Of all the European languages a native English speaker can learn, Russian is among the most difficult. The Germanic and Romance languages have a lot of the same core because they both have roots in Latin. Russian is from a completely different language branch called the Slavonic branch, which includes Czech and Polish.
The Foreign Service Institute has determined it takes around 1100 hours for native English speakers to reach fluency in Russian. If you spend 60 minutes per day studying Russian, it will take you 3 years. If you spend 6 hours per day, you will reach an upper intermediate level in half a year.
Russian is widely believed to be one of the most difficult languages to learn. This is mostly true, if you have no knowledge of other Slavic languages (e.g. Bulgarian or Czech). The grammar rules in Russian are very complex and have numerous exceptions.
- The Russian language has more verb tenses than the English language does. - The Russian language has a lot of irregular verbs (verbs that don't follow regular rules), which makes learning them harder than learning regular verbs in English.
Russian is allegedly one of the most complex languages to learn; its Cyrillic alphabet is enough to scare you away. In fact, the Foreign Service Institute classifies it as a category-four language.
After reading through all the differences, Russian probably comes across as the easier language to learn. And it is! For native English speakers, Russian is categorized as taking 44 weeks to learn (or 1,100 hours), while Japanese takes 88 weeks (2,200 hours).
Many studies have suggested that learning a new language improves brain function, providing better memory, more mental flexibility, and creativity. Learning a language from a different language family from your native language – for example, Russian – is a great way to maximize these benefits.
Of all the European languages a native English speaker can learn, Russian is among the most difficult. The Germanic and Romance languages have a lot of the same core because they both have roots in Latin. Russian is from a completely different language branch called the Slavonic branch, which includes Czech and Polish.
Noun case is probably the hardest part of Russian for English speakers to fully master. And this of course makes us ask: What exactly is Russian noun case? Simply put, the ending of a Russian noun tells you what it does/what role it has in a sentence.
Duolingo offers a complete Russian course, but that doesn't mean it teaches the language well. If you're looking to pick up some useful words and phrases, it's a great option. If you want to become fluent in Russian though, Duolingo is not the best choice. Apps like Rocket Languages and Babbel are better.
The Foreign Service Institute of the United States has determined that it takes about 1100 hours of study to reach fluency in Russian. If you're willing to study 3 hours every day, it could take you a year to reach that level.
How long does it take to learn Russian? The US Department of State says that it will take 1,100 class hours (or 44 weeks) to learn Russian to a proficient level. But these numbers vary depending on your natural ability to acquire language, or if you already speak a language that is similar to Russian.
First of all, vocabulary. According to Duolingo, I learned ~1,500 Russian words. Being fluent requires about 3,000 words.
Can you learn Russian in two months? Unfortunately, even if you spend 2-3 hours studying daily, two months won't be enough. Especially challenging this process is going to be for those who do not speak any other Slavic language (e.g. Czech or Polish).
It's one of the most spoken languages in the world
Not only is it the official language of Russia, but it has official status in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It's also spoken regularly in Israel, the Baltics, China, Ukraine, Armenia and even the United States.
Edit. The longest Russian word is an adjective: «электрофотополупроводниковый» with 28 letters. It's a scientific word, it means 'electrophotosemiconducting'.
The Letter Ы
The Russian letter “ы” is probably the most difficult letter to pronounce. People say it sounds like the sound someone makes when being winded. This vowel sound should be pronounced like something between “i” and “u.” For the right pronunciation, try to say “u” with your lips open as if you're saying “i.”
If you're looking for a challenge, try visiting a smaller city or town. Russia ranked just below China on the EPI at 38th, but with 5.48 percent of its population speaking English — not to mention a foreign alphabet you won't be able to easily read — this definitely counts as a challenging travel destination.
Many Russian speakers have difficulty pronouncing the English consonant sounds /w/, /v/, /r/ & 'th'. Russian has a quarter of the vowels that English does so many English vowels are challenging. Word stress is often flatter and more even than an English native speaker.
I think 3000 to 3500 words or more may be more realistic a word count for level 1 to take into count the case endings. I think 20000 words in Russian is going to be a minimum and 30000 to 50000 words would be a more comfortable fluency level. Any thoughts? 15000 or 20000 words is a huge number.
One 3-hour Russian course per week for 8 weeks, plus a weekly homework assignment (1 hour), plus independent practice of any type (2 hour). 3 courses per year. You will need between 25-30 courses. At 3 courses per year, it may take you between 8.3-10 years to reach an intermediate level.
However, the best place to learn Russian does not stop at Russia itself. Russian is not only an official language in Russia, but also in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, and is widely used in many countries in Eastern Europe like Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Ukraine.
The Ukrainian language is easier to learn than Russian, as Russian has more complex grammar. Learning Ukrainian also makes it easier to learn other Eastern European languages, as it is closer to Czech, Slovak, and Polish. Whereas, if you learn Russian, you can understand fewer languages naturally.