Need More Resources to Learn Russian?

Languages are disappearing at an unprecedented pace, taking with them unique cultures, knowledge, and ways of seeing the world.

In this week’s edition, we explore why language extinction matters, share practical tips for mastering Russian, and highlight how even small daily habits can make a big difference in your learning.

Whether you’re curious about Russian grammar hacks, want quick immersion tricks, or care about protecting endangered languages, this guide has something for you.

Learning Russian unlocks a world of rich culture and history, but getting started can feel overwhelming. The Cyrillic alphabet might look unfamiliar, and the grammar rules can seem daunting at first.

The good news? With the right tools, learning becomes much easier and even enjoyable.

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Russian’s six grammatical cases can feel intimidating, but here’s a quick way to make them click:

Step 1: Pick one short, useful sentence (e.g., Я люблю кофе – “I love coffee”).
Step 2: Change just one word in different cases.

Here are some examples that you use can use to practise:

Step 3: Do this with 3–5 nouns daily. You’ll see patterns much faster and start to understand as you get familiar with them.

Label everyday objects in your home with sticky notes in your target language. For example, put стол (table), дверь (door), and окно (window) around your space if you’re learning Russian.

But, why does this work?:

Pick 3-5 words or phrases you learned recently or that you want to learn. Close your eyes, set a timer for 60 seconds, and try to recall and say them out loud. No notes and no looking things up.

Why it works: Quick recall strengthens memory connections and shows you what’s really sticking versus what needs review. Do this once a day, and you’ll be surprised how much you retain over time.

The Russian language has a word for “longing for something you can’t define”: тоска (toská). This one word captures a whole emotional landscape. Something only a language like Russian could express so poetically.

Vladimir Nabokov, the famous Russian-American writer, said it has no exact English equivalent:

Every two weeks, the world loses one language - forever.

When a language disappears, it’s not just words that vanish. Entire histories, traditions, and unique ways of understanding the world are lost. Today, over 40% of the world’s 7,000+ languages are endangered, with many spoken by only a handful of people.

Why is this important? Languages carry cultural memory and unique knowledge, from medicinal plants to oral history. Preserving them keeps human diversity alive.

The Guardian relatively recently highlighted how linguistic diversity is vanishing at an alarming rate, with half of the world’s 7,000+ languages at risk of disappearing. Many have fewer than 1,000 speakers, and hundreds are down to just a handful of elderly speakers.

On a hopeful note, grassroots revitalisation movements are emerging worldwide, using new technologies, online communities, and even AI to reconnect people with their ancestral tongues.

What’s your favourite example of how language reflects culture? Share your thoughts with our community on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

We’ve compiled everything into a neat PDF, allowing you to read it offline, save it for later, or share it with a fellow language lover. Also, if you think of ways we can improve this PDF version, please reply to this email and let us know or share your thoughts via social media!