6 Introduction to the Russian language
Russian letter English equivalent Practice word Meaning
ж zh/s as in treasure журна�л journal
в v волейбо�л volleyball
Во�лга Volga
ц ts as in bits центр centre
конце�рт concert
ю yu/u as in use ю�мор humour
сюже�т subject
ш sh as in rush шок shock
щ shsh as in fishshop това�рищ comrade
ë yo as in yonder ёлка fir tree
x ch as in loch э�хо echo
я ya as in yard як yak
ы i as in sit му�зыка music
ч ch as in chimp чемпио�н champion
чай teaь soft sign (Audio 1.4)
The soft sign (ь) does not have a sound of its own. It tells you how to
pronounce the consonant that precedes it. Consonants followed by a ь
are softened or ‘palatalised’. That means that they are pronounced with the
middle of the tongue rising towards the roof of the mouth. It is rather like
making a short y sound after the consonant: стиль ‘style’; фильм ‘film’.ъ hard sign
Similarly, the hard sign (ъ) does not represent a sound of its own. Make
a slight break in the word where the hard sign comes: объéкт ‘object’.Pronunciation
You will be surprised how easily you can read Russian aloud once you
have mastered the alphabet. The transition from recognising individual
letters to being able to read whole words is much easier in Russian than
in English. If you pronounce Russian words letter by letter, as they are
written, you will come very close to a correct pronunciation. However,