Most of the following tips apply for those who are continuing to learn Russian and want to improve their skills but few of them can be used if you have just started. All of these tips and sources can be used without spending a ruble.
Trying to translate your every-day post to FB, twitter and instagram into Russian you learn a lot and very quick as it requires a lot of "brain activity" to find right words, not to miss spell, to check if what you wrote makes sense in English (in many cases Google translate helps) etc. If you don't want to confuse your friends with weird letters, you can write your posts in both languages.
If you are too shy, you can start practicing in the community lang-8.com, where you can have your texts checked by the native speakers.
A lot of Russians of all ages are learning English and will be happy to practice Russian with you in exchange for English or other language (French, German, Spanish, Italian are the next most popular foreign languages to learn amongst Russians). You can find a language partner on the website italki.com (see "language exchange" in the menu) or in any Facebook / Vkontakte group for people interested in English and other languages. You can leave a post on the page or try to send a message to some members with a proposal. In most all of the cases people will be very interested in such cooperation.
Depending on your interests, add Russian pages, groups and communities or start to follow some Russian celebrities to your taste. Looking at some posts in Russian in your feed will help you to get used to reading in Russian in small doses but every day. The fact that you have added yourself in groups according to your interests will help you to stay curious about what it actually means. It may also help to keep you up-to-day with the news and events. Next time you get to speak with a native, it will give you a chance to show off your knowledge and vocabulary on the topic.
Make use of your coffee/smoke breaks,
time in the transport, waiting time etc. Some programs can even work offline on your smartphone or iPad. Even 10 min of learning with an App every day can help you learn and not forget hundreds of words and phrases within few weeks. Some of the good examples are www.busuu.com, www.memrise.com, ankisrs.net Keep coming back to this blog and you will find out more information and reviews of various Apps and programs.
Nowadays there are a lot of Soviet and Russian films that were translated into English and other languages. If you google "Russian films with English subtitles", you will find a lot of links with old or recent films. In one of the next post I will share with you a selection of must see films.
Here are some of the websites:
http://top-russian.com
http://cinema.mosfilm.ru/films/comp/Podborki/Filmy-s-subtitrami/
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKkDjgBOPjWENOblgVYlnGXj3-GW5DN5U
http://www.homeenglish.ru/Booktwo.htm
http://www.twirpx.com/files/languages/english/books/bilingua/
http://www.twirpx.com/file/1225471/
http://zvukovorot.com/russkaja-pop-muzyka/
http://theme-music.ru/load/russkaja/6
If you are going to work or study in Russia, it is very important to read news regularly. Not only to be up-to-date but to have more practice of reading and understanding "proper" Russian. As most of the languages - spoken and proper written language are different.
There are a lot of news websites. You can find one to your taste. As an experiment you can try to read "Russia Today" that has two websites, in Russian and in English.
http://russian.rt.com
https://www.rt.com
http://www.bbc.com/russian
If you know a "trick" that is not mentioned here, you are welcome to share it in the comments!
#1 Write your social media posts in Russian
Trying to translate your every-day post to FB, twitter and instagram into Russian you learn a lot and very quick as it requires a lot of "brain activity" to find right words, not to miss spell, to check if what you wrote makes sense in English (in many cases Google translate helps) etc. If you don't want to confuse your friends with weird letters, you can write your posts in both languages.
If you are too shy, you can start practicing in the community lang-8.com, where you can have your texts checked by the native speakers.
#2 Find a language partner
A lot of Russians of all ages are learning English and will be happy to practice Russian with you in exchange for English or other language (French, German, Spanish, Italian are the next most popular foreign languages to learn amongst Russians). You can find a language partner on the website italki.com (see "language exchange" in the menu) or in any Facebook / Vkontakte group for people interested in English and other languages. You can leave a post on the page or try to send a message to some members with a proposal. In most all of the cases people will be very interested in such cooperation.
#3 Watch Russian lessons on youtube
It is very easy to "upgrade" your Russian by simply subscribing to youtube channels with the lessons. You can sip your tea, watch and learn in a very relaxing environment. Just type in "Russian lessons" or the name of the topic you are interested in, for example, "Russian colors". If something is unclear, you can leave a comment with a question (even in English) and in most of the cases authors reply or you find replies to a similar question of another user.
#4 Fill in your social media feeds with posts written by Russians
Depending on your interests, add Russian pages, groups and communities or start to follow some Russian celebrities to your taste. Looking at some posts in Russian in your feed will help you to get used to reading in Russian in small doses but every day. The fact that you have added yourself in groups according to your interests will help you to stay curious about what it actually means. It may also help to keep you up-to-day with the news and events. Next time you get to speak with a native, it will give you a chance to show off your knowledge and vocabulary on the topic.
#5 Change the language of your phone and/or computer into Russian
If you know your phone/computer well enough it shouldn't create any difficulty to switch your operational system into Russian. You will learn a lot of words that are used in a every day life but you will not find them in a textbook. Don't forget, that you have to be pretty confident in reading the letters before doing that. Once you are comfortable with this experiment, change the language of the apps and programs into Russian too. If during your stay in Russia you will be using operational systems in Russian, it will not go unnoticed by the locals and you will earn their respect.
#6 Use Apps for language learning every day
Make use of your coffee/smoke breaks,
time in the transport, waiting time etc. Some programs can even work offline on your smartphone or iPad. Even 10 min of learning with an App every day can help you learn and not forget hundreds of words and phrases within few weeks. Some of the good examples are www.busuu.com, www.memrise.com, ankisrs.net Keep coming back to this blog and you will find out more information and reviews of various Apps and programs.
#7 Watch movies with subtitles
Nowadays there are a lot of Soviet and Russian films that were translated into English and other languages. If you google "Russian films with English subtitles", you will find a lot of links with old or recent films. In one of the next post I will share with you a selection of must see films.
Here are some of the websites:
http://top-russian.com
http://cinema.mosfilm.ru/films/comp/Podborki/Filmy-s-subtitrami/
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKkDjgBOPjWENOblgVYlnGXj3-GW5DN5U
#8 Read bilingual articles and books
There are websites that post bilingial articles and books for Russians to learn English BUT you can use them other way around. Here are some of the examples (some books are available for free and some not):
http://www.twirpx.com/files/languages/english/books/bilingua/
http://www.twirpx.com/file/1225471/
#9 Listen to music in Russian
It may seem as a "mission impossible" to get the meaning of Russian songs but it can also be a key to understand the language that regular people use and especially young people. It can be a perfect mix if you have a language partner who can explain to you the words that you will never find in a dictionary but will hear often when in Russia or in a group of native speakers.
Here are some website where you can listen online or download for free some Russian songs:
http://best-muzon.com/russian/http://zvukovorot.com/russkaja-pop-muzyka/
http://theme-music.ru/load/russkaja/6
#10 Read news
If you are going to work or study in Russia, it is very important to read news regularly. Not only to be up-to-date but to have more practice of reading and understanding "proper" Russian. As most of the languages - spoken and proper written language are different.
There are a lot of news websites. You can find one to your taste. As an experiment you can try to read "Russia Today" that has two websites, in Russian and in English.
http://russian.rt.com
https://www.rt.com
http://www.bbc.com/russian
If you know a "trick" that is not mentioned here, you are welcome to share it in the comments!
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