10 Reasons To Learn Russian From Real Language Learners

by Elena Voronina,
Online Russian Tutor
MA Hons in Language Teaching,
MA Hons in Psychology

Wondering why to learn Russian? As we have been providing online Russian tutoring since 2014, we do know the real reasons why students learn it. Over the years we have gathered genuine requests from our past and current students. Real stories by real people – what could be more convincing? Here are the main reasons to learn Russian and benefits of learning Russian.

#1 Russian partner

‘I am looking to propose to my Russian girlfriend and I would like to be able to ask the big question in Russian 🙂 She would like this, I know, and it would go down well with her parents.’

‘I’m engaged to a Russian girl from Saint Petersburg, and really need to up my game on her native language next year!’

‘My partner is Russian but does not want to teach me. I would like to be able to speak conversational Russian in a year.’

You might be interested in taking Russian classes as a surprise to your boyfriend/girlfriend who is from there. If your partner is from a Russian-speaking country, you may spend time in their motherland. Or her / his relatives can visit you. You need to communicate with your in-laws and your partner’s friends.

In fact, not too many Russians can speak fluent English, so your language skills will be more than beneficial. No matter what your current level is, gaining greater competence is always an achievable goal. So, to be able to maintain a gratifying relationship, taking classes will be beneficial.

#2 Russian-speaking friends

‘I have a couple of Russian friends and would be better if I could talk to them in their language once I learn it.’

‘I encounter many Russians in online gaming who don’t speak any English, and I’d like to be able to effectively communicate with them, and translate for the rest of my team when they give important information.’

With digital communication developing so quickly, you can make friends with anyone in the world. Taking into account that the Russian-speaking audience exceeds 100 million users, it’s easy to reach out to the Russians nowadays.

If your friend is from Russia, it would be nice to at least learn some basics. You’ll be probably quite keen to focus on conversation – not learning the alphabet etc. So, your language skills could be very helpful for establishing great relationships!

#3 Family members of Russian origin

‘I would like to learn Russian from the bottom to the top. I have a huge family in Russia and I am finding it frustrating to not be able to communicate with them naturally.’

‘My wife is Russian and my children are fluent so I’d like to improve my Russian. I need help with pronunciation. Would like daily Skype sessions.’

‘I am interested in learning Russian. I was born in Russia and moved to London when I was 5. In fact, I understand everything but I’m not good at speaking, writing and reading. So I think it’s time I learn.

‘I am looking to improve my Russian skills. My mother is Russian so I have a good level of understanding. But I would like to improve my speaking and reading skills so I can become more confident.’

‘I am a native Russian speaker trying to introduce my English-speaking children to my native language. They will be starting from zero knowledge so the goal is to get them interested in this.’

‘I have an interest in improving my Russian. I learned from my great-grandmother when I was young, she was Russian. But I did not practice for a long time.’

Indeed, we all need to feel connected with our relatives. And language as a main means of communication helps feel bound. So, start learning today!

#4 Travelling to Russian-speaking countries

‘I am currently going on an adventure to discover Eastern Europe and Russia. And the first country I will be visiting is Moscow, Russia. Before I visit the city I would like to learn some of the language and culture.’

‘I’m going on a trip to Kazakhstan soon and would like to brush up my skills a bit.’

‘My intention is to pick up some language for a holiday in 4 months.’

‘I am a Polish student studying in London. My friends and I are planning to take part in a trip called Mongol Rally next year, which is essentially a 72-day charity road trip from London to Mongolia. As Polish is the closest language to Russian from all of our nationalities, we agreed that I would learn the alphabet and basic conversation to make sure we stay safe on the trip.’

Of course, you may be very interested in learning the language if you love to travel to Russia. Or if you are hoping to visit a Russian-speaking country for the first time and would like to learn some basics before going. Do you remember that you can hardly come across a few local people with sufficient levels of English? So, to become reasonably proficient in Russian for travel is a great learning goal indeed.

#5 For job or business

‘I speak, write and read Russian. I am in the process of applying for jobs where this language is involved. So ideally I would like someone to help me with preparation, practice, and conversation. I am happy with online Skype lessons.’

‘I would like to have some lessons in Russian in order to practice and improve my level. I need business language to communicate better with Russian clients.’

‘Looking for help with a Russian accent for a show in the West End of London theatre.’

‘I’m looking into some intense help within the next 3 weeks as it’s related to a work project.’

‘I am starting a project at work that requires Russian. So I want to have some lessons to improve!

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Indeed, learning Russian can help you boost your career. In fact, profound language skills are highly valued by prospective employers. Due to globalisation speeding up, there is an urgent need for multilingual staff. So, grow your skills and advance your career or reach out to your Russian-speaking audience.

#6 Love for culture and literature

‘I like Russian movies, I read Russian magazines and books (easy ones). I went to Russia 3 times. Looking for a teacher for conversation mainly to keep up my level.’

‘It gives direct access to incredible literature.’

‘I first started being interested in the language when I watched Russian ballet performances on YouTube. Then I started watching Russian vloggers and listening to folk music and accordion players. I still consume all this media consistently so I feel like being able to speak Russian makes it more enjoyable.’

‘I’ve never learned the language before but love Russian literature.’

‘My goal is to reach fluency of course, but based on Russian literature and cultures. Those are the fields I like the most.’

What could be more gratifying than the ability to read Dostoyevsky in the original? Or you would like to surprise your friends by singing a Russian song without any accent? Or your dream is to recite poems by Pushkin? Or do you just need to understand cursive writing? Actually, you will have to learn the language to be able to do that. And love for unique culture or history will definitely help you succeed in learning the language!

#7 Learning Russian as a hobby / for fun

‘I am interested in learning Russian for fun. I used to learn it once a week one to one-to-one tuition but my teacher had to leave the UK.’

‘My Russian is nonexistent and very basic. I just visited Moscow for the first time last month and would love to learn the language. I’m really looking to be conversational as quickly as possible.’

When you get interested in learning the language after visiting a Russian-speaking country, you are quite motivated. Experts believe that interest and positive motivation are the main factors influencing your progress in learning a new language. So use them to succeed!

#8 It’s challenging

‘It’s definitely a “workout” for your mouth and brains!’

‘I like learning languages and Russian is challenging when it comes to grammar.’

‘It’s a challenge to keep your brain strong because it’s not as close to English as German or French for example.’

‘It is a beautiful, challenging language and it feels nice when I remember something correctly!’

Learning a new language is not only challenging, it’s also really beneficial. Wondering why? The Swedish MRI study showed that learning a foreign language has a visible effect on the brain. Young adult military recruits with a flair for languages learned Arabic, Russian or Dari intensively, while a control group of medical and cognitive science students also studied hard, but not in languages. MRI scans showed specific parts of the brains of the language students developed in size whereas the brain structures of the control group remained unchanged. As you can see, investing in your mind is a great idea!

#9 Needed by history-lovers

‘I’m very much interested in history, especially WW2 and the Cold War, in which Russia played a major part.’

‘I do a lot of historical research and many of the sources I want to read are published only in Russian.’

Given that Russia is the largest country in the world and has been involved in almost all major historical events, understanding its language gives a key to revealing its mysteries. Especially after KGB archives declassification which sheds light on many things from the past. So, knowing Russian gives access to the true history of Russia. It’s really important nowadays when the war initiated by Russia is shaping global geopolitics and economy.
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#10 Maintaining skills for degree-holders

‘I studied Russian language and literature at Oxford University and lived in Yaroslavl for 8 months. I am going back to Oxford to do a Master’s degree in September and would like to get my Russian back up to scratch. My end goal is to speak fluently in Russian on all topics and colloquially.’

‘I’m looking for a Russian teacher who can help me with this hard language. I’ve got a degree in Russian taken in Italy. But since my graduation day, I had no chance to go on with my studying. I tried to learn it by myself as I’m doing with other languages, but I can’t do with this one.’

‘I have a master’s degree in Russian language. Since I finished Uni in Poland in 2002, I have not been using this language daily. I think I need some practice and have some conversation.’

You studied Russian at university but feel like you are quite rusty now? Cost-effective and efficient online lessons with an expert native teacher are exactly what you need!

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Good enough reasons to learn Russian…

So why not choose at least one of them for self-motivation? Of course, you may have your own reasons to learn Russian – please share them in the comments!

Actually, if you just want to understand the meaning of a Russian song, book our Russian audio translation services. But if you are still looking for reasons to learn Russian and if this language is worth studying (‘Is Russian a good language to learn?’), just give it a try.

Our expert native-speaking teachers are here to help you! I promise, if you tried out some lessons with us, you would be amazed with your progress. To get an A2 or even B1 level in 3 months is an achievable goal for most of our students. Wondering if you could learn Russian in 90 days? Take a short test.

If you tend to learn fast, it doesn’t matter if you are generally good with languages or not. All you need is a professional teacher who will create a personalised study programme adapted to your interests, objectives, level and learning style. Indeed, no matter what learning goal you want to achieve. To know only some basic phrases and learn the alphabet to read and understand signs while travelling or being able to converse on complicated topics with native speakers. Online tuition is an easy solution. Not sure if the online format would work for you? Just consider its advantages.

Please mind that our trial lesson is free and without any obligations. Book it now!