My Top 5 RUSSIAN Courses. What are yours?

Русский форум обо всем (Open Forum in Russian)
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  1. Daily Russian: An Innovative Russian Course (Stirling Buenger) 2015

I really like all the books in the Daily Russian series. They are - hands down - the most modern, comprehensive, and user-friendly grammar books I have ever used. I especially appreciate the “daily structure” method of the book, so every “day” is already proportioned for you. It’s much easier to stick to a study regiment this way. And the price ($25 for all three) is reasonable considering that includes the whole series. Really good for students who find regular grammar books boring.

  1. The New Penguin Russian Course (Nicholas Brown) 1996

This book was my number one until I discovered the Daily Russian series. It’s comprehensive, fairly easy to understand, and formatted well. The amount of exercises is really useful for self-study. The only downside is that some of the vocabulary is dated (as the book was written in 1996) and modern vocabulary is absent. Overall, though, an excellent book for less than $10.

  1. A Comprehensive Russian Grammar (Terrence Wade) 2010

The best part about this book is it’s thoroughness. I appreciate that tons of irregular examples are given, and the book includes almost every aspect of grammar. It also has a workbook you can buy if you want more exercises. Two negatives: 1) it is not user-friendly and the format makes it a bore to read, and 2) it’s REALLY pricey - $95 for the book and workbook together

  1. Russian In Use: An Interactive Approach To Advanced Communicative Competence (Sandra Rosengrant) 2006

This book covers really detailed themes such as lexical studies and advanced syntax, making it only good for upper-intermediate and advanced students. It has a special - but useful - place on my list because no other textbook covers the grammatical concepts covered in this book in such depth. Lexical studies are really important if you plan on speaking like a native. Only two negatives: 1) long blocks of grammatical explanations make it really boring to read, and 2) there are almost no objective exercises, making self-study difficult. It costs around $30-$40 depending on where you buy it.

  1. Teach Yourself Russian Grammar (Daphne West) 2003

This book is really simple. Each lesson is covered in about 2-3 pages and it’s very easy to read. Plenty of good exercises for self-study. I also appreciate the use of pictures, which makes exercises slightly more enjoyable. It’s ranked number five, however, because of how superficial it is. This is really only good if you want a quick crash-course in Russian. It’s only a few dollars though, so picking it up wouldn’t hurt.

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Okay, so this is what I’m packing:

1.) Evgueny :slight_smile:

2.) “Linguaphone Russian”, 1971 (1992 impression) by Russian Language Methodology Centre, Moscow State University

3.) “Assimil Russisch Ohne Mühe”, 1970s ed. by A. Chérel & M. Benoist

4.). “Linguaphone Russian Conversational Course”, 1950s/60s ed. by Michael V. Trofimov

5.) “A Comprehensive Russian Grammar”, Blackwell, 3rd ed. 2011 by T. Wade (updated by D. Gillespie)

All of these are highly recommended! Number (2) and (3) are truly excellent autodidactic resources, IMHO.

(I have a load of other stuff too: a much newer edition of “Assimil Russisch Ohne Mühe”, PONS dictionaries and grammars, some WW2 vintage English military language materials, some 1960s vintage East German stuff, etc, etc…!)

PS
I was in a store today (here in the UK) and there was a young woman speaking to her child in Russian. I was able to understand a little of it - I just LOVE that feeling SO much! :slight_smile:

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BTW Why are there two threads for this?? :-0

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Well, the only actual “course” I’ve used is Assimil. I’ve got the Spanish version (also the French “perfectionnement” but I haven’t finished that one). I agree that it’s really good.