Post: #301

I was just reading that article yesterday haha which is one reason I made that post. I like off the grid places, but I just hear so much about Ukraine and Russia from people on the forum and in my personal life so that's what I always think of.

Was about to ask if you'd ever been to Minsk but I see your datsheet--great stuff!

Post: #302

(12-13-2015 04:42 AM)AManLikePutin Wrote:  Didn't know to post it here or in the foreign movie recommendation ones, but I'll go ahead here.

It's not a movie, but it's a short TV Series (4 episodes, 45 mins each), so total 3 hours which adds up to a long movie.

I was searching "Russian TV Series" on Youtube a couple of months ago, and came across it. Decided to give it a go, and it was so engaging I ended up finishing all 4 episodes on the trot. I've watched 3 times so far, 2 with English subtitles, and the 3rd time with Russian subtitles.

It's a drama/thriller (especially in later episodes)...lead character is an absolute rocket (Photo below) and it has a few red pill scenes as well. (Over 20 language subtitles available)..good for Russian listening practice. over close to 1.5 million views in 18 months. Recommended it to a few friends who aren't even learning Russian, and they all found it entertaining and a good watch.

"wind in the face"...such a typical example of something that sounds great in russian but clunky as hell when translated directly into english.

Post: #303

(12-21-2015 05:09 PM)Seth_Rose Wrote:  I considered making a thread for this, but do you all have any suggestions for studying Russian abroad? I'm an intermediate speaker, but would like to really up my skills. If you all have done an immersion-type of travel in a Russian speaking country I'd like to know!

when i lived in ukraine, i committed to at least two hours of studying russian a day. no exceptions, no excuses. sometimes i'd go months feelings like i was making no progress, but after a year or so i was conversational, at least with educated ukrainians speaking grammatically correct russian who wanted me to understand them (i.e. about 5% of the russian you'll hear over there, but it was a start).

also, i can't recommend this book enough for cracking the grammar:

http://www.amazon.com/Roots-Russian-Lang...n+language

Post: #304

...

Post: #305

(12-23-2015 05:22 AM)The Ligurian Wrote:  

(12-22-2015 06:50 PM)Seth_Rose Wrote:  I was just reading that article yesterday haha which is one reason I made that post. I like off the grid places, but I just hear so much about Ukraine and Russia from people on the forum and in my personal life so that's what I always think of.

Was about to ask if you'd ever been to Minsk but I see your datsheet--great stuff!

Don't go off the grid unless you cannot afford to go to a big city. That article was about the cheapest places, not the best places.

The best place to study Russian is Russia. The reason is because Russians are the most outgoing Russian speaking people, more so than Ukrainians and much more so than Belarussians. That is vital in improving away from the classroom.

I lived in Kiev for 4 months this summer. How many local male friends do I have? One, and I already knew him.

I studied in Minsk last year at MSLU for three months. How many local male friends do I have? 2.

Girls are obviously a different matter.

Yet put me on a Russian train for 12 hours and I'll have 4 or 5 dudes insisting I go fishing with them and visit them etc. Russians are the most gregarious and hence your Russian improves more there than anywhere else.

Despite the romanticism, off the grid places are not the best places to learn Russian. The old 'I will move to a village with no English speakers for a year and become fluent' is a flawed idea since you will not have your skills pressure tested constantly by new situations, acquaintances and vocabulary etc.

Go to a large Russian city like Volgograd and find a teacher. Your Russian will improve there quicker than in either BLR or UKR.

are you american? i agree that most russians are great people, but i wonder how safe russia is right now for an american. i've only been to ukraine, but i was there for a few years. every time someone wanted to fight me or threatened to kill me, they made sure i knew they were russian and they were doing it because i was american. this was about 12 years ago, when russians hated america WAY less than they do now.

i wonder if your problems making friends in belarus were because you were in minsk. i knew a bunch of kids from vitebsk when i spent a summer in crimea, and they were awesome. i've always gotten along great with belarusians and considered them noticeably friendlier than russians and ukrainians.

Post: #306

This is a great combination...makes learning Russian so much easier and fun:

Post: #307

^^^ That cursive is wacked. Кто там looks like "Kmo mau".

Post: #308

I know. It really messes with your mind...

Post: #309

I don't know how people can learn russian if they neither have a teacher nor are living in a Russian speaking country. I am conversational but it wasn't easy and it only improved when I started having lessons with native speakers.

Post: #310

I want to bang that girl in #306 in the worst way.

Post: #311

Quote:I don't know how people can learn russian if they neither have a teacher nor are living in a Russian speaking country.

I think it's the same for any language. I took years of French in high school and college but it's super rusty. However, after half a week in France it starts coming back fast.

Post: #312

Im finishing the beginner michel thomas course and will start the advanced one. I learned the content well and easy, but its limited by nature.

Does anyone know of an institute in kiev minsk or moscow that can offer a course that would get me (as fluent as can be) in two monthes? Im a very quick learner and have good memory.

Or would it be better to go with private tutoring then?

Post: #313

This one looks very cheap
http://www.mgu-russian.com/en/learn/courses/

Post: #314

(12-24-2015 10:59 AM)bucky Wrote:  

(12-23-2015 05:22 AM)The Ligurian Wrote:  

(12-22-2015 06:50 PM)Seth_Rose Wrote:  I was just reading that article yesterday haha which is one reason I made that post. I like off the grid places, but I just hear so much about Ukraine and Russia from people on the forum and in my personal life so that's what I always think of.

Was about to ask if you'd ever been to Minsk but I see your datsheet--great stuff!

Don't go off the grid unless you cannot afford to go to a big city. That article was about the cheapest places, not the best places.

The best place to study Russian is Russia. The reason is because Russians are the most outgoing Russian speaking people, more so than Ukrainians and much more so than Belarussians. That is vital in improving away from the classroom.

I lived in Kiev for 4 months this summer. How many local male friends do I have? One, and I already knew him.

I studied in Minsk last year at MSLU for three months. How many local male friends do I have? 2.

Girls are obviously a different matter.

Yet put me on a Russian train for 12 hours and I'll have 4 or 5 dudes insisting I go fishing with them and visit them etc. Russians are the most gregarious and hence your Russian improves more there than anywhere else.

Despite the romanticism, off the grid places are not the best places to learn Russian. The old 'I will move to a village with no English speakers for a year and become fluent' is a flawed idea since you will not have your skills pressure tested constantly by new situations, acquaintances and vocabulary etc.

Go to a large Russian city like Volgograd and find a teacher. Your Russian will improve there quicker than in either BLR or UKR.

are you american? i agree that most russians are great people, but i wonder how safe russia is right now for an american. i've only been to ukraine, but i was there for a few years. every time someone wanted to fight me or threatened to kill me, they made sure i knew they were russian and they were doing it because i was american. this was about 12 years ago, when russians hated america WAY less than they do now.

i wonder if your problems making friends in belarus were because you were in minsk. i knew a bunch of kids from vitebsk when i spent a summer in crimea, and they were awesome. i've always gotten along great with belarusians and considered them noticeably friendlier than russians and ukrainians.

@Bucky
I have gotten drunk about 12 times in Moscow from September to December and left myself open to many Russian beat downs. It never happened. USA/Russian hate is way overblown in my mind. Maybe its there in the villages and provinces, but I have not seen it in my time here. Actually the closest I ever got to getting beat up was in Kiev at that bar in the Maidan.

On to Russki Issick..
I just signed up with a tutor in Moscow to help me with my language courses there. 1700 RUB for 90 minute sessions. Not that it matters, but she is a PHD. Let's hope I can hit the small towns this summer!

Post: #315

I just got a basic membership at russianpod101.com. I'm starting their video lessons today.

They really make it interesting to learn with in person videos featuring cute intelligent girls
who make it feel like you're learning Russian from a friend. A very cute friend.

I think this style of learning complemented with conversations with a native speaker (i.e. on skype)
helps you make more progress and keeps you motivated rather than just studying a lot of (print) materials
by yourself.

Post: #316

(01-13-2016 11:32 AM)Apollo21 Wrote:  I just got a basic membership at russianpod101.com. I'm starting their video lessons today.

They really make it interesting to learn with in person videos featuring cute intelligent girls
who make it feel like you're learning Russian from a friend. A very cute friend.

I think this style of learning complemented with conversations with a native speaker (i.e. on skype)
helps you make more progress and keeps you motivated rather than just studying a lot of (print) materials
by yourself.

that's an excellent idea. the most important thing is consistency, working on your russian every day. working with a native speaker will help, and if she's cute that's all the more motivation to get good at the language and get over to the former USSR.

just be careful once you finally do and remember that russian dyevs can be as хитрые as they are beautiful. if i'd had basic red-pill knowledge when i lived over there like abundance mentality, avoiding oneitis, and most importantly, nexting a woman as soon as she shows disloyalty, i could have saved myself a very painful unsuccessful marriage AND had many more dyevs who were at least as beautiful as my twisted little ex was.

Post: #317

If you have decent level of russian you might find watching Kuhnya useful.
I don't think it was posted before, but it's a pretty good russian tv series. Keeps my russian fresh. mozhet komu-to nravitsya

Post: #318

That looks good. Thanks for sharing.

Post: #319

I've been using 'Living Language - Russian' for the past three-months, mixed in with watching Russian movies, and some news channels. I did the whole Rosetta stone thing (torrented of course), but I find LL the best IMO. Nails down the cyrillic alphabet in a practical way, and the audio lessons are solid. Reasonably prices as well.

Post: #320

(01-21-2016 09:53 AM)WeekendCasanova Wrote:  I've been using 'Living Language - Russian' for the past three-months, mixed in with watching Russian movies, and some news channels. I did the whole Rosetta stone thing (torrented of course), but I find LL the best IMO. Nails down the cyrillic alphabet in a practical way, and the audio lessons are solid. Reasonably prices as well.

Would you say it's geared towards beginners or would intermediates get value from it?

Post: #321

Here is a movie I highly recommend to everybody who learns Russian and is interested in Russian culture.

Служебный роман / Office romance

The movie is about office workers in the Soviet Union. It is one of the best Soviet movies of all times.

Youtube link (with English subtitles)

Post: #322

(01-21-2016 10:46 PM)Seth_Rose Wrote:  

(01-21-2016 09:53 AM)WeekendCasanova Wrote:  I've been using 'Living Language - Russian' for the past three-months, mixed in with watching Russian movies, and some news channels. I did the whole Rosetta stone thing (torrented of course), but I find LL the best IMO. Nails down the cyrillic alphabet in a practical way, and the audio lessons are solid. Reasonably prices as well.

Would you say it's geared towards beginners or would intermediates get value from it?

Pulled the trigger and got a 6 month subscription. They really impressed me--it was very comprehensive and certainly has value for intermediates and advanced Russian students.

Post: #323

Has anyone here used Pimsleur ? Would you recommend purchasing it ? (Looks to be $25 for every 5 lessons)

I'm listening to some previews of the audio book. Its focus seems to be on speaking/accent/pronunciation mostly.

Post: #324

(01-25-2016 07:01 PM)AManLikePutin Wrote:  Has anyone here used Pimsleur ? Would you recommend purchasing it ? (Looks to be $25 for every 5 lessons)

I'm listening to some previews of the audio book. Its focus seems to be on speaking/accent/pronunciation mostly.

Just went through the entire thread. Question answered

On DuoLingo, I am over halfway done the course, and wonder if people have a system in mind to keep all the content fresh? Like a notepad app where you'd write down let's say 10-15 sentences used in each subject, for further review without having to do the "Strengthen Skill" part. The content is starting to get real complicated and heavy.

Have found reading RT and Russian Insider website articles in Russian really cool too, even if you end up not understanding all of it. Observing sentence structures + new words in defined context to increase certain jargons.. Current news-political articles which we can relate too.

Post: #325

You really have to have a notebook and practice russian vocab and listening drills.