Top 8 books to learn Russian

The 8 Best Beginner and Intermediate Books to Learn Russian

“Bukvar'”

A traditional alphabet primer, the “Bukvar’” is something every Russian first-grader carries to school. This is an ideal first book for all Russian learners, one that contains keys to learning the language—the letters. This colorful version is compiled by N. S. Zhukova, a trusted author of many Russian learning books.

The book starts with images of letters and accompanying visuals of words, and then moves on to putting letters together to make syllables and then words, noting correct pronunciations.

“Russian Step By Step for Children: Workbook 1”

This book is the first in a series, intended for non-Russian speakers or those with very limited Russian knowledge. Although it was originally written for children, adults can benefit as well. Learning is organized with step-by-step instructions.

In addition to text, this resource includes workbook material to practice your Russian skills and access to an audio download, as well as slides and learning games. Each workbook contains four sections:

• Primary course
• Grammar skills
• Answer key
• Dictionary

After completing this book, you should be able to read in Russian, form statements, and answer yes or no and general questions. Then, you can move on to…

“Russian Step By Step for Children: Workbook 2”

The second book in this series has the same types of practice sections as the first workbook, which help to reinforce reading skills and aim to teach general spelling rules, adjectives, colors, numbers 11-20, first and last names, and various types of greetings.

“Russian Step By Step for Children: Workbook 3”

The third and last book in the “Step by Step” series concentrates on forming masculine and feminine nouns, possessive pronouns, verb conjugations for the present tense, numbers 30-100, and discussing different nationalities and professions.

“Russian Picture Word Book: Learn Over 500 Commonly Used Russian Words Through Pictures”

If you’re feeling tired of reading, don’t just stop studying Russian—look at pictures instead! This book has over 500 images in 15 common scenes, such as a picnic, farm, classroom, house, beach, supermarket, town, road, etc. Every scene has dozens of objects with Russian spelling, and each picture can be colored (if you get bored or need a break)!

To test yourself after studying the visuals, you can refer to the back of the book, where the Russian words are listed along with their English translations.

“We Read These Tales by Syllables”

Once you’ve learned the letters and pronunciations of Russian words, you can attempt to read actual Russian books. Russian has no precise rules for which syllable should be stressed, and the vocabulary is packed with long words.

A great way to start reading is to practice reading by syllables, and this book is just the tool you need. Famous cartoonist Vladimir Suteev will entertain you with fantastic yet simple tales that are divided into syllables with the proper stress noted. Reference colorful pictures to help you learn along the way.

“The New Penguin Russian Course: A Complete Course for Beginners”

To digress from the easier and more fun books meant for children, this text is intended for adults (though you can still make colored notes on the sides!). This book includes 30 lessons with revision exercises that reinforce and test your Russian skills.

After completing the book, you should have gained knowledge in both conversational language and correct Russian grammar by accessing the 1,500 vocabulary words included as well as a glossary of grammatical terms.

“Russian – Learn Russian – In Days, Not Years!: The Secrets To Language Learning, Russian Phrases, & Speaking Russian”

This book is intended for those who are planning a trip to Russia or a nearby Russian-speaking country. It’s a compact lesson plan that includes the symbols and sounds of the Russian language in an easy-to-follow format that breaks down pronunciations. Learn how to greet Russians and how to socialize with them without sounding too touristy.

So put down your phone, close your laptop and go old-school.

Pick up a book to start learning Russian today!