Talk Russian (Book + CD): The ideal Russian course for absolute beginners

The reason for purchase was to better my Russian pronounciation as it has been many years since I have spoken it so need to brushing up. Being ethnic Russian and having Ukrainian girlfriend still in Ukraine who speaks Russian seems a good idea.The delivery was on time as stated and on a Sunday during Coronation party. The postage packaging was in tact. The design of the cardboard case for Talk Russian is simple and informative as to what it is. In side the CDs are securely fixed into a pressed plastic holder (not sure if recycale no indication it is). The course book is well laid out and easy to follow. Gives you the Russian spelling and phonectical pronounciation as well as the English meaning. There is a good use of graphics that adds depth rather than just pages of text which can become boring.My two thoughts about this product is firstly the course books binding. To fully view the pages one has to break a strong binding I hate doing this as it damages the book over time. The alternative to a type of ring binder but this would increase the cost of the product or lessen its profitability to the producer. Secondly, while this is about learning to read and speak Russian, it would have been nice to include the shape of written Russian so the learner could read written Russian too. There again, you can obtain writting tutorials on Amazon too.A note to English speakers just starting out learning Russian: become very accustomed to the Russian alphabet as there are several 'latin' letters that are the same in English. For example B is not b in English but Russian 'v' - so the English VERY is not spelt BERY ))))

This CD language course is very informative and easy to use. The booklet that comes with this is also easy to follow and provides pronunciation guide to speak the language. I would recommend it to anyone who would be interested in learning a new language. 😊

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

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

This book is not for beginners. The instructions are very fast. You need to listen over and over again and my Ukrainian friend still had problems understanding. I would avoid. Arrived in post quicky and in great condition.

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

The pack arrived in a couple of days in excellent condition There's quite a bit of information in this, and it covers the essentials of obtaining rooms, travle and other practical aspects quite nicely. For most of the time the actors are speaking Russian slowly, whereas in situ in Russia one needs to be able to process information spoken more quickly. Some people may disagree on this. Overall its excellent for beginners, especially if you've done some languages work before. A little variety in the music signalling the end of the unit or section, etc. would be nice. Excellent though and good value for money.