К: sounds like the “k” in the English word “book” M: sounds like the “m” in the English word “met” Т: sounds like the “t” in the English word “tap” С: sounds like the “c” in the English word “cent”
В: sounds like the “v” in the English word “value” Н: sounds like the “n” in the English word “net” Р: makes a sound that doesn’t exist in English, but sounds similar to the trilled “R” in the Spanish word “pero” Х: makes a sound that doesn’t exist in English, but sounds similar to the “ch” in the Scottish word “loch” or the “ch” in the German word “ach”
Б: sounds like the “b” in the English word “bet” Г: sounds like the “g” in the English word “get” Д: sounds like the “d” in the English word “dog” Й: sounds like the “y” in the English word “toy” (and always goes after a vowel) З: sounds like the “z” in the English word “zoo” Л: sounds like the “l” in the English word “love” П: sounds like the “p” in the English word “pet” Ф: sounds like the “f” in the English word “fat”
Ж: sounds like the “s” in the English word “pleasure” or the “g” in the English word “beige” Ц: sounds like the “ts” in the English word “bolts” Ч: sounds like the “ch” in the English word “chip” Ш: sounds like the “sh” in the English word “shin” Щ: sounds like the “shsh” in the English phrase “Danish ship”
А: sounds like the “a” in the English word “father” О: sounds like the “o” in the English word “story” У: sounds like the “u” in the English word “brute” Ы: sounds like the “i” in the English word “bit” Э: sounds like the “e” in the English word “bet”
Е: sounds like the “ye” in the English word “yes” Ё: sounds like the “yo” in the English word “York” Ю: sounds like the “yu” in the English word “yule” Я: sounds like the “ya” in the English word “yacht”
И: sounds like the “ee” in “see”.
The hard sign doesn’t just go between any consonant and a vowel, but always between the prefix and the root (if you go as far as learning the structure of words!). Good news is that there are not so many words containing this letter. However, it is important to know the pronunciation, because it affects the meaning of the word. For example, “сесть” (pronounced roughly “sest”) is a verb meaning “to sit down,” but add a hard sign, “съесть” (pronounced roughly “syest”), and you have another verb, meaning “to eat. " The best way to get the pronunciation right for words that include hard signs is to listen to a native speaker say the word and mimic their pronunciation until you get it right. You can also practice words that are spelled the same except that one has a hard sign and the other doesn’t. These words can help you really hear the difference in how the hard sign changes your pronunciation.
Adding the “ih” is a simplified approach; actually there is no additional sound, but the tongue moves in a slightly different way when you pronounce the preceding consonant. The best way to get the pronunciation right is to listen to a native speaker and mimic their speech. Sometimes speaking other languages may be helpful. For example, л is the “hard” English L, while ль is rather like the “soft” French or German L. While the sign technically only changes the pronunciation of the word, it can also change the meaning of the word. For example, the word “брат” (pronounced “brat”) means “brother,” but if you add a soft sign, “брать” (pronounced “brat-ih”), you have the verb “to take. " It can take some practice to get the soft pronunciation right, but it’s important because it can actually change the meaning of a word.
Placing an accent on the wrong syllable can change the meaning of the word. For example, the word “дóма” (with an accent on the first syllable) means “at home” while the word “домá” (accent on the second syllable) means “houses. " If the accents aren’t marked in a Russian passage you’re reading, you can usually figure out which word is meant and how it should be pronounced by the context.
Америка: America атом: atom зебра: zebra кафе: café такси: taxi модем: modem
