Russian for Beginners: Learn the Basics of Russian in 30 Days (Language Learning) Paperback – November 26, 2022

Took Russian about 100 years ago in High School, and just wanted a refresher.

Here's the good:This book gives so much more than just rules, vocabulary, and exercises. The first section is filled with background information that makes learning Russian relevant and relatable to English speakers.There are so many examples and explanations of every "rule" that is taught.There is transliteration in both the English alphabet and in IPALearning Russian is and will never be an easy task for English speakers. However, this book gives a strong start to those just starting their journey to be self-taught Russian speakers.The needs to improve:There are a couple exercises that could use clarity. For instance, chapter 1 Task 1:"Task 1Read the following words and say why three of them arecapitalized.1) нож2) Конституция России3) куртка4) Рождество5) пять"This would be better if the instructions read, "Read the following words and phrases and explain why two are capitalized." The way it currently reads is that 3/5 words/phrases are capitalized. When really only 2/5 are. Yes, there are literally 3 words, but if they want to count number 2 as two separate words and not a phrase, they need to mark that each word has its own number.That's really the only glaring improvement I can see. It's a great book for beginners.

Excellent book for those either learning Russian for the first time, as a quick reference, or for those reintroducing themselves to the language. The book covers what you'd need to learn the basics (as the title suggests!), verb conjugation, and tons of vocabulary. Each section has an exercise and answers to test your knowledge. I like that the exercise types vary throughout the book.As someone who has been relearning Russian, this has been a great resource for review and explaining the unique grammar.