9 things I Wish I Knew BEFORE I Started to Learn Russian

I started learning Russian 5 years ago. In this video I talk about what I wish I knew back then.
Want to speak Russian so well that you get mistaken for a native speaker? Follow my 30 Day Conversational Russian Challenge here: learntherussianlanguage.com/c...

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Is there a specific video topic you'd like to see on this channel? You can let me know here: forms.gle/83mFvEPWXNKbza4JA

[@maylabloody3896]

Recently I met these two foreign exchange students(they're Russian) at my school and I noticed how they were struggling with english.A lot of kids were making fun of them because of how they pronounced things and the teachers didn't even offer them help either, So here I am learning russian so that I can understand them and help them with english.I just got to say thank you for the tips because I was struggling on how I should start, I appreciate it💜

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

I'm sure they'll appreciate the help! Many people think it's difficult for English speakers to learn Russian, but learning English as a Russian speaker is actually more difficult. The English pronunciation can be quite random, suddenly they need to understand articles and strict word order. And most of all, English people aren't as patient with foreigners who try to learn English compared to Russian with foreigner who learn Russian. Good luck with learning Russian!

[@sauceboss7165]

Most gigachad move

[@gringo6362]

How is your result?

[@eriven_tq]

Absolute chad

[@ralfj.1740]

Having monologues is a great way to practice! It may appear a little weird first but it definitely helps.

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

It's definitely something that helped me massively.

[@fiercerodent]

I started learning Russian recently, and though I've learned languages before this is really helpful! Спасибо!

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Thanks! Great that you already have experience learning other languages - that can be really helpful, as you know what to expect. Удачи!

[@alst7269]

Удачи) Good luck)

[@fiercerodent]

@@alst7269 thank you!

[@user-jn9ig4gj5n]

As a Russian native I'm learning English and I'm glad I understood all you said in this video. I think all your hints (I will call them hints if you don't mind) are applicable to any language study.

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Да, я думаю многие из этих советов можно применить к любому языку. Удачи с английским!

[@parkercushingable]

American here learning Russian! We love the Russian people and language!

[@Zero-san00]

I'm Brazilian and I understood all too, I'm so glad with my self

[@ryanolsen294]

⁠@@Zero-san00Bom❤ i just know some words in Portuguese; I’m English, who’s learning Russian

[@valeriagomez1982]

I hate commenting on videos, but I felt called out on basically every tip. So, I started learning Russian language 2 years ago. I think Russia is such a rich country in many ways and thought it would be cool to speak Russian and wanted to learn it. I spent, say 3 months learning from different resources (first mistake) and starting going over and over again about the same subject, mainly the alphabet and basic vocabulary, beginner level conversation. Which led to a painful state of exhaustion and boredom from the language, it was also a tough time. It was about July 2021. In 2022 I found an amazing course for Russian by an institute. It gravitated towards grammar and I was extremely excited because I like grammar. I finished the course which would have taught me a lot if I had taken the time to do it properly, I didn't ofc. Then I got demotivated but still practiced from time to time over the course of the year since I often got sadness from the thought I wasn't learning anymore and was going to lose the small but precious improvement. I didn't forget a lot of vocab and grammar is just there but not functioning. English is my second language but I don't remember how I learnt it...I just did. Which means I actually didn't have any experience with conscious learning and less with such a different language from Spanish my native language and English. I'm serious about retaking my journey. It feels awful knowing that I love Russian but don't put any effort on it, also quite guilty for being lazy at a certain time when I could have improved. As you said, time flies. I only hope it won't pass me by. And at least by the end of this 2023, I can look back and see some advance and not as much regrets.

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Thank you so much for your comment! From reading your story I think it may be helpful to spend more time watching Russian series/movies and listening to music. That's partly how people 'unconsciously' learn foreign languages. Of course you also need the conscious effort on vocabulary and grammar, but listening is a huge component :)

[@bethklinger8105]

Please lmk what course exactly you took?? I am trying to learn Russian. Thanks so much!

[@CouchPolyglot]

Как ты говоришь, грамматика важна, но не надо все знать, ты можешь и делать ошибки, но все равно общаться с людьми! Я уже 7 лет учу русский язык и могу без проблем общаться, у меня наверное на говорения В1, но писать не очень могу... Поэтому я решила читать книгу по русский (страницу в день), это может быть не для всех, но для меня очень полезно 😊

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Спасибо за комментарию. Чтение хорошее упражнение - и тоже интересное. Также рекомендую писать на телефоне, автокоррект сильно помогает тебе с ошибками. Удачи с изучением русского языка!

[@aymericvinramarony7448]

I must say that I have a very different experience with Russian speaking people. Except for one girl that was really surprised, even delighted that I spoke Russian, each time I started a conversation in Russian I never even had a question about why I learnt Russian much less a compliment. That really surprised me because I had heard often that it definitely would be the opposite. Not long ago a woman in the street asked for a direction, I quickly realised that she was Russian and could not speak english, I explained the way, discussed for 5 mn with her and she wasn't surprised at all, as though it was totally natural. Same thing 2 months ago in Ukraine, many times. People were way more interested in Spanish or Portuguese. I must confess that I find that a little bit frustrating after putting in so much efforts to learn this beautiful language

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Thanks for sharing your perspective. I would see it as a compliment to your speaking skills that you're not getting compliments about it, as they might not have noticed that you're a foreigner.

[@independentvariable2044]

Me after three days of learning: привет (hope I continue this)

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

That's a good start ;)

[@hartleyw6323]

YPA!

[@RobertKaucher]

Daily practice, focus on what you have to do next not on C1 or C2. You have to learn to get enjoyment out of the daily process just like runners do, just like weightlifters, etc. That doesn't mean it's always going to be fun or pleasurable. Not everything worth doing is fun and most things that are only "fun" have little value. Learn to love the work and at one point you look up, not having realized how much time has passed, and you're easily doing C1 things.

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Exactly. It's a cliche, but it really is about the journey, not the destination.

[@Thugshaker_thequaker]

As a new Russian speaker ( I know Spanish French and ofc English) I picked up Russian in duolingo to challenge myself In a very different environment. I have really fallen in love with the simple but complex nature Russian has its so fascinating. Я люблю. Definitely very different than English but similar in some ways the alphabet was key to helping me at least read and make sounds correctly.

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

"Simple, but complex" - that's probably the best way to describe the Russian language ;)

[@robloxplayergame]

Мне, как русскому человеку, невероятно интересно смотреть это видео и комментарии под ним)

[@robloxplayergame]

а сам я пытаюсь учить английский, и мне это не очень легко удаётся, но я стараюсь)

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Я рад что Вам интересно! Удачи с английским языком))

[@NikolaiPCulp]

I was born in Russia but moved to the US when I was still a baby so I didn’t learn any Russian and only know english. However, I really want to learn Russian but am nervous about how long it may take or how difficult it may be. Really appreciated some of the points in this video and kind of calmed me a bit. The point about downloading a vocabulary app and learning a few words a day was something I found really smart and may have to do that. Also really liked the beginning conversation level. Had to take 4 semesters of foreign language in college and opted for Spanish because I knew a small bit and didn’t want to start a new language. Most of my spanish classes were beginner-intermediate so I’m hoping I can learn that much I just don’t know how long it will take

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Did your parents speak Russian around you when you were young? If yes, that should help you learn it a bit faster.

[@NikolaiPCulp]

@@LearntheRussianLanguage no. My parents are American and only speak English. I’m adopted

[@user-km5qc1ob1y]

Hello. Can I ask questions about your study of Russian?

[@rayray2615]

@@NikolaiPCulp So how serious you are to be fluent in Spanish? Will you keep learning Spanish while starting to learn Russian at the same time? I hope you have this clarity in your mind and plans as it does matter in the process of language learning.

[@alexanderfossbrnd8287]

Love this!!

[@anastasiafomichkina9]

Здорово! Ты большой молодец!🎉

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Спасибо!

[@AprendaGo]

Great points, thank you!

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Thanks for watching!

[@naturallanguageacquisition]

Thanks for the tips!

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Thanks for watching!

[@miaurban]

You're an angel!! I'm in love with your videos and you're helping me a lot! Thank you so much!!

[@thaihm]

I have not done number 8. I find this tip the most interesting. I will start doing this advice. Большое спасибо!

[@masoudjafary6304]

Interesting tips. 😮

[@languagecomeup]

Great video Ari, full of value. I really relate to what you said about how time flies. It's hard to believe that I've passed the 2 year mark! Like You said, 5 years will pass, so I might as well speak good Russian!

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

If you've passed the 2 year mark, you're already in way too deep to quit haha. How's the channel going?

[@shahindaHNN]

Great as usual!

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Thanks!

[@tb7-rf1fb]

I really appreciate your advice and guidance. Invaluable.

[@matt112fly]

awesome video, keep up the work ! im learning and i find myself coming back to your channel with my questions

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

If you have any questions, let me know!

[@12Lanye]

I guess the monologue part is what I need because I started learning Russian since 2022 around November-December, but once in a while I’m not that optimistic that I might learn fully the language. I know how to read it but, the understanding in a conversation is a little difficult for me to understand. I hope some day I can speak it as fluently as you Ari. 😢😅

[@ryanmilton2643]

Good advice

[@XiaoMiCang]

👍 Привет! У тебя шикарная фонетика на русском, молодец! И очень живое лицо, приятно смотреть ) Спасибо за классные советы!

[@ZhivagoDoctor]

Great tips

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Happy to hear that!

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

If this video gave you new motivation to learn Russian, you'll love my FREE PDF with my 26 Best Learn Russian tips. Download it here for free: learntherussianlanguage.com/youtube/

[@yeelowballs]

I like the way you speak, mate

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Thanks!

[@xeniaaffirmations]

спасибо мой друг !

[@H-DA]

That's true. I started learning Russian in June and after two weeks learning the alphabet and some babbel lessons I stoped learning, it all seemed to take that long. In december I started learning again and I learned so much in 6 weeks by just practicing everyday. I use a textbook and I just do one lesson after the other, much vocab (tbh I hate these apps*, I got myself an oldschool flashcardbox) and some grammar every now and then. I found myself some nice tandem partner on hellotalk, that help me to pronounce words better and I booked a russian "beginner with little experience" course to learn to make simple conversation with words I already know, it will start tomorrow. I wonder how much I could have learned already since june, if I would have just kept on learning. Learning russian maybe takes long time, but time will pass anyway. And having convercation with yourself is great practice, that's how I improved my english skills. I already started doing so in russian and I barely know 400 words. * I tried many apps like anki, phase-6, ... but they just don't seem to work for me. I need to write the words down by myself, hold the flashcard, read my own writing, seeing the flashcardbox on my nightself, ... that works out for me. Maybe apps are better once you trully mastered cyrillic?

[@camila-learnlanguageswithm8930]

wow, your channel is exactly what I needed! I'm starting russian this week and I came here for tips and advices, thank you!

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Hi Camila, looking forward to watching the video about your experience learning Russian on your channel!

[@user-km5qc1ob1y]

Hello. Can I ask questions about your Russian language studies?

[@Jimdunne_]

Спасибо моя друг

[@danielmwamba7163]

You are absolutely right...am doing my studies in russia and i have not been there for long...though almost a year now.When i meet some russians or other people who speak russian they think am in my 2nd year or 3rd year....but the truth is my russian is not good enough, i just know the basic conversations so well that they think i speak and understand russian🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

If you're already in Russia with plenty of opportunies to speak Russian, you probably should get a good audio course for grammar and a solid system for learning new vocabulary. That should quickly help you improve.

[@snipergaming2639]

Очень интересно

[@barbarcreighton6726]

TOP stuff .... this is really good ! Your accent is far better than anyone other foreigner I met in the last 10 years - Most people I studied Russian with at university mangled the language and used horrific pronunciation . U make Russian sound beautiful

[@barbarcreighton6726]

You know German / Dutch / Swedish or some other language ? This always helps when learning Russian ..... what I am aware I can't do is switch word order around a lot so as to sound more " Russian " Becasue I instinctively use the English word order ( subject -verb -object )etc

[@barbarcreighton6726]

( .....Sorry .... It took me the first 4 minutes to realise you arent American * generic youtube assumption ) )

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Thanks! I'm a native Dutch speaker, so I've got experience learning English from a young age. Most of the time the word order in English works fine for Russian. A good way I've found to improve your intuitive knowledge of Russian (and word order), is to watch a lot of series, to expose your brain to how Russians speak.

[@kyakshto]

Ты молодец!

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Спасибо!

[@SpeakEnglishYourself]

Hi 👋 have a good day to y’all 🤟

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

You too!

[@user-vm9xd7yx6p]

The last tip about reading as much as you can on the Russian side of the text and only using the English side if you get stuck was a really good tip. Spicybah edit: I think this might actually work in reverse if you quickly skim over the story first in your native language and then you will sort of get the gist of what should be happening. Might help you piece the story together a little better as you read it in Russian. Might help you with learning grammar rules based on what context you already know exists.

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

That would definitely help. One of the first books I read in Russian was Harry Potter. I'd already read it in English, so I could just focus on reading Russian and seeing how much I understood. If I would try reading a real book in Russian the first time, there would be so much pressure to understand every sentence, otherwise I'd get lost in the plot. And that takes away the pleasure of reading.

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Do you find it difficult to have conversations in Russian? I know it's hard, because most of my students struggle with it. Wouldn't it be nice to speak Russian fluently without struggling for words all the time? I have designed a step-by-step system where you'll learn to have 15-minute conversations in 90 days. Make sure you click the link to get access now: learntherussianlanguage.com/conversational-russian/

[@isakzeljkovic]

Nice video

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Спасибо!

[@bobsmith-vn6pr]

Hell, can you please provide a link to the app you suggested for vocabulary? Thank you!

[@bekbanovnurzhan2358]

Hey, Ari. I know you. You filmed video with Justin. Nice to see you

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Yes, already a year ago! Thanks for watching :)

[@thebanman2293]

Дабро пожаловать I'm still very new to russian and im trying to learn it. Im pretty sure дабро пожаловать means welcome

[@yari9166]

Fijne tips! Ga ook proberen om Russisch te leren, wish me luck haha 😎

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Succes! Als je vragen hebt stel ze gerust.

[@yari9166]

@@LearntheRussianLanguage Zal ik doen! :)

[@alisonjosphine7248]

Which app did you say we can use on tip number 2 ?

[@nicolecaputo07]

i’m an italian 16 teen who is trying to master her english and who is interested in learning new languages

[@valentinasiregar5443]

Hey,leuk dat je deze video hebt gemaakt. Dankjewel hiervoor! Heel nuttig!Ik ben ook "dutch". Kan je mij vertellen hoe die apps heten? Ik ben sinds een maand begonnen en oefen ook al elke dag met duolingo. Paka,Valentina

[@jettrd_utilitychnl4230]

to everyone there starting to learn Russian I can confirm : we will understand you even if you brutalize all the cases endings and all of that. Don't worry just speak and don't be shy to do it. It's all going to come to you eventually naturaly with practice. Work on your vocabulary, then you'll work out the frasing and grammar.

[@mbatista5891]

Do you have a Facebook profile or a group for those who want to learn Russian? Or Vk (Russian social media site) profile?

[@dievkatyusha4075]

This video gave me alot of motivation to continue, I Accually wanna move to Arkhangelsk, Спасибо мой товарищ. ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Good luck! Arkhangelsk is also a city I'd like to see once, the nature should be very interesting around there!

[@dievkatyusha4075]

@@LearntheRussianLanguage Yea it's a beautiful city.

[@kweenk5072]

What are all the cases, such as dative, genitive,accusative etc.etc. and what do they mean and which should i start learning first?? Or should i just try to start learning basic words and then putting them into a sentence and the figure out the cases using words and phrases??

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Yeah so this is the frustrating thing with Russian. In the beginning stages you kind of need cases to have normal conversations. But they're a pain to learn, and if you put too much emphasis on cases in the beginning, people often quit learning alltogether. I'm currently working on a course that tackes this problem and first teaches how to create basic sentences, and then gradually introduces cases. But for now I do recommend you first focus on learning a lot of words, and watching Russian series to get a better overview for the language.

[@butthurtcreator4512]

Прелесть русского в том что на нём очень тяжело построить фразу настолько неправильно что бы тебя ну совсем не поняли. А фонетика подразумевает ориентирование на ударные слоги, потому мы понимаем даже самое ужасное произношение))

[@Thefarbetween]

Whats the vocabulary app he mentioned called?

[@masoudjafary6304]

I've got a question which bugs me a lot. Is AI going to replace polyglots and make language learning irrelevant?

[@1984deewana]

Hi..Thanks for the suggestions.Can you please provide the name of the Vocabulary app.. Thanks

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Ankidroid

[@WayToVibe]

It's bad advice to tell people not to have goals just because his was unrealistic (wanted to be advanced speaker in 1 year) and he didn't feel like setting realistic goals. Realistic goals, such as learning 5 new words a day and alternating grammar drills and review for 1 hour a day will get you to functional levels of Russian in 1 year. That is a realistic goal. Start there, if nothing else.

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Daily goals are great. They help build habits and give you a specific action to do every day. So I highly recommend the goals you mentioned in your comment. What I'm pointing at in my video is that setting a large goal for over a longer period of time can work demotivating.

[@sheepleslayer586]

About how long would you estimate that it would take to get to about an A2 level? Just curious.

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

So the correct answer is that it depends on plenty of factors. - How focused do you study? One hour of focus is worth several of distracted hours unfocused. - What's your native language & have you learned any other languages? A native Polish speaker, who learned German and English needs much less time than a native English speaker who only knows English. - How smart are you and how well does your memory work? - What methods are you using? Spending 100 hours on Duolingo differs from 100 hours with a personal tutor. But in general I'd say somewhere from 3 to 6 months for the average learner.

[@sheepleslayer586]

@@LearntheRussianLanguage thank you for your input.

[@tuckt6180]

😊😊

[@mbatista5891]

I was told that it's easier to learn Russian if you learn Bulgarian first. What do you think about that?

[@arrowstrim]

Good video, as a happy russian just saying that if you look for practicing - you can write to me, voicing in messengers might be useful

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Thanks! I'm covered for practicing, but I'm sure other learners would be happy to practice :)

[@mikhailkorolev778]

What was that app you suggested to increase vocabulary?

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Anki

[@arielbenitez98]

@@LearntheRussianLanguageis there a specific deck?

[@gunzoutnodoubt6627]

How do I go about finding new Russian words?

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Check here: learntherussianlanguage.com/youtube/

[@dono1889]

Anyone found the app he was talking about on 2:29?

[@GAMERYIRAQ]

Do you found it?

[@jamesonlewallen3825]

Learning Russian so I can date the woman there who can’t speak English. Loving it 😊

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Glad to hear you're enjoying it! Удачи!

[@ezcoolu]

i want learn English , help

[@lilwwwlil]

Учи слова + правила и смотри телевизор на английском . Делая эти 3 вещи через несколько месяцев ты внезапно обнаружишь, что можешь различать некоторые слова в телепередаче. Если не остановишься на этом, то со временем больше и больше слов в передаче начнет становиться понятным...

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Именно то что Владимир говорит! Телевизор на английском очень легко делать и сильно помогает

[@lilwwwlil]

Еще полезным упражнением для меня было то, что я использовал маленький mp3 плеер (сейчас телефон может это делать) для записи коротких 2х, 3х, 5ти минутных отрезков новостных передач и прослушиванием их по кругу много раз, до тех пор пока мозг не сможет разбить речевой поток на отдельные фразы , потом слова и , в результате перевести и сделать смысл сообщения понятным.

[@shashank920045]

Buy a kindle instead of dual language books.

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Yeah a Kindle works well too, but what I like about the physical books is that you can see the original + translation without flipping pages.

[@normalhether5806]

i know you already know that you are very beautiful but i want to say it sorry for my bad english im practicing english with you

[@LearntheRussianLanguage]

Sure you can practice English!

[@HouseOfHam]

You seem to have a deeper/lower voice when speaking Russian, compared to English.

[@SenorJuan2023]

You wish Putin hadn't invaded Ukraine, making Russian a far less desirable language to learn.