Basic Russian Complete Course : Cassette/Book Package

by Living Language

Release Date: 16 June, 1998

Edition: Audio Cassette

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A Useful Tool for Beginners

There are three things that I find valuable about this product. First, the tapes give you an opportunity to hear real Russian spoken by four different narrators. This is a great way to get used to the native accent and to try to mimic it yourself.

Second, the dictionary is pretty weak, but it highlights the one thousand most common words in the Russian language. Working through the dictionary and memorizing these words is a great way to build a useful, working vocabulary in the language.

Third, the coursebook and its accompanying tapes give the learner a basic taste of the Russian language in a variety of settings. Even if you're clueless about how the grammar works, memorizing the phrases that are used on the tapes can give you some useful vocabulary.

There are a couple of drawbacks, though. First, I didn't like the approach to grammar which the coursebook took. If you really want to learn the language, there is no better book than Nicholas J. Brown's "New Penguin Russian Course." And second, the tapes are all in Russian, so they are only useful in the car if you've already memorized the words that are used. But other than than, this is a good product for beginners getting familiar with the Russian language.

Really fantastic... a great deal too

After returning from a trip to St. Petersburg, where I had to rely on brief guidebooks, I decided to pick up this Living Language course to learn Russian. I bought this one because it was in my price range, but that turned out to be a great thing. The explanations of grammar are really clear, and there are plenty of charts inside. Being able to hear the words as you read them in Cyrillic is wonderful; if you get too used to reading them in regular letters you'll never know how to read the signs for the bathroom! I recently called some Russian friends in St. Petersburg, and they told me my Russian is great! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn Russian correctly, without spending way too much money.