Easy Russian for English Speakers Vol. 1 & 2: Learn to Speak and Understand Russian; From everyday essentials to Chekhov, Pushkin, Gagarin and Shakespeare [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

"I did a year's course in Russian as a subsidiary module at university a number of years ago and reached a stage where I could speak it reasonably well (although far from fluently). Since then I have made several attempts, mostly working from books, to revise my Russian skills but have not retained a very firm grasp on the language.

In addition to covering a range of grammatical points, there is quite a lot of discussion about points of pronunciation as well as Russian culture, both of which are important in order to gain a good working knowledge of the language.

This strikes me as a well-produced and well-structured course. Although it lacks the true interactivity of working directly with a teacher, it provides a very useful complement to other study materials for anyone studying without easy access to native Russian speakers." -- Magnus Forrester-Barker, Cymru (Wales)

"Overall, I like the CD. It is easy to follow and language lessons seem well thought out and grouped in a logical manner. My only real complaint is that the CD is supposed to be stand alone and honestly I do think that the first volume is needed prior to listening to the second volume. I feel like I would have much better comprehension of the lessons if I had begun with volume one. Still, all in all, I feel like the CD is good." -- Nancy Cox, Houston, Texas, USA

"In terms of the content, I like the approach a lot. There is a heavy focus on phonetic accuracy, which is obviously super important but which books can only touch indirectly and even a high number of sound-based language-learning media think it's good enough to just say things and let us figure it out and not walk us through it and that's not good enough; there is also a heavy focus on cultural things (he starts with patronymics, e.g., and there are passages from Chekhov and Shakespeare in Russian and you can hear the voice of Yuri Gagarin) and it seems to me there's no point in learning a language unless beyond learning how she is spoke, you also learn the shape of the world in which her speakers exist. So in short there's a lot of interesting stuff here, and it's well worth a listen." -- Martin McCarvill, Vancouver, Canada

"This is a really helpful series starting with the alphabet and 'hello' (vol.1) and graduating to brief extracts from Chekhov and others (vol.2). The 28 units are excellent not just for learning the subtleties of pronunciation, but for understanding how the Russian language and Russian minds work." -- Rachel Redford (UK) --EasyRussian.co.uk

"These audio lessons jumped right into learning the language and moved briskly. I also enjoyed the structure of the lessons and their thematic organization. Unlike other audio language learning tapes the tracks were engaging - my attention was kept and I felt like I was actually absorbing Russian. Overall, this audio training is excellent for those who need to learn Russian fast, or may only need to learn enough for a specific situation." -- Kara Schimmelfing, USA

"Super. Often one is demotivated by legions of grammar to wade through before you get to saying 'hello',in some language guides. On the other hand this audio guide is going straight for useful phrases to get you by; to increase your motivation and to give you a taste of the language itself." -- Stephen Dunne, Australia

"Great CD. Easy to pick up on Russian words pronunciation and also a little bit about Russian culture and the background behind certain phrases. Really interesting and informative."-- Sara Georgieff, Canada

"I've tried several methods for learning foreign languages: Spanish was classroom instruction, both in high school and college. French was audio instruction via Pimsleur and Berlitz. This CD reminded me of a Berlitz course; Russian words and sentences were pronounced twice and then the instructor moves to a different phrase.

The CD's categories were a good selection, and included the Russian alphabet with each letter's correct pronunciation. Other categories included greetings, directions, food, and numbers. This one CD will not make you an expert, but it can be a valuable help in learning pronunciation and some basic vocabulary." -- Noel Lytle, Philadelphia, PA, USA

"Max Bollinger, a native Russian speaker has composed an excellent guide to learning basic Russian for your next trip. Everything from greetings to dating a Russian beauty. Like other language software it works by repeating the words then using them. However unlike other language programs that slow down the words so you can hear each syllable, Easy Russian for English Speakers keeps everything 'live'. As an audio book you are able to transfer the tracks to a media player and learn on the go." -- Jodie Clements, Canada --EasyRussian.co.uk

The Russian audio course that jumps right into learning the language with expertly designed structure of the lessons and their thematic organization to benefit English Speakers. Engaging, attention grabbing, infused with cultural content to deliver immediate results for those who needs to master Russian fast. The first CD in the set includes essentials such as greetings, travelling, numbers, food and drink, shopping, getting around town, business meetings, dating and telling the time. Followed by more detailed explanation of Russian phonetics, Russian names, birthdays, taking about planet Earth, flying on a Russian space ship, and cultural content with fragments from Chekhov stories, Gagarin's speech, and Shakespeare in Russian, included in second CD . No special equipment or software required. Audio CD can be used with PC, lap-top, home stereo or transferred to ipod, cell phone or MP3 player.

Russian Language Qualifications

Qualifications available from various examination boards outside Russia include EdExcel in the UK offering GCSE and A-Level exams in Russian Language and expects students to learn not only the language itself, but also about the culture and traditions of the native countries. Easy Russian will be most valuable in achieving such objectives. It includes rich cultural content and insights into Russian literature, humour and etiquette. Volumes 1 and 2 aim primarily to develop speaking, listening and understanding skills. In Volume 2 students are also given the opportunity to download free PDF materials for each unit in order to improve their understanding of written Russian. These free text materials can be downloaded from www.easyrussian.co.uk. Future releases of Easy Russian materials will make it a complete and comprehensive resource for students wishing to develop fluency in Russian language

For Teachers

Easy Russian audio materials offer some tuition, phonetics, grammar and native Russian audio content. It will be possible for adults and younger students to achieve good understanding of Russian language outside classroom through Easy Russian. Volume 2 in particular provides PDF downloads which can be used by tutors in classrooms. Additional feature of Volume 2 which will be useful for teachers running Russian language classes is inclusion of Chekhov, Gagarin and Shakespeare texts both inside longer modules and separately at the end of the CD, so that each text could be played back easily without English tutorial.

Vol.1 CD 1

01 GREETINGS, WELCOME
02 ALPHABET, SPELLING
03 SPEAKING AND UNDERSTANDING
04 TRAVELLING BY TAXI
05 THEATRE TICKETS, NUMBERS 1-10
06 HOTEL, CONCIERGE
07 ORDERING FOOD AND DRINK
08 SHOPPING, POSSESSIONS
09 DIRECTIONS, GETTING AROUND TOWN
10 SUGGESTIONS, NUMBERS 10-100
11 TELLING THE TIME
12 MAKING PHONE CALLS
13 APPOINTMENTS, WEEKS, MONTHS
14 BUSINESS MEETINGS
15 DATING SOMEONE
16 MYSTERIOUS RUSSIAN SOUL
17 SAYING GOODBYE

Vol.2 CD 2

01 INTRODUCTION
02 UNDERSTANDING RUSSIAN NAMES
03 LEARNING RUSSIAN LIKE A NATIVE
04 TO BE OR NOT TO BE IN RUSSIAN
05 SPEAK RUSSIAN LIKE A RUSSIAN
06 TALKING ABOUT OUR PLANET
07 READING CHEKHOV IN ORIGINAL
08 GAGARIN ABOUT PLANET EARTH
09 GAGARIN ABOUT LANDING
10 SHAKESPEARE IN RUSSIAN
11 CHEKHOV IN RUSSIAN