Russian Alphabet Introduction
Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet, consisting of 33 letters. It was created in the 9th century by the Saint Cyril and Methodius. Unlike English, each letter corresponds to a single sound.
The Rolling 'R' Sound
The Russian 'р' is famously rolled. It's a trilled sound much like in Spanish or Italian. Mastering the 'р' is crucial for pronunciation and is a distinctive feature of the language.
Noun Cases Matter
Russian has six noun cases that affect nouns, pronouns, and adjectives. They are instrumental in indicating the noun's role in a sentence. This complexity often surprises new learners.
Verbal Aspect Uniqueness
Unlike English, Russian verbs have 'aspects' to indicate the action's completeness. The imperfective aspect describes ongoing actions, while the perfective is for completed actions.
Gender Affects Adjectives
Adjectives in Russian change their form depending on the gender of the noun they describe. There are three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Each has different adjective endings.
Soft and Hard Sounds
Russian phonetics include 'soft' and 'hard' indicators. A soft sign 'ь' makes the preceding consonant soft, while a hard sign 'ъ' separates a consonant from a following 'e' sound.
Russian's French Influence
The Russian language surprisingly borrowed words from French in the 18th-19th centuries. Aristocracy often spoke French, leading to many French words in Russian, especially in cultural and culinary terms.
How many letters in Russian alphabet?
26 letters
33 letters
31 letters
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