Angelos Georgakis - Learn Russian Diversified

Learn Russian Diversified

by

Angelos Georgakis

www.explorerussian.com

2nd Edition (March 2018)

Published by Angelos Georgakis

Copyright 2018 by Angelos Georgakis. All rights reserved.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

Preface to the 2nd Edition

St. Petersburg, 26 of March 2018

I ts been more than three years since the first edition of this book came out. Id never expect the love and warmth that readers have shown to Learn Russian Diversified. A few months after I published the first edition, I created explorerussian.com where I started documenting my travelling experiences in both Ukraine and Russia.

Ive learned so much during the last three years. Ive got closer to the Russian people, life, culture, and of course, the Russian language with which I fell even more deeply in love. You did embrace my Explore Russian project. What kept me going was your encouragement, your ! ...'' messages, your ideas, your questions, your feedback. You guys, you guys... are just amazing.

In 2017 I moved permanently to St. Petersburg and I decided to stay! I went out to the streets, filming more videos, talking to strangers on the streets, listening to beautifully educated elderly people sharing with me the history and nuances of the Russian language.

In St. Petersburg, I have the honour to be invited to the best public and private language schools where I meet the elite of Russian linguists and teachers. This city is indeed the cultural capital of Russia.

In this Second Edition, Ive added a set of simple and essential vocabulary. A friend of mine from London inspired me to include a few short survival dialogues for someone who is traveling to Moscow tomorrow, ie. what are the most important words and phrases that someone can learn quickly in the evening before the trip to Russia?

In addition, youll get my Russian Cases course here Learn the Russian Cases through the most loved Russian film, the Irony of Fate. This is a video course available on my website explorerussian.com but I also decided to include this as part of the Second Edition.

Over the last three years Ive created lots of material for the Russian learners and Ill try to be updating this book regularly. Im looking forward to providing more and more value to you.

If you have any question, please feel free to send me an email to

Happy Reading and if you come to St. Petersburg let me know!

Kindness and smiles,

Angelos Georgakis

Introduction

T his book is packed with effective learning methods on how to learn Russian. Most of these methods go further than conventional academic learning and aim to make your experience more enjoyable and as effortless as possible. These methods are universal and can be applied to any other language or subject.

What is your love for the Russian language?

F rom my experience , I have found that the single most important element if someone wishes to learn Russian, or indeed any other language, is love. Do you become filled with joy when you listen to Russian? Do you want to listen to more Russian, even if you dont understand a single word? Do you admire someone who speaks Russian? Do you listen to a Russian song and start dreaming? If your answer is yes to the previous questions, you will certainly learn Russian well. If you dont know much about the language yet, I encourage you to find your own passion for it.

There are different ways in which someone can fall in love with the Russian language. For example, there are people who would love to read Dostoyevsky in the original language. Others are attracted by Russias history and influence in world politics. In my case, I was fascinated when I first saw the Cyrillic alphabet, and its unusual typewritten letters. Soon after, a Red Army Choir CD fell into my hands introducing me to beautiful classics like Moscow Nights and Katyusha. As a mathematician, I came across the works and life of Andrey Kolmogorov and other renowned Russian mathematicians that made me want to learn their language and understand their written work.

After I started learning the language, I fell even more in love with it. I loved the Soviet films with people rushing to work on a tram on a white winters day in Moscow. I loved the innocent Russian cartoons with their didactic meanings. I enjoyed the Russian hospitality as a Couchsurfer(see link at the end of the book). I appreciated the value of friendship in the Russian culture in which both sides needed to lift some heavy blocks of stone to build its strong foundations and make it a true friendship for life. I loved reading Russian poems until late at night with my Russian friends in Moscow.

For each one of us, the starting point and way of immersion are different. It is very important that you find your own love and genuine interest for the language, as this will increase your motivation and help you overcome any obstacles throughout the learning process.

How can I learn Russian?

I strongly believe that anyone can learn Russian on their own with almost no budget. Nowadays, there is so much free educational material available on the Internet that anyone can learn anything without spending any money on private tuition. All you need is motivation and love for what you want to learn.