Start Here: Your Free Russian Beginner Plan
Think of your first month as foundations: alphabet, sounds, survival phrases, and super basic grammar. That gives beginners momentum and confidence before diving into anything advanced or expensive.
Set a small schedule you can keep. Ten to twenty minutes daily beats a long session once a week. Track progress in a notebook or a printable pdf checklist so you can see wins. Treat this as a complete mini course for your first 30 days.
- Week 1: Cyrillic and key sounds
- Week 2: Core phrases and greetings
- Week 3: Numbers, cases basics, verbs
- Week 4: Reading practice and review
Master the Cyrillic Alphabet and Sounds
Cyrillic looks new, but many letters map cleanly to English sounds. Learn the printed and cursive forms, but read printed first. Focus on stress: in Russian, stress changes vowel quality and meaning.
Study letter groups, not just A to Ya. Pay attention to soft and hard signs, voiced versus voiceless consonants, and the common o vs a sound change in unstressed syllables.
- Use an alphabet chart pdf
- Say and write each letter
- Shadow slow audio for rhythm
- Underline stressed syllables always
Core Phrases and Grammar You’ll Actually Use
Start with phrases you can use daily. Pair each phrase with a tiny grammar note, so you learn patterns, not just words. Keep a pocket list on your phone or a one page pdf to review offline.
Learn the idea of gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and the six cases by name only at first. Notice endings, but do not memorize long tables yet. Patterns will click with repetition.
- Privet! — Hi
- Kak delá? — How are you?
- Menya zovut… — My name is…
- Skol’ko eto stoit? — Price?
- Gde tualet? — Where is the bathroom?
Best Free Online Resources (+ PDFs)
You can build a strong start using free tools. Combine one structured path with immersive input and reference pdfs. Avoid app hopping every day; pick a core and stick with it for four weeks.
- FSI Russian course (public domain): drills, pdf and audio
- Open textbook PDFs: alphabet charts, verb tables, phrases
- YouTube channels for beginner Russian listening practice
- Memrise or similar for spaced repetition vocabulary
- Tatoeba and Wiktionary for example sentences and stress
Build a 20‑Minute Daily Routine
Short, consistent sessions help beginners learn faster than occasional marathons. Keep a simple loop: review, input, output. Track new words, one grammar pattern, and one listening segment each day. When in doubt, repeat yesterday’s set until it feels easy.
- 2 min: review yesterday’s words
- 6 min: read aloud Cyrillic lines
- 8 min: shadow slow beginner audio
- 4 min: write two new sentences
FAQ
- How long does it take to reach A1 or A2 in Russian?
- With a focused plan, many learners reach A1 in 6–8 weeks at 20 minutes daily. A2 often takes 3–4 months with consistent study plus regular listening and speaking practice.
- Should I learn the alphabet first or start with phrases?
- Do both in parallel. Spend the first week on Cyrillic basics while learning a small set of core phrases. Reading early accelerates vocabulary growth and sound accuracy.
- Are free PDFs enough, or do I need a complete course?
- PDFs are great for reference and drills, but pair them with audio and speaking. A complete course helps structure your path, yet you can build one free using curated resources.
- How can I practice speaking online for free?
- Shadow YouTube audio daily, record yourself, and use language exchange communities to trade short calls. Even five minutes of real conversation weekly boosts confidence and recall.
- What is the difference between beginner and complete beginner?
- A complete beginner knows zero Cyrillic and no phrases. A beginner may read slowly, greet people, and understand a few patterns. This guide elevates both toward A1–A2.