Whether you are planning on traveling to Russia or have a passion for learning languages, learning Russian can be hard if you don’t know where to start. Although I have no immediate plans of visiting Russia, some of my friends are from Ukraine and Russia, and I have found the Slavic language to be quite fascinating! So far, the only word I know is “da” (yes), so I decided to jumpstart by Russian skills by finding the best apps for learning Russian right on my phone. After searching the web for the best language learning apps, I found a site called AppGrooves that has a top 10 list of the best Russian learning apps. You can check out the full list here:
The Best Apps for Learning Russian
After checking out some of the apps, I reviewed my top 3 favorites.
Duolingo – Rating: 4.7, Downloads: 100M+
My first pick is Duolingo. I found it to be a great choice for both beginners and advanced learners. The lessons are totally free, and you can easily find a lesson plan that fits your skill level by taking a placement test that checks your knowledge of the Russian alphabet, words, grammar and more! I found the lessons to be fun and bite-sized, which is great for taking your Russian learning with you everywhere you go. I also liked that if you make a mistake you instantly get explanations with English to Russian translations, so you can easily understand the inner workings of the language.
Although Duolingo is great for learning vocabulary, grammar and practicing pronunciation, there is no option to chat live with other Russian speakers. However, you can participate in daily challenges with the Duolingo community and you can also couple it with my other top pick HelloTalk to practice your speaking skills. I did practice some of the words I learned with my Russian friends, and they were impressed with my pronunciation!
Pros: Bite-sized lessons, great for beginners and advanced users, daily challenges
Cons: No option for chatting with Russian speakers, for detailed explanations go to web version
Overall: Great for learning Russian with bite-sized lessons but look elsewhere to practice your conversational skills
HelloTalk – Rating: 4.4, Downloads: 5M+
HelloTalk is my second pick. Instead of taking the traditional language learning approach, HelloTalk is all about practicing your conversational skills by chatting with real native speakers from all over the world. I found it to be a great companion app to other language learning apps like Duolingo and Learn Russian Vocabulary. You can chat by message, phone, and video, and you might end up making new friends while you’re at it. I also liked that there are many language learning tools to help you in your conversation, like language translation, grammar correction, transliteration and more!
Beginners might find HelloTalk a bit challenging because you do jump straight into the language by chatting with other Russian speakers. I would recommend starting with a language learning app like Duolingo first and then using HelloTalk to practice your conversational skills. Although I didn’t know enough Russian to have a full conversation, the native speakers I was paired up with were extremely kind and helpful in teaching me the basics. I ended up having a great time and gained a little bit of confidence in my Russian skills too!
Pros: Practice conversational skills, chat with native speakers, language learning tools
Cons: No language lessons, might be too challenging for beginners
Overall: Great for practicing your conversational skills but you might find it a bit challenging if you are completely new to the language
Learn Russian Vocabulary – Rating: 4.5, Downloads: 1M+
Learn Russian Vocabulary is my third pick. I found it to be a great choice for expanding your Russian vocabulary, with a library of supposedly more than 6,000 words complete with images, translations, and audio recordings by native speakers. Everything is organized neatly in categories, so you can easily find a topic you want to learn about. Another plus I found is that you can switch up the lessons by choosing from 7 different game modes. Although Learn Russian Vocabulary was my favorite pick for learning Russian vocabulary, AppGrooves had some other great apps that came really close to making it on my list. If you want more options for expanding your Russian vocabulary, check out their top 3 list here:
Best Apps for Learning Russian Vocabulary & Phrases by AppGrooves
Keep in mind that Learn Russian Vocabulary doesn’t have language lessons for grammar or syntax. If you are looking for an app that will walk you through the basics from start to finish, then I recommend my first pick Duolingo. However, I found the vast library of Russian words to be a great supplement for learning Russian, so you can quickly refresh your memory on words you’ve learned or find new ones to pick up when you are on-the-go.
Pros: More than 6,000 Russian words, 7 lesson game modes, categorized topics
Cons: No grammar or syntax lessons
Overall: Handy phrasebook for learning new Russian words on the go, but look elsewhere for grammar or syntax lessons
These are my top 3 picks for learning Russian. So far, I’ve kept all of them on my phone as they each offer unique language learning tools that complement each other really well. Whether you are looking for Russian lessons to learn the language from scratch, a handy phrasebook to expand your Russian vocabulary or a way to practice your conversational skills, you will find exactly what you need. Happy Russian learning!
