Resonance: Russian for Beginners —Free Samples

The sample covers the Table of Contents, Preface for Students and Preface for Teachers, Lessons 1 to 4 in full and most of Lesson 5.

Lesson 1

General notes: Brief facts on the Russian language. The Russian alphabet. Typing in Russian.

Lesson 2:

Grammar: Who? What? How to denote persons, animals and surrounding objects.

Vocabulary and conversation: Greetings, thanks and getting acquainted.

Lesson 3

Phonetics: Word stress and vowel reduction. Voiced and voiceless consonants. Hard and soft consonants. Spelling rules.

Lesson 4

Grammar: The gender rule for nouns.

Vocabulary and conversation: Where is it? Adverbs of place. Professions and occupations.

Lesson 5

Grammar: Personal pronouns. General notes on verbs. The present tense. Some negative pronouns and adverbs. The accusative case for personal pronouns. Two-clause sentences.

Vocabulary and conversation: Everyday activities.

The sample covers the Table of Contents, Preface for Students, Preface for Teachers and the first three lessons in full.

Lesson 1

Grammar: The verbs of motion — general notes. Russian equivalents of to go. The verbs идти and ходить. How to express the destination of motion. Some stable expressions with the verbs идти and ходить. The verbs ехать and ездить. How to express the means of transportation with the motion verbs.

Vocabulary and conversation: City sightseeing and entertainment. Field trips. Attending classes. Transportation.

Cultural notes: Theaters.

Lesson 2

Grammar: interchangeability of structures я ходил (ездил) в / на … and я был в / на …. The adverbs of place (location and direction). The verbs of motion to fly, to swim, to sail and to run. Some new expressions with the motion verbs.

Vocabulary and conversation: Giving and getting directions. Journeys. The continents. Outer space.

Linquistic and Cultural notes: Conventions in using verbs of motion with means of transportation.

Lesson 3

Grammar: The genitive case. The main functions of the genitive case. "Someone has …". Absence of something or someone. Measure and quantity. The verb to be afraid governing the genitive case. Fleeting vowels.

Vocabulary and conversation: Capitals. Tableware and kitchenware. Everyday measurement of food. At a grocery store.

Linquistic and Cultural notes: Food packaging types.