Product Description

Here's an effective way for students to learn the basics of spoken Russian for sightseeing, shopping, phoning, handling emergencies, and much more. Phrases are presented as fun-to-do-exercises. The book also includes grammar notes, a bilingual dictionary, and vocabulary flash cards.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #345564 in Books
• Published on: 1993-04-13
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Customer Reviews

I speak Russian already...
I can speak Russian already (pretty well) but I left Ukraine at a young age (about 4ish). I was already reading and somewhat writing -- on my magnet board-- well when I left there to come to the US sad to say I lost the ability to read and write the language. I speak it at home but that doesn't really help.
My mom and I found this book at a bookstore and got it. I really like it because it has helped me a lot. I am reading sentences (slowly).
I really don't think this book is for someone just randomly wanting to learn the language. It is far more complex and advanced then this book lets it out to be. To conjugate the words alone is novels on their own. The language is EXTRELY intuitive to some degree and this book is really only for those who know the language and need to brush up on their skills.
A book will not really teach you Russian...and this one I promise you won't teach you anything that you can't get in a random guidebook.

Misleading
I've had this book for nearly a week and I STILL can't speak Russian fluently, so that disproves the "fast" bit. "Fast" is when I pour my wife a gin and tonic, and she's finished drinking hers before I've even made mine. Nothing about this book is "Fast". Also, there are no jokes, humorous anecdotes or suggestions for accelerated learning in enjoyable situations, so that pretty much knocks the "fun" thing on the head as well. Given a choice of struggling this book or watching England triumph over the Aussies at Edgbaston, I know which I'd choose to do for "fun"! This book should really have been called "Learn Russian: the not very rapid and only moderately pleasant way".

Not enough for conversation
The book is okay for a beginner. You do learn cyrillic pretty quickly. However transaltions are increasingly sparse, and the book spends almost no time on having a normal conversation. If you are only looking to be able to get around in Russia without actually talking to anyone there about things other than directions, this is your book.