What are some great books to learn Russian?

 Russian is the largest native language in Europe and the most geographically widespread language in Eurasia.  It is an East Slavic language native to the Russians in Eastern Europe and an official language in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and is used widely throughout the Caucasus, Central Asia, and to some extent in the Baltic states. Russian was the de facto language of the Soviet Union until its dissolution on 26 December 1991. Russian is used in an official capacity or in public life in all the post-Soviet nation-states. Large numbers of Russian speakers are residents of other countries like Israel and Mongolia. It is the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, with over 258 million total speakers worldwide. Russian is the seventh-most spoken language in the world by a number of native speakers and the eighth-most spoken language in the world by a total number of speakers. The language is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Russian is also the second-most widespread language on the Internet, after English.

“The Berlitz Self-Teacher: Russian” Self-Teacher

Russian (English and Russian Edition) This first book was written in 1951 and iys still in use despite modern textbooks providing learners with audio, colour photographs, accompanying digital goodies. The “Self-Teacher ” empowers learners to start off forming sentences relevant to them immediately. It uses an interlinear text system, similar to that used by some dual-language readers and programs. You’ll find Cyrillic on top, a pronunciation key in the middle and an English translation underneath. Agreed, you won’t be speaking perfect, native Russian. But it’ll get you speaking and using the language to interact with the world around you. Plus, you can easily slip the book into a piece of carry-on luggage, no headphones required. Of course, you’ll still ideally want to supplement the “Self-Teacher” with audio and more modern relevant to today’s learning materials.

Russian Step by Step Beginner Level 1: with Audio Direct Download

Natasha Alexandrova’s “Russian Step by Step,” is a modern book that’s somewhat similar to the “Self-Teacher.” It’ll help you avoid the dated Soviet-era references and will give you downloadable native audio to boot. It’s pricier, though, so you’ll have to weigh the pros and cons and decide what’s right for you.

“Complete Russian Beginner to Intermediate Course” 

This book from the Teach Yourself series, is meant for serious learners who wish to take up their courses seriously. It can be used by solo learners or alongside another course but no matter how you use it, it works to build your core knowledge and skills. The book is organized into chapters, or “units,” that include cultural information, dialogues and various exercises. It comes with audio and is designed to teach all the main language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking). It takes a more straightforward, traditional approach and tends to work great for learners who learn best through classroom learning and are self-motivated.“Complete Russian Beginner to Intermediate Course” offers redundant CDs even as on date and publishers offer a direct MP3 download option, only sometimes. “Complete Russian” is meant to take you up to the intermediate levels of Russian proficiency.

“Russian in 10 Minutes a Day” 

Russian in 10 minutes a day is more of a workbook than a textbook that teaches language from beginners to advanced learners. It includes Workbook, Flash Cards, Sticky Labels, Menu Guide, Software, Grammar etcetera. Despite the low suggested time commitment, there’s quite a bit of information packed into this casual-looking resource. It is a great book if you want to treat learning Russian like a fun project. It teaches you the language through a variety of tools and approaches that seem designed to make you feel like you’re not actually studying and helps you build your Russian vocabulary with minimal effort through Russian-English cognates. It also comes with vocab stickers you can place on objects around your home and office and it gives you pre-made flashcards. “10 Minutes” also comes with an interactive software download that you can use in addition to the book. If you like extra goodies and being heavily engaged by your learning materials, this might be the book for you.

“The Everything Learning Russian Book” with CD “The Everything Learning Russian Book” offers to teachwith plenty of background information that can be both enjoyable and beneficial, especially if you want to savour the history and culture behind the language as you learn it. This book is better suited for those who enjoy the insight and context around a field of knowledge that an experienced teacher can provide. Chapters include thorough introductions to language concepts and cultural subjects, along with plenty of practice and quizzes. The book also teaches practical learning useful to getting around in Russia. While the print copy of “The Everything Learning Russian Book” comes with an accompanying CD, one can also get audio with the Kindle version on some Fire tablets and iOS devices.

Russian belongs to the family of Indo-European languages, one of the four living members of the East Slavic languages alongside, and part of the larger Balto-Slavic branch. The current Russian spelling follows the major reform of 1918, and the final codification of 1956. An update proposed in the late 1990s has met a hostile reception, and has not been formally adopted. Therefore, it is important you follow and learn the generally accepted version. 

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