Russian has 140-150 million native speakers and is spoken as a second language by over 120 million people in Russia and the neighbouring countries of Central Asia. Russia has been identified as one of the four major world powers whose influence is growing fast.
British Council, (2014), Languages for the Future
Don't be intimidated by Russian’s reputation as a challenging language to learn. In fact, it takes very little time to master the Cyrillic script (only a week or so), and after that it’s just a matter of building up vocabulary and grammar step-by-step. By the end of Stage 2, a student will typically be able to read a simple Chekhov short story.
Read posts from former Languages for All students on our blog. You can also read about how you’ll learn a language and the reasons why you should take a language.
Students of Languages for All Russian may also get the chance for some extra-curricular activities, such as events celebrating Russian folklore. You could also join the Russian Speakers' Society and learn more about Russian-speaking cultures.
For more information contact the Russian Language Lead.
For detailed information, see our how to apply page.
This beginner’s module is for students who have no prior knowledge or virtually no knowledge of Russian.
This module will provide an introduction to Russian, concentrating on its use in familiar, everyday situations. Students will acquire a basic understanding of the language and the ability to communicate at a survival level.
This post-beginner module is for students who have some basic knowledge of Russian, such as that acquired by attending Stage 1 or equivalent.
You'll increase your ability to communicate in Russian by consolidating and building on your existing knowledge of language necessary for everyday situations.
This lower-intermediate module is for students who have some previous knowledge of Russian, such as that acquired by attending Stage 2 or equivalent.
You'll increase your ability to communicate in Russian through engagement with a range of socially relevant and interesting topics, such as local traditions, healthcare and social inequality, and a short research project.
If you wish to take Russian at a higher level than we currently offer, contact us via languagesforall@reading.ac.uk.