Customer Reviews
Learn Russian Quick Comrade - By: Helen Smith, 17 Jul 2008 
45 minutes a day,in 6 weeks you'll speak Russian. The CD is good you can hear what the words sound like & follow themin the book. I highly recommend this!
Not really the best way to start - By: beninstreatham, 15 Apr 2007 
This course makes a basic error from the outset. Transcribing Russian into English phonetics does not simplify the learning process at all, & will only hold you back. Using the Russian script from the outset is much easier, as the phonetics of Russian only workin their own script. (The common word for "again" would be transcribed as "yeshchyo", but it's only three lettersin Cyrillic & not at all difficult to say).
Not teaching grammar may sound reassuring, but will make any utterance you try to produce meaningless. Russian grammar is a challenge but can be acquired by the use of clear examples. It is also unlikely you will be able to hold even a simple conversation without some basic grammar & phonetics, so it's not easy to see who this book will benefit.
Almost any alternative is better than this book (I recommend "Colloquial Russian" by Svetlana Le Fleming & Susan Kay) but if you have limited time before visiting Russia, learn the alphabet & get a good phrasebook with a recording (essential), & you will be able to read signs, menus, maps, understand & respond to basic phrases & go shopping, none of which this book will help you with.
You get what you pay - By: , 26 Jan 2004 
First of all this CD/Tape is of no use without the book. It's purpose is to complement the book not to work by itself.
The sypnosis already clears that.
I found it useful. Clear pronunciation & worth the money I supose.
It's all there.All basic Words/Expresions are pronouncedin the CD/Tape & translatedin the book The rest depends on the "student"
I don't mean this is a mind blowing product but it's quality corresponds with it's price.
It is a cheap-simple-do it yourself-basic russian fast-package.
That's what you get.
Save yourself the money - By: A writer, 12 Jun 2003 Where do I start? I have never written a review before, but this product really does deserve a special treatment. I have spent hundreds of £'s on many language guides, many of which were quite bad, some of which were pretty good, but this really must be the most awful product on the market. You would really have to try very hard to come out with something less helpful.
Zdravstvuytye = hello.
There. I've just taught you more Russian than this CD will ever teach you. Yes, I say CD (singular); It is advertised as a double-CD, but it isn't.
It starts off (after several moments of annoying music, which is customary to every single track/chapter on the CD) with about three minutes of someone telling you how good the CD is & how is will help you. The instructions are then really long-winded & pointless, since virtually everything that is said is self-explanatory.
It then goes on to tell you that two people are about to have a conversationin Russian about this, that & the other... slooowly. Then the Russian conversation starts. It is so fast, you might think that they have speeded the whole thing up. The elocution is terrible, as each personin the conversation seems to pronounce the same word very differently, & it is very unclear. The background noise drowns out much of it. But worst of all, that is all you get!!! You don't get any translation whatsoever of what was said; it just goes on to the next topic!
You might then ask: "well if that's the case, how can it possibly teach you anything?"
IT DOESN'T! And that is the whole pointin me writing this thing. I really like you people. I want you to spend your money on more useful things... like a flower pot.
Why did I have to give this product a starin my rating? It certainly doesn't merit one.
