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	<title>Russian vocab Archives - How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins</title>
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	<description>How to learn a foreign language.  Methods, matrials and stories to help you maximise your effectiveness on the road to fluency</description>
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	<title>Russian vocab Archives - How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins</title>
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		<title>How to learn Russian fast</title>
		<link>https://howtogetfluent.com/how-to-learn-russian-fast/</link>
					<comments>https://howtogetfluent.com/how-to-learn-russian-fast/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Popkins]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Apr 2021 08:22:02 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Methods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[methods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russian grammar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russian language]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russian vocab]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://howtogetfluent.com/?p=9422</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>So, you want to learn Russian fast? There’s no hiding it, getting really good at Russian is a big undertaking that takes a lot of time: maybe 300 hours study for a basic, functional “working knowledge” at the “lower intermediate” level (sometimes called “B1”).&#160; It also takes a shedload of commitment. But here’s the thing! [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/how-to-learn-russian-fast/">How to learn Russian fast</a> appeared first on <a href="https://howtogetfluent.com">How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, you want to learn Russian fast? There’s no hiding it, getting really good at Russian is a big undertaking that takes a lot of time: maybe 300 hours study for a basic, functional “working knowledge” at the “lower intermediate” level (sometimes called “B1”).&nbsp; It also takes a shedload of commitment. But here’s the thing! If you’re motivated, <strong>you can achieve specific goals a lot more quickly</strong>.&nbsp; It’s a question of <strong>knowing what you need your Russian for</strong> and <strong>consistent application of effective methods</strong> that will take you there.&nbsp;Then, once you get airborne, anything is possible!</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Rapid Russian: a reality check</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To learn Russian more quickly, <strong>take responsibility for your own progress</strong>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">No teacher can beam the language into your head.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;School style&#8221; group Russian classes very inefficient if you rely on them on their own, though <a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/group-language-classes-for-and-against/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">group language classes</a> <em>can</em> give your learning a welcome social dimension and help with motivation.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One-to-one classes or language exchanges can be an invaluable tool but full time one-to-one learning is expensive.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you&#8217;re an adult learner, make the two real engines for rapid progress in Russia <strong>effective self-study</strong> and <strong>lots of practice</strong> in your own time.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And let&#8217;s be clear from the get go: <strong>nobody ever got fluent in Russian just by using an app</strong>. Some apps are better than others, many are &#8220;gamified&#8221; to, erm, keep you on the app. What are they good for? As a supplement or for some extra down-time engagement (if you don&#8217;t feel like doing something more effective instead).</p>




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	<th class="column-1">Beginning to learn Russian? Experience the power of StoryLearning with "Russian Uncovered": <a href=https://learn.storylearning.com/russian-uncovered?affiliate_id=1511678> click here for deal info.</a></th>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RussianFast-scaled.jpg"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RussianFast-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-9507" srcset="https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RussianFast-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RussianFast-300x169.jpg 300w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RussianFast-768x432.jpg 768w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RussianFast-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RussianFast-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RussianFast-640x360.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1. Learn with your specific Russian goals in mind</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Follow the advice in this post and you can get yourself ready to use your Russian in the sorts of basic everyday contexts that we all need or in highly specialised contexts that are personal to you.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This post is addressed to you if you&#8217;re a <strong>beginner, a false beginner or rusty</strong>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That said, much of what you&#8217;ll read will also help <strong>intermediate learners</strong> who are ready to move swiftly to the next level.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You might want to be able to connect with in-laws or grandchildren or use the language to get things done and make wonderful memories when you’re travelling. You might already be into aspects of Russian culture and want to experience it from within.&nbsp; You may want to forge new business contacts by giving a presentation in the language or bond less formally with potential customers afterwards.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You’re <strong>clear on what you want your Russian for</strong>?</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You’re sure <strong>you REALLY want it</strong>?</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And you want it, like, yesterday?&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ok, let&#8217;s look at what you need to do to learn Russian fast.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2. Master pronunciation fundamentals</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Time may be short, but <strong>don’t be tempted to neglect the key elements of the Russian soundscape</strong>. If you haven’t tuned your ear in properly, your listening skills will suffer even if you know the words or grammar “on paper”.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You’ll sound dire, too.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Focus on <strong>sounds that are different from English</strong>. Understand that getting the <strong>rhythm and intonation</strong> of phrases right can be even more important than the pronunciation of individual sounds and words.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You don’t need to polish so much that you could pass for a native. but if you pay attention to the right things and you can “sound” better than you are.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That matters because you need to win the confidence of the fluent Russian speaker you want to talk to.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you fail at key aspects of accent, talking with you can be a real strain for them.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There’s a risk they’ll just switch to English&#8230;or avoid you altogether.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">3. Learn the Russian alphabet</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Russian is written in a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet that&#8217;s also used for Ukrainian, Bulgarian and several other Slavic languages (and for some non Slavic ones).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Beginners in Russian often imagine that the alphabet is a formidable hurdle but the truth is, you can learn it in less than a week (some argue even in one afternoon). You should! Not only will you have something to impress your friends with, but you&#8217;ll feel like an insider from the word go and you&#8217;ll be able to access authentic Russian texts much more quickly (obviously!).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For more on how to do it, check out this post: <a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/tricks-to-learn-the-russian-alphabet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Learn the Russian alphabet fast: three tricks</a>.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">4. Get the main sentence patterns&nbsp;</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you want to learn Russian fast, don’t get distracted by abstract <strong>Russian grammar </strong>for its own sake.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Don’t get bogged down in tables showing Russian verb and case endings.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Instead, think of grammar as <strong>the most important repeatable Russian sentence patterns</strong>. Focus relentlessly on these patterns.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Grasp <strong>rules of thumb</strong> that explain what’s going on and that you can apply on the wing (like the ones for the Russian case endings). Learn the highest frequency exceptions.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Later, when you’ve developed more of a feel for what sounds right, you can work some more on “grammar” to help you fill in the gaps, refine your expression and explain surprises.&nbsp;</p>




<table id="tablepress-16-no-2" class="tablepress tablepress-id-16">
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	<th class="column-1">Beginning to learn Russian? Experience the power of StoryLearning with "Russian Uncovered": <a href=https://learn.storylearning.com/russian-uncovered?affiliate_id=1511678> click here for deal info.</a></th>
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<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26.png"><img decoding="async" src="https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26-1024x681.png" alt="A Russian grammar workbook. Don't get bogged down in theory!" class="wp-image-1924" width="544" height="361" srcset="https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26-1024x681.png 1024w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26-300x199.png 300w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26-768x510.png 768w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26-1536x1021.png 1536w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26-640x425.png 640w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26.png 1706w" sizes="(max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Think of Russian grammar as usable &#8220;patterns&#8221; and it won&#8217;t seem so bad!</figcaption></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">5. Learn the most frequent Russian vocab</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Raw word power matters but did you know that <strong>just 250 words</strong> or so make up about 50% of everyday Russian?&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Build up to <strong>six or seven hundred “essential words”</strong> and you’re very much in business.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Reach <strong>1000 words</strong>, you can understand 80% of an everyday Russian text and say a lot of what you want, even if you have to explain things in a roundabout way.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Your &#8220;first thousand&#8221; should include the 650 most common words (the top 50 Russian verbs are of course, important among them). And then?</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">6. Add three types of fluency booster vocabulary&nbsp;</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Add to those 650 or so most common words another <strong>three classes of words and phrases </strong>(think of them as special fluency weapons in your drive to learn Russian quickly):&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Filler and conversational connector words</strong> such as “nu” (well, so), “znachit&#8221; (I mean, kind of, like), “tak” (so), “kak by” (like, sort of). They pepper natural speech and can really help move a conversation forward.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>“Tool kit phrases” </strong>that help you keep up and learn as you go, without switching to English: “Kak skazat&#8217; x po-russki&#8221; (How do you say x in Russian), &#8220;Pozhaluista, govorite medlennee&#8221; (Please speak more slowly)and so on.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Your own <strong>personal “islands of fluency”</strong>, that’s to say, bespoke words and phrases that may not be so common but which relate to your personal need for Russian: talking about your profession, hobbies, goals and so on.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">7. Learn how to get Russian into your memory (and out again)</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ok, Dr P, but <strong>how do I actually remember</strong> the key grammar patterns and essential vocab well enough to use them in real life?&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Not by accident! Not in your sleep! Not with one magic method!&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">First, you need to <strong>get words into your memory</strong> (“encoding”).&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To help you remember, understand how Russian words are formed: look out for <strong>similarities with English</strong>, understand how Russian makes bigger words out of smaller parts by <strong>gluing smaller words into bigger ones</strong> (compounding) or <strong>adding prefixes and suffixes</strong>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Use <strong>memory association techniques</strong> to remember individual words.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Learn <strong>&#8220;chunks&#8221;</strong>, that&#8217;s short phrases for every situation that native speakers of any language deploy without thinking.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Second, you need to make sure you don’t forget what you’ve just learned.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It’s been shown that reviewing material as soon as the day after you first tried to learn it and then at increasing intervals is the way to make it stick. The method is called the <strong>spacing effect</strong>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Paper <strong>flashcards</strong> or a flashcard app with the English on one side and the Russian on the other are great for this. If flashcards aren’t your thing, you can double down on lots of reading and listening practice with your course materials and other sources that interest you.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>




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	<th class="column-1">Beginning to learn Russian? Experience the power of StoryLearning with "Russian Uncovered": <a href=https://learn.storylearning.com/russian-uncovered?affiliate_id=1511678> click here for deal info.</a></th>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">8. Make your learning more effortful for maximum efficiency</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Work creatively</strong> with your new vocab, chunks and grammar patterns you want to focus on.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Make up your own short dialogues </strong>with your words and phrases and practice with a conversation partner. Do the <strong>questions and other exercises</strong> that come with your course make your own. <strong>Dictation </strong>and <strong><a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/translation-as-a-language-learning-method/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">translation back and forth </a></strong>can be powerful activities to get you working intensively with new examples of Russian that you’ve just come across.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Test yourself </strong>to turn vocab and grammar review from just <em>repetition</em> into more effective <em>recall</em>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Working with flashcards or translation from English into Russian makes for more effortful interaction, great for consolidating memories!&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Go back to your dictation, translation and or other exercises at intervals.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In short, <strong>don’t be passive, be interactive </strong>with your Russian texts and audio.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Make your learning <strong>effortful</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you’re tired after focused study, that’s a good sign. No pain, less gain!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yes! Deliberate practice like this is hard.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You may well finish a session feeling more frustrated than when you began or even that you’re going backwards.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Get what I call the &#8220;<a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/the-fluency-mindset/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fluency mindset</a>&#8220;, stick at it and trust the process.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">8. Get a good beginner&#8217;s Russian course</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With new sounds, grammar patterns and vocab to master, you could easily waste a lot of time gathering scattered materials for yourself. You can end up overwhelmed and not knowing where to start.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you want to learn Russian fast, do yourself a favour and <strong>begin with a well designed course</strong> that introduces the high-frequency Russian that ALL beginners need in a step-by-step way.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Working through the course unit by unit, week by week is <strong>a great way to pace your learning</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can also <strong>refer back</strong> to your course materials if you hit questions when you’re out using your language “in the wild”.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Make sure the course is <strong>dialogue based, has audio with transcript and parallel translations into English</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Go for courses that have some <strong>explicit grammar explanation </strong>but made accessible and with a light touch. If you like exercises, make sure your course also supplies <strong>self-correct answers</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You’re looking for a course that doesn’t just teach the key pronunciation, grammar and vocab that we saw are so important but one that you can use for the effortful practice that we’ve just been looking at.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">9. Get lots of enjoyable reading and listening practice</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Focussed study with the aid of a good course will accelerate your progress in Russian remarkably, but it’s not enough on its own.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you want to learn Russian fast, you also need a <strong>lot of exposure</strong> to the language: <strong>listen, read</strong>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Once you’ve got some basics through your course &#8211; or earlier if you feel the urge &#8211; get started earlier with more relaxed <strong>“extensive” listening and reading</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here the aim is to get enough to <strong>follow main thread of conversation or a story</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Extensive listening and reading are great <strong>helping you remember </strong>what you’ve already seen.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Plus: if the material isn’t too difficult for you, you’ll be able to <strong>“acquire” </strong>more Russian as well in a natural context, sub- or semi-consciously, without deliberate effort.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, <strong>find books to read aimed at learners at your level</strong>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Try <strong>podcasts for learners</strong> in the language, ideally with <strong>transcripts</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Some successful learners love diving into <strong>authentic content</strong> (i.e. made for natives) asap too.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To make reading native-level material easier, choose s<strong>hort articles on factual topics</strong>, read <strong>stories that you already know</strong> in English or use a <strong>parallel text</strong> with Russian on the right and an English translation on the left</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As for listening, you may find it easier to watch the Russian (original or dubbed) films or series that you already know in their English versions.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As you start watching authentic Russian films, TV shows and YouTube vides, don&#8217;t be shy of switching on the <strong>subtitle</strong>s to help (but, beyond the very earliest stages, use the Russian ones).&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The golden rule for “extensive” reading and listening practice is this: find things you find interesting and would want to listen to or watch in English anyway.&nbsp; That way, it&#8217;s going to be so much easier to clock up hours and hours of enjoyable practice.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>




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	<th class="column-1">Looking for a great way to brush up your Russian grammar skills? <a href="https://howtogetfluent.teachable.com/p/a2-russian-grammar">Check out my "Focus in Five" upper beginner course</a></th>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">10. What about speaking?&nbsp;</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whether you should speak from the very beginning depends on your personality.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>If you’re the gregarious type </strong>who loves talking, learn the absolute basics and then throw yourself into using the language. Otherwise, there’s a risk your motivation will flag and you’ll give up.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>If you’re not so social</strong>, it’s also not a problem.&nbsp; For you, conscious vocabulary and pattern building, reading or listening are going to be much more efficient activities in the early stages.&nbsp;&nbsp;When you start to speak, you&#8217;ll have a larger vocab and more experience of what sounds right and better listening skills. All these will help you activate your speaking more rapidly than somebody who focusses on speaking from the very beginning.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Most of us want to speak as well, though, and <strong>you can’t get good at speaking without speaking a lot</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Don’t put off speaking too long, just because you don’t “feel ready”. You don&#8217;t want to pass up on opportunities to make new friends in your language.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">More than that, if you want to learn Russian quickly, <strong>don&#8217;t be a perfectionist</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Don’t fixate on mistakes. Nobody cares. Instead, <strong>focus on your message and on the other person</strong>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Prepare and practice short, relevant “scripts”</strong> on conversation topics that you’re going to need.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Guess intelligently</strong>, pick up <strong>non-verbal clues</strong> to meaning, use those <strong>filler and conversational connector words </strong>to sound more authentic and win some time. <strong>Ask questions</strong> for the same reason and to check you’ve understood.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you already know Russian speakers with whom you can practise, great.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That said, will they always have time to help you as you strive to move forward at pace? Will they have the knowledge of the language to explain why things are said a certain way?&nbsp; Do they know how to give feedback constructively?</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Don’t pay for a <strong>teacher </strong>to explain things you can get much more cost and time effectively from a good course.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">No, where <strong>a teacher can really help</strong> is to <strong>explain things you&#8217;re stuck on </strong>and to ensure that you get <strong>consistent deliberate practice speaking</strong>. A good teacher will be able to give you <strong>reasoned feedback</strong> on your speaking and writing.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Try out different teachers over Skype or Zoom on a platform like italki.com. When you’ve “clicked” with one or two, <strong>book a series of sessions</strong> in advance to make sure they really do happen.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The platform I use for this is <a href="https://www.italki.com/i/ref/AAdFEC?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">italki.com</a>. I&#8217;m such a fan, I&#8217;ve had over six hundred lessons (for several languages). </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Want to learn Russian fast? Let&#8217;s recap&nbsp; &nbsp;</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Get real! It takes hundreds of hours to get really fluent, but if you&#8217;re clear on what you need your Russian for and you use smart methods, you can make rapid progress.</li>



<li>Don&#8217;t skimp on sound. Get key aspects of pronunciation right and you&#8217;ll win friends and influence people (well, they won&#8217;t run away or switch to English, at least <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f609.png" alt="😉" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></li>



<li>You don&#8217;t need all the grammar, just the main sentence patterns.</li>



<li>You must learn the highest frequency vocab. The first 650 words, plus &#8220;toolkit phrases&#8221;, conversational fillers and connectors and the bespoke vocab that matters for your, personal needs.</li>



<li>Apply &#8220;brain savvy&#8221; methods to remember patterns and vocab. Effortful intensive, deliberate practice will speed things up.</li>



<li>Use a course to present you with just what you need, to avoid wasting time, confusion and overwhelm.</li>



<li>Read and listen for pleasure as much as you can. You don&#8217;t have to &#8220;speak from day one&#8221; but to get good at speaking, you need to start and practise, practise, practise. One-to-ones with a teacher or exchange partner are great for this.</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Related posts</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/why-learn-russian/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Why learn Russian?</a></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/dr-popkins-method-how-i-learned-russian/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How I learned Russian</a></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/russian-language-exams/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Russian language exams: a guide</a></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/tricks-to-learn-the-russian-alphabet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Learn the Russian alphabet in an afternoon: three tricks</a></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/russian-verb-aspects/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get Russian verb aspects right every time</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/how-to-learn-russian-fast/">How to learn Russian fast</a> appeared first on <a href="https://howtogetfluent.com">How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins</a>.</p>
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		<title>A2 Russian: the upper beginner skills, vocabulary and grammar that you need</title>
		<link>https://howtogetfluent.com/a2-russian-skills-grammar-vocab/</link>
					<comments>https://howtogetfluent.com/a2-russian-skills-grammar-vocab/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Popkins]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2019 00:17:42 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Language exams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A2 Russian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russian exams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russian grammar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russian vocab]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://howtogetfluent.com/?p=6591</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>In this post, we&#8217;ll set out the speaking, listening, reading and writing skills that you need to succeed at &#8220;upper beginner&#8221; or &#8220;A2&#8221; level in Russian. We&#8217;ll look at how much Russian vocabulary you need for A2 and how much Russian grammar you should know. This is the first in a series looking at the [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/a2-russian-skills-grammar-vocab/">A2 Russian: the upper beginner skills, vocabulary and grammar that you need</a> appeared first on <a href="https://howtogetfluent.com">How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In this post, we&#8217;ll set out the speaking, listening, reading and writing skills that you need to succeed at &#8220;upper beginner&#8221; or &#8220;A2&#8221; level in Russian. We&#8217;ll look at how much Russian vocabulary you need for A2 and how much Russian grammar you should know. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is the first in a series looking at the different &#8220;staging posts&#8221; on the journey to fluent Russian. But why look at progress in Russian in this way? </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Before we go any further: <strong>looking to brush up your Russian grammar skills? Check my <a href="https://howtogetfluent.teachable.com/p/a2-russian-grammar" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&#8220;Focus in Five&#8221; upper beginner Russian grammar revision course (click here). </a></strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">First, the &#8220;staging post&#8221; approach reminds you that it&#8217;s best to <strong>tackle learning Russian step by step</strong>, stage by stage. Learning a language is like climbing a mountain. Too many people look at the peak of Mount Russian, fancy the view from the top and then get discouraged and give up the ascent when they realise that you can&#8217;t get there in a hop, skip and a jump.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You know the score, really! You need to break the task down and set yourself interim staging posts. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you&#8217;ve already set out with Russian and completed an introductory course (lower beginner or A1), this post&#8217;s for you because it sets out the next stage. It&#8217;ll also help you if you&#8217;ve already done a bit more Russian and are wondering whether you&#8217;re ready to move &#8220;into intermediate&#8221;. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Second, you might want to take an upper beginner/A2 Russian <a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/russian-a2-test/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>language exam</strong></a>. This could be to fulfil some external requirement (for example in education or employment) or as a way of motivating yourself. This post will make clear in general terms what you&#8217;ll be expected to do to pass an A2 Russian test. (Of course, you should always check the detailed syllabus requirements yourself before you start preparing for an exam). The next post in the series, I&#8217;ll look in detail at exam formats. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To get a handle on what upper beginners Russian &#8211; A2 Russian &#8211; might be, we&#8217;ll refer first to the <a href="https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/level-descriptions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (opens in a new tab)">Common European Framework of Reference for Languages</a> (CEFRL). </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Common European Framework of Reference for language is a scale that sets out the skills you should aim for in six &#8220;levels&#8221; (from A1 beginner to C2 mastery). It&#8217;s used by students, teachers, course creators and examiners across a range of European languages, not just Russian. The scale isn&#8217;t perfect but it&#8217;s nonetheless useful.  </p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="http://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/A2Skillspost-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="Success at A2 Russian - Dr Popkins shows the way" class="wp-image-6597" width="500" height="281" srcset="https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/A2Skillspost-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/A2Skillspost-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/A2Skillspost-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/A2Skillspost-1-750x420.jpg 750w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/A2Skillspost-1-640x360.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure></div>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">The solid base on which you&#8217;ll build A2 Russian</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the first stage of the climb, A1, you’ve already notched up a lot of wins. You should be well on top of what we might call the <strong>basic &#8220;core&#8221; </strong>of the language. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;ll know the <strong>sound system</strong> of Russian, even though you’ll still have to keep working on key differences between the Russian and English sound systems, such as the tricky Russian “ы” or difference between hard and soft consonants. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;ll also have learned the <strong><a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/tricks-to-learn-the-russian-alphabet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Russian alphabet</a></strong>.   </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You’ll also have a good stock of <strong>basic vocabulary</strong> (maybe 700 or 800 hundred words).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This will include not just the most frequent words and expressions but also less common vocabulary that’s specifically relevant to your unique situation. I&#8217;d also encourage you to arm yourself at this stage with a stock of what I call “toolkit phrases” to help you get further in the language through the language (“How do I say x in Russian?”, “Could you please speak more slowly/repeat that/write that down”) and so on.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You’ll be familiar with a lot of the most common basic structural patterns of the language, it&#8217;s grammar.</p>




<table id="tablepress-6-no-2" class="tablepress tablepress-id-6">
<thead>
<tr class="row-1">
	<th class="column-1">Looking for a great way to brush up your Russian grammar skills? <a href="https://howtogetfluent.teachable.com/p/a2-russian-grammar">Check out my "Focus in Five" upper beginner course</a></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody class="row-striping row-hover">
</tbody>
</table>
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<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Defining upper beginner’s Russian</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which – encouragingly – very much puts the focus on DOING not KNOWING and on what you CAN ALREADY DO as opposed to what you CAN’T. They call the upper beginner of A2  the “elementary” or “wayfarer” level on the CERFL “global scale”.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As an A2 basic user of Russian should be able to:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment);</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters; and</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.</li></ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">These aims are echoed in the criteria of the official language standards set by the Russian government to pass the requirements to pass the official <strong>&#8220;Foundation Level&#8221; (Базавый уровень) A2 exam</strong>. This is part of the <strong><a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/russian-language-exams/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test of Russian as a Foreign Language</a></strong> (ToRFL or, in Russian, <strong>TRKI</strong>) &#8220;official&#8221; Russian government Russian as a foreign language exam system, which runs from elementary (A1) to upper advanced (C2). ToRFL/TRKI is administered by several Russian universities and offered, under their auspices at various centres outside Russia.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Another body that offers Russian exams is <strong>TELC</strong>. They have published useful information about what you need to pass the TELC A2 Russian exam. The detail is of wider use for us as we seek to get a sense of what A2 Russian is all about. </p>




<table id="tablepress-6-no-3" class="tablepress tablepress-id-6">
<thead>
<tr class="row-1">
	<th class="column-1">Looking for a great way to brush up your Russian grammar skills? <a href="https://howtogetfluent.teachable.com/p/a2-russian-grammar">Check out my "Focus in Five" upper beginner course</a></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody class="row-striping row-hover">
</tbody>
</table>
<!-- #tablepress-6-no-3 from cache -->



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">The speaking skills you need for A2 Russian</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The <a href="http://gct.msu.ru/docs/A2_standart.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="TRKI A2/foundation description (opens in a new tab)">TRKI A2/foundation description</a> says that the &#8220;foreigner&#8221; should be able to communicate essentials with a native speaker in a limited range of familiar situations connected with daily routine in social, cultural and educational life. It is emphasised that the linguistic range of the student will be pretty limited at this level. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.telc.net/en/candidates/language-examinations/tests/detail/telc-russkii-jazyk-a2.html#t=2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="TELC A2 Russian handbook (opens in a new tab)">TELC A2 Russian handbook</a> also follows the CEFRL: &#8220;Level A2 is a transition from an exclusively functional level to the more complex….and discursive elements and the conversational situations of Level B1……at Level A2 short conversations are possible….&#8221; </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To pass the ToRFL/TRKI A2 exam you&#8217;re expected to have the ability to perform basic tasks in a range of situations such dealing with officials, transactions in shops or ticket offices, at the post office or bank, in a restaurant or library, asking for directions or going on an excursion, visiting the doctor or a clinic and telephone calls.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;re also expected to be able to talk about your own life and background, your studies or work, experience studying Russian, how you&#8217;ve spent your day, your hobbies and interests, you home town, health, the weather….  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">TELC sets out similar expected speaking &#8220;outcomes&#8221;. TELC mentions the ability to understand of the key points and additional information of simple announcements and the key points of a dialogue, even if you don&#8217;t understand everything.  </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Upper Beginner or A2 Russian listening and reading skills  </h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Any conversation is not just about speaking.  Half of it&#8217;s understanding the people you&#8217;re talking with. Then you need to understand things that are said &#8220;at&#8221; you (the dialogue of a film, the radio, announcements). </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">TELC helpfully describes some of the audio and written texts you&#8217;re expected to understand: </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Audio: announcements over a public address system; recorded telephone messages; radio announcements (weather forecasts, traffic updates etc), communications in personal life and in meetings.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Reading: brief newspaper reports, short notices, simple (illustrated) information brochures, adverts, catalogues and posters, signs, written instructions, short letters, postcards, emails, tables of information (e.g. train timetables, shop opening times and menus).  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At this level, the emphasis is getting the overall message of the &#8220;text&#8221; (audio or written) and extracting key information (even when you don&#8217;t understand everything). </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Writing for upper beginner&#8217;s/A2 Russian  </h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When it comes to writing, once again the emphasis is on producing simple texts in short sentences on the essentials of familiar topics. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This (as TELC explains) might be writing about daily life, where you live, descriptions of people, work or study. It could also be simple descriptions of events, activities or your personal experiences. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This may sound a limited goal but, in a language as grammatically complex as Russian, it&#8217;s still quite an achievement.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As to the forms of text you should be able to have a go at producing, TELC mentions filling in forms (for example a registration form), postcards or short personal letters, a short email, taking short notes or a short message.  </p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_5493-2-3-1024x683.jpg" alt="Russian vocabulary - picture of an open Russian dictionary" class="wp-image-4191" width="500" height="332" srcset="https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_5493-2-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_5493-2-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_5493-2-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_5493-2-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_5493-2-3.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure></div>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">How many words do I need to know for A2 Russian? </h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">TRKI says that the &#8220;minimum&#8221; for A2 is an active command of a vocabulary of about 1,300 words. Of course, these will mainly be words connected with the sort of fundamental, everyday situations and topics we&#8217;ve mentioned above.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There is an <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="official published list (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.zlat.spb.ru/catalog5_7_147.html" target="_blank">official published list</a> of the TRKI A2 &#8220;lexical minimum&#8221; (the key words you need).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you&#8217;re up for it, you can download the list (or buy something similar) and learn the words by heart. I quite like a systematic approach to vocab, myself, though I know it’s not for everyone. Most people will meet the vocabulary bit by bit in the context of (we hope) engaging course material or informal contact with the language (the more, the better). </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Things will move faster if you take a proactive approach to vocabulary acquisition. Just repeating, straining, writing out is not the most effective way to go, though.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">How to learn basic Russian vocabulary</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To increase your efficiency, there are several tricks that you should know.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The published word list unfortunately just contains individual words without example phrases to show ways that they can be correctly used.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It&#8217;s a good idea, though, not just to learn individual words, but also to try learning “chunks” of language.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Chunks could be “collocations”: two or more words that habitually go together in a set combination.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Beyond collocations, a chunk could even be a shortish phrase.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In effect a chunk could be any shortish combination of words that native speaker effortlessly deploy as a unit, as if one word.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Why learn chunks of Russian?</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There are three reasons for giving chunking a major role in your Russian journey.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">First, when you learn a word in context, you’ll find that word easier to remember.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Second, you’ll be sure you&#8217;ve chosen the right word to convey what you mean.  More than that, learn a phrase rather than an individual word and you&#8217;ll be seeing the pronouns, adjectives or noun with the correct case endings and verbs will be conjugated correctly. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That feels a lot better than struggling to build phrase after phrase from the ground up. If you play that game, you run the risk of a word-for-word from English when Russian may expresses things differently. You may be understood, but you won’t sound like a native. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Third, it appears that one of the reasons we are able to speak and understand our native language so quickly is that natives process language as chunks. By focussing on chunks, you really are going with nature.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Learn in chunks and you’ll be able to speak not only more naturally and accurately, but also more rapidly.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Of course, in a language like Russian with its complex system of case declensions and verb conjugations, there are limits to the magic of &#8220;chunks&#8221;. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you want to say something very close but a little different (e.g. a different  number of people involved, an action repeated habitually or in the past of future), that will throw some of the &#8220;grammar&#8221; out. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Still, your &#8220;chunks&#8221; will help you develop a real feel for how the language behaves. If you also consciously practise the grammar on top, you should be able to adapt the phrase with more confidence than if you were trying to build a phrase &#8220;from the ground up&#8221;. </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Used spaced recall to learn Russian vocabulary </h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>&#8220;Spaced recall&#8221;</strong> means you&#8217;ll no longer be trying hard to commit something to memory once and hoping it sticks for ever.  It means coming back to the word, phrase or point of grammar again and again at ever increasing intervals. You might learn it on day one, look again the next day, a few days down the line, one, three, six weeks and six months on, for example. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">By repeating in this way, you help ensure that vocabulary ends up in your long term memory.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I&#8217;m stressing <em>&#8220;spaced recall&#8221; </em>not &#8220;spaced repetition&#8221;. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Don&#8217;t just come back to lists of Russian words or phrases side by side with the English translation. That&#8217;s exposure that&#8217;s too passive. Put a bit of grit in the oyster by testing yourself. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Look at the Russian and try and recall the English. Go the other way as much as you can, too (into the target language is more difficult).  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One way to do spaced recall is with flashcards with the English on one side, Russian on the other. You could also have a Russian phrase on one side with a gap or two in it and the full phrase (in Russian) on the other side.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you find flashcards boring another approach you might try is the <a href="http://howtogetfluent.com/gold-list-method/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="gold list method (opens in a new tab)">gold list method</a>.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Neither flashcarding nor goldlisting are for everybody and, even if you like such methods, they should take the place of lots of input in the language. </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Get as much comprehensible input in Russian as you can</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Listen and read….listen and read….and then…listen and read some more.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It&#8217;s not efficient to launch into native level material at this level, though. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The fact is, you won&#8217;t know enough vocab yet (you don&#8217;t have all the grammar either, but it&#8217;s vocab that&#8217;s the main problem). </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Faced with material they can&#8217;t be expected to understand, most people will feel overwhelmed and discouraged (as well as quickly getting bored). </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Instead, get the repetition and reinforcement by listening to and reading &#8220;graded&#8221; material. That&#8217;s audio/video and written texts aimed specially at you as an A2 Russian learner. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It&#8217;s useful to look at stuff you can easily understand &#8211; just below top A2 (to ensure more of that repetition and reenforcement (&#8220;overlearning&#8221; is the name of the game).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It&#8217;s also good to try material that stretches you a little bit &#8211; edging up into lower B1. If you understand nearly all the words and structures, you&#8217;ll have fighting chance of &#8220;acquiring&#8221; new words and patterns from the context.  </p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26-1024x681.png" alt="Anxious student looks at Russian grammar book" class="wp-image-1924" width="500" height="331" srcset="https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26-300x199.png 300w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26-768x510.png 768w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26-1536x1021.png 1536w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26-640x425.png 640w, https://howtogetfluent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-05-15-at-21.43.26.png 1706w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure></div>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Grammar for A2 Russian </h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Talking of patterns, what&#8217;s the range of grammar that you should know as an A2 Russian student? We can&#8217;t cover everything here, but here are some of the main things to aim for.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">By the end of A2 you should have met <strong>all six Russian cases</strong>. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You aren&#8217;t expected to know all their uses but you&#8217;ll be practising the most common uses a lot. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This should include using the most common <strong>prepositions</strong> that require the various cases (for example when you&#8217;re talking about where something is &#8211; in, on, into, out of, behind….). </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;ll have  learned how the cases and prepositions are used in the context of basic usage of the <strong>numbers</strong>, including <strong>telling the time</strong> and more general expressions of time such as on which day, in which month, years, <strong>dates</strong>.   </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;ll know the noun <strong>declension patterns for all three genders and the plural</strong>.  You&#8217;ll also be able to decline the <strong>long-form adjectives</strong>  and will be able to recognise <strong>short-form adjectives</strong>. The declension of the <strong>personal pronouns </strong>(я/меня/мне/мной/мне; она/её/ей/ней etcю) should also be under your belt. You&#8217;ll also know the declension the <strong>most common questions words</strong>: &#8220;who&#8221; (кто) and &#8220;what&#8221; (что), of demonstrative pronouns &#8220;this&#8221; (этот) and &#8220;that&#8221; (тот), &#8220;determiners&#8221; such as &#8220;each&#8221; (каждый), &#8220;all&#8221; (весь). You&#8217;ll be able to decline &#8220;nobody&#8221; (никто) and &#8220;nothing&#8221; (ничего)…..</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It&#8217;s an exciting milestone to have covered (still more to be able to deploy, if haltingly) all this and more.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;ll also have learned a lot about the <strong>Russian verb system</strong>. That includes how the two &#8220;groups&#8221; conjugate in the past and present/future and how you can form the compound future with быть + imperfective. It also includes the common verb stem patterns. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Verbal &#8220;aspects&#8221;</strong> are, of course, an important feature in Russian and you&#8217;ll have learned how some of the most common &#8220;pairs&#8221; over verbs (imperfective/perfective) are formed. You&#8217;ll also have the essentials of when the imperfective or perfective are used in simple positive and negative expressions, in the &#8220;imperative&#8221; (making polite requests or giving commands).  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You&#8217;ll have met the most common &#8220;paired&#8221; <strong>verbs of motion</strong> and learned how each one has two imperfectives (multi-directional and uni-directional) and how these and the perfective forms conjugate and are used. You&#8217;ll also have started to see how the use of prefixes can expand what we can do with the verbs of motion. </p>




<table id="tablepress-6-no-4" class="tablepress tablepress-id-6">
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	<th class="column-1">Looking for a great way to brush up your Russian grammar skills? <a href="https://howtogetfluent.teachable.com/p/a2-russian-grammar">Check out my "Focus in Five" upper beginner course</a></th>
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<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Grammar yes….but grammar in context </h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sure, it’s useful to learn “about” the language but abstract “rules” with lists of exceptions will only take you so far. If you&#8217;re reading or writing you will have time to stop and think.  If you&#8217;re listening and speaking, you won&#8217;t have time to try and recall a declension table.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For that, we’re back to mastering patterns. We’re back, really, to context and chunks and getting lots and lots of appropriate input to build up a &#8220;feel&#8221; for the language. </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">A2 Russian is an achievement to celebrate</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I come across a lot of newbie language learners who set themselves ambitious targets in Russian. They never make them.  No, you won&#8217;t be C2 by Christmas. You can, though, get off to a solid start in the basics of Russian by focussing initially on the beginner&#8217;s core that I mentioned at the start of this post. Then you can pause for breath and begin the next let to staging post A2. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Never underestimate what an achievement  A2 is in Russian. Thirteen hundred words, six cases, the essentials of the verb system. If you make it to here, you&#8217;ve broken the back of the Russian language. The view from this far up is already very satisfying.  Mmmm…I&#8217;m mixing my metaphors…probably time to finish for today.     </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I&#8217;ll be back soon, though for the next post in this series, when we&#8217;ll look at A2 Russian exams.  Then I&#8217;ll continue the series with explorations of the other &#8220;levels&#8221; of Russian.  If you sign up to the email list in the sign-up box below, you’ll hear when subsequent posts appear. Plus, you’ll get my free video training on “How to learn any language like a pro”, at any level. Don&#8217;t miss out! </p>




<table id="tablepress-6-no-5" class="tablepress tablepress-id-6">
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	<th class="column-1">Looking for a great way to brush up your Russian grammar skills? <a href="https://howtogetfluent.teachable.com/p/a2-russian-grammar">Check out my "Focus in Five" upper beginner course</a></th>
</tr>
</thead>
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<p>The post <a href="https://howtogetfluent.com/a2-russian-skills-grammar-vocab/">A2 Russian: the upper beginner skills, vocabulary and grammar that you need</a> appeared first on <a href="https://howtogetfluent.com">How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins</a>.</p>
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