RussianPod101.com Blog

What is the national anthem? It is a song that officially symbolizes a country or nation and tells about its past, people, and pride. Most of these national songs are marches with fanfare. You can hear them on a wide variety of occasions, and usually, you need to stick to a certain etiquette. The main national song usually has lyrics in the most commonly used language in the territory of the country.In most cases, lyrics are very poetical and beautiful, so you can hardly decipher them if you don’t know the language well enough. The Russian anthem can be easily recognized by the strong and hard-to-forget music and its Russian lyrics. Many people, even not knowing the Russian language, think it sounds very powerful. The lyrics for the... Show more

Studying takes up a large part of our lives, and very often when learning a new language from scratch you get acquainted with new vocabulary in a classroom that will be useful further in life. Therefore, today we will talk about school and university vocabulary. The topic of education is very extensive, but in this article, we will try to mention the main things that interest people who study Russian. For example, there are a lot of school subjects or school supplies surrounding us in everyday life, and it will be especially useful to know what they are called. So, we suggest talking about the education process in Russian language learning and its essential vocabulary. Do you know the names of school subjects in Russian? Here you... Show more

Why is it important to study restaurant phrases? No trip to Russia is complete without visiting local restaurants and cafes. But to enjoy Russian food to the fullest and not end up getting something strange on your plate, it is better to know in advance the basic Russian restaurant phrases, what popular dishes are called in Russian, how to book a table, and other nuances. Of course, many restaurants have menus with pictures, which greatly simplifies the task for those who are new to this vocabulary. But wouldn't you like to know how to order food in Russian and not just point the finger at the dish in the picture?So today’s “special” is useful Russian vocabulary and the most common Russian restaurant phrases. From this article, you... Show more

Do you often find it difficult to find words in Russian? Do you have the opportunity to practice but don't know what to say? When communicating in Russian begins, it takes resourcefulness to keep the conversation going. In this article, we will give you a few tips on how to improve your Russian conversation skills. Whether it's a party or a business meeting, use these tips, and you'll be the best at small talk for sure! To learn any language, you need more than just vocabulary. You also need to be able to perceive speech by ear, read and write, and, of course, speak it. It doesn't matter if you practice speaking alone or with a teacher. It is simply impossible to speak without using other skills. Therefore, it is better to develop... Show more

We recommend this article for those who have largely mastered the Russian language, have learned to build simple sentences on their own, and wish to improve further. If you want to not only speak in Russian but also to do so exactly like a native speaker, then you’re in the right place. The advanced Russian phrases outlined in this article will take your language skills to the next level.  It’s very difficult to become a fluent speaker in a foreign language, not needing to think about your every word or how to phrase something. The secret, however, is simple: The more you practice, the faster you’ll refine your skills.  Being able to start and maintain conversations in Russian is a major indicator that you’re getting closer to... Show more

Conversational speech consists of many idioms and collocations. The Russian language has its own commonly used phrases, some of which you already encountered at the beginner level. Now, we would like to offer you a concise guide to the most useful intermediate Russian phrases. When you first started learning Russian, you probably focused on memorizing lists of words. But now that you understand the language much better, picking up entire phrases will help accelerate your Russian learning—even if there are still words you don’t know!  By using intermediate Russian phrases at the right time and in the right place, you’ll be at your best and will be able to participate in conversations with native Russian speakers. ➜ Make sure to go... Show more

Do you find native Russian speakers simply impossible to understand? Are you tired of reading boring textbooks and doing endless exercises? If so, we suggest you start listening to some Russian podcasts for language learners! Are you tired of reading? Why don’t you try podcasts? There are many benefits to living in the digital age, but this is especially true when it comes to language learning. Today, you can improve your Russian with ease and pleasure using your phone, tablet, computer, and the internet. Whether you’re learning Russian for fun, in order to speak with friends, or for work, podcasts are a great tool to help you start understanding the language better. Podcasting (the word is a contraction of “iPod” and... Show more

So, you’ve probably already conquered the Russian alphabet—congrats! Now it’s time to work on your vocabulary. Save the grammar for later. But instead of jumping into word lists right away, let me offer you something better: Russian beginner phrases you can start using today.  I’ve been learning languages for more than a decade myself. I know that unpleasant feeling of not being able to make up a sentence when it’s finally my time to shine. Learning a few ready-made phrases solves this problem: At the heat of the moment, you won’t have to manipulate separate words. The whole phrase would just pop up in your mind. It’s like magic! In this article, I’ll cover the 50 most common Russian phrases for beginners. You’ll learn the basic... Show more

Have you already mastered the basics of the Russian language? If so, this means you have put in the time and effort to gain an extensive vocabulary and that you can make simple statements with relative ease. Congratulations!  But as they say, you can always do better. You should be proud of the Russian-language proficiency level that you have achieved up to this point, but remember that there is always room for improvement. To reach the advanced level, you’ll need to study more advanced Russian words and make continual progress by working to improve your skills on a daily basis.  Thanks to the global spread of the internet, it has become more convenient than ever to learn Russian online. If you would like to improve your Russian... Show more

As an intermediate learner of Russian, you already know how to form basic sentences, ask for directions, and even order a beer. Congrats on making it this far! Since you already have a sense of basic grammar, adding up new layers of vocabulary will be easier from now on. This is where the real expansion starts! To pass the intermediate level of TORFL (Test of Russian as a Foreign Language), you’ll need to know around 2000 words. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll cover 300+ intermediate Russian words in this article—just enough to give you a general idea of what areas you could explore to increase your vocabulary.  Remember to keep your intermediate words relevant. Save any complicated or situational terms like “chisel” or “egg... Show more