speakin russian

[steph_traveler13]

what's the best way to go about learning the russian language? i just need a basic understanding for when i visit. if anyone would could help i'd greatly appriciate it

[Andrey_Z]

Originally posted by steph_traveler13
what's the best way to go about learning the russian language? i just need a basic understanding for when i visit. if anyone would could help i'd greatly appriciate it

Russian is considered to be a very difficult language to learn. So I think the best way to start learning it is learning by heart common phrases like "How do I get...", "What is your name.." and so on. And listen to Russian speech as much as you can. It really helps. If you are not screwed up with it, you can try to immerse deep into Russian grammar then. Anyway, learning the language takes much time and energy from you. Do you have it enough?

[Voyager13b]

Andrey has a point, as there are aspects of Russian that can be tough for a native English speaker, but there are workarounds that can get you into a conversation rather quickly. The relationships of various word endings, and root words will follow in time, if you take the advice Andrey offered, and listen to Russian speech on the net, even if it takes 5 minutes of speech to recognize one word at first. Music is also another good drill for picking out words and ideas.

Try the cheap Pimsleur conversation course (four audio CD's) to learn the basics of Russian. Combine that with one of the many free internet tutorials on the Russian alphabet, and you will be well on your way. There are other audio courses that are at least as effective, so if the Pimsleur course isn't available at your local Borders or Barnes and Noble store, pick one that fits your budget.

I have purchased most avaialable courses over the years to get a first hand understanding of how they work, and I can't think of any that are "losers". My biggest complaint of some courses over the years has been poor audio quality, which would require that you read along in Russian in order to correctly speak a phrase, even though the course did not include any text based material.

That has changed in recent years, as the CD's offered today have much better audio quality than the last generation of tapes. Even then, it is important to learn the alphabet, and to be able to read signs, and pick through text for words that you understand.

If you have an iPod or a Creative Jukebox, you can rip the course to MP3 files, and listen to them anytime you are in the mood. That is the real key to learning Russian. Immerse yourself in the language as best you can, and every chance you have. After a Month or so of banging your head against a wall, it will start to come together for you.

Enjoy the adventure!


Voyager

[Andrey_Z]

Sorry for off-topic, I just wanted to say that I haven't been here for quite a long time, and I'm glad to see you again keeping posting here
And one more thing I want to tell you - I have found a couple of friends from North Carolina, and I enjoyed speaking to them on the phone, discussing differences between our countrees and some other stuff. I must admit, they have made a strong impression on me. I had almost no experience with speaking to people from your country before, but those people just made my day, I still feel happy about having that conversation. You live in a beautiful country

[6OPUC]

I'm bored with America I live in Virginia, which is very similar to North Carolina - the only difference is that there are fewer insects to bother us.

I studied Russian in high school, and I found that learning the alphabet early on helped me learn a bit faster as well. You'll find that unlike English, every letter in a word is pronounced exactly like it's spelled.

Take Andrei's signature, for example. His name is spelled ah, en, de, er, eh, ii kratkaya (pronounced "ee"), and every letter in the name is pronounced exactly the way it's spelled.

And learning phrases like Andrei suggested is one of the best ways to start. I had a hard time with the grammar rules myself, but I've met some friends recently that are Russian, and they've been helping me brush up on the language.

Russian music is fun too, once you begin to pick things up.

[Balamut]

I had a hard time with the grammar rules myself,
I bet you had even for russians themselfs it's a suicide. Some don't know proper grammar even after graduating.


Russian music is fun too, once you begin to pick things up.
Heh, especially Leningrad.

[Voyager13b]

Originally posted by Andrey_Z
Sorry for off-topic, I just wanted to say that I haven't been here for quite a long time, and I'm glad to see you again keeping posting here
And one more thing I want to tell you - I have found a couple of friends from North Carolina, and I enjoyed speaking to them on the phone, discussing differences between our countrees and some other stuff. I must admit, they have made a strong impression on me. I had almost no experience with speaking to people from your country before, but those people just made my day, I still feel happy about having that conversation. You live in a beautiful country

Andrey,

I'm glad you found friends in North Carolina. It's a beautiful state with a variety of geography to enyoy. Far from being boorish, the average American would be thrilled to have a firsthand conversation with someone from Russia, and be eager to learn about the country from a real person, rather than evening news reports. I'd bet that they treated you like an honored and welcome friend, just as has been my experience meeting people in Russia.


Voyager