Cyrillic plus transliteration
Read your first Cyrillic words below with a Latin-letter guide, then practise recognising the Russian spelling.
Русский
Learn Russian with words, pronunciation and transliteration
Learn Russian words with Cyrillic, meaning, pronunciation support, transliteration variants and repeatable vocabulary lists.
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Cyrillic plus transliterationPronunciation hintsTopic vocabulary
Pronunciation hints
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Topic vocabulary
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Start here
Your first Russian conversation
Read the Cyrillic first, then use the Latin-letter guide if you need it. An accent marks the stressed vowel; transliteration is only an approximate reading aid. Practise one complete phrase before adding another.
приве́т
privet
hi (informal)
Приве́т, А́нна!
Hi, Anna!
спаси́бо
spasibo
thank you
Спаси́бо за по́мощь.
Thank you for your help.
да
da
yes
Да, я до́ма.
Yes, I am at home.
нет
net
no
Нет, спаси́бо.
No, thank you.
вода́
voda
water
Э́то вода́.
This is water.
где
gde
where
Где метро́?
Where is the metro?
Choose the right word
идти or ехать?
For a journey in one direction, choose идти when you go on foot and ехать when you use transport. These examples use their present-tense forms. Other motion verbs are needed for repeated or return journeys.
Я иду́ в шко́лу.
I am walking to school.
Я е́ду в шко́лу на авто́бусе.
I am going to school by bus.
знать or уметь?
Знать is knowing information. Уметь is knowing how to do something; follow it with the action.
Я зна́ю э́то сло́во.
I know this word.
Я уме́ю чита́ть по-ру́сски.
I can read Russian.
A small practice plan
- Read the six words aloud and cover their English meanings. Can you recall them?
- Use Где…? to ask about a place, then practise saying Да and Нет, спасибо.
- Tomorrow, recall these phrases before opening another topic in the Russian word catalogue.
Check yourself
Try an answer, then open the explanation.
You are travelling by bus. Я иду or Я еду?
Я еду: use transport, not walking. Я еду на автобусе — I am travelling by bus.
How do you politely turn down an offer?
Нет, спасибо — No, thank you.
You know how to read. Я знаю читать or Я умею читать?
Я умею читать — I know how to read. Уметь describes a skill.
Questions
Common questions about learning Russian
Do I have to learn the Cyrillic alphabet to start Russian?
You can start with a few spoken phrases before you know all 33 letters. Learn Cyrillic alongside those phrases: transliteration is a temporary reading aid, not an exact guide to every Russian sound.
What is the difference between идти and ехать?
Both mean to go. Идти is going on foot, ехать is going by vehicle. Russian marks the manner of motion in the verb itself, so the pair has to be learned together.
How does Russian word stress work?
Stress can fall on different syllables and sometimes moves when a word changes form. Learn it with each word. In the starter lesson below, an accent marks the stressed vowel: вода́ means water. Ordinary Russian writing usually omits this mark.
Which Russian words should I learn first?
Greetings, numbers, food, transport, family and question words. They cover most first conversations and appear again in nearly every later topic.
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