Russian, from zero to B1A1

Week 1, Lesson 1B of 3, Wednesday

New shapes

Eighteen letters have shapes you have not met. They are easier in three families: familiar sounds, hushing sounds, and vowels that start with a y.

1Warm-up 3 minutes

Three questions from Lesson 1A, before anything new.

2Goal 1 minute

I can read every letter except the two signs, slowly.

You will tick it in step 7.

3Infographic 5 minutes

The whole week is on one plate. Today is band 1B, Wednesday.

Week 1 on one plate: all 33 Cyrillic letters in three lessons. Lesson 1A, Monday, letters you half-know. Same as English: А a, К k, М m, О o, Т t. False friends: В v, Е ye, Н n, Р r, С s, У u, Х kh. Lesson 1B, Wednesday, new shapes. Familiar sounds: Б b, Г g, Д d, З z, Л l, П p, Ф f. Hushing sounds: Ж zh, Ц ts, Ч ch, Ш sh, Щ shch. Vowels and Й: Э e, Ю yu, Я ya, Ё yo, И i, Й y. Lesson 1C, Saturday, silent signs and stress: Ъ hard sign, Ь soft sign, Ы deep i. The stress mark in спасибо means: say it louder and longer.
Week 1 on one plate. Band 1B follows as text.

Band 1B, as text

  • Familiar sounds: Б [b], Г [g], Д [d], З [z], Л [l], П [p], Ф [f].
  • Hushing sounds: Ж [zh], Ц [ts], Ч [ch], Ш [sh], Щ [shch].
  • Vowels and Й: Э [e], Ю [yu], Я [ya], Ё [yo], И [i], Й [y].
  • Tip: Ё is always stressed.

4Guided practice 12 minutes

First the table, then your turn.

LetterSoundThink of
Familiar sounds
Б б[b]banana
Г г[g]go; Spanish gato
Д д[d]dog
З з[z]zoo
Л л[l]lamp
П п[p]pen
Ф ф[f]fun
Hushing sounds
Ж ж[zh]the s in pleasure
Ц ц[ts]the ts in cats
Ч ч[ch]Spanish chico
Ш ш[sh]shop
Щ щ[shch]a longer, softer sh
Vowels and Й
Э э[e]Spanish eso
Ю ю[yu]you
Я я[ya]yard
Ё ё[yo]yo-yo; always stressed
И и[i]Spanish sí
Й й[y]the y of Spanish hoy

Two pairs to keep apart. Ш is a plain sh; Щ is longer and softer, as in борщ. И is a full vowel; Й is a short y that follows a vowel, as in чай.

Ends of words. A voiced consonant at the very end turns voiceless: го́род ends in [t], флаг in [k], ёж in [sh]. The brackets below show it.

Your turn

Read each word aloud, then open it to check the reading.

бана́н

[ba-NAN] banana

Hear it on Forvo
го́род

[GO-rat] city

Hear it on Forvo
ёж

[yosh] hedgehog

Hear it on Forvo
зонт

[zont] umbrella

Hear it on Forvo
икра́

[ik-RA] caviar

Hear it on Forvo
йо́гурт

[YO-gurt] yogurt

Hear it on Forvo
ла́мпа

[LAM-pa] lamp

Hear it on Forvo
флаг

[flak] flag

Hear it on Forvo
цирк

[tsirk] circus

Hear it on Forvo
чай

[chay] tea

Hear it on Forvo
шко́ла

[SHKO-la] school

Hear it on Forvo
борщ

[borshch] borscht

Hear it on Forvo
эта́ж

[e-TASH] floor of a building

Hear it on Forvo
юг

[yuk] south

Hear it on Forvo
я́блоко

[YA-bla-ka] apple

Hear it on Forvo

5Questionnaire 12 minutes, required

The lesson counts as done when you score 80% or more.

6Feedback 5 minutes

7Recap 4 minutes

Answer each question in your head, then open it to check.

Name the hushing family.

Ж [zh], Ц [ts], Ч [ch], Ш [sh], Щ [shch].

How do Я, Ю and Ё begin?

With a y: [ya], [yu], [yo].

What is special about Ё?

It always carries the stress.

I can read every letter except the two signs, slowly.

Can you do this now?

8For class 3 minutes

Friday's live session: read the 1B words aloud and ask Екатерина to check Ш against Щ, and И against Й. If there is time, preview the first phrases of textbook Lesson 1.