347 Comments
Thank you. (: Yeah, it's a very "deep" A.. but I meant that the это sounds like "этэ". maybe the sound isn't so good?
Read back over ysobelflp's post. It refers to the unstressed 'о' in 'это' as well. That's why it sounds like "e-tuh" in this instance.
No, Duos sound quality over mobiles IS poor Ive tried several languages with Duo and havent got far along because of this frustratung lack of distinctness in what Im hearing
Actually, I like the TTS much more when played through my tablet's speakers. Sounds almost right and the artifacts do not seems as jarring as when you use quality headphones. For me, it was just the same with the German TTS Duolingo uses.
She rather says эта, because the words это and эта are pronounced alike in many dialects, including that of Moscow which is considered kinda "received pronunciation". The same for all unstressed "о" sounds.
If you mean why can you not type them, see the other comments above for a solution which will work for your situation.
If you mean why are the sentences Duo provides not in Cyrillic, look at your upper left-hand corner under the blue duolingo bar during an exercise. There is a little gray slide where you can turn it from the Russian alphabet to the English. I can't remember what it says, but if you slide it over, all of the writing will be in Cyrillic. :) Hope that helps.
(Of course, this is only for the desktop version. I haven't looked at my phone to see if Russian even appears on the mobile version.)
Depends on the phone, but usually look for keyboards and you can find language downloads from there. On Samsung, the languages are written in their own alphabet...
I downloaded the Cyrillic keyboard on my phone. I switch by swiping the space bar.
If it were "this mom (does whatever)", then yes it would need to be the feminine form. But for "this is mom", "this" is not an adjective, it's a ... Oh, I forget the official term; but it's a standalone word, so takes the default form. If it helps, you can think of it as "this (object) is mom"
A demonstrative pronoun: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/this
A determiner again describes a noun.http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/determiner
I agree this should be an option. I mean it could just as well be just 'mum' the person is talking about.
(^J^)/ hetalians unite!!
Why does it say эты (yes I know that word doesn't exist) in the slow version but это/эта in the normal version?
https://www.duolingo.com/comment/11536858 A Guide to Using Это The slow version reads each word separately. The normal version allows for the difference with the stresses in the word and the combination of words in normal conversation. The first syllable is stressed so the second syllable will have a schwa sound in normal conversation, according to others. Scroll up to the top on this page.
I write my translations to russian with Cyrillic letters, so I don't know what duolingo considers unacceptable when writing with Latin letters.
Anyway, at least in windows: È=ALT+0200 É=ALT+0201 è=ALT+0232 é=ALT+0233 (You press ALT, not getting your finger off of it, and then you write the numbers. And then you get the accented letter (: ).
I appreciate the help, but this does not make it any easier. This is supposed to be for English speakers who are learning Russian. If someone already knows the cyrillic alphabet, they are most likely not a native English speaker who is just beginning to learn Russian. Having to memorize complex keyboard shortcuts, install a third party virtual keyboard, switch keyboard settings, or use 2 physical keyboards is unacceptable. In Duolingo's Spanish for English speakers, a small virtual keyboard is made available where needed. This is the obvious solution. Until this happens, I cannot recommend this to my students.
I totally agree. However, it's a brand new Duo course (: I'm actually native to Hebrew. I wish I were a native Russian speaker XD I only know a few words and how to read the alphabet.
Personally, I made little stickers and put it on my keyboard. And installed a Russian keyboard on the computer.
with all due respect geoot made it sound more complicated than it actually is. To type in Russian letters you only have to install a (preferably phonetic) Russian keyboard -> http://www.stanwardine.com/russification.htm. Once you've done that then all you need to do to switch to Russian is press alt+shift. Doesn't sound complicated to me. of course you need to know the keyboard layout, but if your keyboard is phonetic then most letters should come naturally (like to get D in Russian you press d and you get 'D' in Russian д)
Learning the Cyrillic alphabet is, strictly speaking, not a part of learning Russian. Note how, for example, two alphabets are in use for the Serbian language. Since Duolingo teaches the language, and text input is the responsibility of your operating system, I find the current system satisfactory.
Of course it's not a major part of the language, I agree (: But I think that un-accented E's should be acceptable for the letter э.
Perhaps you could try an online keyboard, copy & paste, and then submit? I am trying to learn the language with the alphabet, so this is how I am doing it. For some reason, I could not do a keyboard on my computer, yet have been able to on my phone. :) Anyway, it's an option.
You will need to memorize complex keyboard shortcuts, install a third party virtual keyboard, switch keyboard settings, or use two physical keyboards if you want to be able to type in Russian. This is true regardless of whether one is a native English speaker learning Russian, or native Russian speaker, or any other person on this green Earth. If you find that unacceptable, I'm afraid learning Russian is not for you :)
Oh no, not at all. Most operating systems allow you to switch between keyboard layouts easily, no complex keyboard shortcuts, and definitely no buying two physical keyboards (They would both input the same language anyway).
Everything you need is right here: https://www.duolingo.com/comment/11449014
If I wanted to write a book in Russian, then I might agree with you, but the only typing in Russian I want to do is completing the tasks in this Duolingo program. In other Duolingo languages, a virtual keyboard pops up whenever it's needed, so I know it's possible. I cannot expect my grade 6 students to jump through all of those hoops just for one letter or an accent mark.
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Yes Geut. And there are other shortcuts. But only on a desktop. For languages in non-Latin scripts it's easier on a tablet or smartphone. Once you have managed to install and switch the keyboard!
it depends if you're on desktop or phone.. if on a phone/tablet keep hold of the 'e' and it should come up, you could get a russian keyboard or just write it as 'e' because it accepts that also. if you're on desktop i reccomend you to get the russian keyboard
I did that. As far as I can tell, there aren't any buttons to add accents.
ё is a separate key on the Microsoft Russian keyboard (next to the '1' key). It does not need to have to add the accent to е
Why does Duolongo write 'Mum' as both 'ма́ма' and 'мама'? In one question I answered ма́ма (with accent) and it was marked incorrect. Yet in the 'choose an option' question (with the photographs) it's Mum = 'ма́ма'
We only spell words with accents for learners' conveniece, so that they know where the stress is. Expect to see them in our Tips \& Notes and in image exercises (unless the word has only one syllable or Ё somewhere).
Duolingo generally does not support optional accents, so we do not use them in our sentences (for the exact reason you would be marked wrong, unless you place accents exactly where we did).
Thanks - So does that mean in Russian generally (i.e. in the real world not the Duolingo virtual world), that the correct spelling is just 'мама'?
It is the usual spelling.
Accent marks are not considered part of the word's spelling. It is like asking if мама or мама is the more correct spelling. Sure, we usually do not italicize everything we print (which does not mean мама is incorrect).
With the obvious difference that we usually mark accents in dictionaries and books intended for those who are yet to memorize all the correct stresses in thousand of words. Not much anywhere else. I would rather put stresses in all our sentences but Duolingo decided not to.
Also, marking accents usually works one-way, i.e. you see it in your reading material but you do not put them yourself. After all, if your teacher at school does not know where the stresses are, you should probably ask your principal for a replacement. :)
Thanks, I am more used to Italian, Portuguese or French, where the accents are a requirement and part of the correct spelling for a word, - and not just an optional suggestion for the 'stress/pronounciation', so it's a little confusing. Given that Duolingo teaches so many languages (and people study multiple languages with Duo) it would be really helpful if the Russian introductory notes clarified that some accents are for introductory pronounation purposes only, as this doesn't seemed to been explained. Thanks so much for all your help :-)
ahhhhh. i had the same question. This makes sense. One thing is there a way for the learner to determine whether it is an optional for learning vs manditory for correct spelling?
It's better to say мама, because мать is something rude, I have never told my mum to this word. Mammy is also мама or мамочка
Does someone want to learn Russian because it is necessary to study astronomy? Yea, I too. Greetings from Colombia :).
Some peoples hear this as "этэ".but sounds dont bad or false.maybe russian language stranger articulation for you.İ am from azerbaijan.in azerbaijan many people use russian language and many people know this language.i know too.but i think : if i begin basicts it well be good for me.because i go 7th class.
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Unrelated, but i was unable to ask on previous question. If a word ends on a consonant, is it hard or soft? Wiki says: soft if followed by soft indicating vowel or soft sign, same rules for hard consonants...
So дом. is m hard or soft?
It is "hard" (non-palatalized).
You should understand that unlike English Russian words do not, as a rule, have a zero-ending in singular. In мама the final а is the ending. From here, you can deduce the word is hard-stemmed. In other forms you remove the Nominative ending (i.e. the ending the word has in the dictionary) and attach the ending appropriate for the case you need to form.
A whole class of masuline nouns indeed has a zero ending, i.e. there is no sound after the stem. So the noun is inevitably hard-stemmed provided there isn't any indicator of softness:
- if a soft sign is at the end the word is soft-stemmed: контроль, день.
- if the final consonant is Й, consider the word soft-stemmed: плутоний, буй.
- if the final consonant is Ж, Ш or Ц, it is "hard" (нож, отец) but consult the spelling rules to learn the correct endings for other forms
- if the final consonant is Ч or Щ, it is "soft" (луч, овощ, борщ) but consult the spelling rules to learn the correct endings for other forms
- if the final consonant is Г, К or Х it is "hard" (итог, лук, горох) but consult the spelling rules to learn the correct endings for other forms.
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While I've now at least managed to 'learn' the Cyrillic alphabet, I'm lost as to how to proceed from here on. Do I learn the 'words' separately in English before tryna 'spell' them out in russian, or do I directly try to wire my brain to 'learn russian'? To Cyrllic or not to Cyrllic? If anyone out there can shed some light, I'll be indebted as currently, I believe I can identify with an alien that's crash-landed on a foreign land and the only way to make sense of anything lies in this app. (For the sake of which, I assume English in the app = native alien language) I don't intend to spam, but I'm gonna keep posting this comment in these threads till some saint fixes my (malfunctioning) translator or at least tells me how on [insert native planet] I can 'learn' Russian without resorting to violence or flat-out rote-learning. (Could never grasp that particular skill either in school) That is all. I'll be waiting in my smoking, broken space craft, possibly stringing together Cyrllic syllables and consonants to form (most definitely) pure nonsense. At least there's no Russian-speaker nearby to offend. Joy.
I strongly recommend that you rewire your brain to accept Cyrillic input. I actually find it easier to simply learn "this letter sounds like this" for a whole new set of symbols, than it is to cope with a language like Polish or Gaelic, where there are letters that LOOK like English, but are pronounced completely differently.
As to HOW to learn the new alphabet? I recommend finding a list of capital cities in Russian - or anything where the meaning of the word is the same - and practice on translating them. As soon as you have spelt out the word, say it out loud. Try writing your name, and those of people you know, in the Cyrillic alphabet. Get used to using unfamiliar letters for familiar words, before trying to read unfamiliar words spoken with them.
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This has been really helpful, and I like the idea of using 'familiar words, unfamiliar letters' and vice versa. Thanks daughterofAlbion!
Good luck!
As a corollary to my earlier comment, I would add that trying to learn a Latinized (i.e. written in the Latin alphbet) version of Russian words just adds a whole level of unnecessary headache. Not all letters in the Russian alphabet map directly onto English letters (they have more vowels than we do, for example), and vice versa.
As a non-native Russian speaker, I find it far harder to read Russian that has been written phonetically in the Latin alphabet than it is to read the Cyrillic version, because you have to first try and work out what word that spelling is supposed to mean, before you can concentrate on whether you recognise the word!
in south slavic languages "eto mama" can mean "eto mame", which means "mom is coming!"
When saying "This is..." it's always это. For эта you would need to be saying "This mom"
English: This is a mom. Russian: Это мама. Turkish: Bu anne. AM/IS/ARE and A/AN not necessary in Russian and Turkish.
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I can't hear the "a" at the end of the recording. It sounds like "ето мам" or "ето ман" to me. Are there silent "a"s in Russian?
It's just because it's unstressed, so it is pronounced rather weakly, like schwa/the neutral vowel, kind of like "u" in "supply". It's not silent though. There are no silent "a"s in Russian, at least I don't remember any. source: I'm a native.
Not really, if you consider the register. "Мама" is sort of a diminutive, informal form, like "mom" or "mommy" or whatever. "Мать" is more formal, like "mother".
For more tips on russian phonetic -> http://learnrussian.rt.com/phonetics/ & http://masterrussian.com/aa032301b.shtml
its better to have a look at these before you start so you get the basic pronounciations
What is the sound of "о" in "это"? It sounds like "eh". I am a complete beginner to russian.
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"Это" is in fact pronounced as "Эта" because the stress in this word is on the first syllable "Э". Whenever the stress is not on "O" it is pronounced as "A". It can be tricky sometimes and even native Russian speakers can make mistakes with it, but in their own way - some of them can write "A" where the correct spelling is "O".
I bet it has already been explained somewhere, but anyway...
Could you add certain coloquials such as "mom/mum, rubbish/trash..." and so on?
Those aren't colloquialisms. Mum and Rubbish are British English words. The site really only focuses on American English. It would be a lot of work to teach different dialects though, since it really isn't just American versus British English. There's also Scottish, Irish, Canadian, Newfoundland, Southern, and so on. You can use the report button to make a suggestion on any topic.
Is there a difference in sound between the unstressed о of это and the а of эта? I heard this as эта мама - this mum.
Thanks. But if this is a valid way to hear this phrase, perhaps Duolingo should allow it as a possible correct answer?
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I am sorry, but definitely no. It's just one of the cases when correct spelling differs from correct pronunciation.
I was talking about the dictation exercises! If you can't hear a difference, how do you know which to write down?
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There is a difference in meaning between written "это" and "эта". Do you think that it should be ignored?
Edit: How do you know when to write there and their?
@Zeitschleifer: in a audio exercise? By context - their will have no verb between it and the noun, there must have a verb betwwen it and the noun.
But Это - мама and эта мама both make sense in Russian - one cannot hear the punctuation!
[I am not saying that the written forms should be treated as equivalent!]
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I have to agree that this is a tricky example. But I think that the distinction can be made by intonation (if I am not imagining it). In the sentence "Эта мама." the word "эта" would be stressed as it is the key one. In an example like this: "- Какая/которая мама? - Эта мама." I don't think I hear it in the example above (I hope I am not biased by reading before listening).
Can someone please tell me how people learn to prunounce things in russian? Do you use duolingo?
The first word you learn in russian "mom" .. seconds later "home" .. i wonder when i will start hearing "mother land" and "one party" .
There is a difference in register. A correct translation needs to match both meaning and register.
мама = mum, mom, mama etc.
мать = mother
I am new to this language and its really weird to hear because I know Spanish; it had letters from the English alphabet whereas Russian has foreign-looking letters and they sound different thatn they look. Help??
Have you read the Tips & Notes? If you still need help after that, there is a Memrise course on the Cyrillic alphabet.
If you want to learn Cyrillic I'd recommend learning it separately from the language. Just like we learn the Roman alphabet as children starting with letters and then moving to words once we know the letters, I've found its helpful to learn the letters on their own before attempting to learn the words. One way of doing this is to practice writing English (or whatever language you speak natively) words and sentences using the Cyrillic equivalents of the letters or sounds. For example, "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" would become "Тхе куик бровн фокс джумпед овер тхе лазй дог." Note that you can't create perfect transliterations some of the time, but it does help with learning the alphabet. To learn the pronunciation, first learn a Russian accent in English. This will help to get a feel for the sound, and then when you learn the alphabet as it lines up with the Roman alphabet, reading out loud with the proper pronunciation will not be nearly as hard.
Personally, I think that having to add the keyboard for this is annoying. I would rather have the on-screen Cyrillic keyboard. I understand that technically "learning the alphabet" isn't part of learning Russian, but I already know the alphabet but don't have the keyboard memorized. There has to be an easier way to make this work without resorting to transliteration
Yes, they are two different letters. I dont know why duo is acceping them xD 'е' is pronounced more like 'yeh' and 'э' is like 'eh'
It is the other way round (usually). And the main difference is the palatalization of the consonant that comes before Е and the lack thereof for Э.
- or the presence of Y-sound at the beginning of Е, which is the case when it does not follow a consonant
- Е stands for Э in many words of foreign origin (e.g., кафе, терияки, компьютер). It usually affects fronted consonants (т,д, partially с, ф) and depends on how long the word has been in Russian. Older words tend to switch to "normal" pronunciation.
ok so i am currently taking two courses and i started today, am i over packing my brain?
Don't stress... Languages are all about love... If you push youself you will fatigue and end up giving up.... Start with a daily goal, depending on your training mood. Completing duolingo course is a goal, but what will make you learn in reviewing. Good luck.
The word doesn't really mean "the" per se. It's closer to "this" and a literal translation would be "this mom." They don't have the equivalent to "the", so when translating you do it by context instead. In this case saying "This is mom" is pretty much the same as saying "She is mom" even if it's not a direct translation.
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So this was my first translation question for the newly-begun russian course, but will Duolingo ever teach me the russian alphabet or will I have to teach myself and then switch it on in here?
Duo will sort of "show" you the alphabet while you do the exercises in that first section. I think, like much of Duo, there is an expectation that it will sink in as you go. There is a rundown of it in the notes section available in the browser, and there is a thread as well regarding keyboards, etc. I finally used a Memrise course called "the Russian Alphabet" to really drill the Cyrillic. I'm still working very hard on sounding out words. I find that tons of repetition is necessary, esp for proper spelling. I just did the first section repeatedly for a while.
I can't find the first letter for 'this is' on the Russian keyboard on my phone :( it's like є, but backwards. Am I using the wrong keyboard?? Does anyone know which on is the correct keyboard (my phone is a Samsung Galaxy J7)?
Make sure you're using the right language. It should be ру́сский for the Russian one.
yo why tf duolingo not gonna teach us the cyrillic alphabet before the actual language so we can recognize the symbols lmao
I typed in "This is my mom" as the translation and was told it was correct, but as I'm reading the comments I see that many people simply say "This is mom." I'm very very new to this language, and sort of dabbling right now not dedicating as much time as I should (I'm interested for a course in linguistics that I'm taking to teach English to speakers of other languages).
I am under the impression that "eto" is a demonstrative determiner determining "mama," but I'm unsure why "This is MY mom" also worked as a translation.
i typed this is mama, but it said it was incorrect saying that it's "mom" not "mama", but it's the same thing.
I also grew up in a strictly English speaking home and used the word mama for my mother. My child also calls her "mom" mama
Let me ask you something. As a Brazilian, my native language is Portuguese, but IMO, my English is very good too. Duolingo do not offers this Russian course to Portuguese speakers, so I'm taking it in English. My question is: Should I "double translate" for a learning purpose? I mean, when taking notes, get what the course gives me in English and translate it to Portuguese, or would it be better if I just keep thinking in English? I guess Russian is more closer to English than it is to Portuguese so for now I'm just taking notes in English.
I truly don't know what's best. If your English is good you'd be much faster thinking in English whenever you need translations or explanations. Every course comes to an end; the Russian course here is no exception. When it happens you will no longer be bound by the source language you had to select.
On the other hand, English and Russian do not map perfectly. A very vivid example is the verb заниматься that does not translate very well. Some words or concepts may have a closer match in Portuguese, some in English. If you are making a set of flashcards to memorize verb conjugation, "читаете" would simply be "ledes" in Portuguese but "(you (plural)) read" in English. Guess what is shorter and easier.
- then again, Russian past tense forms comes from participles, so they do not conjugate but rather agree in gender and number.
Thank you Shady. I guess I'll just keep thinking in English for this course. I understand that both languages might not map exactly but even in "sisters" languages, like Portuguese and Spanish, it doesn't as well. But as far as I could see, the majority of words in Russian that are similar to Portuguese words, are also similar in English (like radio and metro). But I'm not sure about phrases structure. I guess this is not so similar to English nor Portuguese.
В русском произношение нечеткое, слово "это" может произноситься как "этА", "эт"
В русском there is/there are - это одно слово - ,,Это" Например: Это яблоко. Это дети.
This hasnt got anything to do with the sentence but does anyone know how to type in russian wuthout turning it to your default language?? Lel
I still don't know how to pronounce "зто". It sounds like "etah", is it right?
How can I change it to the Russian alphabet? I don't know the letters and want to learn. I have an latin keyboard, so don't know if that means I can't?
To switch the exercises to Cyrillic, click the Aa-Яя switch near the top left of the screen during a lesson. And to type in Cyrillic, you need to install a Russian keyboard.
Mm, I'm confused o.o So это refers to 'this/that/it is' ? I typed 'this is mom' and got it wrong ^^"
'This is mom' is the correct and best translation for this sentence. Maybe you typed it in English when you were supposed to type in Russian instead?
"Как ёлку от цепей освободить?" -What does this mean?I tried Google translate but it gave a weird answer
where did you get the sentence from? lmao one of my russian friends said it was very strange and rude
Really? I cannot see anything funny about the sentence. It just means "How do you unchain a spruce?" It might be that your friend sees some well-hidden joke here that I don't.
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I suppose I do have a spare physical keyboard I could doll up with stickers for using this on my desktop. But much easier to use my phone!
Im here to learn Russian because i want to go to the World Cup in Russia next year!
I'm using Windows 10 mnemonic russian keyboard but i don't know how to type Э. Could somebody help me?
It is "je". Of course, it is absolutely counter-intuitive. However, Е is a much more common letter in Russian than Э, so it makes sense for a keyboard to have "е" typed as easily as possible.
I've put "That's mom" and it corrected me as below, which is simply wrong.
You need the article "a" here. That's a mom
Why can't "мама" be translated as "mama"? Pretty common synonym for "mom" in english.
You should be able to translate this as This is Mama, but it won't let me.
I said exactly this " this is mom" and it said I was wrong for not using a period or a cap.
what the heck. on top of this discussion it says the proper translation ist 'this is mom'. thats exactly what i type in and its wrong then and there they say it has to be 'This is a mom'
Why was I marked wrong for "this is mama"? I've only ever called her mama, never mom. Reporting it.
Hey guys. If someone wants to practise Russian, text me here https://m.facebook.com/manguberdy.polvannazarov i will glad to help you
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Why does the voices sound so robotic (goggle translator style or so)? It's weird...
I've got wrong because in no one place explains that eto means "this IS mom"
There's no need for any accents; mama should be accepted. If not, please notify us! Thanks :)
I have given up on trying to get the keyboard thing for now, I keep google translate open in another tab, and write it, and then copy it and paste it. there are other virtual keyboards you can do this with, if you search for russian virtual keyboard. Or you can use the EnglishUnited States -International Keyboard, With this I can write Äá êôéçà etc. I think any accent you need for russian is there.
This is the real basic stuff I can say Becuase I can rember it is so basic And I like it a lot
I haven't got the kyrillic alphabet on my computer. Therefor I get frequent "you've got a typo" messages
That is no wonder. Bеliеvе it or not, "m" and "м" are different characters in computer memory. Even "а" and "a" are, despite А, а, О, о, Е, е, С, с, Р, р and A, a, O,o, E, e, C, c, P, p looking exactly the same in almost every single font that has Cyrillics.
My first paragraph, by the way, does not have the word "believe". Try running a search ;).
There is a switch a-я at top left of screen before you start the exercises.
Why would this question provoke 195 comments?
So guys, how did you get it to actually type in the Russian Alphabet? 'Cause I am trying (I am a newbie and trying my best to learn the language) but it just types in the English lettering instead of allowing me to put in the correct letters. How do I fix it? Or can I? Thanks for your help!
Hello to everyone! I'm native russian speaker and I can help you to study russian to study by the programm russian for foreigners. You can write me by the email: happy.olesia@gmail.com
Join this group to practice with natives
I didnt understand eto but know mom in french is mama so I just guessed
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is there a word in russian that is "is"? If u translate Eto Mama, should it be This mom?
I think hardest part is memorising it. I already took a course and at there our teacher uses handwriting alphabet. So that d is a bit awkward for me. Will it always go like that? Or should i learn alphabet first and than go for course?
Pedagogically very unsound to ask students to "guess" a word they have not yet come across!!
I am unable to type the accents with my keyboard. No virtual keyboard is offered.
if you go to your keyboard settings then you can add a russian keyboard. that's what i've done on my phone and computer
this is helpful, but I'm not sure how to do it on my tablet. The lessons are good except that I'm confused about pronunciation and the Cyrillic characters.
por lo que se ""mom = мать" y no mama como lo ponen es ilógico y podrían poner un teclado virtual por lo menos para este curso XD y hacerlo para hispano hablantes u.U
