Colloquial Russian: The Complete Course For Beginners (Colloquial Series) [Paperback]

Svetlana Le Fleming (Author), Susan E. Kay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0415161401 | ISBN-13: 978-0415161404 | Edition: 2nd

Colloquial Russian is easy to use and completely brilliant! Specially written by experienced teachers for self-study or class use, the course offers you a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Russian. No prior knowledge of the language is required.

What makes Colloquial Russian your best choice in personal language learning?
* interactive - lots of dialogues and exercises for regular practice
* clear - concise grammar notes
* practical - useful vocabulary and pronunciation guide
* complete - including answer key and special reference section

By the end of this rewarding course you will be able to communicate confidently and effectively in a broad range of situations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 2nd edition (September 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415161401
• ISBN-13: 978-0415161404
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,318,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's really a good textbook!, March 27, 2002

By 

Zhu Deh Ming (Taipei Taiwan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Colloquial Russian: The Complete Course For Beginners (Colloquial Series) (Paperback)

When I first time found this book in the university library,I was attracted by this book so much,and again and again I reborrowed this book from the liberary.And when I travelled in Russia last year I bought the travel guide of lonely planet series,it also recommends this book as good russian textbook.Finally I decided to have one my own copy ,and I searched it at Amazon.com.

But when I saw the general review of this book I was surprised that this book has "only" three stars!And I can't help but write a review to counterbalance it.This is really a rather good one on the market with its relatively low price.The downstairs said that this book doesn't have English translation to accompany the Russian text.I don't see it as a drawback.If there's English translation beside the Russian text,you would probably rely on the English translation and would not spend time to read the Russian one, which I think will hinder the learning of a new language.

The content of this book is well organized and the materials are very authentic whihout losing fun.I really think it's one of the best text book for the beginners of this difficult language, and I truly recommend this to everyone who would puck up Russian language efficiently and happily!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a friendly and quite comprehensive introduction, October 3, 2009

By 

perekladach (Carbondale, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colloquial Russian: The Complete Course For Beginners (Colloquial Series) (Paperback)

This is one of the better courses in the Routledge Colloquial Series, many of which are plaged by irritations ranging from typographical errors to incomplete grammatical explantions to simply not adequately glossing new vocabulary. This book avoids all of these problems and provides a very stimulating introduction to a language that most learners will find full of challenges. Since texts are not translated into English it will be necessary to 'over-learn' the vocabulary in each lesson, and maybe even the grammatical coverage before moving on to tackling the Russian. This material is so well prepared that the crutch of an English translation really isn't necessary, although even very independent students might need to consult with a teacher or native speaker from time to time. Those who prefer a slower pace have some nice alternatives- try "Teach Yourself Russian", "The Penguin Russian Course" or Duff's oldie-but-goodie "Russian for Beginners". The last two don't have any audio, though.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, excellent, excellent!, October 17, 2010

By 

S. Azzouz (Tetouan, Morocco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Colloquial Russian: The Complete Course For Beginners (Colloquial Series) (Paperback)

I absolutely LOVE this book by Routledge! I love how they pretty much just...throw you into the Russian language "pool" with no muss or fuss; so hold your breath! This ain't your mama's course! From Jump street, you are in it and up to the throat in the language which is fantastic and I think that a lot of these other courses can take a lesson from. It is alittle grammar intense, so if you are not into that, then you may not like it. I am not a big fan of grammar at ALL but this book didn't bother me as much, though it still might others.

One poster complained about the Russian man mispronouncing the English but come on, if you are a native English speaker or know English, what's the problem? If you know they are mistakes and you still understand, I really don't see that as an issue. It just lends more authenticity to the recordings!

This book is really intense Russian learning so it may frighten the beginner who has never learned a language before but if you hang in there, you will love it and learn a LOT. I am a little scared what book 2 is like; I haven't ordered it yet! lol! Buy this book, you will love it and learn volumes. Later in your learning, you will even come back to it for guidance. Unlike a lot of courses, this is indeed one I can truly say is worth the money!