Follow me & you will
speak Russian like a native

time 2-4 minutes

1. choose any Russian video (preferably a monologue or one with fairly long phrases)
2. try to repeat the speaker’s speech aloud, with a gap of 2-3 seconds after the moment of speaking.

imagine you are a simultaneous translator but in this case you only repeat what you have just heard.

No need to analyse or understand the meaning at first, if it seems difficult. That is natural.
Focus solely on mimicking words and, then, intonation.
Later, you can shift your attention to understanding the meaning, but save your brain here! This is very tiring, so in this case no more than 3 min at the beginning unless you get used to it.

Although the exercise takes only 2-4 minutes, doing it daily for at least two weeks will significantly improve your speaking skills, pronunciation, intuitive thinking in Russian, and comprehension.

3-5 pages a day
... & add more of your confidence, por favor!

Image being your favorite actor, author, or a drama theatre actor and right now you are on the stage
reading ..
hmm, what would that be?

1. Choose the right text: pick something at your level or slightly below. Why? So you won’t get exhausted and can focus fully on pronunciation and intonation instead of struggling with vocabulary.
2. Be creative, sensitive, emotional as much as you can! Play that! Imitate dialogues with different voices, speak faster when the situation demands, murmur when you wanna hide something... Become the character!
3. Love the way you speak! I heard my students' doubts about their accents. I used to have mine too

Personally, I find it incredibly charming when people speak Russian — whether you’re French, Georgian, American or Uzbek. Each accent has its own beauty.
I wouldn't wanna lie, we all have personal preferences — some accents might feel harder for me to work with, or their native language might not resonate with me. But that’s just my taste! And tastes differ. So, if you think one is about to find your accent 'not authentic enough', another person may find it magnificent!
So, love the way you sound and share it with the world!

and one more thing: If a Russian tells you «You sound great!» — you better believe them haha. It means you really do. We are unlikely to comment on your language skills due to politeness. We have other ways of being polite but handing out comments like that - is not of them.

This technique will help you & your brain to get used to the idea of you speaking another language. Moreover speaking without pauses even for 5 minutes enlarges the capacity of speaking in general.

... don't you kid yourself sayin'
'it's gonna be cool to learn Russian & simultaneously educate myself! yay! so I'll be watching stuff about the universe! DNA! Biology!'

naaaay.. if you tried but it didnt work, just stop beating up on yourself and chill out:
let it be your guilty pleasure: fun, gossips, some thoughts of random people, the cringe of all cringes (here are some Youtube channels I recommend, but don't judge me based on these links)
I was lying to myself for years! & convincing that my favorite channel was BBC. a-ha! ha-ha :D I think I never lasted even 10 minutes.
but somehow I got more pleasure from the guy on YouTube who gossiped about working at Starbucks; being not a movie person I enjoyed some interviews with actors that I was attracted to and a few life blogs that I didn't need in my life at all, but.. :o

so, take it easy and watch what makes you happy!

Here's another useful tip: READ THE COMMENTS!
don't translate them, look through them and if you get it - great! if not - move on till you find the one you understand. it's the language as it is, real, vivid, natural.
Why? the vocabulary is often repeated, the same expressions are written by different users.

• so you'll keep running into the same words, without translation
• by the time you already know them, you will have to translate them, maybe a couple of times.
• at this point, you can even let that word out at the right context but without realising the meaning. this part can be tricky, though
• Voila! This way it will be naturally built in your model of Russian inside your brain.

if you are in a group, it will be more fun!
Competition is advised ;)

if you are alone, you can do that and post it on Instagram, so your folks know what you are doing at your free time :D

1. Choose a movie with Russian subtitles (that's essential)
2. Pick a character that you like or dislike
3. Get into their role! Write down their lines and drill them (with intonation, pauses, pronunciation, accent)
4. Editing the video: by muting/turning off the voice of the chosen lines - now you will be the one, saying them. but don't touch other actors' lines - they should be going aloud to keep the rhythm.
5. mimic and pronounce things with the same intonation, speed, emotion as the actor.

Movies are better in this case because the lines there are more sophisticated, and it won't be as easy as it seems.

tip for beginners: your speaking doesn't have to be often, better focus on each line, but half of them, for example, keeping in mind the right timing. you can take one line and omit 3 ones, it's okay.
Trust me if that's a competition, it will be enough to get things going! :D

tip: if you already more or less confident at speaking, you can take 2-3 lines, but then again, play one line with the original voice - not to get lost in timing. every other original line will make sure you are on time with your lines and of course, let other character's lines.

This will help you to get used to the fast speech, completely inarticulate listening and the tempo itself.

yeah, even if you a beginner.
You can still point out the words that you know.
I don't say you gonna understand everything but what you already have, you are able to notice, maybe not at once, but I am sure the result will come.

Why I don't recommend movies?
First of all, they’re short. And here’s the thing: I watch one movie 3 times even in my native language! 1st view — I won't remember faces, names — and even more — the plot and who did what? where?.. 2nd view — I start piecing together the picture in general. 3rd view — I can finally enjoy the movie haha

Moreover, movies often have:
dramatic quiet lines, fast-paces dialogues, scenes that are either too short or too long and it’s impossible to get their meaning. Even if a simple vocabulary is used due to dramatic moments, it can be very hard to catch those.

So why TV-series are better for language learning?
same characters, same voices. it means, you brain needs only once to get used to accents and their peculiarities. Then you've got seasons to focus on other things ;)
catchp phrases of main characters, their common expressions are repeated over & over again. Even if you don't use the words, you are likely to copy the pronunciation.
Built-in context or at least character's context, subconsciously you may even predict their reaction, so it makes listening a way more easier.
also subconsciously over time you will acquire the way characters speak, intonation patterns, pronunciation; words are likely to pop out in real life at the similar contexts.
Real-life exposure. you'll see the life in Russia as it actually is.

Another good thing getting to know Russian actors, you may want to follow them on social media, following them on Telegram where they write texts (which can be translated in the app), video messages and even engage with followers in the comments!
which gives you a great way to interact with authentic everyday language and get to know more about culture in Russia.

meanwhile you can check my telegram:

if you enjoy playing games, try switching the language.
it should be the game that you already know and maybe without reaction, sometimes like GTA, Sims, LA Noire (my choice)