How to learn to speak russian

Learn how to Speak Russian Fast in 5 Simple Steps

So you’ve decided you want to learn how to speak Russian?

“How to speak Russian” – it’s a question I often hear from people who are interested in the Russian language. Since the Russian language is so different from the English language, it requires a different pronunciation. And this is often difficult for a non-native speaker.

So, before we start, let me get one thing clear. Learning Russian is tough. It’s a difficult language and it will take you a couple of years to become fluent in it. However, with that said, you can get to a basic level of fluency (basic conversations – or B1/B2 level) within a short period of time.

Within several months to a year of steady practice, you can get to the point where you’ll have no problem with the basics of Russian. You’ll be able to survive in any Russian-speaking country without any problems.

So that’s it for learning the Russian language. Now on to how to speak Russian.

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Need more structure in your daily Russian practice? Let me help you make daily progress in my 7-day Russian coaching program
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If you prefer to watch a video, you can watch my video below where I explain 9 tips for beginner Russian students:

Speaking Russian VS Learning Russian

Speaking Russian and learning Russian might sound the same to you. After all, when somebody says he’s learning Russian, he usually means he’s learning to speak Russian.

In general this is true. However, a big problem for many people is that they have trouble speaking. They might know all the grammar, are able to read Russian books and to watch Russian movies… but when it comes to speaking, they experience much struggle

But why is that? Allow me to explain:

Most language learners understand a language better than they speak it.

It’s simply easier to understand Russian than to speak it. But many people make the mistake of wanting to understand everything about the language before they actually start speaking.

Read that again. Does it sound familiar?

If yes, you’re not alone. Many people don’t want to make mistakes when speaking and therefore try to learn as much as possible before actually speaking Russian.

I made the same mistake when I was trying to learn Spanish. I was even reading the biography of Steve Jobs in Spanish… but when it came to speaking Spanish, I failed miserably. After finding out that I liked the Russian language more, I decided to take another approach to learn Russian.

I started focusing on how to speak Russian – instead of how to learn Russian. And that small nuance has made all the difference. So if you want to find out what I did differently when I started learning Russian, and how I was able to make rapid progress in speaking Russian – then continue reading for my tips on how to learn Russian.

1. Focus On Speaking First

Many language learners make the mistake when they start to learn Russian diving into the grammar books. You may feel you need to learn the Russian alphabet right away. Even though grammar and the Russian alphabet are an important part of Russian language learning, I recommend beginners put away their textbooks. Why? Because if you want to learn Russian – you have to speak Russian.

By not emphasizing the speaking part at the start of your Russian career, you risk putting it off. It’s simple procrastination. You feel you must learn just a couple more Russian words and phrases, or get just a little better before you actually have your first conversations in Russian.

It sounds good in theory, but in reality, the best way to get good fast is to make as many mistakes as possible.

You can take the ‘Bald and Bankrupt’ approach:

Only by putting yourself out there and speaking Russian will you find out where your weak points are.

Now, you might ask “Is it really necessary to start speaking from the beginning?“. My answer is yes. Because you’ll start to get a feeling for the language when you start speaking. You only really experience learning a language after your start speaking it.

And the good thing is that it doesn’t have to be a full-blown conversation either. It’s easiest if you know a native Russian speaker in your circle of friends, family, or colleagues. If you don’t know any, just go to iTalki or any of the other language learning platforms. Point to objects and say the Russian word for them. Try making sentences. At first, it will be difficult, but as with all difficult things in life – they get easier after a while.

So, now that I’ve made it clear that if you’re learning to speak Russian – you have to speak Russian, let’s move on to what to do after you’ve become comfortable speaking Russian.

2. When You’re Speaking Simple Phrases – Add Grammar and Learn the Russian Alphabet

Only after you’ve gotten comfortable speaking Russian – and making mistakes while speaking, should you start adding grammar to your daily Russian practice. Most people do this the other way around and miss out on a key benefit of speaking first grammar second.

What is that benefit?

Simple, it’s that grammar starts to become fun.

How is that possible? Grammar, fun? It’s a common question, but here’s what you’ll notice when you’re already making conversations and learning how to speak Russian. If you’re at this point, and you learn the basic grammar rules – you’ll be able to actually incorporate the rules in your daily speech.

And by doing this, you’ll make fewer mistakes and speak more fluently. It doesn’t matter that you’re not fluent yet.

When you’re already comfortable speaking, you can practice your grammar right away after learning it. Which gives you a huge advantage. By using something you just learned, you will be able to remember it better. It will get cemented in your brain and you will get real-life experience using specific grammar rules.

That’s how real language learning is done – not by reading and theorizing. But by actually speaking and applying those grammatical rules.

If you’re learning Russian grammar, I recommend you also check out the following pages:

So, get comfortable speaking first, then start learning grammar.

3. Practice Every Day

The next tip on how to speak Russian is an easy one. It says that you simply have to practice every day. I see too many people learning a language, only to practice once every week or two. At that pace, you’ve already forgotten what you’ve learned the last lesson by the time you start the next lesson.

So, for effective language learning (or any skill, for that matter) – you have to practice every single day.

Now, of course, you can take a day off if you really cannot find the time, but it’s also about something else. If you are serious about learning Russian, you have to create a system that allows you to achieve that. One component of this is practicing every day. The other is by having effective resources that allow you to practice every single day.

What do I mean by this?

Well, for example, by having audio lessons on your mobile phone that only last around 10-20 minutes. Everyone has 10 or 20 minutes every day, right? Just take a walk and listen to them – or while commuting to work. You’ll be surprised how much you’ll learn in just 10-20 minutes each day. It might look like little progress, but try it for 3 months and see how much better you’ll speak.

Note: I personally use Russianpod 101 for my daily audio lessons. Click here to check out my review of the program.

4. Find Native Speakers

As you might have noticed before… I mentioned native Russian speakers in my first point. The reason for that is obvious. By practicing your speaking skills with native speakers, they will be able to correct you on everything you say wrong.

And like we discovered… making mistakes is the best way to learn Russian. And there are a lot more benefits to practicing with a native speaker:

But… where do you find native Russian speakers? Here are some of the places where I’ve met Russian people in my hometown:

5. Immerse Yourself In Russian Media

And we’ve arrived at the last tip if you to learn how to speak Russian – Immerse yourself in Russian media. What do I mean by this? It means to:

As you can see the possibilities are endless. Now, why does immersing yourself in Russian media work? It’s because by listening to Russian songs or watching Russian movies, you’re subconsciously training your brain. Your brain will pick up on the right intonation and how to say a specific word for example. And when you get a little better, you will start to recognize Russian words and phrases, just by their context.

Even though focused language learning is more effective (on a per-hour basis), passive learning like this still has a place in your learning regime. The reason for this is because it is more fun. Watching a series of 10 episodes is a great way to learn Russian for almost 10 hours – and it won’t even feel like ‘practice’.

Conclusion – How To speak Russian Fast

So, now that you’ve read the guide on how to learn Russian, let’s do a quick recap of the 5 tips that I gave you:

Speaking Russian FAQ

Below you’ll find an FAQ with answers to common questions:

How do I start speaking Russian?

The easiest way to start speaking Russian is to practice with native speakers. Friends, family, or colleagues are the best options. If you do not know any native speakers, you can find an online tutor or exchange partner.

How can I learn Russian quickly?

The more time you spend learning Russian, the faster you will speak. In the beginning, the things that will help you the most are learning new vocabulary and practicing conversations with native speakers.

How do you speak Russian?

Learn new words so you can speak about a larger amount of topics. Listen to native speakers so you improve your understanding of spoken Russian. Study grammar so your speech sounds more correct. Practice having conversations with native speakers to improve your speaking ability.

P.S. Do you struggle making daily progress on your Russian skills? I’ve got a 7-day coaching program that gives you a step-by-step system to follow to speak Russian well. Get more information about the program here.

About the Author

My name is Ari Helderman and I help people learn Russian through videos and blog posts where I share my experience. I have been learning Russian since 2016. I often get mistaken for a native speaker these days, so I’ve learned a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t if you want to speak Russian well.

Free Russian lessons

Do you want to speak Russian? To learn Russian, you must acquire Russian words and know how to pronounce them correctly. Our free online lessons are tailored to help you learn Russian effectively. In addition, our voice recording feature allows you to listen to your pronunciation, providing instant feedback to help you improve your Russian.

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LingoHut delivers online Russian lessons designed the way you learn best. Activities and games make learning more effective, more personal, and more fun. In addition, our drip-feed approach dramatically increases your ability to retain the Russian language. Thus, preparing you with the Russian you need for a trip or getting a job.

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Why learn Russian?

Russian resource for homeschooling

As homeschooling grows, parents look for good foreign language resources to teach Russian. Your homeschooler deserves the best platform to learn Russian, giving them the tools to communicate and understand Russian. This free homeschool foreign language resource helps build Russian vocabulary and provides a place to practice the proper pronunciation of Russian. Does your child want to learn Russian?

Russian resource for foreign language teachers

It isn’t easy for a foreign language teacher to find good foreign language resources to help students improve their new Albanian language skills. At LingoHut, we focus on building Albanian vocabulary and teaching the proper pronunciation of Albanian. It is an entirely free resource that foreign language teachers can confidently recommend. Students do not need an account to learn on the website. Do you teach Russian? Share this free foreign language resource.

Boost your professional development with Russian language skills

Invest in your future and learn Russian to accelerate your career. With the rapid pace of change, you must continually update your skills and knowledge. Stand out from the crowd with Russian language skills.

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Learn Russian with the «drip-feed» approach

Imagine a dripping faucet, each drop collecting to form a puddle that continues to expand with each drip. Similarly, this approach focuses on understanding Russian in small increments. Think of each Russian word as a drop and each Russian phrase/sentence as a small puddle, which finally becomes the large pool of your new language mastery and success. Bit by bit, step by step, drop by drop, Russian is integrated successfully into your knowledge base!

How to speak Russian

“Babbel is one of the stalwarts of the online language-learning sphere.”

“Babbel exceeds expectations, delivering high-quality, self-paced courses.”

How To Speak Russian

Russian is the most widely-spoken East Slavic language and also the most-spoken Slavic language overall. Although the Russian people are incredibly diverse, belonging to 160 different ethnic groups that speak 100 different languages, almost all of them also speak Russian. Millions of people in Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Ukraine, Latvia, Moldova, Estonia, Georgia and Armenia also speak the language, making Russian the lingua franca of most of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Russian is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to learn the Slavic language with the biggest reach and influence. Read the guide below and then test your skills with a free Russian lesson.

The Russian Alphabet

Although you can start to learn how to say and understand simple words and phrases, you won’t get very far with the language until you learn the Russian alphabet. The alphabet uses cyrillic script, whose origin can be traced to ancient Greek. This is a useful clue since many Russian letters look exactly like their Greek counterparts which you might remember from math class. For example, the Greek ∏ (pi), the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, is exactly the same as the Russian П (pe), which makes a “p” sound. Similarly, the Greek Φ (phi) corresponds to the Russian Ф (ef), which sounds like an English “f”.

Russian Pronunciation and Grammar

English is a Germanic/Romance hybrid (Germanic roots with Norse, French and Latin influence). Russian is an East Slavic language and has very little in common with English. For beginners trying to learn Russian, correctly pronouncing words can be a significant challenge. Russian has vocal sounds that don’t exist in English, like a greater variety of vowels and a subtle gradient of different sh sounds. With the help of Babbel’s speech recognition feature you will be able to practice your accent and help ensure that your Russian is understandable.

Russian grammar may at first seem strange to an English-speaker, but its rules are actually straightforward. Russian had six cases, which means that nouns, adjectives and pronouns can have six different endings. This may sound complicated, but because so much information is conveyed in the nouns, word order is not as strict as it is in English and you have no articles to memorize (compare that to having to memorize whether each German noun is either der, die, or das). Verb conjugation is very different from English, but far less irregular.

Ways to Learn Russian

There are several options available when learning how to speak Russian: hiring a private tutor, enrolling in a language course (in school or online), studying alone with a CD-ROM or audio course, joining an exchange program, or practicing conversational Russian with a native speaker (a so-called tandem partner). All of these strategies can be effective, although some (tutors and CD-ROMS) can be expensive, while classes and exchange programs are also a huge time commitment. The fastest way to pick up Russian – and the biggest commitment by far – is still immersion. Moving to Russia requires you to pick up the language in order to live day-to-day. This survival pressure usually produces fluency within a few months, but not without a lot of stress and hard work. If you do plan to immerse yourself in Russian, it’s a very good idea to prepare beforehand with one of the methods mentioned above. If you don’t have much spare time, an online program like Babbel may be your best bet.

Learn Russian the Babbel Way

Babbel’s Russian course is affordable, accessible online and via mobile devices, and proven to strengthen your reading, listening, speaking and comprehension skills. As a Babbel user, you have access to a diverse program of grammar, conjugation, pronunciation, listening comprehension and writing exercises. Your Babbel.com account saves your progress in the cloud and the integrated Review Manager helps ensure that you don’t forget what you learn. So whether you are too busy for a language class, a complete beginner, needing to brush up before a vacation or business trip, or wanting to re-learn everything you forgot in high school, Babbel can be customized to your needs.

Try your first Russian lesson for free and discover Babbel’s easy and intuitive course system which determines your individual level and accommodates different learning styles. You can learn at your own pace, set your own lesson plans and receive helpful hints whenever you need them. You will also be joining an entire community of learners. Babbel users can easily share questions, experiences and advice via message boards and chat, and the Babbel support team is always only a message away.

How to Speak Russian Like a Native Speaker… or a Spy!

Still reluctant to start learning to speak Russian?

In popular media, Russians have long had a reputation for undercover spying tactics, and fitting in with Americans as one of their own. Just watch the show “The Americans.”

But don’t worry, there’s nothing shady going on in this post!

We’re going to find out how to infiltrate the Russian language by going over some quick, easy and totally legit ways you can start speaking Russian in very little time!

Contents

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

While Russian is not the easiest language to learn, you don’t need to immediately focus on aspects such as reading and writing if what you need most urgently is to simply learn to speak it.

Whatever your goals are, you can utilize these steps in order to quickly gain traction in the language.

1. Imitate the Russian accent

Russian is a fairly recognizable language internationally, and even if you are not yet familiar with any of the vocabulary, the Russian accent is easy to pick up on. The very first step in learning to speak Russian like a native Russian speaker is concentrating on imitating the Russian accent.

To do this, first listen to native Russians speaking by watching Russian films, television shows and YouTube videos. Concentrate not only on what people say, but how they say it. Watch their facial movements and try to imitate them.

Check out this video, “How to Speak with a Russian Accent,” for actionable tips to get you started.

You will likely notice that Russians don’t smile as much as Westerners do—and the reason for that is that they need to keep their tongue on the bottom of their mouth to pronounce most words, versus on top for English, thus making it harder for them to smile. See—now we have dispelled the false belief that Russians are simply angry and unhappy!

Ways to perfect your Russian accent include rolling your R’s (similar to Spanish), making long vowel sounds short (instead of saying “mooove” for the word move, you would pronounce it more like “muv”), switching your W’s to V’s (“ve” versus “we”) and switching your TH’s to Z’s (“ze car” versus “the car”).

Even if you practice the Russian accent while only speaking English at first, you will be able to apply it to the Russian language you learn later on.

2. Learn the Cyrillic alphabet

Even if your goal does not involve learning to read in Russian, you must master the Russian letters to understand how they sound. Russian is a phonetic language, and most sounds correspond to the letters. Learning the letters will go a long way in helping you pronounce Russian words.

Concentrate most heavily on the letters that not only look foreign, but sound foreign. Some of the hardest letters for Russian students to master are Ё, Ж, Й and Щ.

With 33 letters to learn, you should be able to complete this task in anywhere between a day and one week, depending on how committed you are.

Tip: Make flashcards, and quiz yourself at home and on the go to learn faster and more efficiently. Write the Russian letter on one side and a Romanized pronunciation for the letter on the other.

Another tip is to watch a helpful video, such as this one, that writes out and pronounces the letters and gives examples of words that contain the letters. Combining this video with flashcards will give you a chance to learn how to write, read and pronounce Russian letters.

3. Start using online Russian sources

There are lots of quality online resources that will help you with learning to speak in Russian while also learning about the language as a whole.

Duolingo provides a fun, accessible way for beginners to start building up a base of knowledge in a foreign language, and is a great place to pick up some free Russian lessons if you are at the beginner level.

FluentU is a virtual immersion program that uses culturally-relevant Russian videos as language lessons. Each video has interactive subtitles that let you click a word to see its definition, example sentences and a pronunciation guide.

Many online programs, including those above, give you the option to set up daily goals. Take advantage of this feature to stay on top of your learning and stay consistent, as this will help you learn more Russian faster.

4. Learn the most basic words

No matter what learning materials you are using, you will want to make sure you learn the words you really need first. These are the words that will be most helpful for traveling or simply faking it until making it—being able to speak in Russian, that is.

A helpful resource is provided by LearningRussian.net, which shows 100 of the most basic Russian words. The words are written in Russian, have an English translation and a pronunciation guide, and are used in example sentences.

You will need to plan to learn these words in a timeframe that works for you, and master as many as you can. The sooner you learn more of them, the faster you will be able to start speaking fluently! If you have a FluentU Plus plan, you can simply make a customized flashcard set using the most common Russian words you don’t know yet, sit back and let the program teach you!

5. Learn these five conversational phrases, and then keep learning five every week

If you are in a jam and need to fake speaking in Russian in a flash, start by learning the five conversational phrases below. If you have time, commit to learning five phrases per week to continue your journey to fluency.

Here are five of the most helpful phrases you can learn right away:

Здравствуйте (formal greeting); Привет (casual greeting) — Hello

Как Вас зовут? — What is your name?

Как дела? — How are you?

Спасибо — Thank you.

Где находится …? — Where is… located?

Keep learning more complex phrases as you move along in your studies.

6. Utilize conversation exchange sites

Once you have learned the alphabet, basic words and phrases and gotten started taking some online lessons, it is time to truly test your knowledge by interacting with native Russian speakers. But where do you find them? If you don’t have a Russian restaurant or store nearby, you can still connect with Russians through online conversation exchange sites.

Websites such as ConversationExchange.com allow you to find Russian speakers who are willing to help you learn their native tongue; in exchange, you can help them learn yours.

This is a great way to work on your accent and learn modern Russian sayings, idioms and phrases that you may not find in textbooks or online lessons. Interacting with a real live person gives you the opportunity to ask questions, concentrate on a certain area (for example, medical terms, if you want to sell medical supplies to a Russian business owner) and learn at your own pace.

Plus, you can feel good about doing something good for someone else, and possibly learn more about your own native language(s) as you try to teach the intricacies to someone else.

Whether you need to sound like a true Russian speaker within a few days or have months at your disposal, these six steps can be utilized in any timeframe that works for you.

You can rush through them to have a basic understanding of speaking the Russian language, and then take your time truly mastering it!

Renata Ilitsky is a professional content writer with over 10 years of experience. She specializes in creating unique and engaging content for any industry. To read some of Renata’s other work, please view her writing portfolio.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Learn to speak Russian. Focus on the main

Nowadays an average person in Europe speaks 3 and more foreign languages besides the mother tongue. If you plan to expand your list of spoken languages even wider, it is a good idea to include Russian into that list. Right now the Russian language is the third most spoken foreign language in Europe.

But the time and effort are too valuable to spend months or even years learning grammar rules by rote. Invest them reasonably in order to learn to speak Russian. Here’s some advice on doing that wisely.

Start speaking Russian from the 1st Day

A traditional lesson contains a huge amount of grammar, exercises, reading comprehension and very little speaking practice. This can lead to understanding, but not speaking Russian.

If you want to learn how to speak Russian, you need to find a Russian language course with a focus on communication skills. An experienced teacher can get you immersed into the speaking situation where you’ll have to answer in Russian.

Start simple

Analyzing Anna Karenina’s life in Russian could be great, but you’ll have to start with simple short dialogues with general questions, requiring yes/no answers. Lesson by lesson, these dialogues will become longer and more complicated. You will learn to complement your sentences with direct and indirect objects, means of action etc. You’ll gradually be able to construct complicated sentences with tricky syntax. From simple to complex – this is true not only for the organic chemistry, but about mastering the Russian language as well.

Thanks to these conversations with a native speaker you will refine your communication skills. Quite soon you will be able to participate in Russian language discussions confidently.

Speak Russian whenever you can

Aim to speak Russian daily. Even a 5-10 minutes practice will contribute to your progress. Try to find Russian speaking pen-friends. If you don’t have anyone to talk to in Russian right now, record yourself or simply speak in front of the mirror. This will surely improve your communication skills and expand your vocabulary. Retelling the information you’ve read is also very effective. Try to use the vocabulary of the text and you will notice the quick progress in speaking. You can also try our 12-month Russian practice program that provides daily conversations with Russian native speakers.

Write to help yourself put everything in order

Writing is just like speaking, only speaking on paper, and thus more structured. Start writing in Russian – write messages to your Russian-speaking friends, post in the forums and online discussions, write essays and even memos. Try retelling the text you’ve recently read in writing, write down your thoughts, ideas, advice – consider keeping a Russian language diary. Writing helps in developing communication skills a lot and besides, you have more time to consider grammar when your write.

Your Russian-speaking pen-friends’ responds to your messages will expand your vocabulary with most common words and expressions. You will be able to analyze the Russian equivalents and it will be a really valuable experience for you.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

A quiet sea never made a skilled sailor. Don’t be scared of mistakes – treat them as motivators to become better. Russian is one of the most complicated languages for learning, as it has its grammatical cases system and specific range of motion verbs. But if you aspire to master the language you will join millions of those who have already overcome this challenge and communicate easily with Russian-speaking friends, colleagues and business partners.

Listen to the spoken language

When you listen to the spoken language of the native speakers you don’t only get used to the pace, the accent, and the intonation but you also can enrich your vocabulary with a lot of useful words and expressions. Pick up the real life expressions that are used by the native speakers.

Measure your progress

Do you remember what you could express in Russian 3 months ago? Can you compare it to what you can explain now? We are sure, that if you compare these two indicators you’ll be able to notice a significant progress. Make sure to reward yourself and continue your way into refining the ability to speak Russian.

Use efficient methods

Our online school has a focus on teaching students to speak Russian. We introduce words and phrases in a specific context and practice them in the situation dialogue, which makes you feel more confident in speaking Russian. Of course, you will need grammar skills as well, but we introduce it within the vocabulary practice. Try conversational lessons with us and you will be completely satisfied with the results.