Russian by construction
Russian · The method

Bricks, rules, and sentences of your own.

Every word you learn is a reusable brick. Checked rules combine them: you build correct sentences you never learnt by heart, then you transform them, listen to them and meet them again in real situations.

The method

Six families of bricks

Every word is shown in Cyrillic with its stress mark, a transliteration, its audio and a meaning in context.

People
яya тыty онon она́oná мыmy

Subject pronouns. They are almost always expressed.

Actions
питьpitʹ естьyestʹ е́хатьyékhatʹ люби́тьlyubítʹ хоте́тьkhotétʹ

Common verbs, conjugated according to the person.

Objects and places
чайchay вода́vodá хлебkhleb Росси́яRossíya рестора́нrestorán

Their ending changes with their role in the sentence: these are the cases.

Operators
неne даda нетnet гдеgde чтоchto

Negation, yes, no, and question words.

Patterns
Я пью чайS + V + O Я хочу́ питьS + khotétʹ + inf. Ты пьёшь чай?intonation

The rules for putting bricks together, cases included. Nothing is glued word for word.

Alphabet and stress
Жzh Шsh Щshch Ыy Яya

33 letters, many of them already familiar. Stress is taught with every word.

In real life

The same bricks, everywhere

At a restaurant, on the move or meeting someone new, a few bricks are enough to make yourself understood.

restaurant, samovar
At the restaurant
Я хочу́ пить чай.Ya khochú pitʹ chayI’d like to drink some tea.
Moscow metro, station
Getting around
Куда́ ты идёшь?Kudá ty idyóshʹWhere are you going?
meeting, conversation
Meeting people
Ты лю́бишь Росси́ю?Ty lyúbishʹ RossíyuDo you like Russia?
A session

Fifteen minutes a day

Adjustable from 5 to 30 minutes. Missing a day costs you nothing: your progress waits for you.

Learner with earphones, phone in hand
3 min
Review
Today’s reviews, spaced according to how well you did.
4 min
New bricks
Two or three words, with their audio and their stress.
5 min
Build
Five sentences to build or transform, with mistakes explained.
3 min
Listen
A question you hear, an answer to give.
tea from a samovar, conversation

Lay your first brick.

Choose your goal and your pace, and the first lesson starts straight away.

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