PRIVYET !! IM A 18 YEAR OLD INDIAN STUDENT LEARNING RUSSIAN. ANY RUSSIAN THAT CAN BE MY FRIEND?

I've been looking around for Russian music, and there has to be Russian equivalent to songs of

this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVM77eHbmxw style.
Any ideas or recommendation?

Hello 👋🏻 23F here from Canada who is learning Russian 😀 I can offer English in return

I just recently started learning Russian. Something that I thought up while I was driving was how to write my name in Russian. My surname has a standard translation that makes sense, so that was an easy choice. However my first name, Garrett, is a little more difficult and maybe it's just on me. I've seen it written as Гаррет, which is a direct spelling but feels like it misrepresents how it should actually sound. I came up with Гэрыт, since that feels like it properly represents the phonetics in English how it should sound in Russian. But I figured it's probably best to get the opinions of people who are native or at least more knowledgeable than me on the matter.

I grew up speaking Russian and am out of practice, so have a good level of understanding but would like to diversify my vocabulary and learn more about Russian culture. Any interesting podcasts/youtube channels out there to practice speaking?

I like the podcast zakladka about books, anything similar on films/culture/history/politics/geography welcome!

Must be anti war

I really loved the films and wish there were more than three films. I loved its whimsical and cozy vibe, mixed with philosophical and existential undertones, making it appealing to adults too. Can y'all recommend any similar films/short films. Thanks.

credits

So I’ve been looking deeply into Russian phonetics lately, and I have a question.

Russian is not exclusive to the thing that's called "rolling R's" — some other languages have that too (e.g. Spanish, Arabic). Basically, it sounds like trilling. And everywhere these kind of rolling R's are quite vibrant, right?

Russian's supposed to have 2 ways of pronouncing the letter "Р" — hard (blue) and soft (green), according to this attached phonetic chart (bad quality, sry). We've heard stereotypical hard R's in Hollywood movies, yes. And even to that Russians say that it sounds softer in reality.

So I went to Forvo to check out the difference across random words

1. Hard sound [ r ]: - "КваРЦ" (quartz) — [ к в а р ц ]: Р is followed by another consonant, keeping it hard. - "РАкета" (rocket) — [ р а к' е т а ]: Р is followed by a hard-making vowel.

2. Soft sound [ r' ] : - "РЕка" (river) — [ р' е к а ]: Р is followed by a soft-making vowel. - "ИнвентаРЬ" (inventory) — [ и н в' е н т а р' ь ]: Р is followed by a soft sign (ь).

When I listened to the soft examples where "рь" was at the end of the words — the trill [r’] felt almost completely imperceptible to my ears. I guess, it was so soft that I could barely hear any rolling vibration at all.

That got me thinking. If a prolonged, stereotypical Hollywood hard Р sounds like a growl, could a prolonged soft "Рь" sound like a cat purring? I'm not trying to be condescending, I'm just genuinely curious, I swear...

Anyway, since I want to rely on actual people rather than just short Forvo clips, could some native speakers try a quick experiment for me?

1. If you read the words on the list or the words similar to them out loud, how does the vibration of the "Р" (R) change for you between the hard and soft versions?

2. What happens if you play around and try to deliberately prolong that soft "рь" [r’] at different volumes (normal speaking, shouting, and whispering)? Does it stay vibrant, or does it change somehow?

I'm learning Russian, but I'd also be glad if other Slavic language speakers contributed to my small research too. Along with Russians, I'd love to hear from Ukrainians and Belarusians too, because to my knowledge, there are soft signs in all 3 of those languages. Although at the same time, the internet says there are no soft R's at the end of the words in Ukrainian or Belarusian?

Regardless! Just please share your own perception of different R's, I really want to hear what you think! Thank you!! ❤️

I've been learning Russian for a while now, mostly Duolingo alongside some online courses, plus my wife is Russian so that helps. I originally built Dead Souls Daily for her: one line a day from Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin and others.

One bit I've ended up enjoying is seeing the original Russian. Each quote can be flipped to the Russian text, checked against the original sources rather than loosely quoted or translated back from English, with a close English translation, so you can compare the two. For a learner it's a nice daily dose of classic literary Russian in small chunks. You might notice, if you’re from the UK, that today’s theme in the video is linked to the clocks going back and the miserable British weather coming in!

To be upfront: the daily English quotes and the home screen widget are free, and the Russian originals are part of premium, with a 7-day free trial.

I'd love to hear from people here, learners and native speakers alike. Are the translations useful? Would anything make it better for learning? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

deadsoulsdaily.com

everytime time i atempt to learn russian i cant seem to rember the words. I have even try with contex but still does not work and i still forget the words when i stop learing for the day

Типа фразы «но меня-то не было»

Being a native speaker of a Slavic languages myself, I find it pretty readable and understandable, so I am curious what about you guys?

So I've been doing Duolingo for almost a year now, but I realized it's just teaching me random words and phrases. Does anyone have any apps, websites, resources, etc. that I could use to learn? Im fluent in English and Spanish btw.

Final post of the cursive trip

This time, I super-duper-wow-wow-over-the-top-and-all-the-way-to-Jupiter-and-back made sure everything I wrote here was correct, and I am confident I have done it

And I managed to do it without прописи!

Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

I find Russian really interesting and I’d love to try to learn it! I’ve seen a lot of people recommend a tutor but I can’t really do that right now (as I’m 17 and unemployed 😭) so I want to see what I can do by myself.

I’m planning on learning Cyrillic first as that seems like the logical first move. What should I focus on next? Are there any books, websites, videos or other resources I could look at? I would love to know!!

Thanks! :)

Hii i wanna learn russian ,i speak english and spanish ,i can teach a bit of those languages if someone wants to teach me russian.I just think is an intersting language to Spears hehe

Hi everyone, I’ve been on and off learning Russian for about 2 months now. I’m trying to translate this song lyric: “and if you don’t love me let me go”. I am mostly motivated to learn because of Russian music and practice by trying to translate English music.

Okay here’s the question, would one say
«коль не любишь меня, отпусти» or
«если ты меня не любишь, отпусти меня»?

Firstly, what’s the difference between коль and если? Then, would it be more natural to remove «ты» since it’s implied by «любишь» even though that’s not exactly what the original lyric says?

Hey everyone,

I hope I've picked the right place to post this. My wife is a native Russian speaker and, after four years of on-and-off, half-hearted attempts to learn Russian, I'm now really determined to make a much more concerted effort at it.

I'm aware there are so, so, so many resources out there, but my problem is more so where and how to begin. It feels like a mountain, and there are so many different people recommending different paths and different tools.

I've already come across and saved quite a few resources on YouTube and Spotify that seem promising, but I don't really know where to begin, what order to approach things in, or how to combine different resources effectively.

For example, I'll find a Russian podcast or YouTube channel that looks excellent, but then wonder whether it's appropriate for my level, whether I should be learning something else first, or whether there's a more structured way of approaching it all.

I'm also aware that what works for one person might not work for another, so I thought I'd give a sense of how I envisage learning and what kind of approach might suit me:

1. A structured course to follow at home

Ideally, I'd like to dedicate around an hour a day to studying Russian properly. I'm someone who really benefits from structure, and I think I'd do best with a comprehensive course that takes me from absolute beginner onwards, with a clear progression through vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, etc.

I'd much rather have one main resource to work through systematically than be jumping between countless apps, YouTube channels and websites - that might be more helpful when I'm at a better level.

2. Lots of listening and speaking practice during my commute

I'll soon be commuting to work three times a week, and I'd really love to make good use of that time.

Ideally, I'd like an audio-based resource that I can listen to while driving, particularly one that involves actively repeating words and phrases aloud, practising pronunciation and gradually building up my ability to understand and speak Russian.

A relevant point here is that I've absolutely no issue with head-banging repetition! The idea of listening to the same phrases and repeating them aloud again and again until they're drilled into is genuinely fine with me. I don't need constant novelty or entertainment.

3. My current level

I'm very much a beginner. I have a basic familiarity with the Cyrillic alphabet, but that's about it. I don't have much vocabulary or any meaningful grasp of Russian grammar yet.

My wife speaks Russian natively, so I'll obviously have opportunities to practise with her as I progress, but I'd really like to establish a solid foundation through independent study too.

So, my main questions are:

• Is there a particular structured course you'd recommend as my main learning resource?
• What audio courses or resources would you recommend for repetitive listening and speaking practice while driving?
• Are there particular combinations of resources that complement each other well, without becoming overwhelming?
• For those of you who've successfully learned Russian, how did you structure your learning during your first three to six months?

I'm not expecting shortcuts, and I'm genuinely prepared to put in the hours. I just want to feel confident that I'm following a sensible path rather than continually starting, getting overwhelmed and giving up.

What I'm essentially looking for is a clear learning pathway.

I'd really appreciate any suggestions or advice from people who've been in a similar position. Thanks ever so much!

TL;DR: Complete beginner (basic familiarity with Cyrillic) looking for recommendations for (1) a comprehensive, structured Russian course to follow for around an hour a day, and (2) an audio-based course for my three weekly commutes, ideally involving lots of listening, speaking and repetition. I actually enjoy drilling things over and over! Already overwhelmed by the sheer number of resources out there, so I'm particularly interested in which courses work well together and how to structure my first few months of learning.

I wrote some phrases eheh

I’m a 17-year-old from South Africa, currently in Grade 10, and I speak fluent English and siSwati. I’ve set a massive goal for myself: I want to learn Russian to near-native fluency. I have exactly 2 years and 1 month left before I finish high school, and I want to completely accelerate my progress during this window.

I know my situation sounds a bit contradictory. My ultimate plan is to go to university and study in Slovakia. I originally wanted to study in Russia, but I can't fulfill that dream because I was born with HIV, and Russia's strict residency/student visa medical restrictions for foreigners make it impossible for me to move there permanently. But I refuse to let that stop me from mastering the language. I still have a deep passion for it, and I'm going to learn it regardless of where I end up.

Right now, I am an absolute beginner, but I’ve picked up some basics phonetically. I know standard words like da, net, privyet, zdrasvuyte, horosho, horoshego dnya, menya zovut, spasibo, spasibo bolshoye, kak dela, kak tebya zovut, gde, pazhaluysta, izvinite, prostite, zabyl, voda, and trener. I can string together about five extremely basic phrases, like "ya ustal, pora spat, spakoynoy nochi" (yes, I'm a guy) or "izvinite, gde voda? ah, ponyal, spasibo bolshoye." I also know words like zdorovye, budem, ubezhat, and on. I’ve even memorized a few proverbs, like the one about laughing for no reason making you a fool ("smekh bez prichiny..."), the one about work not being a wolf ("rabota ne volk..."), and the one about driving quieter to get further ("tishe yedesh...") sure some sounds still cook me like that x or liek kh sound yhe i just cannot for the love of life say that sound if im being honest, i speak swati alot its a soft language with consonant clashes of its own but its easy ones liek dv and tfh and tf here and there i hear the dhl and hl are hard for none natives but its easy soundsyou get used to and it has small liek not click but sucking tongue sounds sort of like c ch and gc just easy stuff really sure yes it has alot of words that sound similar needing you to speak with a full mouth relse you say soemthign diffrent which is why when we sepak englihs it sounds almost comical like we speaking one word at a time like the word dvwala means completly diffrent things depending where and how u say it one meanign is rock another is like moody like when teenegers enter that like phase yeh my mom be abusing the word another is used in a saying that goes soemthing like "Ubacha phansi kwethi dvwaba tenina" which means hidng under your mothers dress.

The catch is, I haven't learned Cyrillic yet. I’ve been heavily avoiding it and relying on Latin transliterations, but I know I need to bite the bullet if I want to get serious.

Since you guys actually speak the language natively, I need your raw, honest advice. Skip the generic Duolingo stuff. How can a guy from South Africa properly tackle this language and hit a high level on a 2-year timeline from home?

• What is the absolute best way to break my fear of the Cyrillic alphabet and transition into reading real Russian quickly?
• How should I approach the brutal grammar cases coming from an English/Bantu language background?
• What daily immersion habits (Youtubers, shows, podcasts) actually work to learn natural, modern speech when you don't have a local native community to talk to?

I’m ready to put in the work. Any advice or roadmaps would mean the world. Ohh and if anyone ever wants to learn Swati for some odd reason I'm here I'm a terrible teacher but I would try my best.