mixed gender ...
- 150
3
votes
How can I overcome fear and failure when speaking to native speakers of my L2?
Memorize some interesting and idiomatic correct sentences (or short, pithy remarks) that can work for a variety of purposes. Use them as often as you can, with great emotion and engagement. The ...
- 562
3
votes
How can I overcome fear and failure when speaking to native speakers of my L2?
I considered myself "good" at language learning before I came to Japan as an adult, aged 34, in 1985. I felt extremely awkward trying to speak, and lacked the sense of adventure and discovery of a ...
- 271
3
votes
Resources aimed at slavic speakers
Czech is member of Western Slavic group, Russian is Eastern, the book you have (I assume Croatian?) is Southern Slavic group. They are quite different. Did you tried to understand some Czech? ...
2
votes
How can I learn all the rules and exceptions about the Vowel Reduction in Russian?
One inexpensive Russian grammar text in which you will find the vowel reduction rules for Russian is the Schaum's Outline Series Russian Grammar. If the book is not in bookstores near you, you will ...
- 416
2
votes
Accepted
Improving my English handwriting in preparation for cursive Cyrillic
I wont't surprise you with the answer, that only practice in handwriting could help you to improve your handwriting. Moreover, you need to explain, what do you need Russian for :) In case you need to ...
- 299
2
votes
How much time will it take a beginner to reach a B2/C1 level Russian language proficiency by self-learning?
The short answer is yes, it is totally possible. I can state that based on my personal experience.
I just passed B2 level exam in Danish with a good average (8,25).
It took me 3 years (42 weeks per ...
2
votes
Grammar book for Russian B2-C1 exam preparation
There are several books that may help you:
John Murray & Sarah Smyth: Intermediate Russian: A Grammar and Workbook. Second edition. Routledge, 2013. ISBN 9780415698245. 276 pages. This book ...
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2
votes
Should I be learning gender too when learning Russian nouns?
Very advisable in my opinion as a native speaker. And it's not very difficult, because gender in Russian is signified with the ending.
This should simplify their inflexion for you, since there're ...
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1
vote
Looking for something like Babbel.com's vocabulary trainer
I don't know how Babbel's vocabulary trainer works, but for vocabulary, a spaced repetition system like Anki works great (free android app). We already have few answers about Anki and spaced ...
1
vote
Are there standard verbs that are proven to help learning a new language?
This is an addition to Chistophe's answer. I have not seen the formal list of such verbs. However, from learning through Pimsleur audio classes I noticed that some verbs and words are usable in a ...
- 998
1
vote
Learning Russian from completely beginner to B2/C1
In addition to Christophe Strobbe's answer: because you can dedicate another 60+ hours per week to your study of Russian, as you disclosed in comments, it should be feasible.
Consider immersing ...
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