How can I learn Russian if there are no tutors in my area?

Russian is an East Slavic language native to the Russians in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Indo-European language family, and is one of four living East Slavic languages, and is also part of the larger Balto-Slavic branch. Russian is an official language in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and is used widely as a lingua franca throughout Ukraine, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and to some extent in the Baltic states. It was the de facto language of the Soviet Union until its dissolution and is used in an official capacity or in public life in all the post-Soviet states. The language is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

Russian has over 258 million total speakers worldwide and is the most-spoken Slavic language, the most spoken native language in Europe, as well as the most geographically widespread language in Eurasia. Large numbers of Russian speakers are residents of other countries, such as Israel and Mongolia. It is the world’s seventh-most spoken language by a number of native speakers, and the world’s eighth-most spoken language by a total number of speakers. Russian is also the second-most widespread language on the Internet, after English

Planning to learn Russian, but worried about getting an experienced Russian tutor in your area? Why worry when you have a laptop, a mobile phone and an internet connection. Though Russian is considered to be a hard language to learn, still, with an available internet connection, it is very much easy to learn Russian from the comfort of your home. In this article, I will discuss various methods by which you can learn Russian even if there are no tutors in your area.

1.Set up a schedule

The time taken to learn the language depends on the efforts you are going to make to boost your level of Russian. You need to start practising to learn every day! There are several useful apps and learning strategies to help you schedule daily lessons and you can find a learning pace that suits you. Start a learning process with hourly lessons and spend 15 minutes a day learning in your schedule, make the most of this time.

2. Use apps for learning

Applications for learning will come in handy when you start learning Russian. If you are a beginner and want to learn basic Russian phrases and vocabulary you can use simple apps such as Multibhashi, Duolingo, Memrise. these allow you to study wherever and whenever you want. These apps are great for a quick way to improve your Russian language skills. But in case if you are studying an app only for 10 minutes a day, you won’t be able to progress quickly.  

3. Use flashcards

This will be perfect for language learners, where it has a card with information on it. If you want to memorize a particular word in Russian, you can use a flashcard word on it. When you flip the card you can see a translation into your native language. Flashcards are important and make them a part of your learning journey. With Using flashcards, you can: label all the items with Russian names in your home to see them every day; learn new words and quiz yourself; You can see that you can remember the words correctly.

4. Chat with native speakers online   

The best way to learn Russian is you have to practice regularly with others. You can choose 1-on-1 video chats to find a language partner who speaks Russian. Using your smartphone or computer, you can talk or write online to native speakers or learners from all around the world. Some of the tools you can use are the HelloTalk exchange app where learners can quickly find and chat with native speakers; the LextTalk chats app designed for language exchange; MyLanguageExchange to improve your speaking both with native speakers and language learners.

5. Listen to podcasts

Podcasts are an excellent way to add your listening practice to your daily routine and with this, you will find out more about Russian culture. 

6. Watch films without subtitles.

This will challenge you to understand the language without the crutch of relying on the translation. You may not understand words all of the time but as time goes on you will learn more and more. This can be a great way to build uncommon vocabulary, as you will get to hear the kind of language that doesn’t come up in everyday conversation.

7. Read extensively.

Read everything you can get your hands on. Try to read at progressively higher levels, so that your vocabulary is being challenged. You can read from any source, but try to read sources that are likely to have good use of grammar and spelling. This will help you to learn the language correctly.

8. Make a Russian friend.

Making a Russian friend will give you the opportunity to practice your Russian, get advice on pronunciation and grammar, learn new words, as well as getting to know the culture. You can chat with them online, make calls over Skype, or you can try to find a local Russian.

I would recommend you to take a class with Multibhashi as I myself have booked a Russian course with Multibhashi and from my experience I can tell you that you will get an awesome learning experience with Multibhashi. Multibhashi covers each and every sector of the Russian language learning course. And at the end of your course, you will also get a certification from Multibhashi. So think no further, nothing can stop you from learning Russian.

Initially, when you start to practice Russian, you will make mistakes. Be bold to make mistakes and learn Russian easily with these methods.

Good Luck!!!