Start Here: Alphabet, Sounds, and Setup
Your first win in Russian is the Cyrillic alphabet. It looks different, but most letters map cleanly to sounds. Learn letter names, then practice reading slow, phonetic words. Focus on stress marks and hard vs. soft consonants; they change meaning.
Set up your environment early. Add a Russian keyboard on your phone and laptop, choose a simple beginner course to anchor you, and decide on a daily time slot. Consistency beats intensity for beginners.
- Master 33 Cyrillic letters with audio support.
- Read aloud daily to link letters to sounds.
- Use slow audio and shadow the speaker.
- Track new words in a spaced-repetition app.
- Keep sessions short: 20–30 minutes, twice daily.
Essential Beginner Phrases and Pronunciation
Memorize a core mini-phrasebook you can actually use. Pair each phrase with audio, and record yourself to match rhythm and stress. This builds confidence and prepares you for simple conversations.
Aim for utility: greetings, introductions, numbers, days, and common requests. Keep a tiny deck of 30–50 items to review daily until they are automatic.
- Privet / Zdravstvuyte – hi / hello (informal / formal)
- Kak vas zovut? – what is your name?
- Menya zovut... – my name is...
- Skolko eto stoit? – how much is this?
- Gde tualet? – where is the bathroom?
- Ya ne ponimayu – I don’t understand
Grammar Basics for Beginners (Made Simple)
Start with subjects, gender (m/f/n), present-tense verbs, and plural forms. Cases exist, but you can ease in: learn set phrases first, then notice patterns. Build short, correct sentences rather than memorizing charts.
When you’re ready, introduce the nominative, accusative, and prepositional cases via chunks: in Moscow, to the cafe, I see a book. This chunk-first approach lets grammar grow naturally.
- Word order is flexible; default SVO works for beginners.
- Learn verb pairs slowly; start with common present-tense forms.
- Gender affects adjectives: novyy/moya/moyo (new).
- Cases answer questions: who/what, to where, in/on.
- Collect high-frequency sentence frames you can reuse.
A Complete 4-Week Study Plan (Free, PDF-Ready)
Use this simple plan to stay on track. Copy it into a note and export as a PDF for quick review. Keep daily sessions short and focused, and repeat tough items rather than rushing ahead.
Each day: 10 minutes reading aloud, 10 minutes vocab review, 10 minutes listening and shadowing. On weekends, do a light recap and a short speaking sprint.
- Week 1: Cyrillic, greetings, numbers 1–20, present tense of to be (implied), survival phrases.
- Week 2: Days, times, shopping phrases, plurals, accusative in set phrases (I want, I see).
- Week 3: Directions, transport, food, prepositional in set phrases (in the city, at home).
- Week 4: Routine verbs, preferences, mini-dialogues; record a 60–90 second self-intro.
Best Free Online Resources and Courses
Mix one structured course with a few targeted tools. Keep your stack lean, and use active recall. Most platforms have generous free tiers for beginners.
- Duolingo or Memrise: fun daily drills for vocab and scripts.
- YouTube channels: native pronunciation and slow dialogues.
- Anki shared decks: spaced repetition for core words.
- Forvo: native audio for any word you look up.
- Tatoeba: example sentences with translations.
- RussianPod101 free playlist: bite-size lessons and dialogs.
- Wiktionary: stress marks, IPA, and basic grammar notes.
- Open Culture/OER: free university-style Russian course materials.
FAQ
- How long does it take a beginner to reach A1–A2 in Russian?
- With a focused plan, many learners reach A1 in 6–8 weeks and A2 in 3–6 months. Aim for 30–45 minutes daily, split into two short sessions. Keep it practical: read aloud, review spaced-repetition cards, and shadow simple dialogues.
- Is Cyrillic hard for beginners to learn?
- It’s easier than it looks. Most letters map consistently to sounds. Spend 3–5 days on recognition and reading aloud. Pair each letter with audio, practice slow words, and you’ll read beginner texts surprisingly quickly.
- What is the best free online course to start Russian?
- Choose one structured path you enjoy and stick with it: Duolingo or Memrise for daily habit, a YouTube beginner playlist for pronunciation and dialogues, plus Anki for vocab review. Consistency and active use matter more than the brand.
- Can I learn Russian from a PDF only?
- PDF notes help, but audio is essential for a phonetic language like Russian. Use a PDF checklist or grammar summary alongside native audio, slow dialogues, and shadowing. Export your 4-week plan to PDF, but train your ears every day.
- How can I practice speaking if I’m learning online for free?
- Shadow dialogues daily, record yourself, and do one-minute monologues on simple topics. Use language exchange apps’ free tiers for short chats. Even describing your day aloud builds fluency and prepares you for real conversations.