Talk Russian Paperback – 16 April 2015

Too quick for a beginner, It's very fast-paced. Also, it's style is a little old.However, I found an excellent online site that gives away 30 lessons......and oh boy they're good, excellent in fact. I probably can't say the name but... Russian was made easy.I think I will be signing up for the paid lessons, both videos and podcasts as well as an online transcript.

I originally borrowed this from the library to see what it was like and was so impressed that I bought it. It is the best 'teach yourself' course I have ever used and I have tried many times to learn various languages with a notable lack of success!It follows the usual sequence of greetings, ordering a drink, finding places, etc and reinforces words and phrases used previously. The Cyrillic alphabet is introduced in the first four units with the corresponding pronunciation written in English letters but from Unit 5 onwards you have to use the Cyrillic alphabet! This may sound horrendous but if you are visiting Russia, even just Moscow, you will find a working knowledge of the shapes and sounds of the letters invaluable.It is important to make sure that you get the CDs as well as the book (they come as a neat package) so that you hear the correct pronunciation. I found the CDs easy to navigate (I used them on a laptop) and you can repeat tiny sections as many times as you need to. There are useful snippets about Russia and it is most encouraging to know that you will make yourself understood even if you do get the endings of words or agreements wrong! In the newer version (mine was published in 2015) there is a section on the basics of grammar but this was missing in the older version that I borrowed from the library.Well worth the money, now I just need to practice!

Like millions of others, I was casting around for something to do during lockdown/furlough and being a fan of Russian opera, decided on Russian.This course is well structured and even with much repetition and relistening, I got to a reasonable standard within a couple of months of less than an hour's work a day. The chapters are geared to getting by in a number of different situations (transport, asking directions, booking rooms in a hotel etc). I would have happily pressed onwards and learned some more, but the course stops short of getting too entangled in what seems to be (from the pages devoted to it in the text book) some extremely complicated grammar involving all sorts of noun declensions in different cases for which we don't have an equivalent. Nevertheless, I now feel I would have a reasonable chance of getting by if I was sent to Moscow for the week. Unfortunately, as no one in any opera I have ever come across askes the way to the post office, orders beetroot soup or needs to know which trolleybus goes to the Hermitage museum it hasn't helped too much with that!Recommended.

This set comes in an attractive box and would make a nice present for a language learner.It covers basic Russian, with some grammar. By the end of the course, it may still be tricky to have a meaningful conversation with a native speaker, but it is still a good supplement for learning. I appreciate the book using cyrillic and not resorting to phonetically spell out the words, although similar is provided for the reader.A lot of practice and re-reading is necessary — it is after all a relatively short book trying to cover many topics. The pace is fine and a beginner will be able to build up sufficient knowledge to move their learning forward. There are a range of topics covered, but more variation would be nice.

Love it - BUT - A big but - I bought the version without the cds. Why would one even sell the product without the listening cds? I had to buy it again just to get the cds.....I assumed they would be included. For that reason, I mark it low. Very good book for beginners. I learned Italian to a high standard with the BBC Talk Italian. Incluse the cds and charge a little more!

makes learning russian very fun and easy even for someone like me who finds language learning hard, ive made huge progress quickly! the mix of listening, reading and speaking exercises are super for making vocab stick. lots of extra tips about how the phrases taught can be altered slightly in general conversation in russian. the listening exercises get fast and complex quickly but without being overwhelming, really boosts confidence in understanding "real life " spoken conversations. The only reason i didnt give five stars is because my Russian partner says that some of the phrases introduced arent used in normal conversation any more or the context in which that particual phrase is used isnt explained well when it is only used in certain circumstances. However, he says that although some phrases may not be common in general speech you can use the phrases taught in the book whilst in Russia, you will be understood perfectly well, but just not talk like a native does exactly. But the learning system is super so definitely recommend!!

Surprisingly for a BBC product this one seems to have lost its way.Have purchased the BBC's language books before and found them well set out with spoken examples at a speed slower than 'street' examples. This book expects the pupil to deal with a different alphabet AND speech at normal speed.

I have bought Oxford book before, my son finds this book easy to follow and remember the word. Study made simple.