Beginner Mistakes to Avoid when Learning Russian – by Jamy Russell

This is a guest post by my friend Jamy Russell! Thank you so much for this Jeremy. Your suggestions are spot on! This is a great post.. Read on, please! Beginner mistakes to avoid when learning Russian Russian is tough. Ask Angelos, who’s been spending the last several years learning and perfecting his Russian. It [...]

By |2019-03-14T15:29:31+02:00March 14th, 2019|Beginner, How to learn Russian, Learning Methods|1 Comment

How to Learn the Cases & Tips on the Genitive Case

What's the most difficult thing in the Russian language? Let's all say it together in chorus... The CASES! The Grammar Cases. Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative, Instrumental, Prepositional. In this article, I'll tell you how to go about learning them and then give you some tips on the Genitive Case. But before I say anything, I want to ask you to [...]

By |2016-12-09T10:06:40+02:00March 19th, 2016|Grammar, Learning Methods|25 Comments

Most common Russian Words with Anki

Are you ready for some Russian vocabulary? I hope so, because I have created Anki electronic flashcards with 10,000 of the most common Russian words. On the back of every card, you will get the definition in English, an audio pronunciation, links to Google Translate and Yandex Translate, noun declension/verb conjugation rules, and examples. If [...]

By |2020-06-22T16:44:15+03:00October 28th, 2015|Learning Methods, Vocabulary|6 Comments

Mnemonics and their limitations

The keyword mnemonics technique uses keywords and mental images to associate verbal material. For example, let’s say you want to memorize the French feminine noun affiche that means poster in English. For this, you could imagine a feminine looking fish attaching a poster to the wall. This technique has become increasingly popular lately. It is [...]

By |2016-12-09T10:06:41+02:00September 6th, 2015|Learning Methods, Vocabulary|2 Comments

Visualisation and language learning

Visualisation is the process of creating mental images with a certain purpose. Top performers know very well the importance of picturing themselves succeeding in their minds before they do in reality. Michael Jordan always used to take a last shot in his mind before he took one in real life. Muhammad Ali always visualised knocking out [...]

By |2016-12-09T10:06:41+02:00July 4th, 2015|Learning Methods|6 Comments

Walk and speak Russian loudly

Imagine you walk home after work. You probably spend this time thinking about your busy schedule, tomorrow’s meeting, the bills you have to pay etc. Instead of doing that, why don't you start a conversation with yourself loudly in Russian? Maybe you want to practise the days of the week, the verbs you learned yesterday, or talk [...]

By |2016-12-09T10:06:41+02:00June 22nd, 2015|Learning Methods|2 Comments

Break the word down – Look for roots

I remember when I first came across the word ‘следовательно’: therefore. No matter how many times I tried to memorise it, I kept forgetting it! I realised I had to find a different way to get it into my head. 'It's a long word', I thought. 'Let's try to break it down to see what happens...' But, [...]

By |2016-12-09T10:06:41+02:00June 14th, 2015|Learning Methods, Vocabulary|2 Comments

How to learn Russian – Talk at Oxford University

I was grateful to give a talk on how to learn Russian with effective techniques at Oxford University Russian Society a few weeks ago. Click here to watch on YouTube. Hope you enjoy it!          

By |2016-12-09T10:06:41+02:00June 5th, 2015|Learning Methods, Talks - Presentations|3 Comments

Learn Russian on Italki

There is no language learning without actual communication with a native speaker. This is the ultimate goal of your learning: to be able to speak the language. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to wait until you speak perfectly. Start practising from day one! Italki is an online language learning service where you can find [...]

By |2016-12-09T10:06:41+02:00May 15th, 2015|Learning Methods|0 Comments

Watch Russian films in a ‘learning mode’!

Ready to learn Russian through Russian films? I learned Russian on my own watching Russian films. Learning through films is a powerful method as it involves images, sounds, and emotions. The visual content is engaging and helps comprehension. The audio content will help you develop a general sense of the language sounds and improve your [...]

By |2017-08-03T13:22:14+03:00May 15th, 2015|Beginner, How to learn Russian, Learning Methods|24 Comments