English-Russian Conversation Guide

Learn to actually speak Russian — not just study it.

Most people who start Russian give up somewhere between the alphabet and the case endings. This book teaches the language in the order you need it: how to say hello before you learn why the ending changed, how to order coffee before you memorise a declension table.

English-Russian Conversation Guide is a complete beginner's course in practical, contemporary spoken Russian. Every word and phrase appears three ways — in Cyrillic exactly as Russians write it, in a simple pronunciation guide written for English speakers with the stressed syllable marked, and in English with a note on when and with whom to use it.

Inside you will find:

A complete guide to the Cyrillic alphabet, letter by letter, with example words
A clear pronunciation guide covering stress, unstressed vowels, hard and soft consonants, and the five sounds that need real practice
Graded reading practice that takes you from single letters to full conversations
70 chapters of realistic dialogue covering greetings, small talk, travel, hotels, taxis, restaurants, markets, shopping, work, telephone calls, banking, housing, doctors, pharmacies, emergencies and social life
Grammar explained in plain English — gender, the six cases, verb aspect and motion verbs, presented as tools you can use rather than tables to memorise
The ты / вы distinction explained properly, with guidance on which to use and when
Exercises with answers in every chapter, plus role-play activities you can do with a partner
Quick-reference sections: 100 essential phrases, 250 essential words by topic, English-to-Russian and Russian-to-English glossaries, and a survival phrase list
A chapter on the mistakes English speakers actually make, and a guide to false friends

The Russian throughout is Modern Standard Russian as it is spoken today. Formal, informal and colloquial usage are clearly labelled, and where a custom varies between countries or regions the book says so rather than presenting one variant as universal.

Written for complete beginners, travellers, students, business travellers, expatriates, and anyone who wants to hold a real conversation in Russian.