Master the Language of Dostoevsky.
Live 1-on-1 Russian lessons with expert teachers. Cyrillic script, conversational fluency, and cultural depth — from your very first session. Trial lesson from $1.
Why Learn Russian?
258M Speakers
The most spoken Slavic language — official in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and widely understood across post-Soviet states.
Slavic Gateway
Russian opens doors to Ukrainian, Polish, Bulgarian, Czech, and Serbian — the entire East Slavic family becomes more accessible.
Science & Literature
Russia leads in physics, mathematics, and space science. Read Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Brodsky as they were written.
Post-Soviet Business
Over 15 countries use Russian as a key business language. Essential for energy, tech, and trade in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Cyrillic in 2 Weeks
Russian uses 33 Cyrillic letters. Many look identical or similar to Latin letters you already know. With 20 minutes of daily practice, most learners read Cyrillic fluently within two weeks.
Letters with Latin look-alikes:
Choose Your Learning Path
Conversational Russian
Everyday spoken Russian — pronunciation, natural speech, and real-world dialogues from day one.
Business Russian
Contracts, negotiations, and corporate communication for working with Russian-speaking markets.
Russian Literature & Culture
Read Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in the original. Explore Soviet history, poetry, and cultural context.
Heritage Speakers
Already understand Russian at home? Reconnect with reading, writing, and formal registers.
Meet Your Russian Teachers
Natasha V.
Moscow
MA Linguistics · 9 yrs
Formal Russian & Business Communication
Dmitri K.
St. Petersburg
PhD Russian Literature · 7 yrs
Literary Russian & Cultural Immersion
Olga M.
Berlin
BA Russian & German · 6 yrs
Diaspora Russian & Heritage Speakers
TORFL / ТРКИ Level Guide
TORFL (Test of Russian as a Foreign Language) is the official Russian proficiency certification, accepted by Russian universities and employers.
| Level | Russian Name | Study Hours | Can Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Элементарный | 80–100 | Greetings, numbers, basic introductions. Learning Cyrillic. |
| A2 | Базовый | 180–200 | Shopping, directions, simple daily conversations. |
| B1 | Первый | 350–400 | Travel, familiar topics, understanding slow speech. |
| B2 | Второй | 600–700 | News, literature excerpts, professional discussions. |
| C1 | Третий | 900–1000 | Complex academic texts, idiomatic fluency, professional contexts. |
| C2 | Четвёртый | 1200+ | Near-native mastery, literature, debate, nuanced writing. |
Your 4-Week Starter Plan
Cyrillic alphabet
Master all 33 letters through daily 20-min sessions. Read simple words by day 7.
Basic pronunciation & greetings
Stress patterns, vowel reduction, Здравствуйте vs Привет.
Present tense & core vocabulary
200 most common words, verb conjugation, survival phrases.
First real conversations
Introducing yourself, asking questions, navigating everyday situations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is the Cyrillic alphabet?
Most learners master Cyrillic in 1–2 weeks with daily practice. About one-third of the letters look similar to Latin equivalents (А, Е, О, М, К, Т). The rest follow predictable patterns. It is the first milestone — once you can read, Russian vocabulary acquisition accelerates dramatically.
How similar is Russian to Ukrainian and Polish?
Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian are East Slavic languages and share substantial vocabulary — Russian speakers can often understand Ukrainian at 60–70%. Polish is West Slavic; closer to Czech and Slovak, though a Russian speaker will still recognise significant common vocabulary. Learning Russian gives you a strong foundation across the entire Slavic language family.
What is the difference between formal and informal Russian?
Russian has two registers of address: ты (ty) for informal/familiar use with friends, family, and peers, and вы (vy) for formal or polite situations with strangers, elders, or authority figures. Using the wrong register is a social misstep, so your teacher will guide you on when each is appropriate.
How do Russian noun cases work?
Russian has 6 grammatical cases: Nominative (subject), Accusative (direct object), Genitive (possession/negation), Dative (indirect object), Instrumental (means/accompaniment), and Prepositional (location). Cases change word endings and are core to the language. While this sounds daunting, patterns become natural with consistent practice — most learners achieve working fluency with cases at B1.
How long does it take to become conversational in Russian?
With consistent daily study and regular lessons, most learners reach conversational A2–B1 in 6–12 months. Russian is classified as a Category III language by the US Foreign Service Institute, requiring roughly 1,100 classroom hours for professional proficiency. The good news: everyday conversational fluency comes much earlier than that milestone.
Prepare for TORFL
Work with a specialist tutor for Russian citizenship, university admission, or work permit — all six TORFL levels covered.
Start your Russian journey today
35 expert teachers. Every level. Trial lesson from $1.