Easy Russian for English Speakers Vol. 1 & 2: Learn to Speak and Understand Russian; From everyday essentials to Chekhov, Pushkin, Gagarin and Shakespeare (English and Russian Edition)
"There aren't very many audio resources (at least not stocked on the shelves of your local Barnes and Noble) in Russian, and this second volume is, like the first, a valuable resource for anyone trying to learn the language. I'm not sure if all copies are packaged this way, but mine came with quite a lot of written material on learning Russian as well that was very helpful. On its own merits, though, I'm not sure that you could learn Russian only with the aid of the CDs, though that may not be what Bollinger is going for. At the beginning of this one, he states that he wants you to learn Russian like a native, and I think he succeeds in that - when I learned English as a child, no one sat me down and said, 'This is English, and here's how we're going to sequentially learn it.' Instead, you learn new words as the need arises, in life, which is a lot like what happened as I listened to the CD."-- Annie Janicki, Colorado, USA"I did a year's course in Russian as a subsidiary module at university a number of years ago and reached a stage where I could speak it reasonably well (although far from fluently). Since then I have made several attempts, mostly working from books, to revise my Russian skills but have not retained a very firm grasp on the language.In addition to covering a range of grammatical points, there is quite a lot of discussion about points of pronunciation as well as Russian culture, both of which are important in order to gain a good working knowledge of the language.This strikes me as a well-produced and well-structured course. Although it lacks the true interactivity of working directly with a teacher, it provides a very useful complement to other study materials for anyone studying without easy access to native Russian speakers."-- Magnus Forrester-Barker, Cymru (Wales)"Overall, I like the CD. It is easy to follow and language lessons seem well thought out and grouped in a logical manner. My only real complaint is that the CD is supposed to be stand alone and honestly I do think that the first volume is needed prior to listening to the second volume. I feel like I would have much better comprehension of the lessons if I had begun with volume one. Still, all in all, I feel like the CD is good."-- Nancy Cox, Houston, Texas, USA"In terms of the content, I like the approach a lot. There is a heavy focus on phonetic accuracy, which is obviously super important but which books can only touch indirectly and even a high number of sound-based language-learning media think it's good enough to just say things and let us figure it out and not walk us through it and that's not good enough; there is also a heavy focus on cultural things (he starts with patronymics, e.g., and there are passages from Chekhov and Shakespeare in Russian and you can hear the voice of Yuri Gagarin) and it seems to me there's no point in learning a language unless beyond learning how she is spoke, you also learn the shape of the world in which her speakers exist. So in short there's a lot of interesting stuff here, and it's well worth a listen."-- Martin McCarvill, Vancouver, Canada"This is a really helpful series starting with the alphabet and 'hello' (vol.1) and graduating to brief extracts from Chekhov and others (vol.2). The 28 units are excellent not just for learning the subtleties of pronunciation, but for understanding how the Russian language and Russian minds work."-- Rachel Redford (UK)--EasyRussian.co.uk"These audio lessons jumped right into learning the language and moved briskly. I also enjoyed the structure of the lessons and their thematic organization. Unlike other audio language learning tapes the tracks were engaging - my attention was kept and I felt like I was actually absorbing Russian. Overall, this audio training is excellent for those who need to learn Russian fast, or may only need to learn enough for a specific situation."-- Kara Schimmelfing, USA"Super. Often one is demotivated by legions of grammar to wade through before you get to saying 'hello',in some language guides. On the other hand this audio guide is going straight for useful phrases to get you by; to increase your motivation and to give you a taste of the language itself."-- Stephen Dunne, Australia"Great CD. Easy to pick up on Russian words pronunciation and also a little bit about Russian culture and the background behind certain phrases. Really interesting and informative."-- Sara Georgieff, Canada"I've tried several methods for learning foreign languages: Spanish was classroom instruction, both in high school and college. French was audio instruction via Pimsleur and Berlitz. This CD reminded me of a Berlitz course; Russian words and sentences were pronounced twice and then the instructor moves to a different phrase.The CD's categories were a good selection, and included the Russian alphabet with each letter's correct pronunciation. Other categories included greetings, directions, food, and numbers. This one CD will not make you an expert, but it can be a valuable help in learning pronunciation and some basic vocabulary."-- Noel Lytle, Philadelphia, PA, USA"Max Bollinger, a native Russian speaker has composed an excellent guide to learning basic Russian for your next trip. Everything from greetings to dating a Russian beauty. Like other language software it works by repeating the words then using them. However unlike other language programs that slow down the words so you can hear each syllable, Easy Russian for English Speakers keeps everything 'live'. As an audio book you are able to transfer the tracks to a media player and learn on the go."-- Jodie Clements, Canada--Boston Bibliophile