RussianPod101.com Blog

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

Making sentences in Russian isn’t easy for foreigners. To do it, you have to know not only vocabulary, but also the grammar of this complex language. If you want to start speaking as soon as possible, you’d better learn some Russian sentence patterns. By remembering them, you’ll be able to build your own sentences really quickly, without thinking too much about rules. In this article, you’ll find ten really useful Russian sentences for beginners. These sentences will help you have basic conversations with native speakers and feel more confident in your knowledge of the language. Don’t be lazy; we recommend that you spend a few hours remembering them. We’re sure that in the future, you’ll appreciate yourself for doing so! Table of... Show more

https://www.youtube.com/embed/9gR6s8K_PI4 How much hardship can a single country endure?  Take a brief look at Russian history, and you’ll find that a country can survive just about anything as long as its people remain united. From Polish invasion to the so-called Time of Troubles, Russia underwent quite a series of destructive events in the seventeenth century—and eventually made it to the other side intact as a nation. In this article, we’ll discuss some of this history with you and talk about the importance of National Unity Day in Russia.  Let’s get started! 1. What is National Unity Day? The Russian National Day of Unity, celebrated each year on 4 ноября (4 nayabrya), or November 4, commemorates... Show more

Why learn about Russian adverbs and Russian adverb rules? Imagine you’re in a city you’ve never been to and you’re asking for directions. The person knows exactly where you should go, but they just keep repeating "Go, then turn, then go." You’re stunned. What’s going on?  This is what life without adverbs would look like. As soon as you include "straight," "left," and "right" in the conversation with that passer-by, the interaction suddenly makes much more sense. This is what adverbs do: they add minor and major nuances to our everyday life. So, you actually have a solid reason to be interested in adverbs, and you’re in the right place to learn more about adverbs in Russian! In this article, we’ll cover Russian adverbs placement,... 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

Russian verb conjugation… If you’re a beginner, you must be looking for your first conjugation tables to finally see what those proficient Russian learners have been intimidating you with. Or maybe you’re an intermediate learner who’s already mastered basic Russian conjugation rules and are now looking for more of a challenge. Maybe you’re an advanced learner who wouldn’t mind going over the basics again or learning new verb conjugation nuances you’ve never heard of? In any case, I’m happy to reveal some secrets to you that will help you tame the Russian verbs. It’s not a secret that Russian grammar (and verb conjugation, in particular) are demanding. It’s a long and complicated adventure, but I’m happy to guide you through the dark... Show more

Why is it important to study the most common verbs in Russian? Verbs are the backbone of every sentence. They help you keep track of the action in a sentence, and are absolutely essential for improving your language skills. So, this article is all about Russian verbs and will try to explain some of their important and unique aspects. Then at the end, we’ll give you a list of the 100 most essential Russian verbs to know for everyday situations. Before continuing, though, you may find it helpful to brush up on other parts of speech in Russian. We recommend checking out the following RussianPod101.com blog posts: Top 100 Adjectives in RussianTop 100 Nouns in RussianTop Russian Pronouns Table of Contents Learning the Russian... Show more

Psss, psss, you.  Yes, you.  RussianPod101 has chosen you for a top-secret mission. Don’t worry, no guns or poisoned apples are required. All you need is to equip yourself with a new portion of the Russian language and learn Russian pronouns with us. The thing is that we need you to deliver a message with secret information to a Russian spy. He’ll find you in the crowd on the street himself. The only difficulty is that you can’t name things directly in case there are enemy ears around. You’ll need to just drop some hints, and the Russian agent will understand. How? Well, Russian pronouns will help you. These tiny words replace nouns, and even adjectives, so that only the one who knows what you’re talking about will get the... Show more

Do you remember the moment you fell in love with languages? Do you desire to learn or advance in Russian quickly and effectively? Then you need a Russian tutor. A common question that first-time language-learners ask is "Where do I begin?" The answer? Guidance. For native English-speakers who want to learn Asian languages, for example, timelines provided by the U.S. Foreign Service Institute can appear discouraging. However, defeating these odds is not unheard of. If you want to beat the odds yourself, one of the best learning options is a subscription to Premium PLUS from Innovative Language. As an active Premium PLUS member of JapanesePod101.com and KoreanClass101.com myself, I have an enjoyable experience learning at an accelerated... Show more