The Best Way To Learn Russian

Is learning Russian on your bucket list? No wonder. Learning Russian expands your horizons. 

You can read Russian literature in the original version or travel easily in Russia as well as parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucuses, and beyond.

And thanks to the internet there’s an endless array of Russian resources to help you learn. But you can feel a bit lost, drifting in an ocean over neverending apps, courses and more.  

I’m here to help you make sense of all the options and discover the best way to learn Russian online. 

No matter how you end up learning Russian, it’s a life-changing experience. You’ll be glad you took the leap and started learning the language. 

Here’s what you’ll discover in this post.  

How Not To Learn Russian 

Have you tried to learn Russian in the past but forgot it all or couldn’t actually speak to people? You’re not the one at fault. Instead, something I call the Parrot Problem of language learning is to blame. 

With the Parrot Problem, you memorise Russian word lists and grammar rules. It’s the “repeat after me, like a parrot” style of teaching that you remember from your school days. 

When you learn like a parrot, you put Russian words into your short-term memory. That’s why you forget them so easily.  

You might think the days of Parrot methods were long gone. But many current Russian courses and apps rely on this kind of rote memorisation approach. 

These methods of repetition and learning by heart fail you. So when you try to speak Russian, you can’t express yourself. The Russian you’ve learned hasn’t gone into your long-term memory. 

What Is The Best Way To Learn Russian? 

The best way to learn Russian online is by using the same natural learning process children use to learn their native language. This ensures that you remember the Russian you learn long term. 

StoryLearning is a method I created that teaches you Russian in this natural way. Instead of learning word lists and rules, you start by reading and listening to a story in Russian at your level. As you read and listen, the language truly gets implanted in your mind.

Story is humanity’s most ancient form of communication. We’ve used stories for thousands of years to entertain, educate, preserve culture and teach moral values. Lessons from stories tend to stick much better than facts, making them a powerful tool for language learning. 

Stories are also fun and motivating. While Russian apps try to motivate you with leaderboards and points, with StoryLearning, the story keeps you coming back for more.

You keep learning because you want to know what happens next, not because an app is constantly pinging you with notifications! 

This fresh, natural and motivating approach makes StoryLearning the best way to learn Russian. 

Best Way To Learn Russian Online

The best way to learn Russian online using the StoryLearning method is with my popular Russian Uncovered courses. 

Russian Uncovered will take you from total beginner to confident, intermediate-level Russian speaker. You’ll be immersed in a story from the start, even if you don’t know a single word of Russian. 

The StoryLearning method combines all of the benefits of online learning—like flexibility, modern engaging materials, and different types of media—with a story-first approach that ensures you have fun and remember the Russian you learn. 

If you’ve had enough of messing around with silly apps that treat you like a parrot, then the story-based approach of Russian Uncovered is a breath of fresh air that will finally get you fluent. 

Best Way To Learn Russian Fast

There are plenty of promises of a fast path to Russian fluency online. But to learn Russian fast you’ll have to put in the time and effort daily and be prepared to work a lot. 

So if you’ve got time on your hands, you can learn Russian quickly. But if you’d like to make guaranteed fast progress in Russian, you can’t go wrong with StoryLearning VIP. 

StoryLearning VIP is a 10-week personalised coaching programme to get you your big breakthrough in Russian!

I’ll be honest with you – this programme is not for the faint of heart. You’ll need to put in daily personal study time in addition to your twice-weekly sessions with your expert Russian coach. But the rewards are high – complete language fluency in Russian. 

Best Way To Learn Russian For Travel

What if fluency in Russian isn’t your goal? 

Perhaps you’re aiming to pick up a bit of Russian to survive on a trip to Russia or one of the Russian-speaking countries or regions in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 

If you want to learn Russian for travel, your best bet is to learn the words and phrases for specific scenarios like finding your way, greeting people or taking public transport. 

Instead of getting bogged down in grammar or memorising vocabulary you won’t use, you’ll learn only what you need to know in context, so you can remember it better. 

You can use my blog post about common Russian phrases to prepare for your trip. Thanks to the post, you’ll learn 58 words and phrases such as greetings, questions and key Russian words. 

With this applied approach, you’ll soon learn Russian for travel and be ready for your next visit to a Russian-speaking country. 

Best Way To Learn Russian While Driving

Even if you’re super motivated to learn Russian, it can be tough to fit study time into your day, especially if you’re working full-time and you have a daily commute by car. 

So you might be wondering, what is the best way to learn Russian while driving? After all, you may as well make the most of this time. And there are tools and materials to make it work. 

This goes without saying but I want you to keep your eyes on the road and stay safe. So, obviously, looking at a screen or reading a book aren’t compatible with learning and driving. 

Instead of using your eyes to learn Russian though, you can use your ears. Russian podcasts, audio courses and other kinds of Russian listening material are the perfect tools.

Listening to lots of Russian while driving is a great way to help your brain get used to the language. 

If you’re starting out in Russian, an audio course for beginners like the Michel Thomas one is the best way to learn Russian while driving. 

If you’re an intermediate Russian learner, it can be tough to find suitable listening material. Beginner audio courses and textbook dialogues are too easy, while native-level listening materials are too tough. 

To bridge the gap between the beginner and advanced level, I created Russian Conversations. It’s a compelling 20-part story specially designed for intermediate learners that will help you understand fast, spoken Russian. 

Do you have an advanced level in Russian? Time for you to say goodbye to material created for learners and step into the big, wide world of real Russian audio. 

To challenge yourself, you can listen to podcasts in Russian designed for native speakers from your favourite Russian-speaking media companies and creators worldwide.

At this level, you can listen to podcasts that align with your interests. You’ll have fun and learn something new. 

Best Way To Learn Russian On Your Own

Have you had bad experiences in the past with group language classes or rigid language school curriculums? 

I also get quickly fed up with learning vocabulary and grammar imposed on me. Besides, languages can’t be taught, only learnt. Your self-directed learning counts much more towards getting fluent than what you’re taught. 

Learning languages in this self-directed manner, rather than being “taught” in a classroom or from a rigid textbook curriculum, helped me learn eight to fluency. 

I’ve used my experience as a self-directed learner to create my Uncovered courses for solo learners, and Russian Uncovered is no exception. 

Russian Uncovered is a self-paced course for independent Russian learners that also offers advice about the best way to learn Russian on your own. 

Best Way To Learn Russian Fluently

If one of your big life goals is to learn Russian fluently, the best way to achieve it is through personalised Russian coaching. 

Teachers and tutors have always helped me learn fast and stay on track in my various language learning journeys. 

Personalised Russian coaching will help you stay committed along the way, get tailor-made guidance and plenty of speaking practice to boot. 

That’s why I’ve put together my own personalised coaching programme called StoryLearning VIP. 

StoryLearning VIP is a coaching programme designed to get you fluent in Russian, even if you've tried and failed in the past.

It includes not only access to my course, Russian Uncovered, but also to the 1-to-1 lessons, coaching and support that will ensure your success. 

Personalised coaching is the best way to learn Russian fluently because you get: 

• Hours of personal coaching lessons to practise speaking
• Unlimited feedback and corrections
• A fully personalised learning pathway
• Accountability to make sure you stay on track 

If Russian fluency matters to you then personalised coaching is your best bet to get there. 

Best Way To Learn Russian Cases 

The Russian cases can give even the most dedicated Russian learner sleepless nights.

Learning the cases in Russian is hard because of the Parrot Problem. 

When you try to learn the cases by heart, you put them in your short-term memory. So you just end up forgetting them when you need to use them. 

The best way to learn Russian cases is to not memorise them. By all means, you can read or watch an explanation of Russian cases. But don’t then try to commit all the case endings to memory. 

Once you know what the different cases are and how they work, forget declension tables and go see the cases in their natural habitat. The best way to do this is to read and listen to Russian stories. 

As you read and listen to Russian books and stories at your level, the Russian cases will start to make sense on an intuitive level and you'll know which endings to use and when. Much more fun than rote learning right? 

If you’re wondering where to find Russian stories at your level, my top recommendation is my short story book, Short Stories in Russian. 

Best Way To Learn Russian At Home

It’s a common misconception that you need to travel to a Russian-speaking country to learn Russian. 

I’m living proof that this isn’t true. I’ve learned many of my languages from home. And while living overseas, I’ve learned languages completely unrelated to the mother tongue of my host country, like Cantonese in Qatar! 

The best way to learn Russian at home is to read and listen to stories in Russian at your level for an hour every day. For instance, you can read a beginner book, work through a StoryLearning Russian course, or listen to Russian podcasts. 

When you immerse yourself in Russian like this from home, it’s called an “input method”. An input method means that you learn by reading and listening to material you want to understand. 

Input methods are effective because they expose you to lots of Russian, which helps your brain get used to it. And of course, they’re a lot of fun. 

Best Way To Learn Russian FAQ 

Ready To Start Your Russian Learning Journey? 

Learning Russian can be tough, but also immensely rewarding and even life changing. 

Discovering the best way to learn Russian is key so that you get fluent fast and enjoy yourself along the way. 

Reading and listening to stories at your level is the best way to learn Russian. And that’s exactly what the StoryLearning method is all about. 

This fresh approach is very different to the Parrot methods that start you off learning rules or memorising words with no context. 

So you might find it a bit strange at first. 

But you’ll soon discover that your desire to find out what happens next in the story will keep you motivated to learn Russian. 

Plus you’ll quickly know what “sounds right” because you’ve learned Russian in a rich, meaningful context. 

That’s what makes stories the best way to learn Russian fast. 

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.