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Resonance: Russian for Beginners Textbook & Study Guide leading you from zero to fluency

This Russian Language Study Guide provides all the necessary means for developing Russian language competence at the A2+ level. Upon completion of this course learners will gain the language skills needed to feel confident in the Russian language environment.
Resonance textbook and study guide Book 1
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Book 1: start here if you are a complete beginner

  • • 18 lessons, 333 pages
  • • grammar, vocabulary, conversational practice, reading texts, cultural notes
  • • Russian-English dictionary
  • • 307 exercises with answer keys
  • • free online audio supplements
  • • free online smart dictionaries
Available on Amazon (paperback) and Google Play (e-book)
Resonance: Russian for beginners. Book 1, 2nd edition. By Elena Berg, Ph.D. Seattle, 2024. - 333 pages ISBN 9781737652168 paperback • 9781737652175 e‑book
Buy paperback on Amazon — $68.99 Buy e-book on Google Play — $27.45
Actual prices can be lower than those shown above due to vendors' promotions or discounts.
Resonance textbook and study guide Book 1
Look inside free

Book 2: Continue after completing Book 1 OR enhance your prior knowledge of Russian to level A2+

  • • 16 lessons, 373 pages
  • • grammar, vocabulary, conversational practice, reading texts, cultural notes
  • • Russian-English dictionary covering full course
  • • 431 exercises with answer keys
  • • free online audio supplements
  • • free online smart dictionaries
Available on Amazon (paperback) and Google Play (e-book)
Resonance: Russian for beginners. Book 2. By Elena Berg, Ph.D. Seattle, 2023. - 380 pages ISBN 9781737652144 paperback • 9781737652151 e‑book
Buy paperback on Amazon — $72.99 Buy e-book on Google Play — $30.45
Actual prices can be lower than those shown above due to vendors' promotions or discounts.

Free Online Supplements Included With the Book

Every copy of Resonance — paperback or e-book — includes QR codes for free access to:
  • • audio tracks illustrating Russian phonetics and pronunciation, accessible via QR code
  • • answer keys to all exercises, so you can check your work independently
  • • subject dictionaries with flashcards and vocabulary tests to track your progress

For learners

Resonance is designed so you can study Russian on your own, at your own pace. Every lesson includes a clear explanation of the grammar point in English, worked examples, a reading text in Russian, and exercises — with all answers available online.

Stress marks are shown on every Russian word so you always know how to pronounce correctly.

For teachers

Resonance gives teachers a complete, structured course — no lesson planning from scratch. Book 1 covers 18 lessons, Book 2 covers 16, each built around a clear grammar topic with integrated vocabulary, cultural commentary, and exercises.

Time per lesson varies from 3 to 6 hours depending on student level and the number of exercises assigned.

The key advantage of this book is consistency — all explanations, examples and exercises are built using only the vocabulary learned previously, thus achieving total clarity.

The Preface for Teachers in Book 1 provides explicit methodology guidelines. The lesson structure itself serves as an implicit teaching guide, with enough flexibility to accommodate individual student needs.

What learners and educators say

"An amazing 300-page manual for beginners learning Russian. It combines a textbook and workbook with a dictionary at the end. It is very nicely illustrated. I use both volumes in my classes. My students really appreciate it. There is a special application with audio tracks to the book, which is very precious for those who study on their own". Anastasia, Amazon

"More than just a textbook – it's a complete guide to fluency in Russian". Marco, Amazon

"The book is meticulously structured, offering a seamless progression from very basic to a bit more advanced concepts." Vincenzo S, Amazon

"Thank you! Finally, a textbook with grammar rather than tables. And with a dictionary!" Irina Prokkola, Facebook

"The best Russian textbook ever. Truly! I feel a pronounced relief when it comes to getting prepared for the classes. And as to my students - they just love the textbook. I wish I had it years ago, when I started teaching Russian". Elena K, Amazon

"This book is an excellent resource. I’ve found it to be a great learning tool with high quality illustrations, examples in the text, and audio content. It allows for an immersive experience of learning Russian and I highly recommend it to anyone studying the language". Chris, Amazon

The author

Elena Berg is a Ph.D. in Russian language and has been teaching Russian, both as a first and as a foreign language, as well as the Latin language to university students for more than 20 years. Dr. Berg has also published textbooks such as Russian Stylistics and Rhetoric for Lawyers and Latin Language for Lawyers in addition to over a hundred research papers on Russian stylistics, second language acquisition and cross-cultural communication.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. The book includes detailed grammar explanations in English, exercises, and online answer keys — everything you need to study independently.
Yes. The online audio supplements are free and accessible via QR codes printed in the book.
Upon completing both volumes you will have reached A2+ on the CEFR scale, which means you can hold basic conversations, read simple texts, and understand Russian in everyday situations.

Resonance is a textbook that comes in two volumes. Altogether they include 34 large lessons, each containing several interconnected grammar subjects, the corresponding vocabulary and conversational topics. On completion of the course the learner achieves Level A2+ and can communicate flawlessly with the native speakers of Russian.

Corrus is an introductory online course that builds a foundation for learning Rissian. It consosts of 39 lessons, each dealing with a particular grammar, vocabulary or conversational subject. The content of Corrus corresponds to the first four lessons of the Resonance book.

No. Book 1 begins with the Cyrillic alphabet and introduces letters gradually, so complete beginners can start from page one.
No. All audio records available in the Resonance course are made recorded by educated native Russian speakers — the same standard used in professional language education. This means you learn accurate pronunciation from lesson one, not synthesized speech you would have to unlearn later.