Russian is not an easy language to learn. It often takes much longer to master than one might imagine when first starting out.  If you’re like most of us, your time is quite limited and you might be wondering this all-too-common question among aspiring learners: How long does it take to learn Russian?  Even though this question has no definite answer, we’ll try to discuss it as thoroughly as possible in the article below. We’ll talk about the different factors that can affect the speed of your learning progress, how long it takes on average to achieve each level of Russian, and how to learn Russian fast and effectively.  Let’s go! Table of Contents How Long Will it Take to Learn Russian? 3 Defining Factors. How Long... Show more

In many cultures, the sphere of business is associated not only with money, but also with a specific language style. If you plan to do business with Russian speaking partners or move to Russia for work, knowing some Russian business phrases would be useful, as there are situations when everyday language is just not enough. Well, turning to business, I won’t teach you how to earn millions, but I can help you spare a lot of embarrassment by teaching you some fundamental Russian courtesy rules. In this guide, you’ll learn some basic Russian business phrases for various occasions, from job interviews and your first days of work to giving presentations, writing business letters, and making phone calls. Also—the icing on the cake—you’ll find out... Show more

Sometimes learning a foreign language may seem tiring or boring, but that’s not a reason to give up doing it. One of the best ways to make the process of studying more interesting is to add some entertaining materials (like videos) to your normal routine. This is why, when you set out to learn Russian, YouTube can be a great educational tool. If you’re studying Russian, you may have heard about the RussianPod101 YouTube Channel, which is the number-one destination for improving your language skills online. If you’re going to learn Russian via YouTube, this channel is the best one to start with.  That said, there are many other good Russian YouTube channels to help you learn the language. We’re excited to share them with you in this... Show more

If you’re thinking about learning Russian but are hesitant to get started, you may be asking yourself: "Is Russian hard to learn?"  You’ve read in the language forums that it is, and maybe you’ve even heard this firsthand from someone you know who’s learned the language. But here’s a spoiler: it’s not that bad. And even though I’m a native Russian myself, and learned how to speak Russian at the same time as I learned how to walk (oh, a double struggle!), I can sympathize with the experience of my students and apply my own language-learning observations to help them combat common issues. So if you still haven’t decided whether you want to include Russian in your daily schedule or not, I might be able to help you decide. In this... Show more

Being able to ask questions is a very important communication skill that makes conversation sound lively and interesting. If you’re going to chat with a native Russian speaker, or if you want to travel to Russia one day, you should definitely know some basic questions in this language.  In this guide, we’ll help you learn ten of the most common questions in Russian. We’ll also give you some information about how to use these Russian questions and answers depending on the age of the person you’re speaking to, and teach you some Russian question words.  Let’s begin! Table of Contents Как тебя зовут? Откуда ты? Сколько тебе лет? Ты говоришь на ___? Сколько ты учишь ____? Ты был в ___? Как дела? Что... Show more

At some point in your Russian-learning journey, you’ll probably want to test your mettle and see how far you’ve come. After all, few things are as motivating as tangible progress!  To establish your proficiency in Russian, you have to pass the international TORFL test. If you don't know much about this examination, read our article to learn the basics. If you’ve already decided to take the main Russian test for foreigners, you should stick around too, because we’ll help you prepare for the big day! Table of Contents General Info on the TORFL Russian Language Test Who Needs to Take the TORFL Russian Exam? What’s Inside the TORFL? How to Pass the TORFL Russian Language Test Where to Take the TORFL Practice Test What... Show more

You asked, so we provided—easy-to-follow instructions on how to set up your electronic devices to write in Russian! We’ll also give you a few excellent tips on how to use this keyboard, as well as some online and app alternatives if you prefer not to set up a Russian keyboard. Table of Contents Why it’s Important to Learn to Type in Russian Setting up Your Computer and Mobile Devices for Russian How to Activate an Onscreen Keyboard on Your Computer How to Change the Language Settings to Russian on Your Computer Activating the Russian Keyboard on Your Mobile Phone and Tablet Russian Keyboard Typing Tips How to Practice Typing Russian 1. Why it’s Important to Learn to Type in Russian Learning a new language is made so much... Show more

Can You Really Learn Russian Alone? Learning a language on your own or without traditional classroom instruction may seem quite daunting at first. What if you run into questions? How do you stay motivated and on track to achieving goals? Don’t worry, not only is it possible to learn Russian or any language without traditional classroom instruction: RussianPod101 has created the world’s most advanced and extensive online language learning system. Not only is RussianPod101 specifically designed to help you with learning a language on your own, it’s actually faster, more convenient, and less expensive than traditional classroom options! Let’s look at some of the benefits of learning Russian or any language alone. Also, don't forget to... Show more

Yes, even beginners can quickly learn conversational Russian well enough to carry on real conversations with native speakers. Of course, beginners won’t be able to carry a conversation the same way they could in their native language. But, just knowing a few tips like which questions to ask to keep a conversation going are all you need to speak and interact with real native speakers! But before we get to specific suggestions, let’s first take a closer look at how having real Russian conversations is so vital to your mastery of the language. Learning to Carry a Conversation is Vital to Mastery of Any Language Communicating with other people is the very point of language and conversation is almost second nature in our native tongue. For... Show more

Today, classrooms are no longer the only or even best place to learn a new language like Russian. More and more people are finding that they can easily learn a language just about anywhere they have a few minutes of spare time, including their daily commute to work. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average American spends over 50 minutes a day commuting to and from work, or over 300 hours a year. Rethinking Your Daily Commute to Work But rather than simply sitting in traffic and wasting the time, you can instead use your daily commute to literally learn Russian in just a few short months! RussianPod101 has developed specialized learning tools that you can use on your commute to work (and home again) to master the language in... Show more