question about the russian language?

Question

im trying to study russian but on tv when i hear them talk and i read the subtitles and the few words i know thati read they say i can't hear them say it, it might be bcuz there is another word for it as well or they talk to damn fast for me to hear when they say it

Answer 1

russian is hard but it is not sooooooo hard .. believe me - chinese is much worse :) ... korean, thai etc. too of course .... all you need is time. Many people in my former company learnt Russian and they speak pretty well right now. it is all about practice.

Answer 2

I am a native Russian speaker, and I know several other languages as well. There are sayings and such that you won't recognize because in different regions and different languages there are different phrases; for example, some phrases unique to the English language are "to be in hot water" or "to bite the dust." These sorts of sayings differ from one language to another. Also, there are different words (more than one way to say things) for the same thing just as there is in English. I would suggest that you find a Russian teacher if you don't already have one or find a very, very good book because the sentences are constructed a bit differently as well. If the only language you are familiar with is English, you will probably have a hard time learning a language that is so different. The movies may help with getting a general idea of the pronounciation and accent, but it doesn't do much good if you don't understand what they are saying. I really suggest that you find a teacher and practice as often as you can.

The only reason I learned English so well is that my mother used to be an English teacher; so, I learned it ahead of other children that were my same age, and I've lived in Canada for two years now. If you get a decent understanding of Russian, I would recommend going to the Russian Federation. It is very different and education to actually speak a language in a location where it is the native language. There are so many things about Russian that you will learn just by traveling to where it is spoken. Before I lived in Canada, I thought I knew English very well, but I quickly learned otherwise when I visited the U.S. a few years ago. Traveling is a great experience and a great way to learn some of the tricks of the language!

Answer 3

I am studying from a book and cd set. I am lucky though because my husband and his friends are Russian. I notice that I am slowly starting to pick up words that they say. Subtitles are not always inturpeted the way we think they would be. I find that things are pronounced differently then you think. Kind of like English that way. I know from when I learned French in school that it is important to have someone speaking it while you are learning. I can read and write French well but I have such a hard time understanding people. I would say that you should take a class or make some Russian friends.

Answer 4

TV is the hardest to understand in my experience, even with subtitles. Even after I learned English pretty well and had no problems talking to native speakers, I still could understand only a half of what they were saying in a movie or on the news.... Yes, it's too fast, but also TV does something to the sound - I dunno what but it doesn't sound quite the same as live person. Also, according to my American friends, Russians tend to blend all words together, so instead of separate words you hear a stream of sounds - and the things are not pronounced quite like they are spelled (for example, instead of "voda v stakane" expect to hear "vadafsta-kani").
Now, I guess your subtitles are in English and are there not to teach Russian but to give you an idea what people are saying. They usually don't follow Russian version precisely word by word. What you need to start with is an educational videotape - like "From Moscow with Love" kit . It has a videotape, a book and a workbook. Everything they say on the tape is also in your book, so you can follow it while watching the tape. I'm sure there are tons of kits and tapes like that out there. After you master a few tapes you'll understand the "real TV" much better.

Answer 5

my wife is russian , when they were talking with each other in the beginning , I could never catch where is the begining and the end of the words, Their speakings were like a block of the letters, but by the time , you will be familiar to seperate.

Answer 6

I am Russian and when i am watching American movie about Russians, sometimes i don't understand them either. Actors are trying to speak in Russian but it's a joke.So don't feel so bad. Good luck!

Answer 7

I speak Russian.

Answer 8

My suggestion is to hire the teacher or to join russian language class.

Answer 9

russian has a difficult grammer but it is not difficult to study spoken language:)if u have any problems and if u need help of a person who knows russian,u can contact with me.i'll try to help you:)

Answer 10

that is true. it could be either circumstance but most likely a combination of both. maybe try recording it and going over it again and again and see what words you can pick out? you'll get better over time.