How to LEARN Russian with ‘Gateway to Russia’
Want to learn Russian, without falling asleep over textbooks? Well, we can help! We have plenty of video lessons and language hacks from an American who has been living in Russia for 20 years. We also regularly publish and post engaging articles for advanced learners, plus we offer an absolutely FREE online course for beginners!
Get know the alphabet
The Russian alphabet has 33 letters. For each letter, just like in a children's ABC book, we've chosen a word that begins with that letter.
We also offer you several themed alphabets to help you memorize not only the letters, but also: Russian dishes, cities and geographical names, famous Russian personalities, as well as animals.
Also, you can also learn some interesting facts about each of the 33 letters here.
Pronounce words out loud
It's often difficult to learn letter combinations or master how to pronounce the Russian ‘Ы’. We thought it would be easier if you could visualize what's being talked about and, at the same time, repeat the pronunciation of words after our announcer.
Our designers regularly create new cartoons for you with word lists on specific topics.
Review Russian words you already know
It turns out there are many words that have passed from Russian into other languages around the world. These aren't just ‘vodka’/‘balalaika’/‘matryoshka’, but, sometimes, the most unexpected things and phenomena. So, you might not even realize that you already know many Russian words!
You can discover and get to know them better here.
Find out the meaning of famous idioms
Russians really love a ‘krasnoe slovtso’ (a witty saying) – that is, expressing themselves beautifully, using metaphors and euphemisms. That's why the Russian language has so many phraseological units and expressions that seem meaningless when translated literally.
But, we explain in detail what they mean.
Discover experience of foreign students
Currently, about 400,000 foreign students are studying in Russia. And they are all learning Russian. We've interviewed dozens of foreigners about what's most difficult in Russian, what their favorite words are and asked them to share tips and funny stories.
You can watch our video interviews and find out more about other students' experiences here.
Watch video tips from the ‘Most Russian American’
How do you say ‘thank you’ or ‘goodbye’ in Russian so that it sounds natural? What's the difference between ‘ты’ (informal you) and ‘вы’ (formal you)? What do Russians actually say during a toast instead of ‘na zdorovye’?
Tim Kirby has been living in Russia for 20 years and learning Russian and shares his observations in his video blog ‘Russian with Tim’.
Learn grammar & modern slang with our teacher Tanya
Tanya won't let you get bored! In her humorous videos and posts, she explains grammar rules, new words, the language of the internet and also introduces you to the many peculiarities of Russian culture!
Sing Russian songs with us
You probably already know the tune of many Russian songs. But, what are the lyrics about? We've decided to let you listen to the most famous songs and provide their translations, so that you can dive deeper into Russian culture – and sing along with them!
You can join our impromptu karaoke here.
Talk with people who also learn Russian
If you want to chat live with other students who are learning Russian, ask for advice or share your struggles, simply join our Telegram chat ‘Learn Russian’!
Take our FREE online Russian language course for beginners
And especially for our loyal readers, we've launched an absolutely FREE Russian language course. Yes, you read that right! It’s completely free with no strings attached and you can take it at any time convenient for you. After completing 21 units (!), you will confidently know Russian at the A1 level and will be able to understand speech, read and write!
So, sign up now and learn Russian with us!
P.S. Level A2 is on the way, stay tuned!
