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RUSSIAN I
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Reading Lessons
Introduction.................................................. 2
Cyrillic Alphabet.......................................... 4
Lesson One .................................................. 7
Lesson Two .................................................. 8
Lesson Three ................................................ 9
Lesson Four.................................................. 10
Lesson Five .................................................. 11
Lesson Six .................................................... 12
Lesson Seven .............................................. 13
Lesson Eight ................................................ 14
Lesson Nine.................................................. 15
Lesson Ten.................................................... 16
Lesson Eleven .............................................. 17
Lesson Twelve.............................................. 18
Lesson Thirteen ............................................ 19
Lesson Fourteen .......................................... 20
Lesson Fifteen .............................................. 21
Lesson Sixteen ............................................ 22
Acknowledgments........................................ 23
2

Russian I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Introduction
Russian I
Reading has been defined as the decoding of graph-
ic material which represents the phonemic patterns of the Voices
spoken language. Or to put it another way, reading con- English-Speaking Instructor.................... Ray Brown
sists of coming back to speech through the graphic sym- Russian-Speaking Instructor .......... Dmitry Kukunov
bols. In short, meaning is contained in the sounds of the Female Russian Speaker.................... Lena Burtseva
spoken language. As the written form of any language Male Russian Speaker.................... Rustem Safronov
does no more than represent these sounds visually, speak-
ing a language is the necessary first step to reading and Course Writers
understanding anything written in the language. Sergei Poletayev ♦ Christopher J. Gainty
Russian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet. This
means that you will need to learn to associate Russian Editors
sounds with what is probably a new system of symbols. Mary E. Green ♦ Beverly D. Heinle
A complete listing of the Cyrillic alphabet and the sounds
of its letters follows, starting on page 4. You should use Cover art ©PhotoDisc, Inc.
this for reference only, however, as all the information
you need to do the readings is contained on the cassette Digital recording made under the direction of
or compact disc(s) on which the reading lessons appear. Sarah N. Hewitt
There are sixteen reading lessons for Russian I, at Simon & Schuster Studios, Concord, MA
Third Edition. They’re all on the last cassette or compact
Recording Engineers
disc(s) included with the course. You may choose to do
Peter S. Turpin ♦ Kelly Saux
the readings along with the lesson units, after every other
unit or so, or you may want to wait and do them all © and ‰ Recorded Program 2001
together, after completing the rest of the course. Feel free by Simon & Schuster Audio, a division of
Simon & Schuster, Inc.
to repeat the reading lessons as often as needed for prac-
tice with the Cyrillic alphabet and its sounds. Full © Reading Booklet 2001
instructions for doing the readings are on the last cassette by Simon & Schuster Audio, a division of
Simon & Schuster, Inc.
or compact disc(s), which contain the reading lessons.
All rights reserved.
22 3

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Sixteen Introduction (continued)
Written Russian appears in the Cyrillic alphabet, the
1. ü Á‡·ÓÎÂÎ. invention of which is traditionally credited to Saint Cyril,
2. ì ÏÂÌfl ·ÓÎËÚ „ÓÎÓ‚‡. a ninth-century Russian monk. Today, the Cyrillic alpha-
3. bet is also used to represent many of the (mainly Slavic)
ë‚ËÌ͇
languages spoken in Eastern Europe, ranging from
4. ÇÂÚpflÌ͇ Belorussian to Macedonian. Derived from the Greek
5. ÚÂÏÔÂp‡ÚÛp‡ alphabet, Cyrillic is a phonetic system, with some sym-
6. bols added or altered to represent sounds unique to these
ÊÂÎÚÛı‡
languages.
7. ‚p‡˜ If you are not familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet, you
8. ÒÍÓp‡fl ÔÓÏÓ˘¸ may first find that it takes some time to associate the
9. appropriate sounds with each letter and/or group of let-
ÎÂ͇pÒÚ‚‡
ters. Therefore, we recommend that you take the
10. ·ÓθÌˈ‡ Reading Lessons at your own pace, repeating each until
11. ÎÛ˜¯Â you feel comfortable proceeding with the next. With a
12. little effort, you will be astonished at how quickly you are
åÌ ÛÊ ÎÛ˜¯Â.
reading Russian.
13. CÔ‡ÒË·Ó ·Óθ¯ÓÂ! The Cyrillic alphabet comprises 33 letters, listed in
14. å˚ Ò ‚‡ÏË --- order, along with a guide to the sounds represented by
15. each letter. You will note that many Russian letters
å˚ Ò ‚‡ÏË ÏÓÊÂÏ ÔÓÛÊË̇ڸ ‚ÏÂÒÚÂ?
(mostly vowels, but also some consonants) have more
16. BaÏ Ìp‡‚ËÚÒ¸fl pÂÒÚÓp‡Ì «Äp·‡Ú»? than one sound, depending on the amount of stress given
17. ïÓpÓ¯Ó. íÓ„‰‡ ‰Ó ‚˜Âp‡. to the letter or its position in the word. The pronuncia-
18. tions listed below in the “Guide to Pronunciation” are
ÑÓ Ò‚Ë‰‡ÌËfl.
APPROXIMATE English equivalents and, as in any lan-
guage, the sounds will vary slightly in different letter
combinations.
4 21

Russian I Russian I
The Cyrillic Alphabet Lesson Fifteen

Cyrillic letter Guide to Pronunciation 1. ͇pË͇ÚÛp‡

(capital / small) 2. ‰Óʉ¸ ̇ pÂÍÂ
ć “a” as in “father” (when stressed);
3. Ô‡ÔÓpÓÚÌËÍ
“u(h)” in “mumps”(when
unstressed) 4. ˜Â·ÛpÂÍË
Å· “b” as in “bet”; 5. ùÚÓ „pÛÁËÌÒÍÓ ·Î˛‰Ó.
“p” at the end of a word 6. ä‡Í ÔpÓÈÚË ‚ ÏÂÚpÓ?
Ç‚ “v” as in “vandal”; 7. à‰ËÚ ÔpflÏÓ, ‡ ÔÓÚÓÏ Ì‡Ôp‡‚Ó.
“f” at the end of a word 8. „‡ÎÂpÂfl
É„ “g” as in “gasoline”;
9. ípÂÚ¸flÍÓ‚Ò͇fl
“k” at the end of a word;
sometimes “v” when in 10. ɉ ípÂÚ¸flÍÓ‚Ò͇fl „‡ÎÂpÂfl?
“„ - Ó” combination 11. ùÚÓ ÏÓÈ ‰pÛ„ àÓÒËÙ.
щ “d” as in “deep”; 12. éÌ ·Óθ¯ÓÈ ÓpË„Ë̇Î.
“t” at the end of a word
ÖÂ “ye” as in “yesterday”
(when stressed);
“e” as in “me” (when unstressed)
›fi “yo” as in “yore”
ÜÊ “z - h,” as in the middle
of the word “treasure”
áÁ “z” as in “zoo”
àË “e” as in “eagle” (when stressed);
the “i” sound in “big”
(when unstressed)
20 5

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Fourteen The Cyrillic Alphabet (continued)
1. ÍÓÒÏÓ̇‚Ú Cyrillic letter Guide to Pronunciation
2. ûpËÈ É‡„‡pËÌ ÍÓÒÏÓ̇‚Ú. (capital / small)
3. âÈ the “y” sound at the
éÌ ÔÂp‚˚È ÍÓÒÏÓ̇‚Ú.
end of “monkey”
4. pÂ͇ äÍ “k” as in “Kafka”
5. pÂ͇ ÇÓ΄‡ ãÎ “l” as in “Lenin”
6. ùÚÓ ·Óθ¯‡fl pÂ͇. åÏ “m” as in “Moscow”
7. ófipÌÓ ÏÓp çÌ “n” as in “new”
8. éÓ “o” as in “blow,”
ïÓ˜Û p˚·Û Í ÛÊËÌÛ.
but shorter (when stressed);
9. ü Ì β·Î˛ Âfi.
“o” as in “ostrich”
10. ì ‚‡Ò ÂÒÚ¸ ÍÓÏÔ¸˛ÚÂp? (when unstressed)
11. ÙÓÚÓ„p‡ÙËfl èÔ “p” as in “Peter”
12. ÔËpÓÊÓÍ êp rolled “r”
13. ÔËpÓ„Ë ëÒ “s” as in “so”
íÚ “t” as in “top”
14. ÏÓpÓÊÂÌÓÂ
ìÛ “oo” as in “tool”
15. ¯‡¯Î˚Í îÙ “f” as in “find”
16. ü Ó˜Â̸ „ÓÎÓ‰ÂÌ! ïı aspirated “h”
ñˆ “t-s” combination, as in “pits”
ó˜ “c-h” combination, as in “cheese”
ò¯ “sh” as in “shoe”
6 19

Russian I Russian I
The Cyrillic Alphabet (continued) Lesson Thirteen
Cyrillic letter Guide to Pronunciation 1. ͇ÔÛÒÚ‡
(capital / small) 2. Ë„p‡˛
ô˘ longer, fuller “sh” sound
3. O˜Â̸ ıÓpÓ¯Ó.
ö˙ “hard sign” - indicates that
preceding letter should be 4. «Äp„ÛÏÂÌÚ˚ Ë Ù‡ÍÚ˚»
pronounced with a distinct sound 5. «ûÌ˚È Ì‡ÚÛp‡ÎËÒÚ»
õ˚ fast “euh-ee” combination 6. å˚ ˜ËÚ‡ÂÏ „‡ÁÂÚÛ.
ú¸ “soft sign” - indicates that 7. ùÚÓ ÏÓfl „‡ÁÂÚ‡.
preceding letter should be
8. ü ‰ÓÎÊÂÌ Ò͇Á‡Ú¸ «ÉÂÓp„˲».
pronounced with more breath
ù˝ “eh” as in “mess” 9. Ç˚ÏÓÈ Ò‚Ófi ÎˈÓ.
û˛ fast “ee-ou” combination; like 10. 燂‰ËÚ ÔÓpfl‰ÓÍ.
“-eau-” in “beauty” 11. ç ÍÛpËÚÂ, ÔÓʇÎÛÈÒÚ‡.
üfl “ya” in “yawn,” but shorter 12. çÂÚ ‰˚χ ·ÂÁ Ó„Ìfl.
(when stressed); the “u(h)” in
13. ͇ÒÚp˛Îfl
“grumble” (when unstressed)
14. ì ‚‡Ò ÂÒÚ¸ ÒÎÓ‚‡p¸?
18 7

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Twelve Lesson One

1. å˚ ˜Ëı‡ÂÏ
2. Ù‡·pË͇
1. χχ
3. Öı‡Ú¸ ̇ ‡‚ÚÓ·ÛÒÂ.
2. Ú‡Ï
4. ̇ ‡ÔÚÂÍe
3. χÚ
5. p‡Á˙ÂÁ‰
4. ÚÓÏ
6. ÔÓʇÎÛÈÒÚa
5. ÏÓÚ
7. ÑÓ Ò‚Ë‰‡ÌËfl.
6. ‡ÚÓÏ
8. «ÇÓÈ̇ Ë ÏËp»
7. pÓÏ
9. ü β·Î˛ ΢‡.
8. pÓÚ
10. ÅÓpËÒ, Ú˚ Ì Ôp‡‚.
9. ÏÓp
11. ü p‡Á‰p‡ÊfiÌ.
10. ÏÓÚÓp
12. èÓ˜ÂÏÛ?
11. ÎÓÚÓ
13. ïη ÔÓ‰„ÓpÂÎ.
12. p‡Ï‡
14. èfiÚp ÇÂÎËÍËÈ
13. ã‡p‡
15. ŇϷ‡p‰Ëfl!
8 17

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Two Lesson Eleven

1. É‰Â à‚‡Ì?
1. Óp‡ÚÓp 2. éÌ Ì Á‰ÂÒ¸.
2. ÚÂÎÓ 3. åÓÊÂÚ ·˚Ú¸, ÓÌ Ú‡Ï.
3. ÎÂÚÓ 4. éÌ Ì ‚ „ÓÒÚËÌˈÂ.
4. ÏÓp 5. ÉÓÒÚËÌˈ‡ «àÌÚÛpËÒÚ»
5. ÏÂp‡ 6. é脇 ‚ „ÓÒÚËÌˈÂ.
6. ÏÂÚp 7. é̇ Ú‡Ï.
7. ÏÂÚpÓ 8. B˚ Á̇ÂÚÂ?
8. fl 9. í˚ Á̇¯¸?
9. flχ 10. çÂÚ, fl Ì Á̇˛.
10. ÏÓfl 11. ¢fi
11. ÏÓfl χχ 12. ü ¢fi Ì Á̇˛.
12. · 13. ç Á̇˛, „‰Â à‚‡Ì.
13. ü ·. 14. ̇ í‚ÂpÒÍÓÈ ÛÎˈÂ
14. ‰ÓÏ 15. åÓıÓ‚‡fl ÛÎˈ‡
15. ㇉‡ 16. ÁÛ·Ó‚
16. ‰ÂÎÓ 17. ëÍÓθÍÓ ÁÛ·Ó‚ Û ‡ÍÛÎ˚?
17. ü ‰Â·Î. 18. ëÔpÓÒËÚÂ Û à‚‡Ì‡.
18. ü ‰Â·Π‰ÂÎÓ.
16 9

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Ten Lesson Three

1. ˜‡¯‡
2. „pÛ¯‡
1. ÚÂpÂÏ
3. Á‡flˆ
2. ‰p‡Ï‡
4. ÒÓ·‡Í‡
3. fl‰
5. ÔÎÓıÓ
4. ‚Ó‰‡
6. ÔÎÓı‡fl
5. ÇÓÎfl
7. èÎÓı‡fl ÒÓ·‡Í‡!
6. ÒÓ‚‡
8. Ù·„
7. ÇÓÚ ÒÓ‚‡.
9. ÙÎÓÚ
8. ÇÓÚ ‚Ӊ͇.
10. ˆËÙp‡
9. ÏËp
11. pÛÒÒÍËÈ Ù·„
10. ÎËp‡
12. ÔÓ‰˙ÂÁ‰
11. êÓÒ‡
13. ÒÂÎ / Ò˙ÂÎ
12. ÒÎË‚‡
14. Ò˙Âı‡Ú¸
13. ÒˉÂÎ
15. ü Ò˙‰Û.
14. ‚ˉÂÎ
16. ˘Ë
15. ü ‚ˉÂÎ.
17. ˘Ë / ¯ËÚ¸
16. ü ‚‡c ‚ˉÂÎ.
18. ˘fiÎÍ / ¯fiÎÍ
19. ΢
20. ‚˙Âı‡Ú¸
10 15

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Four Lesson Nine

1. ÍÓÏËÚÂÚ
1. Úp‡‚‡ 2. Ç˚ ËÁ ÍÓÏËÚÂÚ‡!
2. ÏÂÚ· 3. çÂÚ, ˝ÚÓ Ì Ôp‡‚‰‡.
3. χÒÚÂp 4. ü Ì pÛÒÒÍËÈ.
4. ‚ÂÒ̇ 5. ‡ÏÂpË͇̈
5. ‚ËÌÓ 6. ü ‡ÏÂpË͇̈.
6. Ò ‚ËÌÓÏ 7. ˆ‡ÔÎfl
7. pÂÒÚÓp‡Ì 8. ˆÂpÂÏÓÌËfl
8. ‚ pÂÒÚÓp‡Ì 9. fiÎ͇
9. ˛Î‡ 10. ˆ˚ÔÎfiÌÓÍ
10. ‚ ˛Î 11. ÊÛÍ
11. ‰Â·˛ 12. fiÊËÍ
12. ü ‰Â·˛. 13. ÊË‚fiÚÂ
13. ·ÎËÌ 14. ɉ ‚˚ ÊË‚fiÚÂ?
14. ·‡ÎÂÚ 15. ü ÊË‚Û ‚ åÓÒÍ‚Â.
15. ·ËÎÂÚ 16. Ú‡p‡Í‡Ì
16. ÅËÎÂÚ Ì‡ ·‡ÎÂÚ 17. ˆ‡p‡ÔË̇
18. åÌ Ìp‡‚ËÚÒfl ˆËpÍ.
19. ̇ ˛„
20. èÓȉfiÏ Ì‡ ˛„.
14 11

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Eight Lesson Five

1. åÌ Ìp‡‚ËÚÒfl.
2. åÌ Ìp‡‚ËÚÒfl ÔË‚Ó.
1. êÓ‰Ë̇
3. Ç˚ ıÓÚËÚ ‚Ë̇?
2. β‰Ë
4. ıÓ˜Û
3. ‚Âp·Î˛‰
5. ïÓ˜Û ‚ËÌÓ.
4. ÛÚpÓ
6. Ú˚
5. Û‰‡p
7. ˜ÂÚ˚pe
6. ÛÎÂÚ‡˛
8. Ú˚Òfl˜‡
7. ü ÛÎÂÚ‡˛ ÛÚpÓÏ.
9. ˜ÂpÂÔ‡ı‡
8. Ô‡Ô‡
10. Á̇ÂÚÂ
9. ‰ÛÔÎÓ
11. Ç˚ Á̇ÂÚÂ.
10. ÔÓÌËχ˛
12. Á‰ÂÒ¸
11. ü ÔÓÌËχ˛.
13. Á‰ÓpÓ‚¸e
12. Ô‡ÍÂÚ
14. ü Ì Á̇˛.
13. ͇pÚË̇
15. ÁÛ·˚
14. ̇ ͇pÚËÌÂ
16. ·Óθ¯ÓÈ
15. „ÓpÓ‰
17. ÅÓθ¯ÓÈ Ú‡Úp
16. ‚ „ÓpÓ‰Â
18. ÌÓ‚˚È
17. ÍÌË„‡
19. çÓ‚˚È „Ó‰
18. ‚ ÍÌË„Â
20. ë çÓ‚˚Ï „Ó‰ÓÏ!
12 13

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Six Lesson Seven
1. p‡·ÓÚ‡
1. „ËÚ‡p‡
2. ‰ÓpÓ„Ó
2. ÏÓfl „ËÚ‡p‡
3. ÒÎ˯ÍÓÏ ‰ÓpÓ„Ó
3. 4. ˝ÚÓ
Ô‡pÛÒ
4. 5. ùÚÓ Â‰‡.
ÔÓ–pÛÒÒÍË
5. 6. ùÚÓ ÒÎ˯ÍÓÏ ‰ÓpÓ„Ó.
ü Ìe „Ó‚Óp˛ ---
6. 7. ‡˝pÓÔÓpÚ
ü Ìe „Ó‚Óp˛ ÔÓ–pÛÒÒÍË.
7. 8. ‚ ‡˝pÓÔÓpÚ
‚˚
8. 9. å˚ ‰ÂÏ ‚ ‡˝pÓÔÓpÚ.
Ç˚ „Ó‚ÓpËÚÂ.
9. 10. ıη
Ç˚ „Ó‚ÓpËÚÂ ÔÓ–pÛÒÒÍË.
10. 11. ıÓÚËÚÂ
à ‚˚ ÔÓÌËχÂÚÂ.
11. 12. Ç˚ ıÓÚËÚÂ.
ÒÎÛ¯‡˛
12. 13. Ç˚ ıÓÚËÚ ıη‡?
ü ÒÎÛ¯‡˛.
13. 14. ıη‡ / ıη
ü ‚‡Ò ÒÎÛ¯‡˛.
14. 15. ¯ÓÍÓ·‰
çÓ Ì ÔÓÌËχ˛.
16. Ç˚ β·ËÚ ¯ÓÍÓ·‰.
17. χڸ
18. χÚ
19. ÔflÚ¸
20. ¯ÂÒÚ¸
21. èflÚ¸ ËÎË ¯ÂÒÚ¸?
12 13

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Six Lesson Seven
1. p‡·ÓÚ‡
1. „ËÚ‡p‡
2. ‰ÓpÓ„Ó
2. ÏÓfl „ËÚ‡p‡
3. ÒÎ˯ÍÓÏ ‰ÓpÓ„Ó
3. 4. ˝ÚÓ
Ô‡pÛÒ
4. 5. ùÚÓ Â‰‡.
ÔÓ–pÛÒÒÍË
5. 6. ùÚÓ ÒÎ˯ÍÓÏ ‰ÓpÓ„Ó.
ü Ìe „Ó‚Óp˛ ---
6. 7. ‡˝pÓÔÓpÚ
ü Ìe „Ó‚Óp˛ ÔÓ–pÛÒÒÍË.
7. 8. ‚ ‡˝pÓÔÓpÚ
‚˚
8. 9. å˚ ‰ÂÏ ‚ ‡˝pÓÔÓpÚ.
Ç˚ „Ó‚ÓpËÚÂ.
9. 10. ıη
Ç˚ „Ó‚ÓpËÚÂ ÔÓ–pÛÒÒÍË.
10. 11. ıÓÚËÚÂ
à ‚˚ ÔÓÌËχÂÚÂ.
11. 12. Ç˚ ıÓÚËÚÂ.
ÒÎÛ¯‡˛
12. 13. Ç˚ ıÓÚËÚ ıη‡?
ü ÒÎÛ¯‡˛.
13. 14. ıη‡ / ıη
ü ‚‡Ò ÒÎÛ¯‡˛.
14. 15. ¯ÓÍÓ·‰
çÓ Ì ÔÓÌËχ˛.
16. Ç˚ β·ËÚ ¯ÓÍÓ·‰.
17. χڸ
18. χÚ
19. ÔflÚ¸
20. ¯ÂÒÚ¸
21. èflÚ¸ ËÎË ¯ÂÒÚ¸?
14 11

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Eight Lesson Five

1. åÌ Ìp‡‚ËÚÒfl.
2. åÌ Ìp‡‚ËÚÒfl ÔË‚Ó.
1. êÓ‰Ë̇
3. Ç˚ ıÓÚËÚ ‚Ë̇?
2. β‰Ë
4. ıÓ˜Û
3. ‚Âp·Î˛‰
5. ïÓ˜Û ‚ËÌÓ.
4. ÛÚpÓ
6. Ú˚
5. Û‰‡p
7. ˜ÂÚ˚pe
6. ÛÎÂÚ‡˛
8. Ú˚Òfl˜‡
7. ü ÛÎÂÚ‡˛ ÛÚpÓÏ.
9. ˜ÂpÂÔ‡ı‡
8. Ô‡Ô‡
10. Á̇ÂÚÂ
9. ‰ÛÔÎÓ
11. Ç˚ Á̇ÂÚÂ.
10. ÔÓÌËχ˛
12. Á‰ÂÒ¸
11. ü ÔÓÌËχ˛.
13. Á‰ÓpÓ‚¸e
12. Ô‡ÍÂÚ
14. ü Ì Á̇˛.
13. ͇pÚË̇
15. ÁÛ·˚
14. ̇ ͇pÚËÌÂ
16. ·Óθ¯ÓÈ
15. „ÓpÓ‰
17. ÅÓθ¯ÓÈ Ú‡Úp
16. ‚ „ÓpÓ‰Â
18. ÌÓ‚˚È
17. ÍÌË„‡
19. çÓ‚˚È „Ó‰
18. ‚ ÍÌË„Â
20. ë çÓ‚˚Ï „Ó‰ÓÏ!
10 15

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Four Lesson Nine

1. ÍÓÏËÚÂÚ
1. Úp‡‚‡ 2. Ç˚ ËÁ ÍÓÏËÚÂÚ‡!
2. ÏÂÚ· 3. çÂÚ, ˝ÚÓ Ì Ôp‡‚‰‡.
3. χÒÚÂp 4. ü Ì pÛÒÒÍËÈ.
4. ‚ÂÒ̇ 5. ‡ÏÂpË͇̈
5. ‚ËÌÓ 6. ü ‡ÏÂpË͇̈.
6. Ò ‚ËÌÓÏ 7. ˆ‡ÔÎfl
7. pÂÒÚÓp‡Ì 8. ˆÂpÂÏÓÌËfl
8. ‚ pÂÒÚÓp‡Ì 9. fiÎ͇
9. ˛Î‡ 10. ˆ˚ÔÎfiÌÓÍ
10. ‚ ˛Î 11. ÊÛÍ
11. ‰Â·˛ 12. fiÊËÍ
12. ü ‰Â·˛. 13. ÊË‚fiÚÂ
13. ·ÎËÌ 14. ɉ ‚˚ ÊË‚fiÚÂ?
14. ·‡ÎÂÚ 15. ü ÊË‚Û ‚ åÓÒÍ‚Â.
15. ·ËÎÂÚ 16. Ú‡p‡Í‡Ì
16. ÅËÎÂÚ Ì‡ ·‡ÎÂÚ 17. ˆ‡p‡ÔË̇
18. åÌ Ìp‡‚ËÚÒfl ˆËpÍ.
19. ̇ ˛„
20. èÓȉfiÏ Ì‡ ˛„.
16 9

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Ten Lesson Three

1. ˜‡¯‡
2. „pÛ¯‡
1. ÚÂpÂÏ
3. Á‡flˆ
2. ‰p‡Ï‡
4. ÒÓ·‡Í‡
3. fl‰
5. ÔÎÓıÓ
4. ‚Ó‰‡
6. ÔÎÓı‡fl
5. ÇÓÎfl
7. èÎÓı‡fl ÒÓ·‡Í‡!
6. ÒÓ‚‡
8. Ù·„
7. ÇÓÚ ÒÓ‚‡.
9. ÙÎÓÚ
8. ÇÓÚ ‚Ӊ͇.
10. ˆËÙp‡
9. ÏËp
11. pÛÒÒÍËÈ Ù·„
10. ÎËp‡
12. ÔÓ‰˙ÂÁ‰
11. êÓÒ‡
13. ÒÂÎ / Ò˙ÂÎ
12. ÒÎË‚‡
14. Ò˙Âı‡Ú¸
13. ÒˉÂÎ
15. ü Ò˙‰Û.
14. ‚ˉÂÎ
16. ˘Ë
15. ü ‚ˉÂÎ.
17. ˘Ë / ¯ËÚ¸
16. ü ‚‡c ‚ˉÂÎ.
18. ˘fiÎÍ / ¯fiÎÍ
19. ΢
20. ‚˙Âı‡Ú¸
8 17

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Two Lesson Eleven

1. É‰Â à‚‡Ì?
1. Óp‡ÚÓp 2. éÌ Ì Á‰ÂÒ¸.
2. ÚÂÎÓ 3. åÓÊÂÚ ·˚Ú¸, ÓÌ Ú‡Ï.
3. ÎÂÚÓ 4. éÌ Ì ‚ „ÓÒÚËÌˈÂ.
4. ÏÓp 5. ÉÓÒÚËÌˈ‡ «àÌÚÛpËÒÚ»
5. ÏÂp‡ 6. é脇 ‚ „ÓÒÚËÌˈÂ.
6. ÏÂÚp 7. é̇ Ú‡Ï.
7. ÏÂÚpÓ 8. B˚ Á̇ÂÚÂ?
8. fl 9. í˚ Á̇¯¸?
9. flχ 10. çÂÚ, fl Ì Á̇˛.
10. ÏÓfl 11. ¢fi
11. ÏÓfl χχ 12. ü ¢fi Ì Á̇˛.
12. · 13. ç Á̇˛, „‰Â à‚‡Ì.
13. ü ·. 14. ̇ í‚ÂpÒÍÓÈ ÛÎˈÂ
14. ‰ÓÏ 15. åÓıÓ‚‡fl ÛÎˈ‡
15. ㇉‡ 16. ÁÛ·Ó‚
16. ‰ÂÎÓ 17. ëÍÓθÍÓ ÁÛ·Ó‚ Û ‡ÍÛÎ˚?
17. ü ‰Â·Î. 18. ëÔpÓÒËÚÂ Û à‚‡Ì‡.
18. ü ‰Â·Π‰ÂÎÓ.
18 7

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Twelve Lesson One

1. å˚ ˜Ëı‡ÂÏ
2. Ù‡·pË͇
1. χχ
3. Öı‡Ú¸ ̇ ‡‚ÚÓ·ÛÒÂ.
2. Ú‡Ï
4. ̇ ‡ÔÚÂÍe
3. χÚ
5. p‡Á˙ÂÁ‰
4. ÚÓÏ
6. ÔÓʇÎÛÈÒÚa
5. ÏÓÚ
7. ÑÓ Ò‚Ë‰‡ÌËfl.
6. ‡ÚÓÏ
8. «ÇÓÈ̇ Ë ÏËp»
7. pÓÏ
9. ü β·Î˛ ΢‡.
8. pÓÚ
10. ÅÓpËÒ, Ú˚ Ì Ôp‡‚.
9. ÏÓp
11. ü p‡Á‰p‡ÊfiÌ.
10. ÏÓÚÓp
12. èÓ˜ÂÏÛ?
11. ÎÓÚÓ
13. ïη ÔÓ‰„ÓpÂÎ.
12. p‡Ï‡
14. èfiÚp ÇÂÎËÍËÈ
13. ã‡p‡
15. ŇϷ‡p‰Ëfl!
6 19

Russian I Russian I
The Cyrillic Alphabet (continued) Lesson Thirteen
Cyrillic letter Guide to Pronunciation 1. ͇ÔÛÒÚ‡
(capital / small) 2. Ë„p‡˛
ô˘ longer, fuller “sh” sound
3. O˜Â̸ ıÓpÓ¯Ó.
ö˙ “hard sign” - indicates that
preceding letter should be 4. «Äp„ÛÏÂÌÚ˚ Ë Ù‡ÍÚ˚»
pronounced with a distinct sound 5. «ûÌ˚È Ì‡ÚÛp‡ÎËÒÚ»
õ˚ fast “euh-ee” combination 6. å˚ ˜ËÚ‡ÂÏ „‡ÁÂÚÛ.
ú¸ “soft sign” - indicates that 7. ùÚÓ ÏÓfl „‡ÁÂÚ‡.
preceding letter should be
8. ü ‰ÓÎÊÂÌ Ò͇Á‡Ú¸ «ÉÂÓp„˲».
pronounced with more breath
ù˝ “eh” as in “mess” 9. Ç˚ÏÓÈ Ò‚Ófi ÎˈÓ.
û˛ fast “ee-ou” combination; like 10. 燂‰ËÚ ÔÓpfl‰ÓÍ.
“-eau-” in “beauty” 11. ç ÍÛpËÚÂ, ÔÓʇÎÛÈÒÚ‡.
üfl “ya” in “yawn,” but shorter 12. çÂÚ ‰˚χ ·ÂÁ Ó„Ìfl.
(when stressed); the “u(h)” in
13. ͇ÒÚp˛Îfl
“grumble” (when unstressed)
14. ì ‚‡Ò ÂÒÚ¸ ÒÎÓ‚‡p¸?
20 5

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Fourteen The Cyrillic Alphabet (continued)
1. ÍÓÒÏÓ̇‚Ú Cyrillic letter Guide to Pronunciation
2. ûpËÈ É‡„‡pËÌ ÍÓÒÏÓ̇‚Ú. (capital / small)
3. âÈ the “y” sound at the
éÌ ÔÂp‚˚È ÍÓÒÏÓ̇‚Ú.
end of “monkey”
4. pÂ͇ äÍ “k” as in “Kafka”
5. pÂ͇ ÇÓ΄‡ ãÎ “l” as in “Lenin”
6. ùÚÓ ·Óθ¯‡fl pÂ͇. åÏ “m” as in “Moscow”
7. ófipÌÓ ÏÓp çÌ “n” as in “new”
8. éÓ “o” as in “blow,”
ïÓ˜Û p˚·Û Í ÛÊËÌÛ.
but shorter (when stressed);
9. ü Ì β·Î˛ Âfi.
“o” as in “ostrich”
10. ì ‚‡Ò ÂÒÚ¸ ÍÓÏÔ¸˛ÚÂp? (when unstressed)
11. ÙÓÚÓ„p‡ÙËfl èÔ “p” as in “Peter”
12. ÔËpÓÊÓÍ êp rolled “r”
13. ÔËpÓ„Ë ëÒ “s” as in “so”
íÚ “t” as in “top”
14. ÏÓpÓÊÂÌÓÂ
ìÛ “oo” as in “tool”
15. ¯‡¯Î˚Í îÙ “f” as in “find”
16. ü Ó˜Â̸ „ÓÎÓ‰ÂÌ! ïı aspirated “h”
ñˆ “t-s” combination, as in “pits”
ó˜ “c-h” combination, as in “cheese”
ò¯ “sh” as in “shoe”
4 21

Russian I Russian I
The Cyrillic Alphabet Lesson Fifteen

Cyrillic letter Guide to Pronunciation 1. ͇pË͇ÚÛp‡

(capital / small) 2. ‰Óʉ¸ ̇ pÂÍÂ
ć “a” as in “father” (when stressed);
3. Ô‡ÔÓpÓÚÌËÍ
“u(h)” in “mumps”(when
unstressed) 4. ˜Â·ÛpÂÍË
Å· “b” as in “bet”; 5. ùÚÓ „pÛÁËÌÒÍÓ ·Î˛‰Ó.
“p” at the end of a word 6. ä‡Í ÔpÓÈÚË ‚ ÏÂÚpÓ?
Ç‚ “v” as in “vandal”; 7. à‰ËÚ ÔpflÏÓ, ‡ ÔÓÚÓÏ Ì‡Ôp‡‚Ó.
“f” at the end of a word 8. „‡ÎÂpÂfl
É„ “g” as in “gasoline”;
9. ípÂÚ¸flÍÓ‚Ò͇fl
“k” at the end of a word;
sometimes “v” when in 10. ɉ ípÂÚ¸flÍÓ‚Ò͇fl „‡ÎÂpÂfl?
“„ - Ó” combination 11. ùÚÓ ÏÓÈ ‰pÛ„ àÓÒËÙ.
щ “d” as in “deep”; 12. éÌ ·Óθ¯ÓÈ ÓpË„Ë̇Î.
“t” at the end of a word
ÖÂ “ye” as in “yesterday”
(when stressed);
“e” as in “me” (when unstressed)
›fi “yo” as in “yore”
ÜÊ “z - h,” as in the middle
of the word “treasure”
áÁ “z” as in “zoo”
àË “e” as in “eagle” (when stressed);
the “i” sound in “big”
(when unstressed)
22 3

Russian I Russian I
Lesson Sixteen Introduction (continued)
Written Russian appears in the Cyrillic alphabet, the
1. ü Á‡·ÓÎÂÎ. invention of which is traditionally credited to Saint Cyril,
2. ì ÏÂÌfl ·ÓÎËÚ „ÓÎÓ‚‡. a ninth-century Russian monk. Today, the Cyrillic alpha-
3. bet is also used to represent many of the (mainly Slavic)
ë‚ËÌ͇
languages spoken in Eastern Europe, ranging from
4. ÇÂÚpflÌ͇ Belorussian to Macedonian. Derived from the Greek
5. ÚÂÏÔÂp‡ÚÛp‡ alphabet, Cyrillic is a phonetic system, with some sym-
6. bols added or altered to represent sounds unique to these
ÊÂÎÚÛı‡
languages.
7. ‚p‡˜ If you are not familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet, you
8. ÒÍÓp‡fl ÔÓÏÓ˘¸ may first find that it takes some time to associate the
9. appropriate sounds with each letter and/or group of let-
ÎÂ͇pÒÚ‚‡
ters. Therefore, we recommend that you take the
10. ·ÓθÌˈ‡ Reading Lessons at your own pace, repeating each until
11. ÎÛ˜¯Â you feel comfortable proceeding with the next. With a
12. little effort, you will be astonished at how quickly you are
åÌ ÛÊ ÎÛ˜¯Â.
reading Russian.
13. CÔ‡ÒË·Ó ·Óθ¯ÓÂ! The Cyrillic alphabet comprises 33 letters, listed in
14. å˚ Ò ‚‡ÏË --- order, along with a guide to the sounds represented by
15. each letter. You will note that many Russian letters
å˚ Ò ‚‡ÏË ÏÓÊÂÏ ÔÓÛÊË̇ڸ ‚ÏÂÒÚÂ?
(mostly vowels, but also some consonants) have more
16. BaÏ Ìp‡‚ËÚÒ¸fl pÂÒÚÓp‡Ì «Äp·‡Ú»? than one sound, depending on the amount of stress given
17. ïÓpÓ¯Ó. íÓ„‰‡ ‰Ó ‚˜Âp‡. to the letter or its position in the word. The pronuncia-
18. tions listed below in the “Guide to Pronunciation” are
ÑÓ Ò‚Ë‰‡ÌËfl.
APPROXIMATE English equivalents and, as in any lan-
guage, the sounds will vary slightly in different letter
combinations.
2

Russian I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Introduction
Russian I
Reading has been defined as the decoding of graph-
ic material which represents the phonemic patterns of the Voices
spoken language. Or to put it another way, reading con- English-Speaking Instructor.................... Ray Brown
sists of coming back to speech through the graphic sym- Russian-Speaking Instructor .......... Dmitry Kukunov
bols. In short, meaning is contained in the sounds of the Female Russian Speaker.................... Lena Burtseva
spoken language. As the written form of any language Male Russian Speaker.................... Rustem Safronov
does no more than represent these sounds visually, speak-
ing a language is the necessary first step to reading and Course Writers
understanding anything written in the language. Sergei Poletayev ♦ Christopher J. Gainty
Russian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet. This
means that you will need to learn to associate Russian Editors
sounds with what is probably a new system of symbols. Mary E. Green ♦ Beverly D. Heinle
A complete listing of the Cyrillic alphabet and the sounds
of its letters follows, starting on page 4. You should use Cover art ©PhotoDisc, Inc.
this for reference only, however, as all the information
you need to do the readings is contained on the cassette Digital recording made under the direction of
or compact disc(s) on which the reading lessons appear. Sarah N. Hewitt
There are sixteen reading lessons for Russian I, at Simon & Schuster Studios, Concord, MA
Third Edition. They’re all on the last cassette or compact
Recording Engineers
disc(s) included with the course. You may choose to do
Peter S. Turpin ♦ Kelly Saux
the readings along with the lesson units, after every other
unit or so, or you may want to wait and do them all © and ‰ Recorded Program 2001
together, after completing the rest of the course. Feel free by Simon & Schuster Audio, a division of
Simon & Schuster, Inc.
to repeat the reading lessons as often as needed for prac-
tice with the Cyrillic alphabet and its sounds. Full © Reading Booklet 2001
instructions for doing the readings are on the last cassette by Simon & Schuster Audio, a division of
Simon & Schuster, Inc.
or compact disc(s), which contain the reading lessons.
All rights reserved.

For immediate, authorized
PIMSLEUR LANGUAGE PROGRAMS
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please call Recorded Books, LLC
1-800-638-1304.
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Outside U.S. & Canada: call your local AT&T
Access operator for the phone number
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Reading Lessons
Introduction.................................................. 2
Cyrillic Alphabet.......................................... 4
Lesson One .................................................. 7
Lesson Two .................................................. 8
Lesson Three ................................................ 9
Lesson Four.................................................. 10
Lesson Five .................................................. 11
Lesson Six .................................................... 12
Lesson Seven .............................................. 13
Lesson Eight ................................................ 14
Lesson Nine.................................................. 15
Lesson Ten.................................................... 16
Lesson Eleven .............................................. 17
Lesson Twelve.............................................. 18
Lesson Thirteen ............................................ 19
Lesson Fourteen .......................................... 20
Lesson Fifteen .............................................. 21
Lesson Sixteen ............................................ 22
Acknowledgments........................................ 23
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