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Russian
BetaРусский
A Slavic language with a new alphabet, rich grammar, and surprisingly regular spelling.
Language family
Slavic, Indo-European
Writing system
Cyrillic alphabet
Main challenge
Cases, verb aspect, verbs of motion
Good first step
Learn Cyrillic and basic sentence patterns
A powerful language that becomes much less scary once the alphabet is familiar.
Russian is often seen as difficult because it uses Cyrillic and has a case system. But the first wall is not as high as it looks: the alphabet can be learned quickly, and many Russian words are pronounced close to the way they are written.
The best way to learn Russian is not to attack everything at once. Start with the alphabet, basic sounds, and simple sentence patterns. Then introduce cases slowly, one function at a time.
Russian rewards patience. At the beginning, the forms can feel heavy. Later, the system becomes powerful because word endings carry a lot of meaning.
What feels easy, what feels hard
Each point links to the section where the idea is explained in more detail.
Easier than expected
Cyrillic is easier than it looks
Many letters are familiar, and the unfamiliar ones can be learned in small groups.
Spelling is quite regular
Once you know the letters and sound rules, Russian is usually more predictable than English.
Word order is flexible
Russian does not depend on strict word order as much as English does.
Explore this language
Writing
Open the writing guide for Russian.
Vocabulary
Open the vocabulary guide for Russian.
Sentences
Open the sentences guide for Russian.
Pronunciation
Open the pronunciation guide for Russian.
Grammar
Open the grammar guide for Russian.
Learning Path
Open the learning path guide for Russian.
Tools
Open the specialist training engines for Russian.