Learn Russian

Russian, and you never have to type a Cyrillic letter.

A 1,000-word frequency course. Almost nobody has a Russian keyboard installed, so every exercise here accepts Latin transliteration as well as Cyrillic. We test your Russian, not your keyboard layout.

Start the course See the syllabus

Read the whole course freeOne Plus subscription covers all 10 languages, not just Russian See what Plus adds

Try Russian now - no sign-up

Quick taster

3-word session

A quick mix of exercises - recognise, recall, type and build each word. Miss one and it comes back round until it sticks.

Graded reader

Вре́мени нет

Only words the course has taught

, . , .

He says there is no time. But today he is here, and he is doing nothing.

Tap any word for its word page

Read Russian from the first week.

45 graded readers, each written only from words the course has already taught, in Cyrillic. Tap any word and its Latin spelling sits under it while the alphabet is still settling.

Browse Russian stories

Grammar that treats you like an adult.

Six cases sounds worse than it is. The endings overlap heavily and a few patterns cover most of what you meet. Aspect is the part that actually takes years.

Explore Russian grammar

The six cases

пра́вда

truth - Feminine noun

nominative: пра́вда
accusative: пра́вду
genitive: пра́вды
dative: пра́вде
instrumental: пра́вдой
prepositional: пра́вде

The ending carries the noun's job, which is why Russian needs no articles and tolerates free word order. The stress stays on пра́в throughout, so the mark never moves - plenty of nouns are not so obliging.

Built for Russian, specifically

Not one course photocopied six times. Each language gets the tools its own difficulties actually call for.

Cyrillic in an afternoon

Thirty-three letters, most of them regular, and the handful of false friends that catch everyone. The alphabet is the easy part of Russian.

Take a look

No Cyrillic keyboard required

Every typed answer accepts Latin transliteration as well as Cyrillic. Spasibo and the Cyrillic spelling are both marked correct.

Take a look

1,000 words by frequency

I, v, ne, na, ya, byt, on, s, chto, a: the connectives and pronouns holding every Russian sentence together.

Take a look

The six cases, drilled not tabulated

Nominative through prepositional, taught as patterns you practise rather than a grid you memorise and forget.

Take a look

Verb aspect, the long game

Almost every Russian verb is a pair. Choosing between them is the judgement English gives you no instinct for, and the guide treats it as the long game it is.

Take a look

Russian by the numbers

Counted from the course, not rounded up for the brochure.

words in the course: 1000
grammar guides: 51
graded readers: 45

Or wander in sideways

The course is the spine, but every part of it stands on its own.

Stories Grammar Games Word lists Pronunciation Teaching resources Books Leaderboard Tools The Cyrillic alphabet The six cases Start the course

Chapters 1 and 2 free

Keep the Russian you learn

An account remembers every word you know, builds your daily review, and syncs progress across devices.

Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all ten languages.

Start learning free

Start Russian at word one.

Every lesson is free to read, and stays that way. Plus is what remembers them for you: free for a week, then $5 a month - one subscription for every course on the site, not just Russian.

Start the course What Plus adds