Product Description
SPEAK RUSSIAN WITH CONFIDENCE IN JUST 6 WEEKS!

The Living Language® Russian Complete Course teaches the basics of Russian language and usage. It uses a highly effective speed-learning method developed by U.S. government experts to teach languages to overseas-bound service personnel and diplomats.

THREE 60-MINUTE COMPACT DISCS WITH 40 LESSONS
•Begin with simple words and progress to complex phrases and sentences.
•Just listen and repeat after the native speakers on the recordings to learn naturally, the way you learned English.

RUSSIAN COURSEBOOK
•40 lessons from the recordings with translations, additional vocabulary, detailed explanations, quizzes, and reviews.
•Verb charts, a comprehensive grammar summary, and a section on letter writing are also included.

RUSSIAN–ENGLISH / ENGLISH–RUSSIAN DICTIONARY
•More than 20,000 words, idioms, and expressions.
•Examples show how words are used in everyday conversation.
•1,000 frequently used words are highlighted for easy reference. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Very Good Course!!!
The Living Language RUSSIAN course is actually a very good one, BUT you will need many other materials, aids, etc... to actually learn Russian, become fluent, converse and read. I am actually using about 15 different products to tackle Russian properly, this is my 8th language and I have just ordered a few books in Russian... classic Russian literature and Pushkin, not translations, but books in Russian Cyrillic.

This package comes with a coursebook, dictionary and a set of 3 CDs.... I completed the 40 lessons in the coursebook, but hardly used the provided dictionary. I personally use the Babylon dictionary and the Langenscheidt.

The lessons are very well organized, grammar is explained in a very clear way, the lessons are fun to do and quite amusing -- at the same time you are actually learning a lot about Russian culture -- and you will definitely need to use the CDs along with the book.

I think the greatest strength of this course is that it ultimately teaches you how to read Russian...again, the actual native voices on the recordings are great and you go lesson by lesson studying dialogs, particularly in the second half of the course.

Russian is heaps of fun... but you need to work hard at it!

Good luck!

Hang in there.
When I first bought this item I really did not know what I was in for.I thought I was buying a listen and learn CD course.What you get are CD's, a dictionary, and a course book.I have to admit I was not keen on the idea of the course book and I hated the whole thing after a couple of days, but I stuck with it.Over all I will say that the course is good and you do learn to speak, read, and write Russian.This course teaches you how to pronounce the words really well.I feel this was better for me than courses I have tried for other languages. The only thing I really think could use improvement would be the CD's them selves.There is no English spoken with the words and sentences come one time really fast.You will find your self pausing and replaying a lot.If you want to learn to read and write Russian as well as speak it then this is a good course.If you just want to lean a few phrases and how to ask for things I might try something else.

Not bad, but everything else is better.
At first glance, it seems too good to be true:A lesson/excercise book with grammar tables, a pocket dictionary, and 3 lesson CDs.What a bargain!
Living Language attempts to teach reading, writing, grammar, and every day conversation all in one convenient package, but does none of these tasks particularly well.For every positive point a reviewer might make about Living Language, I can point to other available products that do it much better.The dictionary?The Langenscheidt Pocket Russian Dictionary is the gold standard, although it's difficult to do worse than Living Language in this area.The lesson book?I'd recommend any of the 5-star Russian grammar texts via Amazon, and most cost a lot less.Conversational Russian on CD?Granted, I haven't heard all of them, but Living Language is near the bottom of the pile, if not actually occupying that position.In this case, Pimsleur is the absolute best of the best; your functional fluency will improve immensely, and natives will compliment your pronunciation--if and when they realize you are actually an American.
Again, it's difficult to recommend this Living Language course to anyone, because it doesn't particularly excel at anything.For a beginner, this will be 6 weeks of foreign language hell.For an advanced-intermediate Russian speaker such as myself, this will be about a week or two of slogging through tedious grammatical review.
Perhaps 10-15 years ago when Russian materials were few and far between, this Living Language course would have been the biggest bang for your buck available.Today however, the availability and quality of alternative products renders this one obsolete.

Useless course in Russian
This set has 3 CD's, a Russian coursebook, and a Russian dictionary. The coursebook does have information in it but the book is not put together in a way that aides learning.
The first lesson is 5 pages long. Part A is titled The Letters and Sounds of the Russian Language but tells you that the letters and sounds will be learned in another chapter. Part B gives a list of people's names and Part C lists geographical names.
Lesson 2 is just another list of words and names.
Lesson 3 gives a list of the Cyrillic alphabet and the names of the letters but not the sounds!
The dictionary might be ok but since I don't know Russian, how would I know. The front of this book gives a 4 page pronunciation chart.
I do think the coursebook would be ok for a phrase book.
I don't think the CD's are very useful except the parts that conjugate verbs.
Overall, this is not worth paying full price.

Weird pronounciation
I bought this product a few months ago.I started using the cds and everything seemed ok at first.I also take classes in russian.My teacher is russian.I'm taking classes for 6 months now.As i was getting better i realized that some of the words where pronounced very wierd.For example the female speaker pronounces the word "shto" which means "what" as "chto" while the male speaker pronounces it regularly as "shto".This is not standard russian accent.I've never heard of any russian saying "chto".So i thaught that this must be some regional accent.I even asked my teacher about this and she laughed.She said that she is not aware of any region in Russia where "shto"is pronounced as "chto".Also some word endings are pronounced wrong.For example a "b" at the end of a word should be pronounced as p,while a b in this course is always a "b" no matter where it is positioned in a word.Has anyone else noticed these?A review of a native speaker of russian would help a lot. ... Read more

Product Description
With hundreds of travel-related expressions, including greetings, questions, numbers and more, the Berlitz Phrase Book and CD offers business and leisure travelers key words and phrases needed for a trip abroad.In print and audio, its up to date, relevant content makes the Berlitz Phrase Book and CD an essential tool for today's travelers.Each foreign language phrase is repeated - slowly at first and then at normal speed - so learners can build confidence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Lives up to reputation...
Excellent product you can easily take with you and no batteries required! Well organized by category, easy to read, and has great pronunciation guide. A traveler's must-have.

Berlitz Russian
I bought it for my son.Ive used Berlitz before and was very happy with it thats why I bought it again.It arrived in a timely manner and the price is great.

love it
This is a great set.Very well organized and easy to find your way through.Audio is very clear and easy to use.Perfect size for carrying around. ... Read more

Product Description
This Basic program contains 5 hours of audio-only, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Russian structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Russian can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands of words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That same learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

With Pimsleur you get:

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.

The 10 lessons in the Basic Russian are the same as the first 10 lessons in the Pimsleur Comprehensive Russian Level 1.

The 10 lessons in Basic Russian are also the first 10 lessons in the 16-lesson Conversational Russian edition.

Pimsleur learners progress from either the Basic or the Conversational to the Comprehensive Level 1, and not from Basic to Conversational edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Pimsleur Basic Russian CD's, Excellent Language Teaching
Very practical method to learn a language. It is an excellent, easy to follow, step-by-step construction of the language item to be learnt that shows the knowledge of Language teaching strategies involved in the design of the course.It also emphasises pronunciation and word stress.Since I am also a language teacher I would only advice that you write the script you are learning using your own alphabet-phonetic signs to be able to review shortly before you renew the lessons.

great for what it is
This is an excellent product, well worth the small price, if you buy it for exactly what it is.It is not a grammar course (It's simply a set of audio CDs) but if, like me, you have no Russian friends or colleagues to practice with, it gives you the opportunity to hear what the language sounds like when spoken by real Russians, and in the process you can learn 15-20 useful phrases, such as "Do you speak English," "Where is Red Square," "I speak Russian, but poorly,""Wouldn't you like something to eat," (if you get past this one without choking half to death, you are well on your way! Many Russian sounds have no equivalent in English) and so forth.I strongly recommend it as a companion piece to an intensive grammar study (no way to avoid it, folks, this is Russian we're talking about!), such as Nicholas J. Brown's "Russian Course for Beginners," published by Penguin.Absolutely essential to know what the language sounds like, because like English, the sounds of the words sometimes bear almost no relationship to their printed form.

Short vocabulary
The number of words taught could have been more. Too much repetition of the same words on the disc impoverish the final number of words taught.

Tks.
Prof. Rodrigues

Reasonably effective, and at a good price
This course is slowly paced (which is probably a good thing, Russian is a tough language). The lessons really pound in a few concepts per module, so when you're done your skills won't be broad, but they will be reasonably deep. The other nice thing about this is it's strictly audio, none of this "turn to your books" stuff, which makes it perfect for a commuter. I've used several of these types of courses over the years, and this one is pretty good, as well as reasonably priced.

very limited scope
This was good as an introduction to the sound/pronunciation of the Russian language, and the repetitiveness does imbed the vocabulary in your mind--but what useless vocabulary!Unless you are a guy traveling to Moscow to pick up a Russian girl (which is unnecessary b/c they will be looking for you regardless of whether you can speak the language) in which case it teaches you to invite her for a drink or out to eat, at a restaurant or "at my place".If you want more, look elsewhere. ... Read more

Product Description

Say farewell to language faux pas forever!

Based on the revolutionary Easily Pronounced Language Systems approach, Say It Right in Russian makes mastering correct Russian pronunciation simple. With Say It Right you'll learn how to use hundreds of Russian words and phrases in everyday conversation.

This amazing guide gives you easy-to-read vowel symbols that, when combined with consonants, make pronunciation easy. With Say It Right in Russian you will:

• Learn more than 500 essential Russian words and phrases
• Easily create sentences using "Phrasemakers"
• Get a quick reference to more than 500 word pronunciations in the Say It Right travel dictionary

Customer Reviews (1)

My first choice for EVERY language!!
I've never been so satisfied with a foreign language product EVER! It was my first visit to Moscow. I chose the book because of it's simplicity and common sense approach. Only hours after my arrival, I got locked in my apartment! LOCKED IN!!! Behind a steel door, on the fifth floor, no fire escape. With the splicing of phrases. I got a locksmith. He got me out. I paid him. He took me to a hotel. I thanked him. I've since puchased "Say it right in French" I'm eagerly awaiting the French audio release in October. The release date for the audio was August, then September. I want the AUDIO!! SVP! Maybe EPLS will add to all their products:

"Help! I'm locked in! Please get a locksmith!" Though I hope to never need that phase again. Maybe someone else will! ... Read more

Product Description
McGraw-Hill's Big Books not only include more verbs and a better selection than their competitors, but they also provide ample contextual examples that show you how the verbs are actually used. Features include:

Customer Reviews (19)

It's an ok book !
First, I'd have to say that isn't a begginer's book!The content is pretty raw and arid!

But still... it's a great reference book! Though it's arid, you'll find everything you need to know in there.You can put it in the "reference book I have to have" category... but you'll surely learn how to speak russian without it! So, that's why I say it's an ok book!!!

A few typos
Overall, I'm quite pleased with this book, but there are at least 17 typos I've found so far, including misplaced inflection markers. The book, itself offers a great deal of insight, you just have to keep your wits about you when studying which syllables are truly accentuated.

My favorite Russian textbook
This 555 Verb book has proven very useful to me. The main body is laid out in a very readable way, with full details on every verb presented. In additional to the technicalities of the various forms a verb may take, it offers numerous examples of the verb in common usage, along with English translations. As a result, the book is very effective as a single source of all necessary information about each verb presented.

I took it with me to an intensive language course at the Minsk State Linguistic University. Since the library there has a copy of the classic "501 Verbs" book, I am able to compare the two. I prefer this "555" volume because of the many examples of usage. When I want to understand a verb, I open my Big Silver Book before I open my dictionary.

I am about to buy a second copy so I can have one with me wherever I am. Still, I agree that there is room for improvement. Aside from fixing the technical flaws pointed out in the review by Quadricode, I would like to see the next edition include an alphabetical index printed on the edges of the pages. We novices have a hard time finding stuff before we internalize the Russian alphabet.

Russian Verb Review
Not only does this book provide the conjugations of both the imperfective and perfective aspects of the verbs included, it provides examples of their use in sentences.

Students, keep this!!!
I would like to suggest to all students like me, to buy and keep this incredible book... Without this it's impossible to translate in proper manner! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great program, wrong disks
I was pleased with Amazon's rapid shipping, as usual.The difference this time was the need for a replacement, as this came with mislabelled disks.I had never needed to use Amazon's return/replacement process before, so I was a bit ambivalent.As most websites return policies are poor, at best, I have always worked under the assumption that Amazon's was no different.I was pleasantly surprised.Amazon emailed me a return label, postage paid, and I had a replacement delivered faster than the original!I purchase many (several dozen in the past year) items from Amazon, and this is the first time I have had a problem.I was VERY happy with Amazon's rapid response and resolution.

While I do not speak Russian, I have had good success with the Pimsleur language programs in the past.I am certain that this program is as good.

Great for a beginner
I bought this CD for my mom who just started to learn English, she loved it.

too basic
Assumes user will be visiting the United States instead of living here. Too much emphasis on hotels and street names, and too repetitive. My wife is an immigrant and she found it very boring and useless.

Simple
This is for the anyone just begining to learn english. It has basic pronunciation and lessions for the beginner. ... Read more

Product Description
"THE RUSSIAN'S WORLD is a unique achievement, which presents carefully selected portions of the Russian lexicon within a broad cultural context. It explains aspects of Russian culture and of Russian life (in short, "the Russian's world") in a lively and engaging manner and contains information that is of value to students of Russian language, literature, history, and culture of all levels, from those just past the beginner stage to the most advanced, and with every interest, be it nineteenth-century literature or contemporary society."

Excerpt from the Special Achievement Award conferred upon the second edition of THE RUSSIAN'S WORLD by the Publications Committee of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL) in December 1993. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Russian Culture and more...
This book is very helpful. It contains hidden cultural "realias" which you won't find in any other books. Strongly recommend to students!

Good Textbook Source
This was a required book for a Russian class at SUNY Brockport.It was in good condition and delivered in a timely fashion.

Essential for Student or Traveler
This book can be used by students at any level form beginner to advanced as well as by tourists or other travelers to Russia who don't speak the language, but want to understand the people.The author touches on sensitive issues while remaining relatively non-judgemental, which is unusual and refreshing to find.

Prosto zamechatelnaya knizhka
It cannot be easy to describe an entire country, its People, its culture and its customs, in 400-odd pages. Nonetheless, that is exactly what Ms. Gerhart has done here.

She covers not only the basics, the "everything you want to know about Russia" -- she delights her readers by covering several things they may not have realized they wanted to know. For instance, the intelligentsia ordinarily shies away from discussing slang and "mat", perhaps thinking it beneath them. Yet Ms. Gerhart recognizes that, as a practical matter, this is something that simply has to be covered for people visiting or living in real-world Russia. You may not want to use bad words yourself, but you certainly want to know when the gentlemen in the flat-top haircuts and leather coats, walking towards you outside the metro station, are using them towards you... So in a completely proper and not at all vulgar manner, she tells you everything you really need to know about cursing in Russian -- along with a clear injunction to "not try this at home" yourself.

Personally, my favorite part of the book was her discussion of tools used in woodworking, a hobby of mine. I found the translations of these words, not commonly needed by a tourist in Russia, invaluable when I went on a short shopping spree seeking locally forged axes and chisels in podmoskovia. This section may not be for everyone, but it is demonstrative of a point I wish to make about the book as a whole: While not everything in the book may interest everyone, everyone who reads the book will find something that interests them -- perhaps something they never expected to find there.

a really wonderful book!
I have the 1974 paperback edition, and I can't give it enough praise.It's simply awesome!It gives a unique insight into the customs of Russian people as related to their history, their land, and their language.In the preface, the author states that her goal is to "explain in what physical ways the Russian world differs from [the American], both the given world of nature and the world of objects the Russian and his forbears have created to cope with it."In this she has succeeded beautifully.In many ways, everyday Russian life is powerfully affected by environment and tradition.Here is everything you need to know before you go.One of my travel tourguide books claims that many American visitors are "ultimately disappointed" by Russia.This is because they do not experience the *real* Russia, nor even know what to expect.If you are planning a vacation trip, read this book first and your visit will be much enhanced.If you stay there with Russian friends and associates, this book will enable you to understand and appreciate their quite different customs.And if you are learning Russian, this book gives a fascinating insight into the relationship between the language and the people who speak it. ... Read more

Book Description
Rather than "covering the grammar," this update of the 1996 edition accents functional proficiency in reading, speaking, and listening, and current Russian political vocabulary. Simes (advanced international studies, Johns Hopkins U.), a native of the former Soviet Union, and Robin (Slavic languages and literature, international affairs, George Washington U.) structure this modular textbook on the concept of concentric circles: circle one is for generalist and specialist students who have completed an introductory course; circle two lessons are geared to expanding usable language. Two audio cassettes offer excerpts of actual Russian media for comprehension exercises. This publication of the American Council of Teachers in Russian is a collaboration with Johns Hopkins U. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Copyrights of previous editions are 1992 and 1990. Annotation(c) 2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An excellent intermediate to advanced level textbook, particularly if you are interested in IR/ Politics
This is an excellent textbook.Assuming you are already at the intermediate level, it provides a solid grammar review that utilizes vocabulary relevant to political topics.The vocab and grammar build through the book, and the exercises reinforce both.The texts are actual articles, unedited, but picked so that they highlight the grammar and vocab for that lesson.The book is broken into intermediate and advanced levels that proceed concurrently (i.e. - each addresses the same topic at the same time, just in different depths).If you are already pretty strong (or have a lot of time on your hands) you can do both at once.If you are still a little weak, you can just do one, saving the second for later.

The only problems I found were the following:
The layout is sometimes confusing, particularly in the vocabulary sections, which are poorly formatted.Additionally, there appears to be no index, making it hard to find prior topics if you can't remember where they were located.Finally, the audio portions are now only available on-line.If you are going to be using the book in a place with poor internet service, you should download the files before you leave.

Other than those minor issues, this is a solid book that is worth every penny.

I love it
I love this book. This was EXACTLY what I was looking for and I am very glad I bought it. It was definitely worth my money.

Aptly Titled
Rarely do you find a book that is EXACTLY what you're looking for and EXACTLY what it claims to be. This is a superb book for intermediate Russian students who want to focus their study on Politics and International Relations. I treasure this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Beginning This motivating book gives students a successful experience reading Russian in the first level of Russian study. Each of the 27 readings is about cultural experiences relevant to the students' lives and can be covered in a single class period. Humorous drawings throughout match the tone of each story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

My 1st Reader in Russian
I like this book because I can read the Russian and if I do not know all the words, I can deduce the meaning from the context of the sentence. I read it to my Russian friends and they help me to understand.

Good For The Go It Aloner!
This book is excellent for those who want to progress at their own pace. If you have reached level 2 (on the proverbial 0-10 foreign-language achievement scale), use this book. Its level is well beyond elementary, and Ms. Rolbin employs real-life Russian vignettes. Yet, she sets the bar low enough to avoid discouraging the "go it aloner" who is at the make-or-break level. BUT, as most self-learners are pressed for time, this book's drawback lies in its dictionary, which omits some text-embedded words/phrases, causing us unnecessary time to consult a standard Russian dictionary.

This is a first book for someone who knows Russian.
I had read several reviews of this book and thought it would be a good first reader. However, no previous reviewer stated that there is no translation! So, you really need to have a good command of vocabulary (nouns, verbs, adjectives).

Not what I expected, but ok
The desription of this book, made it sound useful in helping your Russian reading skills, and all the words used are supposed to be in the glossary in the back of the book.They're not, so be sure to have a dictionary on hand.Also, for the cost, it's not a very thick book.However, it is somewhat useful, if you're a beginning student.

Bad glossary, bland stories.
I own this book.

I was a top student in Russian during a two-year course I took in college 20 years ago. It has been about 15 years since I last used or reviewed the language. I still have some insight into the language and a basic familiarity with the grammar.

Nevertheless, this book stopped me.

The glossary simply does not contain the words that are most likely to be needed. I was constantly defeated by knowing everything EXCEPT the critical noun or verb.

This is a major weak point because it negates the entire value of the book, at least for me. You see, the small size and wide variety of stories would have made this the perfect practice-book to carry on the train while going to work. Not knowing the meaning of the critical words defeats this. The whole point of this book can be summed up in four words: small size, everyday situations. The first advantage is negated if one has to carry a dictionary. The second advantage is negated if one does NOT carry a dictionary. Duh.

The stories say little or nothing about Russian life. The stories could be set in any reasonably-industrialized country. Ochen Zhal! (Too bad!)

One reviewer said that this is not important, giving the example of the Tintin stories in French. I find this argument disingenuous. The Tintin stories are classics, beloved by generations of the French. When you read them, you ARE immersing yourself in French culture. These stories do not have that advantage. Having said that, they do offer variety, if you can understand the vocabulary.

I like the idea and format. I hope they revise it to correct the deficiencies.

Avoid this one or be prepared to make your own glossary (a genuine solution, I think). ... Read more

Product Description

Modern Russian Grammar: A Practical Guide is an innovative reference guide to Russian, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume.

The Grammar is divided into two parts. Part A covers traditional grammatical categories such as agreement, nouns, verbs and adjectives. Part B is carefully organized around language functions covering all major communication situations. 

With a strong emphasis on contemporary usage, all grammar points and functions are richly illustrated with examples. Main features of the Grammar include:

• clear explanations
• emphasis on areas of particular difficulty for learners of Russian, such as numerals and verbs of motion
• extensive cross-referencing between the different sections.

This is the ideal reference grammar for learners of Russian at all levels, from beginner to advanced. No prior knowledge of grammatical terminology is assumed and a glossary of grammatical terms is provided.

Customer Reviews (2)

Cyrillic is only in fixed size graphics
I thought it would be useful to be able to mark and annotate a Russian grammar book using Kindle, to aid learning.However, instead of using Unicode with proper Cyrillic fonts, all the Russian words are presented as graphics.This has two results:

Firstly, it is not possible to resize the Cyrillic, which remains the same size no matter what size the English font is set too.For me, the Cyrillic is too small and difficult to read on-screen.If the English is set to a bigger, readable font size then the Cyrillic remains the same small size and the two do not line up properly.

Secondly, being graphics, it is not possible to select the Cyrillic for marking and annotation.

This complaint relates to the Kindle presentation of the book.It would be better to buy the book in hard copy, in my opinion.

clearly written, very informative, and chock full of useful information
I've yet to finish this book in it's entirety, but just reading even a small portion of this book leaves you with the impression that this is a book that is clearly written and very informative. It is almost as if the authors wrote the book personally for me because they speak in a manner that I easily understand. I'm glad I have this resource. Although the physical copy of this book is expensive (for the moment, at least), the digital edition of the book is reasonably priced. I can't recommend this book enough. ... Read more

Product Description
This expanded and updated reference book lists approximately 5,100 Russian idiomatic words and expressions with their translations into English. Included are figures of speech, slang, and vulgarisms, many of which cannot be found in standard Russian-English dictionaries. Here are valuable insights on how Russian is really spoken today. Each entry comes with an example sentence in Russian and its English translation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Amusing...
This book is quite amusing. though it seems to be even more amusing for my Russian husband! He said some of the correct yet some of the stuff is out-of-date or inaccurate in some way. But he did say it was much better than my other RU-EN-RU slang dictionary, so that's a plus!!!

I'd like to add that because cultural slang is forever changing and evolving, I think it is nearly impossible to get a good "slang dictionary" because so many of the words/phrases that are printed in it become outdated by a years end. Not for everything, but like fashion there is classics and then there are trends, and with slang, it's mostly about trends. Also, slang usually differs, changes, and varies by geographical location, community, class, subculture, and further sub-groups. Knowing this, I can only imagine the innumerable amount of slang words & phrases that Russia - a massive country that is 1.8 times the size of the United States, a population of more than 141,915,979 (as of Nov. 2009 estimates),and with 11 different timezones - must have. Then taking into further account all the ex-Soviet and satellite states where many people spoke (and may still speak) Russian who developed more slang... Therefore, in my humble opinion, I think that it must be impossible to have an up-to-date slang dictionary, in any language, let alone Russian.

Since there are so few Russian-English slang dictionaries in book format, it's nice knowing that this is one of the better ones!

Informative
Informative is what any dictionary should be, first and foremost. This one is. I am glad I bought it, though I miss some expressions I think should have been entered. But one can`t have everything, can one? And it is not an easy work, making dictionaries!
My sincere thanks to the authors and the publisher. I`d say the dictionary is more than just a reference book; one can just read it for the pleasure of reading.

Good in some ways
Like the description says, it's a book of everday used slang by russians.

Pros
-It has a LOT of stuff
-Written like a phrase dictionary

Cons
-Too large to take with you everywhere
-Would take to long to search if having a conversation with someone

It would be good for really advanced students, or to have on the shelf and use for emails, and messages.

A review on what to say to another people in strong manner!
Finally a dictionary which help on what the people says to us and we do not understand!

Everyday Russian
This is a fantastic book. While there are vulgarisms, the bulk of the entries are purely idiomatic and inoffensive. Many definitions contain English equivalents that would be baffling if translated literally. For instance the idiom for "unkempt" or "slob" is literally the Russian word "scratched up".
One caveat for beginners; while the idiomatic words and phrases display accent marks, they are not shown above the surrounding words in sample sentences. A small quibble for an otherwise indispensable resource. ... Read more

Product Description
You can use Teach Yourself Russian Complete Course to learn at your own pace or as a supplement to your classwork. This complete course utilizes the very latest learning methods in an enjoyable and user-friendly format.

The new edition also features:

• Engaging visual materials such as menus, photographs, signs, and tickets
• Two CD recordings allowing quick and easy access to individual lessons and exercises
• A clear, accessible new page design
• Strong, striking cover photography

Customer Reviews (25)

Didn't help me much.
I got this book to learn Russian, but it just throws you into what I feel is advance Russian.The CD also doesn't seem to help much either.I did learn a bit about the Russian alphabet, but other then that I didn't learn much.

A - Z
This is what I was looking for. Coming from a Russian family and speaking it often. But I want a refresher and want to re learn to write in Cyrillic.The alphabet section in the text book even shows you the handwritten form and pronunciation and everything.
Bottom Line: Very Good Refresher!

useful knowledge, rapid progress
I had already learned the basics of the Russian language when I bought this course package and it was exactly what I needed. It helps advance your knowledge at a rapid pace, adding useful vocabulary, which at intervals is repeated in different context for better assimilation. Grammar rules are presented in a simple, clear way, with the texts acting as a source of plenty of examples. It also includes audios in (I suppose) rapid Russian, interspersed among the regular lessons. On the whole very satisfactory, I am glad that I have bought it.

Fast Moving
The best thing about this is the CD's.It really helps to hear the letters pronounced correctly and the words.My complaint about this book, is that I think it moves too quickly.You need to know your Russian Script first.I highly recommend you buy this company's book "Beginner's Russian Script" first, then when you have completed that book, you can move beyond chapter 1 of this book. I don't care too much for some of the tools it uses to teach you, but, I have just begun as well.

Not bad
First impression: nice learning method, not too heavy on the grammar. The recordings are nicely slow, unlike many other methods. ... Read more

Product Description
Published in 1988, this dictionary continues to be a favorite of many teachers.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Not really for English speakers.
Although its great to have pictures and words together, especially for those of us who learn faster with visual aids, this book is difficult to use for native English speakers.Why?Because accent marks are not provided, nor declensions, nor the two dots over the "e" that distinguish between the letters "yo" and "ye."In other words, in order to benefit from this dictionary, an English speaker has to look up every word in a separate dictionary to find out all the above information when learning the words.Otherwise, what is learned will be only part of what is needed.So, since English is my native language, I give this book 2 stars.It would be great to find a book like this one meant for learners of Russian.

Fabulous Quick Reference
I took Russian for nine years in the Chicago Public Schools, and this was one of my greatest references.Granted, it is not meant to be the ONLY tool a student of Russian will use.I compare this book to Richard Scarry's Greatest Word Book Ever, except with Russian words for everything pictured.And don't be fooled by the "Picture Dictionary" title.This is not merely for children.I am 24 years old, and trying to re-learn some Russian, and am still using this great book.This would be a great reference for any student of Russian.

Fantastic!
As a native English-speaking, beginning student of Russian language, I am finding this a very useful book. The format is great for me because I learn well visually. Each page is a busy picture (e.g. "In the Living Room", "Outdoor Activities") with relevant items in the picture numbered. Under the picture is a legend to provide the name of each object from the picture in English and Russian (in Cyrillic). It is a fantastic resource because there are so many objects and situations: just about every action and activity in the house, most of the animals in the zoo, etc...

For native Russian speakers, the book provides English pronunciations. Unfortunately, the same is not given for the Russian words (though once I master Cyrillic, I imagine this will be unneccesary.) Overall, this is a great reference for English and Russian speakers to build their vocabulary and easily answer their own questions as they come up.

very helpful part of a language program
As an ESL tutor I simply love these books.Each page provides a lesson's worth of vocab for practice in sentences.The latter pages (eg. prepositions) are less useful when tutoring someone illiterate in their own language, especially if the tutor is not bilingual, but because the pictures are so clear, even point-and-say usually works.True, these books don't have any pronunciation guides for Russians learning English or Americans learning Russian, but they are an excellent tool for tutoring; I don't expect everything from a picture dictionary that I would from interactive language software.

Russian/English Picture Book
Wonderful book!!Saw it first in Spanish/English version.Was very happy to find it in Russian for my wife.It has been very helpful to her. ... Read more

Product Description
The third edition of Terence Wade’s A Comprehensive Russian Grammar, newly updated and revised, offers the definitive guide to current Russian usage.

• Provides the most complete, accurate and authoritative English language reference grammar of Russian available on the market
• Includes up-to-date material from a wide range of literary and non-literary sources, including Russian government websites
• Features a comprehensive approach to grammar exposition
• Retains the accessible yet comprehensive coverage of the previous edition while adding updated examples and illustrations, as well as insights into several new developments in Russian language usage since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991

Customer Reviews (13)

Good buy
Item bought came promptly and in better condition than I could have bought at a retail store. I was very pleased.

Great for Russian-learners
This answers all of my questions about Russian. Having lived in Russia, but a native English speaker, I sometimes forget grammar exceptions/rules in writing or speaking, and this book leaves no stone unturned. This is great I think if you have gotten beyond the basics of Russian, i.e. past 2nd year in College.

Great Grammar
This grammar is great for anyone in 2nd to 4th year Russian.It's very thorough, gives examples, and is arranged sensibly.Beyond this one, Isachenko's grammar is awesome.I recommend this one for 2nd to 4th year Russian and Isachenko's grammar after that.(You should also check out Jacobson's work on cases at some point).

Comprehensive
I use the Oxford Concise Russian Grammar by Terrence Wade all the time.
This book attempts to cover a lot of ground and it's very commendable that he has assembled so much information from various Russian grammars that are totally written in Russian and presented it for English speakers. You can answer many questions from it and it has many interesting insights into the grammar of Russian.

That said...

He attempts to cover parts of spoken grammar and usage and I wish he hadn't because he is sometimes dead wrong and it mars an otherwise well thought out book. Supposedly it was reviewed by many top academics in Russia but they could not have read it carefully because the mistakes are not typos but gaps in his understanding of Russian, that despite a lifetime of study, are things that every child there understands.

For example, there is the imperative form of the word to eat which he claims is usually replaced by a more polite verb. He's dead wrong and this is something that people say to each other all the time. In the movies I rarely hear the ones he claims people use though it's definitely a word people use and I do sometimes too. This is a mistake that no child in Russia could make. By the age of 2 they know this word because it's what their mother tells them when she wants them to eat. I verified this with my Russian friends. There is a prefixed version of the verb too which is the verb "to finish eating" (yes, in Russian there is a verb for everything) that is very common too. It's what your parents say to you when you try to leave the table before you have finished eating.

I have been to Russia too for vacation and the same comments apply from my experience speaking and hearing people there.

He commendably mentions the alternative imperative verb form in Russian where the infinitive is used but fails to elaborate on this significant item. I have actually never seen this discussed in text books.

Russians often use the infinitive in place of the imperative. I first started to hear it in movies and it was always in a setting where police or military people where giving some kind of order. It's like "I order you to stop" but the just say "to stop". It's common in Russian spoken language to omit anything that can be omitted that would be obvious from the context.

But in real life there on the street, I hear it all the time too.
It's originally from the military but it has filtered into general life.
For example, a little kid was starting to go into the crosswalk and I heard his mother yell this at him.

In Russia as a result of the soviet union, there are three separate sub languages: normal spoken Russian, that spoken by police and military and that from prisons (there were a lot of people in prison) but now it has all filtered into the general spoken language.

Anyway, this is a very deep subject and it's not covered very well in this book.

It'll get you through most of your basic needs
I always have my eyes open for good reference books.

I took four semesters of Russian in a two-year college program, over ten years ago. I still have problems tackling even the basics of the this language's complex verbal system.

This is just what I needed -- a schematic look at the grammar of the Russian language. Its has a detailed index and a comprehensive scope; quick answers can be found easily to anyone who understands the basics of this language.

This is the best guide I've found so far, and I still haven't found anything else to replace it. Please remember, this is not a text book, it is a well-made reference guide to the Russian language. ... Read more

Product Description

A lively, practical way to develop and improve basic foreign language skills

This new, audio-based language series from Teach Yourself is an entertaining, nonintimidating way for beginners to build conversational proficiency. Each course covers 10 key situations—from greetings and buying food and drink to shopping, asking for directions, and visiting locals—and includes two conversations per topic. The explanations and instructions are simple and bite-size, making this a very accessible program.

Each audiopackage:

• Builds confidence through a variety of listening exercises, from repetition of foreign language prompts to replying to English prompts
• Covers structures, useful phrases, and strategies for holding two-way conversations
• Lets learners assess their progress with specific objectives and review sections
• Includes a 48-page guide with key words and conversations in written form for reference

Customer Reviews (4)

Fast-paced Russian while you Drive.....
Wowee, this CD collection literally "throws" you into the Russian language and literally trains your ear to pick up the highs and lows of Russian diction. The accompanying language manual "guide" also does a decent job.

Some cons: the voice guide goes very fast, and her quick British accent makes the language introduction sections a little "off." Why? The guide's rendition of the language is COMPLETELY different from the native speaker's version of textbook Russian, like ordering in a restaurant.

Other than that, this is a fun ear-training CD to chirp to, as you make your way through rush-hour traffic. Dashvidanya!

Overall Grade: B+ (the guide talks way too fast and she pronounces the words a little exaggerated)

Buy Earworms Russian CD first
This is the second Russian language course I've bought. I found the CDs of this course very difficult to use as a learning tool. Specifically, the problem I have is the way the CDs teach you Russian in sentence form. The course does not break down the sentence into what is the meaning of each word. For example, "oo vas yest...?" is translated as "do you have any...?" The literal translation is: "with you is...?" So you're left thinking that "oo" means "do" when it actually means "with." This may seem a small point, but when loose translation like this is used, you miss the exact translation of each word and you don't get a sense of how Russians construct their sentences and what each word means. This loose translation method is used throughout the course. Very frustrating.

Another frustrating part of this course is that the English translator spends too much time describing the situations of each conversation. For example, time is spent talking about setting up the scene with the fact that the couple is now going to order from a restaurant. That is obvious when they start to order. Wasted time.

By contrast, the first course I bought was Earworms Russian, which did a great job of breaking down each sentence into what each word means, both literally and figuratively, and repeating and translating the sentence word for word, a few times. If I had not bought Earworms first, I would be completely lost with these CDs.

On the plus side, this course does give more of a sense of how masculine and feminine words change endings of other verbs and nouns in the context of a sentence. It also gives more of a sense of real conversation between two people.

The booklet is useless. It breaks down each Russian word into the phonetic pronunciation with so many apostrophies that it's impossible to figure out where one word ends and another begins in a sentence. The Earworms booklet does a much better job of both phonetic pronunciation and actual Cyrillic script.

So bottom line is this CD course is not as good a learning course as I expected.

Teach Yourself Russian Conversation
This is the third product from the "Teach Yourself Russian..." series that I have purchased and they are all outstanding! I have purchased other products by Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone to try to learn Russian but this series is the best I have found.

Not bad
I haven't made it too far into this yet. This is because I also purchased the Learn Russian in Your Car series which I have found to be more to my taste.

The very first section in this course is quite repetitive to the point where I was losing interest fast. There are only so many times you can listen to and repeat the exact same conversation over and over. I would have preferred the course designer include more lessons rather than put so much repetition on the CD. If one nees to repeat something, that is fairly easy to do on modern day CD players.

My one big complaint about this course is that the inluded course text does not have the conversations in cyrillic (Russian). It is all spelled out phonetically in English. My opinion is that it should have both.

Overall, it is a good course for basic conversational Russian. For me, I've been reading the Penguin book at home, and then using the Learn Russian in your Car course which I like a lot. This course, Ive not been using as much, but I think if I hadn't also purchased the others, that I would be satisfied with this one. ... Read more

Product Description
Do you want to learn how to write and speak words of love in Russian? Then, Russian–English Dictionary for Couples in Love, is the only Russian dictionary that you will need.

For example, you will learn how to compose the following letter:

Customer Reviews (3)

poorly written dictionary
This book is poorly written with lots of grammar and stylistic errors. It could be useful for cheap internet dating but don't buy it if you are trying to impress your russian-speaking friend :). I bought it as a joke for a russian speaking friend - it worked - mostly because we laughed a lot at poorly written expressions and letter examples. some parts of the dictionary could be useful (numbers, food, calendar, etc) but you can buy a better book to learn this. the "love" part of the dictionary is useless. people will only laugh at you.

It is a delight to read.
Russian-English Dictionary for Couples in Love is an excellent dictionary. It is especially easy to use and comprehend for people with a limited understanding of the Russian Language. It is a delight to read.Financial Planning For The Not-Yet Millionaire, A Formula for Miracles: Understanding the Power of God, Pocket Change And A Prayer: That's ALL you need To get started, The Millionaire Mailman: My Inside Story On How I Became Rich In 6 Years While Delivering Mail To The Richest Families In Texas

I agree, it is a delight to read.
Russian-English Dictionary for Couples in Love is an excellent dictionary. It is especially easy to use and comprehend for people with a limited understanding of the Russian Language. It is a delight to read.Financial Planning For The Not-Yet Millionaire, A Formula for Miracles: Understanding the Power of God, The Millionaire Mailman: My Inside Story On How I Became Rich In 6 Years While Delivering Mail To The Richest Families In Texas, Pocket Change And A Prayer: That's ALL you need To get started ... Read more

Product Description
Don’t let your Russian experience become Russian Roulette! Pick up this phrasebook instead, get beyond trivial conversation and avoid the Russian saying ???? ???????? (“you’ll break your tongue”) by communicating with ease.

Our phrasebooks give you a comprehensive mix of practical and social words and phrases in more than 120 languages. Chat with the locals and discover their culture - a guaranteed way to enrich your travel experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

For a tough language the book helped
Short of having a translator it is not easy to go to any place that speaks Russian and communicate effectively.It's just not an easy language to pick up just for a trip.But for a tough language the guide does a good job.

The dictionary has lots of common and handy travel phrases. And if you work at it people will understand you.But even when they try to tell you how to pronounce a word or phrase you are always a ways off because the sounds of Russian are so different.Could any book do better? Can't say.

Best bet nowadays for Russian or any really tough languages is the iPhone app that just says it for you. Kind of impersonal if you literally let it do the talking, but if you don't at least you can hear how it should sound (or closer than your guess). Some other speaking translator gadget also would be a good option. Were we to travel again that would be my choice.

Buy it so your Russian friends can have a laugh
Numbers, grammar, polite phrases, telling time, and the small dictionary are fine.

At Christmas dinner, the phrases caused four women from Moscow or St. Petersburg to dissolve into tears as they laughed while reading selections from the book to each other. Odd word choices combined with an eccentric selection of phrases were the problem. Mind you, the Russian was fine, but starting with "Let's have a drink!" and ending the page with "I'm going to be sick." and "I'm hungover." was perhaps too much on the topic.

Have fun on your trip to Russia.

Easy to navigate
I personally love the lonely planet translation series of books. This one is fantastic in how it breaks the subjects down into easy categories. I also love that certain adult conversations one might have are not left out.

Great book for basic Russian
If you just want to learn basic Russian, enough to get you through without looking like a total ignoramous, then this is for you. It has useful phrases along with sounding the words out for you. It is categorized nicely into situations with colored binding. A very helpful little (pocket sized) book.

Great tool
This little book helped me immensely on my trip to Russia... basic survival skills were laid out up at the front and the pronounciation was dead on.The social section produced some smiles with the friends that I met. ... Read more

Product Description
This Conversational program contains 8 hours of interactive audio-only instruction, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Russian structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Russian can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only these pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

With Pimsleur you get:

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.

Conversational Russian includes the 10 lessons from Pimsleur's Basic Russian plus an additional 6 lessons.

The 16 lessons in Conversational Russian are the same first 16 lessons in the Pimsleur Comprehensive Russian Level 1. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

The Pimsleur method is working for me
I have always sucked at learning languages, but this method is working for me.I listen to it to and from work for about 30 minutes a day.It's slow going, but I am on lesson 7 now and I can see results.I recite what I've learned when I am out on walks to further reinforce the lessons.Anyway, I'm excited about learning Russian and I owe it to the Pimsleur method.

Enjoying it!
I have tried numerous Russian learning courses, classes online, books, etc. They all teach writing/grammer and I have that down but, I couldnt have a conversation. I am only on the 4th lesson of Pimsleurs conversational and I can already understand more and respond in Russian. You have to be patient and you cant just do each lesson once, you may have to listen to each lesson two, three or four times. This is very basic so far, but a great start and a fun way to kill time in the car.

Absolutely elementary
The CDs in this package are very easy to follow, but the knowledge you gain is very elementary. At the end you have just learned a few phrases. Too expensive for the result.

Pimsleur Russian
I bought these CDs as a way of working on basic speaking and listening skills.In addition to these CDs, I'm using a text book to learn grammar and writing.If you are using a different approach, this review might not be very useful.

Working on the Pimsleur CDs definitely has improved my speech and listening skills quite a bit.They also have some useful vocabulary on them, although that wasn't a primary goal.I would give this product 5 stars, but I think they should add more indexing to the CDs.There are two tracks per CD, and fast-forwarding and moving backwards are a lot more annoying than they should be.

I haven't used any competing products, so I can't do any comparisons.I don't think that these CDs would work well as a substitute for a text book, but that's just my opinion.

Superbly designed all-audio course (introductory)
If you want to start learning Russian while driving your car this is probably the best system available. It is completely audio and gives you 6 hours of very well-designed tutorial. You hear the English first, then the Russian, two or three times times, then you repeat it. Another sentence. Then the first one again. Amazing how quickly you forgot. But by the mix of new things and repeating, it starts to stick. The lessons are very well paced - at least they were for me - so that you only rarely have to stop the CD to go back, while it is also rare for it to feel slow or boring. The Russian is spoken by two native speakers giving you a good idea of correct pronunciation (intriguing how sometimes they pronounce the same word differently!). By the end of the course you have learned about 150 words and can speak and understand several dozen everyday sentences. There is even a little bit of grammar here and there. What you don't get: anything about the alphabet or the written language. Please do realize that the strength of this program is also its weakness: The 8 hours of teaching can very easily be accomodated, one 30-minute lesson at a time, on a daily commute. But doing that means you will be done in 3 weeks (they don't recommend more than one lesson a day). And then what? The program is so good that you have, in fact, learned all there is on these CDs and so repeating them is pretty useless. I guess you'd have to buy the next course...
But all in all, this was the perfect introductory course for me wanting to learn while driving to work. Hope it works for you, too!

PS I read some negative reviews here that say you only learn to say one or two things over and over again. That's hogwash. I suspect they only listened to the first lesson. ... Read more