6 Heroic Russian Learning Video Resources to Rescue You

In the quest for the perfect Russian learning resource, there are many obstacles you may encounter.

You may have to duel with the Cyrillic alphabet.

You may find yourself locked in a battle to the death with the case system.

And regardless of what challenges you face along the way, unhelpful learning resources will always seem to take the form of ogres as they block your path to learning.

Thankfully, a hero appears on the horizon. And that hero is learning videos.

Yes, Russian learning videos offer all a student needs to make his or her way through the perils of the learning forest and safely out the other side with fluency in sight.

But where do you find such resources? Russian learning channels on YouTube offer a lot of great learning videos. Russian movies, Russian TV shows and Russian vlogs can even double as learning resources if you want them to.

When you need more learning videos, though, you must expand your search deeper into YouTube and beyond—what you need are resources that offer an abundance of videos right at your fingertips. You need video resources to teach you about Russian culture and to give you an expert, insider look at the Russian language.

The resources below are just the ones you need to help you on your quest!

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Why Learn Russian with Videos?

One reason to learn Russian with videos is that you can often see the speaker’s mouth in videos. Seeing what a native speaker’s mouth does to make sounds can help you figure out how to position your mouth, and this can help you learn to replicate these sounds.

Additionally, Russian videos engage more of your senses than other learning resources. Written learning materials are entirely visual. Audio activities are entirely auditory. However, videos offer a unique fusion of sights and sounds, making them perfect for both auditory and visual learners. This will capture your attention more fully and provide you with a well-rounded learning experience.

Finally, Russian videos often feature both written words and audio. Many resources offer captioning in English and/or Russian. This allows you to connect the spoken and written words. It’s also helpful to have the written words at your fingertips because if you can’t make out a spoken word, the written text is there for you to fall back on.

Learn Russian with These 6 Enchanted Video Resources

Easy Languages

Easy Languages is a YouTube channel that posts learning videos for a number of world languages, including Russian. The Russian playlist features over 20 videos. There are even a couple of “Super Easy” videos for complete beginners.

These videos offer a unique and engaging “on the street” format. They are shot on location and feature discussions with real Russians on topics like music, character traits and Russian sayings.

The main host speaks slowly and clearly to make things easy on Russian learners. Some other participants speak a little more quickly, which is great for a challenge. Plus, videos are captioned in Russian and English. They also provide transliterations. This will ensure the material will never be overwhelmingly difficult. However, since the audio is entirely in Russian, most of the videos are best for intermediate and advanced students or beginning students looking to push their limits.

Antonia Romaker

Antonia Romaker’s channel offers videos for Russian speakers who want to learn English and for English speakers who want to learn Russian.

Playlists are neatly organized to help you see video themes at a glance. For instance, if you are just starting out, you might try the Russian alphabet playlist. If you are planning to travel to Russia, you might try the Russian for travelers playlist, which offers a nice mixture of vocabulary and visits to popular sites.

In total, this YouTube channel offers over 100 videos to help Russian learners improve their skills. There are videos appropriate for any level of language learner. Grammar lessons are usually in English, but videos featuring culture and travel usually have a mixture of English and Russian. Plus, many videos offer captioning in Russian and/or English.

FluentU

FluentU’s Russian program is a fun, flexible way to take your Russian to the next level.

Videos are captioned to allow you to read along. These captions are also annotated to put each word’s definition at your fingertips. But you get so much more than that! FluentU will also provide you with multiple example sentences and an associated image. Simply click the word and you can even see it in other videos.

What’s more, FluentU offers quizzes for each video. These quizzes incorporate videos, pictures and example sentences into flashcards and exercises, making for an engaging lesson. Since you select which videos you watch, your learning experience will always be fully personalized.

Plus, FluentU is convenient. Start using FluentU on the website, or better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store.

RussianPod101

RussianPod101 offers a wide array of learning videos for Russian students available via the RussianPod101 mobile apps and website.

Paid members have access to over 1000 video and audio lessons. That should keep you busy for a while!

Free membership also offers a lot, however. RussianPod101 offers several new videos each week, and these are free to access.

Videos include vocabulary lessons, listening practice, pronunciation, cultural lessons and more. Most videos are very brief, so they are easy to jam into your busy schedule. There are videos for beginning through advanced students to suit any learner’s needs and abilities.

Red Kalinka

Red Kalinka is an online program that bills itself as “the largest Russian school in the world.”

The subscription-based video course provides unlimited access to 140 30-minute long video lessons. That’s 70 hours of video content. These lessons provide clear explanations and also have you do exercises along the way to help improve your learning by simulating a traditional classroom setting.

A subscription also grants you access to additional materials like texts, grammar tables and exercises. Plus, you have access to a tutor if you have any questions along the way.

Red Kalinka is designed for students who know anywhere between 0 and 2000 Russian words. Beginning students start with the beginning videos, but more advanced students can choose to start the program further in.

Master Russian

Master Russian is a free online resource that offers access to helpful materials like podcasts, grammar lessons, vocabulary lists, quizzes and so much more. Among Master Russian’s many offerings is a collection of learning videos.

There are over 70 videos in total. The content of these videos varies tremendously. There are videos of native speakers, vocabulary videos, music videos and much more. Given the diverse material, there are appropriate videos for any level of language learner.

So when you need an ally in your learning journey, check out these incredible resources for learning videos!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)