Showing posts with label cyrillic alphabet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cyrillic alphabet. Show all posts

9/02/2015

A FUN QUIZ to check how well you read Russian



This quiz should be fun even if you haven't studied cyrillic letters yet.

Let's imagine that you are already in Russia. Most of the Russian cities start to look similar to other big metropolis in other counties thanks to globalization and a big quantity of chain stores familiar all over the world. The only difference is that in Russia their names are written in cyrillic alphabet. ;)
so, this is how it feels to see them in a Russian city and you can use this chance to check how well you read Russian letters. 
Guess the franchise you are looking at and then you can find the correct answers at the end of the post.

1. Let's start with an easy one to warm up.










2. This one you can also guess without being able to read well.












3. This is one of the "classic" ones ;)










4. It starts to get tricky.










5. Still not too difficult.











6. A bit more difficult as you see some really weird letters...



7.









8.









9. You might be surprised how often Russians use "English" words instead of Russian ones.










10. This is harder as it has some cursive letters too.









11. Again, some cursive to keep you awake.













12. This is a very tricky one as it has a completely different name in Russian.













And at the end a very unexpected example just to give you an idea that it is not always with cyrillic letters... and you will see a lot of funny and surprising things in Russia! :)


(the quote under the sign says "the taste of Russia")

Correct answers:
1.Ikea  2.Subway  3.Macdonalds  4.Sbarro  5.Starbucks  6.TGI Friday's  7.Burger King  8.Pizza Hut  9.Chicken Pizza  10.Kebab House  11.Wendy's  12.KFS "Rosticks" 


8/17/2015

Where and how to learn the Cyrillic Alphabet

If you are staring to learn Russian on your own or want to prepare yourself before taking the 1st lesson, it is important to start with the Alphabet. Don't forget about the cursive alphabet too.


WHY START WITH LETTERS?

Most of the books, websites and programs for learning Russian start to use Russian letters right away without transcriptions assuming that you are already acquainted with the letters.

Here you can find some sources for practicing on your own. If you are patient enough, in a week you could surprise your friends with your ability to read in Russian and write some simple words.

STEP 1: GET AQUATINTED 
















The Alphabet with pictures and recorded sound of the letter and the word that starts with this letter.
http://learnrussian.rt.com/alphabet/

STEP 2: PRACTICE EVERY DAY



















Install an Memrise App to your smartphone or iPad and practice every time you have 5-10 min of free time. You can also use the website on your computer. There are various courses with letters to choose from and it is completely free of charge.
http://www.memrise.com

STEP 3: PRACTICE WRITING IN CURSIVE


This website has the letters that you know already and the cursive. In addition you can find examples of various words written in cursive so that you could see the connections between letters.


STEP 4: ONCE COMFORTABLE, GET INTO THE DETAILS

If you would like to have more detailed explanation, have a look at WikiHow article http://www.wikihow.com/Read-Russian

STEP 5: BE PATIENT AND ASK FOR HELP

In order to master the pronunciation and speak like a native you may need a little assistance from a language partner or a tutor. A classic course about letters, sounds and pronunciation usually takes about 10 lessons. It may take less if you have practiced on your own before that. This is an unavoidable step if your aim to speak with a minimal accent possible or without it.