Learn Russian by speaking it

Your first Russian phrases

From section 1, First Steps. Every phrase in the course comes with a tip like these.

• 👋
  Здравствуйте Hello

  The all-purpose greeting to anyone you address as вы. With friends it is Привет.

• ☀️
  Доброе утро Good morning

  Доброе is neuter to match утро. From about noon switch to Добрый день.

• ☕️
  Кофе, пожалуйста A coffee, please

  Кофе never changes its ending. It is officially masculine, though many say оно.

• 🪑
  Столик на двоих A table for two

  Restaurants use the little стол, столик. На двоих is a collective numeral, for people.

• 🚉
  Где вокзал? Where is the station?

  Вокзал is a big railway station, станция a metro stop. No word for is.

• ⬅️
  Поверните налево Turn left

  Поверните is the вы command. Налево is where to, слева is where.

• 🔢
  Один, два, три One, two, three

  Один and два change for gender: одна книга, две ночи. From три on they do not.

• ✋
  Четыре и пять Four and five

  Пять is the border: четыре минуты but пять минут, the genitive plural.

• 🔢
  Двадцать один, двадцать два, двадцать три Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three

  Compound numbers are simply read out, and the last word decides the noun's case.

• 💶
  С вас сорок евро That will be forty euros

  С вас, from you, is the cashier's phrase. Сорок is odd: it is not built on десять.

The Russian course, section by section

Each section has five units of five lessons, a review and a grammar guidebook.

1. A1 Section 1: First StepsSay hello, order, count and find your way

   First Words

   Say hello and introduce yourself

   Greetings · Introductions · Politeness · Getting Help · Small Talk

   “Здравствуйте”

   Food & Drinks

   Order like a local

   At the Café · Ordering Food · Tastes · Drinks · The Bill

   “Кофе, пожалуйста”

   Getting Around

   Find your way in a new city

   Asking the Way · Taking a Taxi · Public Transport · At the Hotel · Sightseeing

   “Где вокзал?”

   Numbers & Money

   Count, pay and tell the time

   Counting · Prices · Time · Days · At the Bank

   “Один, два, три”

   The Calendar

   Bigger numbers, months and dates

   Bigger Numbers · Months · Dates · Picking a Day · How Long

   “Двадцать один, двадцать два, двадцать три”

   Guidebook: 19 grammar notes

   • No word for is. Russian simply leaves out the present tense of to be. Как дела? Очень приятно. Откуда вы? Between two nouns a dash stands in for it: Мой номер — семь.
   • Ты and вы. Ты is for friends, family and children; вы for staff, strangers and anyone older. The -те on a command is the вы marker: извини but извините.
   • Меня зовут. For your name Russian says they call me, with no named subject. You land in the accusative: меня, тебя, вас.
   • Wishes in the genitive. Хорошего дня and спокойной ночи are genitive because the verb желаю, I wish, is understood but never said.
2. A1 Section 2: Everyday LifeShops, health, family, food and your routine

   Shopping

   Buy what you need

   At the Shop · Sizes & Colors · At the Market · Pharmacy · Returns

   “Я просто смотрю”

   Health & Safety

   Get help when you need it

   How You Feel · At the Doctor · Emergencies · The Body · Staying Safe

   “Мне нехорошо”

   Family & Friends

   Talk about the people in your life

   My Family · Friends · About You · Describing People · Invitations

   “Это моя мама”

   Daily Life

   Your day from morning to night

   Morning · At Work · Evening · Free Time · Chores

   “Я встаю в семь”

   Food & Cooking

   Groceries, the kitchen and eating at home

   At the Supermarket · Fruit & Vegetables · In the Fridge · Simple Cooking · Eating at Home

   “Где хлеб?”

   Guidebook: 20 grammar notes

   • Можно plus an infinitive. Можно is the all-purpose may I, and what follows is usually perfective: можно примерить, можно попробовать, можно вернуть деньги.
   • Comparatives. A comparative ends in -ее or -ше and needs no word for than: больше, лучше, старше. Put по- in front and it means a bit: побольше.
   • Clothes that fit or do not. Fit is a short adjective plus a dative person: мне мал, мне мала, мне велико. The long маленький would describe the size instead.
   • Measures pull the genitive. After a measure or a quantity word the noun goes into the genitive: килограмм яблок, немного салата, две бутылки воды.
3. A2 Section 3: Making PlansWeather, feelings, home, clothes and your phone

   Weather & Plans

   Talk about today and tomorrow

   Weather · Seasons · Making Plans · Trips · Changing Plans

   “Сегодня солнечно”

   Feelings & Opinions

   Say what you think and feel

   Feelings · Opinions · Likes & Dislikes · Compliments · Wishes

   “Я счастлив”

   Home & Living

   Your place and the people around it

   My Home · Renting · Problems at Home · Neighbors · Guests

   “Я живу в квартире”

   Phone & Internet

   Calls, messages and Wi-Fi

   Phone Calls · Messages · Wi-Fi & Data · Apps & Photos · Tech Problems

   “Можно я позвоню позже?”

   What to Wear

   Clothes, the weather and your own style

   Getting Dressed · Dressing for the Weather · What Suits You · Looking After Clothes · Style & Taste

   “Я одеваюсь”

   Guidebook: 20 grammar notes

   • Weather has no subject. Weather is a bare neuter -о word: солнечно, холодно, жарко, ветрено. Rain and snow are the exception, and they walk: идёт дождь.
   • Seasons as adverbs. To say when, the seasons turn instrumental: зимой, весной, летом, осенью. As plain nouns they stay зима, весна, лето, осень.
   • The present tense for plans. A settled arrangement is spoken in the present, just as in English: я еду в Италию, мы уезжаем в субботу, что ты завтра делаешь.
   • Давай for suggestions. Давай plus a perfective мы form proposes something: давай встретимся, давай поужинаем. To a group or politely, давайте.
4. A2 Section 4: Out & AboutTravel, driving, hobbies and celebrations

   Travel

   From the airport to the road

   Check-in · Security · On the Plane · Arrival · Renting a Car

   “Вот мой паспорт”

   Around Town

   Errands and everyday services

   Post Office · Hair Salon · Gym & Pool · Library · Laundry & Repairs

   “Я хочу отправить посылку”

   Sports & Hobbies

   What you do for fun

   Sports · Music & Movies · Books & Games · Outdoors · Hobbies at Home

   “Ты занимаешься спортом?”

   Celebrations

   Parties, gifts and holidays

   Parties · Gifts · Holidays · Weddings & Babies · Traditions

   “Ты приглашён”

   On the Road

   Driving, parking and getting around on two wheels

   Driving · Parking · At the Gas Station · Problems on the Road · Walking & Cycling

   “Подвезёшь меня домой?”

   Guidebook: 20 grammar notes

   • Вот points. Вот is the word for here it is, and nothing follows it: вот мой паспорт, вот чек. There is no verb in the sentence at all.
   • На for a planned span. На plus the accusative measures how long you intend something to last: на неделю, на три дня, на месяц.
   • States with no subject. A few conditions put you in the accusative and leave the sentence subjectless: меня тошнит, меня знобит, меня трясёт.
   • Questions without question words. A yes-no question uses ordinary words and a rising tone. Есть is often pushed to the very end: бассейн есть, скидка есть.
5. A2 Section 5: Time TravelWork, the past, the future and real talk

   Work & Study

   At the office and in class

   My Job · At the Office · Meetings · At School · Applying for a Job

   “Кем ты работаешь?”

   Talking About the Past

   Yesterday, last weekend and long ago

   Yesterday · Last Weekend · Childhood · Experiences · Telling a Story

   “Что ты вчера делал?”

   Future & Goals

   Plans, dreams and promises

   Tomorrow · Goals · Dreams · Promises & Offers · Predictions

   “Завтра я поработаю из дома”

   Real Conversations

   Keep a chat going like a native

   Keeping It Going · Reacting · Asking Nicely · Disagreeing Politely · Saying Goodbye

   “Как жизнь?”

   Making Friends

   How you met, staying in touch and saying yes or no

   How We Met · Keeping in Touch · Inviting · Saying Yes or No · Getting Closer

   “Мы познакомились через общего друга”

   Guidebook: 20 grammar notes

   • Jobs go instrumental. After работать and стать the profession lands in the instrumental: кем ты работаешь, я работаю врачом, я хотел стать лётчиком.
   • Three verbs for learning. Изучать is studying a subject in depth, учить is memorizing or teaching someone, and учиться is learning something yourself.
   • The subjectless they. A plural verb with no subject hides the people behind the act: меня взяли, they hired me; кормить будут, they will feed us.
   • Name what it fails to do. Russians say what a broken machine no longer does rather than that it does not work: принтер не печатает, машина не заводится.
6. B1 Section 6: Connecting IdeasLonger sentences with because, but and so

   Because & But

   Give reasons and contrasts

   Giving Reasons · Contrasts · Consequences · In Order · Adding Ideas

   “Я опаздываю из-за пробок”

   Describing Places

   Say what a place is like

   My Neighborhood · In the City · In Nature · Inside a Place · First Impressions

   “Я живу в тихом районе”

   Step by Step

   Explain how to do something

   In the Kitchen · Following a Recipe · How It Works · Detailed Directions · Rules & Signs

   “Передай мне нож”

   Comparing & Choosing

   Say which one and why

   Better or Worse · The Best of All · Which One? · Price & Quality · Making a Decision

   “Этот лучше того”

   Giving Advice

   Should, could and if I were you

   Asking for Advice · Suggestions · Warnings · Encouragement · Health Advice

   “Что бы ты сделал на моём месте?”

   Guidebook: 20 grammar notes

   • Из-за, потому что, поэтому. Из-за plus the genitive gives the cause of something unwelcome, потому что introduces a whole clause, and поэтому points at the result.
   • Но and зато. Но is the neutral but. Зато is but on the bright side: it names the drawback first and then the thing that makes up for it.
   • Хотя и. Хотя и concedes a fact you accept. Однако exists but sounds bookish, so a plain но usually carries the English however.
   • Adding another point. К тому же and да ещё и pile one argument onto another, while а ещё is the plain spoken and also.
7. B1 Section 7: Handling SituationsProblems, interviews, money and paperwork

   Complaints & Problems

   Say what went wrong, politely

   At the Hotel · At the Restaurant · Faulty Products · Late & Lost · Getting It Fixed

   “Простите, у меня проблема с номером”

   Job Interview

   Talk about yourself with confidence

   About Yourself · Strengths & Weaknesses · Your Experience · Questions to Ask · Salary & Start Date

   “Спасибо, что пригласили меня на собеседование”

   Money Matters

   Accounts, bills and transfers

   Opening an Account · Paying Bills · Sending Money · Budgeting · Fees & Insurance

   “Я хотел бы открыть счёт”

   Paperwork

   Appointments, forms and documents

   Making an Appointment · Filling In Forms · At the Office · Documents · Deadlines & Renewals

   “Я хотел бы записаться на приём”

   Living Abroad

   Settle in a new country

   Finding an Apartment · Utilities & Repairs · Meeting Locals · Settling In · Local Customs

   “Залог за один месяц или за два?”

   Guidebook: 20 grammar notes

   • Можно at a counter. Instead of a modal, Russian asks with можно plus a perfective infinitive: можно поговорить, можно унести, можно переселить. It is polite and short.
   • Complaining without a culprit. A plural verb with no subject reports what was done to you: не убирали, с меня списали, не выдали. Nobody has to be accused.
   • Нет and не хватает. Both take the genitive and have no subject at all: детали не хватает, брони нет, времени нет.
   • The news goes last. Russian word order runs from the known to the new: в номере не работает кондиционер puts the place first and the problem where it lands hardest.
8. B2 Section 8: Speak Your MindOpinions, stories, what-ifs and idioms

   Debating Opinions

   Argue your point and listen

   Strong Opinions · Both Sides · Persuading · Doubts · Changing Your Mind

   “На мой взгляд, это неправильный подход”

   Telling Stories

   Make people listen

   Setting the Scene · What Happened Next · Surprises & Twists · Feelings in the Story · The Moral

   “Это случилось пару лет назад”

   News & Society

   Talk about the world

   In the News · The Environment · Technology & Us · Work & Life Balance · Traditions & Change

   “Слышал, что в центре случилось?”

   What If

   Imagine, regret and wish

   If I Had Time · Imagining · Regrets · Wishes · Plan B

   “Если завтра будет время, я позвоню”

   Idioms & Expressions

   Sound like a native

   Everyday Idioms · Feelings in Idioms · Casual Talk · Being Funny · Sounding Natural

   “Это стоит бешеных денег”

   Guidebook: 20 grammar notes

   • Opening an opinion. На мой взгляд and по-моему both open a view. After убеждён, уверен and думаю the clause comes with что, and the comma is never optional.
   • С одной стороны. С одной стороны and с другой стороны frame the two halves of an argument, both built on с plus the genitive.
   • Negation and the genitive. A negated verb often pulls its object into the genitive: я этого не ожидал, слова не мог сказать, никаких сомнений нет.
   • The little particles. Ведь appeals to what you both already know, же insists, and ну softens what follows. None of them can be translated on its own.

Speak Russian with an AI partner

The same 385 scenarios work in Russian. Your partner answers in Russian, rates each message Perfect, Good or Revision needed, and every scenario has goals to tick off. A few to start with:

18 Russian stories, read aloud

Short stories at A1, A2 and B1, each read by one of the characters, with questions at the end.

Маша на вокзале. Masha is at the station.

Сейчас восемь часов утра. It is eight o'clock in the morning.

From “Поезд опаздывает”