Russian lessons (video)

You will be surprised to discover how many Russian words you already know, even without having learned Russian. The Russians have borrowed a huge number of words from different languages, possibly including your native tongue. Moreover, you’ll learn how to build up your vocabulary with one simple question: “How is ‘something’ in Russian?”

You will be surprised to discover how many Russian words you already know, even without having learned Russian. The Russians have borrowed a huge number of words from different languages, possibly including your native tongue. Moreover, you’ll learn how to build up your vocabulary with one simple question: “How is ‘something’ in Russian?”

Diving into the Russian alphabet, you will enjoy learning the first 5 letters: 'А', 'К', 'М', 'С', and 'Т', which are similar in appearance and sound to those in the Latin alphabet.

In this video lesson you'll meet Tanya's extraordinary (meaning terrible) cat and learn how to read a couple more Russian letters that are just slightly different from their equivalents in English or Latin-based languages.

In this lesson, you will learn to ask two questions: “Who is it?” and “What is it?” Once you are in Russia, you will be able to build your vocabulary with ease and have fun by simply asking your Russian friends these short, easy to remember questions.

You'll continue learning the Russian alphabet and discover that the Latin-looking letters 'В', 'Н', 'Р', 'У', and 'Х' sound surprisingly different in Russian. You'll acquire new words and even meet Tanya's friend Anna, who is particularly charming.

This must be the funniest lesson so far, as you'll see Tanya missing her bus and running after it. Don't worry - she'll still teach you one question: “What does 'something' mean?” to help you expand your vocabulary and feel comfortable when travelling to Russia.

In this lesson, you'll continue learning the Russian alphabet, which consists of only 33 letters. You'll learn specifically looking Russian letters 'Б', 'Д', 'Г', which, at the same time, produce sounds that are quite familiar.

Some students can become frustrated with the Russian letters 'И' and 'Й'. Don't worry - with Tanya Semke, you'll find it amusing how these two letters look almost alike yet differ significantly. Also, congratulations: you are now halfway through learning the Russian alphabet!

It's time to learn how to greet different people properly. In Russia, they like to keep a certain distance before making friends, which is reflected in their way of speaking. You should use one word for friends and four different greetings in formal situations, especially when greeting older people.

You'll have a lot of fun learning new letters 'З' and 'Ж', which remind you of different noises made by insects. As usual, you'll easily recognise all the words in this lesson, as they are so-called “international” words.

This lesson is absolutely indispensable for those who enjoy discussing other people, as well as for those who want to learn the Russian equivalents of personal pronouns - 'I', 'you', 'we', 'he', 'she', and 'they' - which are extremely useful in real everyday communication.

As you continue to learn the Russian alphabet, you cannot avoid practising the pretty harsh sound 'Ы'. Yet, do not worry - Tanya will teach you this in the funniest possible way. Make sure you practise it while watching the lesson, as this letter appears in so many frequently used words, such as 'you', 'we', and 'music'.

There's another Russian letter to discover in this lesson – 'Я', which is also the word for 'I' or 'me' in Russian. You'll also learn how to spell and pronounce the names of some BRICS countries in Russian. This lesson is especially recommended for travellers.

Warning! This is a Russian horror lesson. Watch it only if you have a strong nervous system or if you are worried about whether Tanya will survive in the end… However, you'll still learn how to introduce yourself and others using the very specific, yet only, Russian construction for "My name is…".

In this lesson, you'll enjoy recognising familiar words that begin with the new Cyrillic letter 'П'. Honestly, this is probably the nicest and smoothest lesson so far.

This funny lesson discusses how differently men and women behave, especially when they like things on social media. It will also teach you how to pronounce another Russian letter – 'Л' which gives the sound [l].

This lesson will teach you how to make acquaintances with Russians using the words you already know from Lesson 15. The phrases that you'll find in this lesson include 'What is your name?', 'My name is…', 'Nice to meet you'.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to talk about possession in Russian. Tanya Semke will share her very special teacher's tips to help you memorize the appropriate construction literally forever.

This lesson might feel a bit dull unless you are a football player or a football fan. Still, Tanya Semke has done her best to make it entertaining while teaching you how to pronounce the new letter 'Ф', which makes the sound [f].

You will learn a highly multifunctional, almost magical word that can open any door for you and get you anything you might ever need when in Russia.

This lesson covers essential etiquette basics, including 'Please', 'Thank you', and 'Goodbye', as well as a super simple two-word formula to ask for anything you might need.

After surviving an encounter with a snake, Tanya Semke gets a chance to teach you the difference between very similar Russian letters 'Ш' and 'Щ'. Practising these letters will help you master key words like 'man', 'woman', 'car', 'chocolate', and others.

Following a terribly awkward situation with her boss, Tanya Semke has to improvise and teach you some basics of politeness in this lesson. You will learn how to say 'Sorry' and 'Excuse me' in Russian, depending on who you are apologizing to.

The new letter 'Э', introduced in this lesson, appears in a lot of international words borrowed into Russian - like 'airport', 'export', 'eco', 'espresso' – so mastering its pronunciation in the Russian manner is essential.

This lesson is worth watching at least to learn how to pronounce 'Kremlin', the name of the Presidential Residence in the centre of the Russian capital. You will also grasp the difference between the letters 'Е' and 'Ё' and learn how to ask questions starting with 'Where is…'.

Tanya Semke makes a confession about one of Russian's most challenging aspects, the three genders of words – masculine, feminine and neuter. If you are brave enough to press the play button, you will see it is surprisingly easy to determine the gender of a particular word based on its last letter.

Tanya Semke introduces her family to demonstrate the four forms of 'my'. Also you'll learn how to talk about popular professions and occupations, as usual, using an extremely simple formula.

Discover what is inside Tanya's bag and learn that Russian 'his', 'her' and 'their' - surprisingly - have one form each, which makes it very easy to say phrases like 'his girlfriend', 'her husband', 'their car', etc.

Learn to ask 'Whose thing is this?' to avoid awkward situations with new Russian friends. You will learn to choose from four different forms of 'whose' depending on what you are talking about. You will also practise pronouncing the letter 'Ч' in some common words.

In this lesson, you will finally learn to ask and answer a very important question - 'What is this thing called?'. You will also master the forms 'this' and 'these' in such common combinations as 'this film', 'this concert', 'this pizza' and practise the challenging letter 'Ц' [ts].

This lesson is essential for self-presentation in Russian because it teaches you to say 'I like' for hobbies and interests. It also offers a small but very important pronunciation tip for a beautiful Russian accent.

From now on things get more serious – this lesson covers how to say "I love you".

Complete your Russian alphabet journey with the last two letters which are completely silent and expand your vocabulary with words like 'mother', 'daughter', 'thing', 'news', 'shoes', 'help', 'love', and 'life'.

In this lesson you'll find a quick guide to another fundamental skill in Russian - changing words to talk about several people or things. You will see that it is easier than they say.

In this lesson, you will discover the Russian perspective on money. Language-wise, you will learn some nuances of forming plural words ending in 'Г', 'К', 'Х', 'Ж', 'Ш', 'Щ', and 'Ч', such as 'dogs', 'cats', 'girls' and 'money'.

It is time to learn how to say 'ours' and 'yours' for conversations with your future Russian friends. You will also encounter some common but irregular plural forms in this lesson, like 'passports', 'trains', and 'cities'.

Do not miss this lesson as it covers an essential skill: how to ask questions in Russian. We promise, you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it actually is…

In this episode, Tanya almost misses her flight to Brazil – all thanks to her girly habits. Still, she somehow manages to find time to teach you how to say 'there is…' and 'there are…'.

It is true – you already know thousands of Russian words borrowed over the centuries from Greek, Latin and beyond – all because Russians have always been a very open-minded nation.

This is quite possibly our most delicious lesson yet. After watching it, you will know how to ask about preferences – from food to anything else. To wrap up, there is a special parenting tip from Tanya Semke, a happy multitasking mum.

If you are interested in dating or romantic vocabulary, you will find plenty of useful words in this lesson – like 'feelings', 'dating' and 'sky'. Those interested in mastering Russian will learn how to make plural forms of neuter words, including 'emails', 'feelings', and 'dates'.

You will not find a funnier or more efficient way to memorize Russian's irregular plurals than Tanya Semke's new lesson. Make sure to repeat every word out loud to feel the living history of Old Russian.

Russians are not chatty - which is not surprising when you consider… Well, check out this lesson to express feelings, convey emotions, and even ask about others' states with just one word, much like Russians frequently do.

This episode offers you a set of ready-made questions and responses about life and family, work and holidays. And as always, you will enjoy the ease of the Russian language.

In today's world, knowing how to describe living conditions – whether at home or abroad – is essential. That is why this lesson teaches you phrases like 'It is good / cold / warm / safe in Russia'.

Finally, in this lesson you will learn how to talk about travelling – specifically, how to share where you have been and ask your Russian friends where they have been.

This lesson's filming nearly ended in a bloody crime... The thing is, one of Tanya's students made a silly joke about the capital of Russia... You will want to see this unfold. Against all odds, Tanya is teaching you how to describe things with the words 'new', 'interesting', 'beautiful' and so on.

An extremely practical lesson teaching you how to chat up girls in Russian. You will also learn how to describe feminine words.

Tanya Semke takes you to her favourite spot in Moscow, the capital of Russia, while teaching you how to describe neuter words, such as 'place', 'cafe', 'date', etc.

Tanya Semke reveals an awkward truth about macho Russian linguists writing dictionaries. Even though she is visibly mad about the fact, she still teaches you how to describe plural things by changing one letter in a dictionary form.

Tanya was a bit shocked to discover she was not the most beautiful girl in the world. The way she got over it? By teaching some useful new vocabulary for describing people's looks. So, in this episode, you'll learn how to use Russian words like "beautiful", "handsome", "cute", "nice", "young", "tall", "slim", and others when describing men and women.

Tanya was a bit shocked to discover she was not the most beautiful girl in the world. The way she got over it? By teaching some useful new vocabulary for describing people's looks. So, in this episode, you'll learn how to use Russian words like "beautiful", "handsome", "cute", "nice", "young", "tall", "slim", and others when describing men and women.

While getting ready for a BRICS summit, Tanya Semke is teaching you a useful formula: how to say "I need + something", along with some essential names for clothes and colours. You will quickly see that the words for colours change in exactly the same way as other description words.

Family values are deeply important in Russian culture, which makes learning to talk about them absolutely essential. In this lesson, we will cover some key words like "wedding", "husband and wife", "married", and "happy" as well as how to say someone is married – which in Russian tells you more than just a status.

This lesson is a proper milestone in your Russian language journey with Tanya Semke, as it introduces you to action words, or as linguists call them "verbs"! From now on, you will keep building up your vocabulary with more and more words for different actions. In this session, you will learn essential ones like "to help", "to work", "to earn", "to rest", "to travel", and "to buy". There is even a philosophical twist – Tanya has to tackle a tricky question from her child “Why work?” – which is not the easiest one to answer.

It's time for you to learn how to describe your day in Russian with 11 essential action words. You'll master words for daily actions like "to sleep", "to read books", "to lie in the bed", "to write emails", as well as phrases for meals and different times of the day.

You will get to know the names of the four seasons and see what each one looks like in Russia – you might be surprised by how different the climate can be! Along the way, you will pick up some handy phrases for activities you might enjoy, like "go for a walk" and "listen to music", "swim" and "sunbathe", "study languages" and "take photos".

When communicating across cultures, it is often important to talk about where things come from. In this lesson, you will learn words like "Russian", "African", "Indian", "Chinese", "Arabic", "Argentinian" along with many others. You will also discover how to use them in popular collocations such as "Chinese tea" and "Brazilian football".

This lesson is almost hijacked – yet again – by Tanya Semke's little son, who is always willing to play. Still, she powers through to teach you how to suggest an activity and agree to a proposal using just one word. You will also pick up several names of sports and games from this lesson.