Complete Russian: The Basics (Book and CD Set): Includes Coursebook, 4 Audio CDs, and Learner's Dictionary (Complete Basic Courses) [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Living Language (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1400024226 | ISBN-13: 978-1400024223 | Publication Date: August 19, 2008 | Edition: Com/Pap Un

With Living Language Complete Russian: The Basics, you’ll start by learning words, and then you’ll progress to phrases, sentences, and conversations. This simple four-step building block approach will have you speaking with confidence right from the beginning, and you’ll be able to learn gradually and effectively. Best of all, this comprehensive course includes everything you need — pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, culture, and practice — and it’s designed to be effective in a short period of time. So what are you waiting for? With Living Language, you’re just a few simple steps away from speaking Russian!

This comprehensive course package includes:
•40 step-by-step lessons in a convenient coursebook
•4 audio CDs with all the important course content
•A comprehensive grammar reference section
•Supplemental sections on e-mail and internet resources
•An English-Russian/Russian-English learner’s dictionary
•A bonus pocket travel reference

Plus, you can save $5 with publisher mail-in rebate!

Product Details

• Audio CD: 223 pages
• Publisher: Living Language; Com/Pap Un edition (August 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400024226
• ISBN-13: 978-1400024223
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 2.2 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #655,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Books on CD > Languages > Language Instruction > Russian

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent to start with, April 19, 2008

By 

Jay H. Colborn (Tallahassee, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Russian: The Basics (CD) (Complete Basic Courses) (Hardcover)

I checked out this book with discs from the library, then decided to get the book for myself for future reference. It is perfect to start out with, but I strongly recommend that it be used in conjuction with Pimsleur IA and IB at least. Pimsleur's strength is that it instills the accent and conversational ability thru logical repetition; however, it lacks a broad vocabulary and much grammatical explanation which Living Language courses provide, starting with this one.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Who are the speakers?, October 13, 2008

By 

Skittleburst14 (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Russian: The Basics (Coursebook) (Complete Basic Courses) (Paperback)

This would be at least a four star Russian language package except that, as the first reviewer indicated, the accent needs to be assimilated elsewhere. I cannot imagine how it can be good to train your ear (especially if you are a beginner) on a cd set in which the Russian accent is not native. In addition to the accent issue, the sound of the male speaker's voice is harsh and almost cacophonous. I say this in surprise because normally listening to a Russian voice is a genuine pleasure for me, but I find I want to turn this cd off. The general method of language acquisition they are using, however, is sound. Change the speakers and this would be a valuable set. Not recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars overall ok, but some issues, December 8, 2011

By 

pig tail (VA usa) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Complete Russian: The Basics (Book and CD Set): Includes Coursebook, 4 Audio CDs, and Learner's Dictionary (Complete Basic Courses) (Audio CD)

A good self-study material and I like the practice part. However there are issues
1) Something are stated wrong or confusing. Like it says hushers are always followed by (sorry I forgot the letters already) but 2 lines down it says hushers and gutters are followed by a another list of letters. That is very confusing
2) The text does not indicate stressed letters in the word. A lot of other books have a way either by highlighting the letter or putting a mark above it. Make sure you constantly use the CD for pronunciation.
3) Some previous reader commented on the speakers not being native. I could not tell since I never met a native russian and I'm a brand newbie. But I would definitely prefer a native russian accent.
4) The textbook could have been organized a little better (like using highlights for a new session). And it could have marked the cd track number so user can find it quickly.
5) in the CD, there is too little space left for the student to repeat. And the english after that is not really necessary. I would rather have the russian repeated twice instead of having english translation since I need to use with the book anyways.