Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 24

Thread: What is the best book for learning russian for a beginner?

  1. #1
    Почётный участник
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    137
    Rep Power
    14

    What is the best book for learning russian for a beginner?

    Hi.

    I a few summers ago used the teach yourself books - found it a little confusing but grasped the basics. I now have the pimsleur russian cds and am working through them, but would like a really good book to help me with the written and gramatical stuff etc, and for the harder speaking skills.

    Can I have any suggestions?

    Thanks
    Andy
    My new website is http://www.computer-tutorials.org/New_site/

    If anyone could help with translations or audio recording please email me!

  2. #2
    Почтенный гражданин
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Delaware, USA
    Posts
    215
    Rep Power
    13
    I have the Teach Yourself Beginner's Russian and Teach Yourself Russian. I think they are the most useless books on the planet.

    Everybody here recommends the The New Penguin Russian Course, by Nicholas J. Brown. I have purchased it, and just started reading it. It seems to be much better than the Teach Yourself books.

    Good luck, I'm a beginner myself. They are very helpful on this forum, you'll find.

    http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cg...8448&pr=733163
    Платинов

  3. #3
    Почётный участник
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    137
    Rep Power
    14
    The link you posted is no good, as I live in the UK. Nevertheless I will have a look at amazon or something - sure I will find it somewhere.

    Andrew
    My new website is http://www.computer-tutorials.org/New_site/

    If anyone could help with translations or audio recording please email me!

  4. #4
    Почтенный гражданин
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Delaware, USA
    Posts
    215
    Rep Power
    13
    Платинов

  5. #5
    Почётный участник
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    137
    Rep Power
    14
    Have bought it - Got a second hand copy, and including postage came to just over
    My new website is http://www.computer-tutorials.org/New_site/

    If anyone could help with translations or audio recording please email me!

  6. #6
    Старший оракул tohca's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    зарубежный
    Posts
    769
    Rep Power
    14
    Try this web site

    http://www.princeton.edu/russian/SLA101/

    I find the materials there very good. The author /lecturer does have a good sense of humour. It has grammar, vocab as well as the relevant sound files. Only thing missing is the answers to the questions /exercises. Otherwise I think it would be perfect.

    I am not sure how long the materials will stay there or when the site becomes inaccessible, so try it while it's still there.
    Find out all about Malaysia here!

  7. #7
    Почётный участник
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    137
    Rep Power
    14
    Wow that does look good. thanks for the share.

    Andy
    My new website is http://www.computer-tutorials.org/New_site/

    If anyone could help with translations or audio recording please email me!

  8. #8
    Подающий надежды оратор
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Moscow
    Posts
    11
    Rep Power
    13
    А вообще , лучше всего учить язык с его носителем!
    I`m russian and can help u without any books

  9. #9
    Властелин
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Residing in an unknown place
    Posts
    1,400
    Rep Power
    14
    There are tons of people wanting to help others with their Russian on the forum but none of them, as far as I remember, have ever said that s/he can help without any books at all! We aren't kids, dude!
    "A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read"
    Mark Twain
    American author/essayist (1835-1910)
    WHSmith

  10. #10
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Seventh
    Posts
    4,113
    Rep Power
    18
    The New Penguin is generally considered the best.

    The entire Teach Yourseld range is shite. I have TY Hungarian and TY Ukrainian. Utter rubbish. Don't bother. The only use is if you listen to the CDs they come with for pronunciation.
    Ingenting kan stoppa mig
    In Post-Soviet Russia internet porn downloads YOU!

  11. #11
    Старший оракул tohca's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    зарубежный
    Posts
    769
    Rep Power
    14
    Hi Andy, glad you find the materials useful. I think it would be good if we can study from the common material and discuss the difficult parts. If we can get more people to learn from a this material we could help motivate each other. One of the problems I find is that I tend to stop studying when the going gets tough and I don't seem to be improving. A bunch of study mates will definitely help keep the interest alive.

    Hope I can post some of the parts I find difficult to you. I must admit I am quite a slow learner, and pretty weak at languages.
    Find out all about Malaysia here!

  12. #12
    Почётный участник
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    137
    Rep Power
    14
    Yer that sounds good. I have worked though the first few lessons fairly quickly, but I need to really study some of the next ones - but I too think I will be slow to learn languages. Perhaps you could drop me an email? andrewsco_at_gmail_dot_com

    I leave for a weeks holiday in france on Saturday, but have a weeks holiday after that, so I'm happy to work on the resource with you then.

    Andy
    My new website is http://www.computer-tutorials.org/New_site/

    If anyone could help with translations or audio recording please email me!

  13. #13
    Увлечённый спикер
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    41
    Rep Power
    13

    russian textbook

    I like the Golosa textbook by Richard Robin. All the audio spport is available for free on the web..so don't by the tapes. Check out the George Washington University
    website. http://www.gwu.edu/~slavic/golosa/golosa.htm
    美丽

  14. #14
    Увлечённый спикер
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    41
    Rep Power
    13

    russian textbook

    I like the Golosa textbook by Richard Robin. All the audio spport is available for free on the web..so don't by the tapes. Check out the George Washington University
    website. http://www.gwu.edu/~slavic/golosa/golosa.htm
    美丽

  15. #15
    Старший оракул tohca's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    зарубежный
    Posts
    769
    Rep Power
    14
    That's great Andy. Now there's at least a virtual study partner. I worked up to about lesson 20 last year then sort of lost interest up until last month. Will go through that again and then there should be some common areas we can discuss.

    Do you think it would be a good idea we start a new thread, maybe called Study using Princeton University materials? If ok, maybe you could give it a more catchy title - hopefully we can get others. And I think the Getting Started section would be appropriate.

    What do you think?
    Find out all about Malaysia here!

  16. #16
    Подающий надежды оратор
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Afghanistan
    Posts
    31
    Rep Power
    13
    I am lerning Russian from French, with a book and audio CDs. I recently bought a real grammar book. I think this is invaluable, otherwise you will never understand it completely.
    Bob
    Early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese

  17. #17
    Почтенный гражданин
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Delaware, USA
    Posts
    215
    Rep Power
    13
    Quote Originally Posted by tohca
    Hi Andy, glad you find the materials useful. I think it would be good if we can study from the common material and discuss the difficult parts. If we can get more people to learn from a this material we could help motivate each other. One of the problems I find is that I tend to stop studying when the going gets tough and I don't seem to be improving. A bunch of study mates will definitely help keep the interest alive.

    Hope I can post some of the parts I find difficult to you. I must admit I am quite a slow learner, and pretty weak at languages.
    Hey,
    I'm new also, can I join the party? I need motivation sometimes. I know what you mean, when I seem to be getting stuck I stop studying for a while, and then I get even more frustrated. A kick in the pants is very helpful sometimes!
    Платинов

  18. #18
    Старший оракул tohca's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    зарубежный
    Posts
    769
    Rep Power
    14
    Why of course, that's the idea. Do you already have the Princeton study materials? And any suggestions about an appropriate and catchy title for our group?

    Hope Andy comes up with something. If we can recruit a 'class' of at least 10, I am sure we'd be in a good position to help motivate each other. Maybe even get one of the experts on this forum to act as our mentor /facilitator. I don't mind paying, if the fees are right, to attend a 'virtual' class if someone will start one. Have tried to look around the web site for Princeton, alas was not able to find such a class, sigh.........
    Find out all about Malaysia here!

  19. #19
    Почтенный гражданин
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Delaware, USA
    Posts
    215
    Rep Power
    13
    Quote Originally Posted by tohca
    Why of course, that's the idea. Do you already have the Princeton study materials? And any suggestions about an appropriate and catchy title for our group?

    Hope Andy comes up with something. If we can recruit a 'class' of at least 10, I am sure we'd be in a good position to help motivate each other. Maybe even get one of the experts on this forum to act as our mentor /facilitator. I don't mind paying, if the fees are right, to attend a 'virtual' class if someone will start one. Have tried to look around the web site for Princeton, alas was not able to find such a class, sigh.........
    I'm saving the Princeton stuff on my computer now. I'll probably print them out to study. What "fees" are you talking about? I cannot attend a virtual class because my only computer access at the moment is at work. I can do forum type stuff, but I can't sit undisturbed for any length of time.
    Платинов

  20. #20
    Новичок
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    6
    Rep Power
    13
    My Russian teacher is using a book called начало.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Learning Russian with a learning disabillity - HELP!
    By Chelle in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: October 30th, 2009, 05:55 AM
  2. Replies: 4
    Last Post: July 7th, 2008, 04:50 PM
  3. Russian beginner
    By learner in forum Penpals and Language Exchange
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: March 14th, 2008, 01:13 AM
  4. Excellent beginner's Russian Video
    By ivanjs in forum Videos
    Replies: 19
    Last Post: September 9th, 2007, 12:43 AM
  5. A few questions on Russian beginner resources.
    By oatmealia in forum Getting Started with Russian
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: June 15th, 2005, 04:12 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


Russian Lessons                           

Russian Tests and Quizzes            

Russian Vocabulary