Looking for the best program to learn Russian?
Well before you get one, you need to make sure you invest your time into something that works.
So, what makes a Russian learning program good?
If you’re looking for a Russian learning program, here are some criteria.
Part 1: What Makes it Good?
After you read these criteria, scroll down to part 2 and you’ll see the 6 best programs for learning Russian.
Criteria:
1) Gives you conversations to learn: Not “textbook examples.” Not “one phrase audio clips.” Not “Russian YouTube videos.” But simple conversations that you can listen to and imitate.
2) Gives you audio/video and text: Audio/Video so you can “hear” actual Russian. And text so you can read along and understand every word. Otherwise, you will be confused.
3) Provides all levels – from Absolute Beginner to Advanced: So you can progress and take on harder lessons. You can’t grow and improve if you don’t have harder lessons.
- Unfortunately, many programs sell levels separately. So, you’d have to buy a Beginner Level and then Intermediate.
4) Provides lots of Review & Repetition: The best way to learn “forever” is through repetition and review. So, any program that repeats grammar rules/examples, vocab, and conversations – is good. Because you’ll never learn things by doing them just once.
5) Guidance: A good Russian language learning program will guide you through all the most difficult aspects of the language.
6) Motivation: Besides from teaching you Russian, it should also keep you motivated and allow you to track your progress.
Now that you know what things to look for, here are some of the best Russian learning programs out there.
Part 2: Best Program to Learn Russian?
Here are the 6 programs that are popular right now.:
Russianpod101 is a perfect program for beginners. It offers short audio/video lessons.
You get a lesson that’s perfect for your level the moment you join.
So, here is how their program works: You press play on a lesson. First, you hear a Russian conversation. Then, RussianPod101’s teachers slow down and explain every word until everything is clear to you.
Done? Then, you get the next lesson.
Every lesson is about 3-15 minutes long. So you can spend just a few minutes a day. So, think of it as learning a new conversation in every lesson.
And their program has a library of over 220+ hours of audio/video lessons by native Russian speakers.
When you join RussianPod101, you also get a bunch of other resources: vocabulary learning tools, repetition flashcards, detailed PDF lesson notes, a community forum and a mobile app for you to download and learn Russian from anywhere.
Click here to visit RussianPod101.com
Price:
- Free account available
- Plans start from $8+
Duolingo is a program that has various language learning courses and Russian is one of them.
This is a language learning platform that uses a great variety of quizzes. It is designed to help you learn new vocabulary and phrases.
There is also an entertaining “Daily challenge” system that motivates you to learn and practice new skills every single day. You might even compare your own scores and achievements with your friends who also use this platform.
Another great plus is that it has a mobile app as well, so you can learn Russian on the go.
The only downside? It’s not a “complete learning program” and is good for learning words.
Price:
- Free
The Rosetta Stone software uses immersion as a key instrument to help you learn Russian in an entertaining way just like you learned your own native language.
They have developed a speech-recognition tool that is claimed to recognize what you say, correct it and help you develop a real Russian accent.
You can download Rosetta Stone to your PC and your mobile device as well, the lessons will automatically sync across all your devices.
Price:
- $7.49 to $19.99 per month, depending on the plan you choose to buy.
- Remember that there is a special discount offer for students as well.
4. Memrise.com
Memrise is like Duolingo. You get quizzed on words, letters, phrases and whatnot.
They feed you quizzes teaching you the words you need for your level. They’re also very good at re-quizzing you on words that you saw before. I like that about them. There are very few programs that incorporate this.
They also offer a lot of courses – made by a lot of people – for various levels. So, you can find something of interest to take.
In a way, there’s very little guidance because you have to choose courses.
Ultimately, Memrise is a good program for vocabulary and phrases.
Price:
- Free account available
- Plans start from $8.99+
5. everydayrussianlanguage.com
The program contains lessons that cover basic Russian phrases and necessary vocabulary. Through it, you can learn such basics as how to introduce yourself, tell your age, talk about your family and occupation, and so on. Every lesson comes along with an audio file recorded by a native Russian speaker.
Everyday Russian offers a collection of over 300 online audio lessons. The website also includes tests and other interesting stuff to practice your reading, listening and writing skills, while enriching your vocabulary on the go.
Each lesson they take different verbs and show you all its forms conjugated in different tenses, as well as the verb derivatives. Everything is organized in tables to make it easier for you to memorize.
Price:
- Free
This comprehensive course consists of multiple interactive audio lessons. To master the language you are asked to repeat each word and phrase out loud. In such a way they promise you will have a better Russian accent and you won’t be afraid to talk to native Russian speakers.
They are aware that Russian grammar can be extremely difficult for English speakers. That’s why they also offer extensive Language & Culture lessons that describe the key grammar points. All lessons have step-by-step explanations that anyone can follow.
Rocket Russian keeps you motivated. You earn points with everything that you do in Rocket Russian. You can determine a daily goal and see how long you can keep that streak going. They even have a leaderboard where you can rise to the very top.
Price:
- One-time payment of $150
These are some of the best Russian learning programs out there so far.
Which one should you choose?
It’s up to you really. One start is as good as another. As much as people want to claim that there are “secret weapons to mastering language,” the only thing you need is consistency and time.
So, whichever you go with, as long as you put in time and effort, you can and will learn Russian. An imperfect start is better than no start. And perfect starts don’t exist.
– The Main Junkie
