Day 1: Russian Basics Masterclass - Learn Russian in 7 Days | Prorussianguide.info

Russian Foundations: Day 1 Masterclass

Build your Russian foundation with Cyrillic alphabet mastery, proper pronunciation, essential greetings, and daily conversation starters.

75-90 Minutes English Support Audio Guides Beginner Friendly
Your 7-Day Russian Journey Day 1 of 7 - Foundation Building
Getting Started Certificate: 6 days away

Interactive Pronunciation: Click on any word, letter, or the 🔊 button to hear the correct Russian pronunciation!

Important: Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet, not the Latin alphabet. Don't worry - many letters look familiar and we'll guide you through each one!

Cyrillic Alphabet Pronunciation Greetings Introductions Numbers Days & Months Exercises

Your Day 1 Learning Path

Welcome to your first day of Russian mastery! Today, we'll build the essential foundation that will support all your future Russian learning. You'll finish today feeling more confident with the Cyrillic alphabet, basic Russian sounds, and simple conversations.

Cyrillic Alphabet

Master 33 letters of Russian alphabet

Russian Sounds

Learn unique Russian pronunciation

Essential Greetings

Master formal & informal greetings

Self-Introduction

Confidently introduce yourself in Russian

Maximize Your Learning

Speak aloud throughout this lesson! Russian pronunciation requires practice. Repeat words and letters multiple times. Pay special attention to sounds that don't exist in English. Don't worry about perfection - focus on progress.

The Russian Cyrillic Alphabet

The Russian alphabet has 33 letters - some look familiar to English letters but have different sounds. Others are completely new. Let's learn them in groups.

Group 1: Letters That Look and Sound Similar to English
А а
A a
"a" as in "car"
К к
K k
"k" as in "kite"
М м
M m
"m" as in "mother"
О о
O o
"o" as in "more"
Т т
T t
"t" as in "tea"
Group 2: Letters That Look Familiar but Sound Different
В в
V v
"v" as in "very"
Е е
Ye ye
"ye" as in "yes"
Н н
N n
"n" as in "no"
Р р
R r
rolled "r"
С с
S s
"s" as in "sun"
У у
U u
"oo" as in "boot"
Х х
Kh kh
"ch" as in "loch"
Group 3: Unique Russian Letters
Б б
B b
"b" as in "bat"
Г г
G g
"g" as in "go"
Д д
D d
"d" as in "dog"
Ж ж
Zh zh
"s" as in "pleasure"
З з
Z z
"z" as in "zoo"
И и
I i
"ee" as in "see"
Й й
Y y
"y" as in "boy"
Л л
L l
"l" as in "love"
П п
P p
"p" as in "pet"
Ф ф
F f
"f" as in "face"
Ц ц
Ts ts
"ts" as in "cats"
Ч ч
Ch ch
"ch" as in "chat"
Ш ш
Sh sh
"sh" as in "shoe"
Щ щ
Shch shch
soft "shch"
Ы ы
Y y
unique sound
Э э
E e
"e" as in "end"
Ю ю
Yu yu
"yu" as in "use"
Я я
Ya ya
"ya" as in "yard"
Group 4: The Hard and Soft Signs
Ъ ъ
Hard sign
no sound
Ь ь
Soft sign
softens consonant
Alphabet Learning Strategy

Learn 5-7 letters per day. Start with Group 1 (easy ones), then Group 2 (look-alikes), then the rest. Write each letter 10 times while saying its sound aloud. Use flashcards with the Cyrillic letter on one side and English equivalent on the other.

Russian Pronunciation Guide

Russian pronunciation has some unique features that English speakers need to master. Pay special attention to these sounds.

Russian Sound English Approximation Example Pronunciation Tip
Ы ы 🔊 Like "i" in "ill" but deeper мы 🔊 (we) Smile while saying "ee" then drop jaw
Р р 🔊 Rolled "r" река 🔊 (river) Practice with "butter" said quickly
Ж ж 🔊 "s" in "pleasure" журнал 🔊 (magazine) Like French "j" in "je"
Щ щ 🔊 Soft "shch" щека 🔊 (cheek) Say "fresh cheese" quickly
Ц ц 🔊 "ts" in "cats" цвет 🔊 (color) Like German "z"
Х х 🔊 "ch" in Scottish "loch" хорошо 🔊 (good) Clear your throat gently
Palatalization Soft consonants место 🔊 (place) Raise middle of tongue to palate
Pronunciation Practice

Listen and repeat these minimal pairs to train your ear for Russian sounds:

мать / мять (mother / crumple)
быть / бить (to be / to beat)
шар / шарь (ball / informal ball)
Pronunciation Rule: Vowel Reduction

In unstressed syllables, "О" sounds like "А" and "Е" sounds like "И". Example: "молоко" (milk) is pronounced "малако". This is one of the most important pronunciation rules in Russian!

Essential Russian Greetings

Russian greetings vary by formality and time of day. Pay attention to the differences between formal and informal situations.

Russian Greeting English Translation Context & Formality Pronunciation Guide
Здравствуйте 🔊 Hello (formal) Very formal, with strangers, elders ZDRAST-vuy-tye
Привет 🔊 Hi (informal) Friends, family, peers pree-VYET
Доброе утро 🔊 Good morning Until noon, formal/informal DO-bra-ye OO-tra
Добрый день 🔊 Good afternoon 12 PM - 5 PM DO-briy DYEN'
Добрый вечер 🔊 Good evening After 5 PM DO-briy VYE-cher
Как дела? 🔊 How are you? Common, slightly informal kak dee-LA
Как поживаешь? 🔊 How have you been? Informal, with friends kak pa-zhi-VA-yesh'
Что нового? 🔊 What's new? Casual, with friends shto NO-va-va
До свидания 🔊 Goodbye (formal) Most common goodbye da svee-DA-ni-ya
Пока 🔊 Bye (informal) Friends, family pa-KA
Greeting Practice Dialogues

Practice these short conversations to build your greeting confidence:

Formal Situation (Business Meeting):

A: "Здравствуйте. Добрый день." 🔊

B: "Здравствуйте. Очень приятно." 🔊

A: "Как ваши дела?" 🔊

B: "Спасибо, хорошо. А у вас?" 🔊

Informal Situation (Friends):

A: "Привет! Как дела?" 🔊

B: "Привет! Нормально. Что нового?" 🔊

A: "Всё хорошо. Давай встретимся завтра?" 🔊

B: "Конечно! Пока!" 🔊

Self-Introductions in Russian

Russian introductions follow specific patterns. Note that Russians typically use first name and patronymic (отчество) in formal situations.

Basic Introduction Structure
  1. Greeting: Start with appropriate greeting
  2. Your Name: "Меня зовут..." (My name is...)
  3. Basic Information: Where you're from, occupation
  4. Pleasure Phrase: "Очень приятно" (Nice to meet you)
  5. Question: Ask about the other person
Introduction Examples
Formal Introduction (Business):

"Здравствуйте. Меня зовут Джон Смит. Я из Лондона. Я бизнесмен. Очень приятно. А как вас зовут?" 🔊

(Hello. My name is John Smith. I'm from London. I'm a businessman. Nice to meet you. And what's your name?)

Informal Introduction (Social):

"Привет! Я Анна. Я из Америки. Я студентка. Рада познакомиться. А ты откуда?" 🔊

(Hi! I'm Anna. I'm from America. I'm a student. Nice to meet you. And where are you from?)

Simple Introduction (Casual):

"Меня зовут Майк. Я турист. Я изучаю русский язык." 🔊

(My name is Mike. I'm a tourist. I'm studying Russian.)

Cultural Note: Patronymics

In formal situations, Russians use first name + patronymic (отчество). The patronymic is derived from the father's name. Example: Иванович (son of Ivan), Ивановна (daughter of Ivan). When introducing yourself formally, you might say: "Меня зовут Джон, мое отчество - Иванович" (My name is John, my patronymic is Ivanovich).

Russian Numbers 1-100

Russian numbers follow specific patterns. Learn 1-20 first, then the pattern for the rest.

Numbers 1-20
1
один/одна
2
два/две
3
три
4
четыре
5
пять
6
шесть
7
семь
8
восемь
9
девять
10
десять
11
одиннадцать
12
двенадцать
13
тринадцать
14
четырнадцать
15
пятнадцать
16
шестнадцать
17
семнадцать
18
восемнадцать
19
девятнадцать
20
двадцать
Key Number Patterns
Russian Number Gender

Russian numbers have gender! 1 is один (masculine), одна (feminine), одно (neuter). 2 is два (masculine/neuter), две (feminine). Other numbers are the same for all genders. Example: один дом (one house, masculine), одна книга (one book, feminine), одно окно (one window, neuter).

Days & Months in Russian

Russian days and months are not capitalized unless at the beginning of a sentence.

Days of the Week
понедельник
Monday
вторник
Tuesday
среда
Wednesday
четверг
Thursday
пятница
Friday
суббота
Saturday
воскресенье
Sunday
Months of the Year
январь
January
февраль
February
март
March
апрель
April
май
May
июнь
June
июль
July
август
August
сентябрь
September
октябрь
October
ноябрь
November
декабрь
December
Talking About Time in Russian

Practice these common time expressions:

  • "Сегодня понедельник." 🔊 (Today is Monday)
  • "Завтра вторник." 🔊 (Tomorrow is Tuesday)
  • "Вчера было воскресенье." 🔊 (Yesterday was Sunday)
  • "Мой день рождения в июле." 🔊 (My birthday is in July)
  • "Встреча в пятницу." 🔊 (The meeting is on Friday)
Seasons in Russian

зима (winter), весна (spring), лето (summer), осень (autumn). Example: "Я люблю лето" (I love summer). Note that seasons are not capitalized in Russian.

Day 1 Practice Exercises

Apply what you've learned with these practical exercises. Try to complete them without looking back at the lesson material.

Exercise 1: Cyrillic Alphabet
  1. Write the Cyrillic alphabet from А to Я (both uppercase and lowercase).
  2. Identify these letters: Ж, Ц, Ч, Ш, Щ, Ы, Ь, Ъ, Э, Ю, Я
  3. Write your name in Cyrillic letters.
  4. Translate these English words to Cyrillic: cat, book, house, friend
Exercise 2: Greetings & Introductions
  1. Create appropriate Russian greetings for these situations:
    • A business meeting at 10 AM
    • Meeting a Russian friend in the evening
    • Saying goodbye to a colleague
  2. Write a 4-sentence self-introduction in Russian for a language exchange.
  3. Translate these English phrases to Russian:
    • Good morning, how are you?
    • Nice to meet you.
    • My name is [your name].
Exercise 3: Numbers, Days & Months
  1. Write these numbers in Russian words: 3, 7, 11, 15, 20, 33, 50, 99
  2. Answer these questions in complete Russian sentences:
    • Какой сегодня день? (What day is today?)
    • Какой сейчас месяц? (What month is it now?)
    • Сколько вам лет? (How old are you?)
  3. List all the days of the week in Russian in order.
  4. Name the Russian months that end in "-брь".
Checking Your Answers

After completing the exercises, review the lesson material to check your answers. Don't worry about mistakes - they're a natural part of learning Russian! Focus on understanding where you went wrong and practicing those areas.

Поздравляю! (Congratulations!)

You've completed Day 1 of your Russian journey. You now have a solid foundation in Russian basics.

Tomorrow, we'll build on this foundation with essential everyday conversations, basic grammar, and more vocabulary.

Continue to Day 2: Everyday Conversations

Want to review? Go back to Alphabet or redo exercises