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Unit 5 · Hear stress, hardness and softness · Meet

Hear stress, hardness and softness

Compare spoken words before reading their letters.

About this unit

Train your ear before you meet the letters. Every Russian word has one strong syllable, and many consonants come in a hard and a soft version.

  • strong first syllable: MA-ma
    ма́ма · mum
  • strong last syllable: tak-SI
    такси́ · taxi
  • hard t at the end
    мат · mat / coarse language
  • soft t: the tongue rises, as for ee
    мать · mother
  • hard b, then ы
    был · was
  • soft b, then ee
    бил · hit / was hitting

A soft consonant is not an extra vowel: мать still has one syllable. These symbols return in the listening games.

Reading practice

Hear the strong syllable

Listen, then choose the stressed syllable, counting from the start.

Clip 1

Hear the strong syllable

Listen, then choose the stressed syllable, counting from the start.

Clip 1

Listen before looking

Do these two syllables or words sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Listen before looking

Do these two syllables or words sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Finish practice to save this unit.

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Compare spoken words before reading their letters.

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Use a Russian keyboard

The standard Russian layout is ЙЦУКЕН. All guided writing also works with on-screen tiles. Type ё with its own key when practising ё; outside that task е is a common printed replacement. Teaching stress accents are optional input, not extra letters.

All letters

А а
i

a

К кIn ка
i

ka

М мIn ма
i

ma

О о
i

o

Т тIn та
i

ta

В вIn ва
i

va. В is v, not Latin B.

Н нIn на
i

na. Н is n, not Latin H.

Р рIn ра
i

ra. Р is r, not Latin P.

С сIn са
i

sa. С is s, not Latin c/k.

У у
i

u. У is u, not Latin y.

Х хIn ха
i

kha. Х is a friction sound, like ch in German Bach.

Е еye; softens the consonant
i

ye / e. At word start е begins ye; after a consonant it normally gives e and softens that consonant.

Б бIn ба
i

ba

Г гIn га
i

ga

Д дIn да
i

da

Л лIn ла
i

la

П пIn па
i

pa

З зIn за
i

za

Ж жIn жа
i

zha

Ш шIn ша
i

sha

И и
i

i. И normally follows a soft consonant.

Й й
i

y. Й is the short consonant y of yes, not a vowel syllable.

Ы ы
i

y / ɨ. Ы is a full vowel after a hard consonant; compare и.

Ч чIn ча
i

cha. Ч is normally soft.

Щ щa long, soft shIn ща
i

shcha. Щ is a long soft sh sound; it is not modern Russian ш + ч.

Ц цIn ца
i

tsa. Ц is hard ts, including before written и.

Ф фIn фа
i

fa

Э э
i

e. Э does not add an initial y sound.

Ю юyu; softens the consonant
i

yu. Ю begins yu initially and gives u plus a soft consonant after one.

Я яya; softens the consonant
i

ya. Initial я is ya; after a consonant it gives a plus softness.

Ё ёyo; softens the consonant
i

yo. Ё gives yo initially, or o plus softness; it is normally stressed.

Ь ьno sound; softens a consonantIn мягкий знак
i

soft sign (name). Ь has no independent vowel or consonant sound; here it makes л soft.

Ъ ъno sound; hard break before yIn твёрдый знак
i

hard sign (name). Ъ separates a consonant from a following е/ё/ю/я and keeps its y onset.