Most Recommended Resources For Learning Russian

We’ve tested tons of resources for learning Russian to help you figure out which ones are worth using and which ones should be avoided. These are our top choices.

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MOST RECOMMENDED RUSSIAN RESOURCES

Red Kalinka

Red Kalinka is an exceptionally comprehensive online Russian course. With over 75 hours of video, hundreds of pages of learning materials, audio clips, and exercises; the amount of material they offer in their Russian course is truly staggering. Plus, you can email your tutor with any questions you encounter. Although it’s not the most exciting course, nothing comes close to it in terms of quality of instruction.

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Pimsleur

While I still think purchasing the Pimsleur courses is a pretty bad value, the addition of a low-cost subscription plan makes Pimsleur an excellent choice for those looking to learn Russian. It’s quite a bit different than most courses, as the written language and grammar are mostly ignored. Instead, you’ll listen and speak often throughout the course. I don’t think any course will get you speaking as quickly as Pimsleur does.

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italki

italki is definitely the resource I recommend most to people, regardless of the language they’re learning. Booking 1-1 lessons on italki are very affordable and with the large selection of teachers, you can always find someone that fits your preferences. Plus, bonus features like language exchanges and their Notebooks, where you can have your writing corrected by members of the community, are invaluable.

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Grammar Hero

Grammar Hero, created by Olly Richards of I Will Teach You a Language, is a really unique resource for learning grammar. You learn the most challenging Russian grammar points in a more natural manner – through reading stories. After reading the story, you’ll learn about the grammar rules, and notice where and why they appear in the text. It also includes exercises to practice what you’ve learned.

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RussianPod101

RussianPod101 is a podcast style course. These lessons typically focus on a dialog which is discussed by a couple of hosts. They go through it line by line, explaining key vocabulary and grammar. Lessons advanced from the absolute beginner to advanced level, with increasing amounts of Russian used at each level. While the Premium and Premium Plus plan are a bit expensive, the Basic plan is great value.

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Speechling

Speechling makes it easy to improve your Russian speaking and pronunciation skills. Through their paid plan, you can submit an unlimited number of recordings of yourself speaking Russian and get feedback on your pronunciation. For free, you can record yourself mimicking their audio recordings and make use of their exercises, such as multiple choice questions, listening, and dictation.

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Lingodeer

Lingodeer isn’t terribly unique. It teaches Russian in a manner that’s fairly similar to Babbel, Duolingo, and a number of other programs. However, Lingodeer is my favorite because they do a lot of things better – grammar explantions, variety of exercises, professionally recorded audio, and more, all while being cheaper than almost any other course. It’s a pretty fun and easy way to get started with Russian.

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Duolingo

Duolingo is far from a perfect resource – with issues like poorly recorded audio and teaching nonsensical sentences. However, the fact that it’s completely free to use makes overlooking these weaker points much easier. Ideal for casual learners, Duolingo is a pretty fun way to get an introduction to Russian.

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Real Russian Club

The Real Russian Club has a lot of useful resources for Russian learners. Among them are two podcasts, one of which is Slow Russian, and the other teaches Russian through stories. There’s a Youtube channel with lessons and information about Russia and their blog is also quite useful to learners. For those interested, there are also a few premium courses for sale.

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Memrise

Memrise is a free to use platform that is great for language learners. It’s best for helping you to memorize words or phrases but not sufficient to teach deeper concepts. Essentially, Memrise teaches via gamified flashcards. There are 7 official Russian courses, created by Memrise, but also tons more that have been added by users. The topics and quality of the user created courses can vary significantly.

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Tandem

Tandem is a language exchange app created to connect learners from around the world. You can teach someone the language you speak and they’ll help you learn the language you’d like to learn. It comes with lots of useful features (as well as a large, active user base) to make connecting with other users easy and facilitate language practice. There’s also a tutoring service offered in the app for those who are interested.

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Clozemaster

Clozemaster makes it easier to learn languages in context. You’ll study Russian by reading sentences and completing lots of fill in the blank questions. You can do so either by typing or choosing the correct multiple choice option. This method will help you study vocabulary within the context of tons of sentences. They also make things a bit more fun by awarding points for your answers. It has an old-school video game feel to it.

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