Russian, from zero to B1A1

Week 1, Lesson 1C of 3, Saturday

Silent signs and stress

Three letters are left: two signs that make no sound and the deep vowel Ы. Then the stress mark, the small accent that tells you which syllable to lean on.

1Warm-up 3 minutes

Three questions from Lessons 1A and 1B, before anything new.

2Goal 1 minute

I can read all 33 letters, and any word with a stress mark, aloud.

You will tick it in step 7.

3Infographic 5 minutes

The whole week is on one plate. Today is band 1C, Saturday.

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 1C follows as text.

Band 1C, as text

  • Ъ, the hard sign: no sound; it keeps sounds apart, as in подъе́зд [pad-YEST].
  • Ь, the soft sign: no sound; it softens the consonant before it, as in мать [mat'].
  • Ы, the deep i: say i with the tongue pulled back, as in сыр [syr].
  • The stress mark: say the marked vowel louder and longer, as in спаси́бо [spa-SI-ba].

4Guided practice 12 minutes

First the table, then your turn.

LetterSoundThink of
The last three letters
Ъ ъno soundkeeps the consonant hard and apart from the next vowel
Ь ьno soundsoftens the consonant before it; shown as ' in brackets
Ы ы[y]a deep i with the tongue pulled back; shown as y in brackets

The stress mark is a learner's tool. Books for adult Russians leave it out; textbooks and dictionaries print it. Every new word in this course carries one, so you never have to guess.

Stress drill

Each word shows its stress mark. Tap the syllable that carries it.

Your turn

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

мы

[my] we

Hear it on Forvo
вы

[vy] you, polite or plural

Hear it on Forvo
ты

[ty] you, informal

Hear it on Forvo
сын

[syn] son

Hear it on Forvo
сыр

[syr] cheese

Hear it on Forvo
часы́

[chi-SY] clock; watch

Hear it on Forvo
мать

[mat'] mother

Hear it on Forvo
день

[dyen'] day

Hear it on Forvo
ночь

[noch'] night

Hear it on Forvo
жизнь

[zhyzn'] life

Hear it on Forvo
подъе́зд

[pad-YEST] building entrance

Hear it on Forvo
спаси́бо

[spa-SI-ba] thank you

Hear it on Forvo
приве́т

[pri-VYET] hi

Hear it on Forvo
Росси́я

[ra-SI-ya] Russia

Hear it on Forvo
Ме́хико

[ME-khi-ka] Mexico City

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.

Which two letters make no sound?

Ъ and Ь. Ъ keeps sounds apart; Ь softens the consonant before it.

What does the stress mark tell you?

Say that vowel louder and longer; the other vowels relax.

How many letters can you read now?

All 33.

I can read all 33 letters, and any word with a stress mark, aloud.

Can you do this now?

8For class 3 minutes

Next Tuesday starts textbook Lesson 1, «Привет!». Its first phrases: Здра́вствуйте! Меня́ зову́т… Write below what Екатерина corrected this week; it goes into your summary.