1. Russian Alphabet
Russian Alphabet contains 33 letters: 10 vowel letters that represent 6 vowels, and 21 consonant letters that represent 36 consonants, plus two special signs. The Russian alphabet is traditionally listed in the order from A to Я as shown here:
audio only:
You will find it relatively easy to get started with the Russian alphabet because many letters remind those in English.
Group 1: Same look and sound as in English.
There are six Russian letters that match their English counterparts by both pronunciation and form: M, K, T, A, E, O.
Group 2: Sound-alikes but different look.
There are sixteen Russian letters that do not exist in English but have familiar pronunciation: Б, Г, Д, Ё, Ж, П, Ф, И, Й, Л, Ц, Ш, Щ, Э, Ю, Я.
Group 3: Look-alikes but different sound.
8 Russian letters look like their English counterparts but have different pronunciation: X, Ч, В, З, Н, Р, С, У.
Group 4: New look and sound (or no sound).
The last group includes letters that do not exist in Latin alphabet and either represent unfamiliar sounds or have no sound value: Ы, Ъ, Ь
Ь The “soft sign” (мягкий знак) has no sound value, is used to modify the pronunciation of the preceding consonant by making it soft (palatalized).
Ъ The “hard sign” (твёрдый знак) has no sound value. It occurs only between a consonant and a vowel as in the word “въезд” (entry).
Задание: Watch the video, listen and repeat.
audio only:
Exercise 1.
Listen to the audio and pick or tap the correct letter.
