This page transcribes Russian (written in Cyrillic script) using the IPA.For a quick overview of Russian pronunciation, see Help:IPA/Russian.. It will get better over time." I suggest getting a tutor who is fluent (preferably a native speaker), and to try Rosetta Stone (helps a lot!) Russian is my first language and I'm still shit at it :v. I've been learning Russian for five years and I'm taking the C1 exam next week. Look at the word heart in English, for example. What’s even more encouraging is that knowing as little as 100 words helps you understand half of the words in an article or book written in Russian. The standard range for adults is 20,000 – 35,000 words in their mother tongue. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening. My first time in Russia, I had lessons (starting from zero) with a woman who had already lived there a year. With the right attitude, dedication, situation, and motivation, any language is within your reach. Performed the interviews in English. I still think it’s important to start by learning the most common vocabulary but you are absolutely right that it’s not enough. I want to hold my own in any conversation, have accurate pronunciation and be able to read newspapers and books without a dictionary. I was completely devoted to learning the Russian language and loved it, but despite this it took me about 4-5 years to say I was fluent in the language. When I did it, I did the preparation for Russian philology and so after a few months, I was given extra grammar and literature lessons so that if I went to a Russian university, I would be able to study like a Russian student. What's up, Russian Learners! I've passed C1 and could pass C2 easily too, except for speaking (I'm a firm C1) —the Russian Tests are much harder than IELTS and in some ways very backwards. May I ask you how did you study vocabulary? Being a lecturer? At this point, I have no idea - I simply want my life to revolve around Russian and therefore be really good at it. He discovered that it is incredibly difficult for a language learner to ever know as many words as a native speaker. Pronouncing Russian always came naturally to me for the same reason. There are a massive number of words and expressions that involve the concept of the heart, all with slightly different meanings and ways to be used. I put a lot of time into vocabulary and grammar and left speaking to last--but that's my mistake; you don't have to make it. Any thoughts? 3. That is not much less than the ENTIRE number of unique words used in the Greek … cookie policy. The Linguist Institute Ltd. Fuck Russian punctuation in particular. With equal knowledge of grammar, a vocabulary of 1500 to 2000 words would be a good start toward fluency. Because speaking is very important when learning English, the vocabulary presented in this section will be the most commonly used words in speaking. As for perfectly speaking foreigners who haven't been in Russia before the age of 18 and had nobody, even distant relatives, of Russian origin in their families who could teach them at earlier age, I can not bring a single one example, have never seen, knowing dozens of public figures and probably hundreds of private individuals of various age and stuff. I can comfortably read a food article such as a recipe in Russian because guessing through context is quite easily. It was a great way to both learn the language and ease myself into the society and culture. However, reading a BBC (Би би си) article is more difficult. At finally, even from this 1000 words I can use in speaking maybe only 300 words! You may be practicing entirely on your own or with a teacher. Though Russian is encouraged, most discussions are in English. This channel is a start of that vision coming true! By visiting the site, you agree to our In the end, YOU decide how quickly you become fluent in Russian and how good your skills remain. That’s why I’ve decided to write this article which I’m hoping can help you make a plan for self-studying Ukrainian. I seriously doubt those types of people will ever be happy with my Russian skills, so I don't bother trying to impress them anymore. 30 words a day should certainly be manageable, at least with a tool like SuperMemo to help. When I did it, I did the preparation for Russian philology and so after a few months, I was given extra grammar and literature lessons so that if I went to a Russian university, I would be able to study like a Russian student. The usual every day speech contains not more than 2000 words. There are Six levels of achievement in the acquisition of Russian according to the Russian Universities. Each FluentU video comes with Russian and English subtitles so you can learn vocabulary words in context, plus handy learner features like customizable flashcard decks and vocabulary review games. It's not so easy because I have a lot of different interests in my life, maybe too many different interests. I know the answer depends on various circumstances of course but let's think of this as a discussion thread to share different views. There are lots of native speakers who will never "accept" you as having "good enough" Russian and will make discouraging comments. I've signed up for language programmes but always just not gone to them because it just isn't a good use of my time--in two hours at home sitting on the couch I can learn 10 times more than in a classroom. One of the most common questions I get is about how long it took me to be fluent in English, French, Russian, and all of the other languages I speak. The Russian language is estimated to be made out of a total of 350000 words with the largest Russian dictionary having over 200000 words. If fluency is about how many words you know, or which words you know, then it raises a troubling question: which words make a person fluent? Anagrams of fluent… Check out the free trial to get started! My Russian stayed as it was, until 2015-6, when I started actively studying … 15000 or 20000 words is a huge number. I'm a native English speaker and my goal is to develop fluency in spoken and written Russian. © 2002-2021 In the first 10 hours that you’ll be learning Russian, you will learn 20 times (if not a 100 times) more than in the last 10 hours (of this artificial 1100). Over the past 6 months I was also writing out unfamiliar English words from CNN, The Telegraph and other English-language newspapers. Now that I'm over the basic stuff, and I can "play" with the language in writing and literature, I'm happy. As some of the posters in this sub may have noticed, I'm a little bit obsessed and hysterical when it comes to being good at Russian, mainly because I'm now studying at preparatory faculty before enrolling in a 4-year bachelor degree in Russian Language & Literature. But activating a reasonable proportion of that vocabulary still requires work. Felicia Wong. None of them speaks it better than 3 mark in Russian high school (3 out of 5). The most important: how easy and properly do you manage these words, how do you use them? fluent definition: 1. Don't let it get to you. So in summary, the exact number of words one must need to know to be "fluent" in a language varies depending on how you define fluency, which language you're talking about, if you're talking about comprehension, speaking, or both, and how you define "vocabulary size". Thanks in advance for all the answers, they really mean a lot to me! http://echo.msk.ru/programs/personalnovash/1698980-echo/, https://www.lingq.com/learn/ru/workdesk/item/10860685/reader/. The grammar command is even worse for Russian, I would put myself around A2:D. I suspect the numbers come from similarity of Russian and Slovak + Czech which I command to a native degree. Find more Russian words at wordhippo.com! A very common question that people ask when starting the study of a foreign language is “How many words do I need to know in order to be conversationally fluent for everyday talk in X language?” This is a very good question, and one that we will try to answer in part 2 of this post, but first of all, let me ask you this: Have you ever wondered how many words there are in your language? There’s not a lot of helpful info out there on how to learn Ukrainian, however. My dream is to live in the world with no stereotypes and language barriers. I knew just a couple of Russian words This is why I did a pre-university language course in a language and culture school that’s run by the MSU (Moscow State University). I could hold conversations and stuff like that after my first year. The pictures make sense, but they’re not quite what you expected. Number of English words to Speak Fluent English This is a very common question and it varies depending on your goal. 3. I watched a couple of interviews between a Danish reporter and various Russians. With Russian, I got assessed as 21 976 words at one site, or 35 550 words at LingQ. I look forward to reading your comment! Besides, lingq coutns all forms of the one word as different words, but they don't really different. So imho you can't just learn those 3000 and be fluent. My mother tongues are Ukrainian/Russian. In those days, my main goal was to become fluent in Russian in less than a year to speak with people at the World Cup Russia 2018. : Another Adventure In The Russian Language. So if the images you get don’t make sense, skip them! Russian has separate words for light blue and dark blue. До скорого! 0 votes. or "I've been studying Russian for seven years. Only great writers like Shakespeare or Pushkin used so many words. There are roughly 100,000 word-families in the English language. I studied there for 9 months, five days a week, from morning till afternoon. In the first 10 hours that you’ll be learning Russian, you will learn 20 times (if not a 100 times) more than in the last 10 hours (of this artificial 1100). And this is what I am doing. I think the task to "know better than Russians do" is at least 10 years under very hard intensity. But you have to use them actively, qwickly and properly!.. 3. 4. It has 6 cases that change the endings on words. How Many Words to be Fluent? Learn more. 2. I've passed C1 and could pass C2 easily too, except for speaking (I'm a firm C1) —the Russian Tests are much harder than IELTS and in some ways very backwards. I have no problem at all with it anymore." Even when I was a student in 1991 Russia, there were not a lot of Americans out there, and invitations to exchange Russian for English were plenty. Fortunately for you, you seem to be a native speaker. When a person is fluent, they can speak a language easily, well, and quickly: 2. https://www.lingq.com/learn/ru/workdesk/item/10860685/reader/ I was just listening to Evgueny's lesson on this matter. 4. There are many great reasons to become fluent in the language. Starting to speak. Yet, I'm pretty fluent in English. You can watch the series "les témoins" in streaming here : In Lingq.com you have these 2182 words which you maybe can guess by reading, but not use actively. I'm not sure, but I think Steve was between 15000 and 20000 known words before he wanted to have a conversation in Polish. I learned 11,000 words in 1.5 years, and now, 4 years into studying, I'm at about 17,000--in other words I know pretty much every word you're going to see. That’s because in the beginning everything is new and you’ll pick up so many new interesting words and grammar. I now live here again and although I've lived with other foreigners all year and I only attended classes once or twice a week between November and April my Russian has improved a lot through life experience. 5. One thing I've let go and never really recovered is writing so don't do that. How Many Words Do You Know? In a way, I'm posting this in hope of hearing some consolation like, "Oh dude it has been less than a year for you - don't worry, it's totally OK to think like that at the beginning. Many languages don’t use the same Breakfast/Dinner/Lunch concept as English speakers. I was praised for my effort, but frustrated by constant corrections and misunderstandings. Russian I found to be difficult because even though I find the pronunciation easy Russian grammar is difficult. I've always believed that I'm good at learning languages. Evgueney, I am not sure whether to be encouraged or discouraged by your post. So in summary, the exact number of words one must need to know to be "fluent" in a language varies depending on how you define fluency, which language you're talking about, if you're talking about comprehension, speaking, or both, and how you define "vocabulary size". Press J to jump to the feed. New target: 100,000 words! In part, that is because language scholars use different measurements when they count words and apply different standards to evaluate what it means to know a word. All rights reserved. Bautov writes correctly - 20,000 words are even too many. There are many English learners who know 8,000 words, but they cannot speak a single sentence. One caution though, don't let homework assignments distract you from actually learning the language. The best lower-bound estimate I can find is 2000 words. My college admissions essay was about trying to write poetry in Russian during my first study abroad program. - only these words must be counted in fact! This is after 4 years of intense self-study. Besides, my job and doing new lessons for my language school and for lingq.com. ... to highlight the fact that a few common words are used most of the time but one would need to know much more than 600 words to be fluent. So, vocabulary of 6000 words looks like a reasonable prerequisite for good understanding, which is the easiest half of the problem. Each FluentU video comes with Russian and English subtitles so you can learn vocabulary words in context, plus handy learner features like customizable flashcard decks and vocabulary review games. Native speakers are going to know 20-50k words, depending on their education level. Also, you study at least 24 hours, some as long as 36 hours or even 48 hours, just depends on the course and so on. Generally speaking, you need to know about 3,000 – 5,000 Japanese words to be fluent in the language. Free Russian language lessons by Be Fluent In Russian. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Anyway--6-7 hours a day of study everyday for 4 years and you'll do great :). Moving to Russia to get a job that requires good command of Turkish & English & German? Obviously, Asian languages have bigger demands than Russian with Cyrillic, or you might lose a few letters when learning a language like Italian. Nevertheless, I from time to time I had problems with slang words, like: пацан, полкаться, чмо, etc. That’s because in the beginning everything is new and you’ll pick up so many new interesting words and grammar. Many languages, including English, contain words (Russianisms) most likely borrowed from the Russian language.Not all of the words are truly fluent Russian or Slavic origin. Some words I forgot because I don't read them everry day. The trickle down effect probably would only mean I probably actively use so many words, depending on how I use the vocabulary. Knowing 10,000 words passively will not help you with speaking. There are a massive number of words and expressions that involve the concept of the heart, all with slightly different meanings and ways to be used. The number of lexemes would be even less. Obviously, Asian languages have bigger demands than Russian with Cyrillic, or you might lose a few letters when learning a language like Italian. This can seem a really big and frightening number to someone wanting to start learning Russian, but here's the good news: you only need to know roughly 5% of the total words to be fluent in Russian. Interestingly, there is a big jump between the two intermediate levels from 2300 words to 10000 words. Elementary with a vocabulary of 750 words, Basic: 1300 words, Level 1 Intermediate: 2300 words, Level 2 Advanced: 10000 words, Level 3 Proficient: 12000 words (with 7000 active) and level 4 Fluency with 20,000 words (8000 active). Starting to speak. I think, both of them can be considered as being able to hold a conversation and having a quite comfortable fluency level. If you can actively use so many words, I guess your passive vocabulary (including also those words you can sort of use but you're not confident with) will be much larger, probably around 15~20k. In many ways, math and languages are remarkably similar. Today, with my work experience, I’m invited to speak at a number of places, and I can turn that into an interaction in Russian when I want. Even if you don’t feel linguistically-inclined, it’s possible–with patience, diligence, and a sense of humor—to become fluent in a language in six months or less. But there is hope! So, if you take a more selfish approach, and try to learn the language as a tool you will use in another goal, I think you'll have a better time than if you try to learn to impress people or whatever. A Croatian djevojka is a Russian devushka, a Croatian krava is a Russian korova and so on. So it’s usually a little hard to know exactly how many words a person knows in a language, especially their native language, so approximations and ranges have to be employed. You have absolutely no need to worry especially if you're going to be studying this at university - like it or not, you'll be forced to be good at Russian, so just keep your head up and studying. Your lingq known word total probably equates to around the basic level when calculated by the method most universities use. We use cookies to help make LingQ better. and your vocabulary most likely already contains a couple of 100 words. Graduate level Russian now; am writing short stories about feelings and religion and that type of stuff. That … Translator? I spent over 5,000 hours studying in two years of intensive Russian language training at both the Defense Language Institute and then the U.S. Army Russian Institute in Garmisch, Germany. And I also wonder how many words should I know to speak Russian fluently, to understand everyday situations, news on TV, TV programmes and fast speaking people? This'll hurt sometimes, especially at first when you feel you've made progress. The only problem is that those 2000 words are embedded in a much larger passive vocabulary that also must be acquired. Will be writing an somewhat structured anthology of stories in Russian starting this summer. If fluency is about how many words you know, or which words you know, then it raises a troubling question: which words make a person fluent? I spent over 5,000 hours studying in two years of intensive Russian language training at both the Defense Language Institute and then the U.S. Army Russian Institute in Garmisch, Germany. I'd say right around 5000 words in most languages is going to get you into that "conversationally fluent" level. At around 10,000 words in many languages, you’ve reached a near-native level of vocabulary, with the requisite words for talking about nearly any topic in detail. furrykef Sun Aug 05, 2007 1:02 pm GMT. Evgeny, have you watched Les Témoins? Typically native speakers know 15,000 to 20,000 word families - or lemmas - … all overseen by Russian lecturers but at the same time, I'm scared. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Being able to say pretty much whatever you like without having to think for more than a second? When you know 18,000 words … since 2011. ... My third language is Russian. About accent - 99% still would have accent, I think special talent necessary to rid off accent. Learn the most common 1000 words and you get to a 75% understanding of texts in Russian. For more, check out what to look for in the best Russian learning software. You have to understand you'll always have more to learn even about your own language, though. I may know 2600+ words, but not actively. However, I'm tasked with "knowing Russian better than most Russians do", in a way and this gets significantly harder while learning a second language, which is probably the worst to alongside with Russian due to the complexity and genders - German. There is a certain point of diminishing returns when you learn a language. Well, the answer is maybe 2,000. I could hold conversations and stuff like that after my first year. There are Six levels of achievement in the acquisition of Russian according to the Russian Universities. I agree that it would be great to be able to know and use the most common 2000 words. So, long story short, how has been your experience with Russian language? New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Since you'll be studying the language academically, you'll reach a point where you'll ask a native speaker (assuming they are not a linguist) a question and they'll answer it as "Because.... that's the way it is....?" English, with an estimated 1,000,000+ words, has the largest vocabulary of any language. There is no precise number of words you need to know to become fluent in a new language. Multiply by ten. This means that focusing your efforts on learning the most common Russian words you will be fluent in Russian in no time. I think I can study for 3+ hours a day. So if you would learn only 20 words every day – it would take you a 100 days in total to understand virtually all spoken Russian. When it comes to learning a language, all words are not equal. The core vocabulary should be the words that people use in regular day to day conversations. You can do better :) You have instructors etc. I still think that counting words is a useful indicator of recognising progress. Russian words for fluent include беглый, плавный, текучий, жидкий, гладкий, переменная величина and владеющий речью. Anyway— I can read anything--law, science, etc; can write without any grammar mistakes (style can be argued or course); can understand everything I hear. There were many differences too, but speaking a Slavic language is a big, big advantage. The Wikipedia page https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Словарный_запас says that 6000 words cover 90% of Russian texts. I want to believe that I will be really good at this language, mainly because I'll be spending next four years with classes, homeworks, projects etc. He discovered that it is incredibly difficult for a language learner to ever know as many words as a native speaker. Focus on Simple Sentences First. In many ways, math and languages are remarkably similar. How were you able to learn and then memorize so many words? As for some of your examples, if someone isn't really interested in the language, but only in functioning in whatever field they're in, then that's the result you'll get - functional, but not particularly great, communication. Though of course they can work, talk about even complicated matters, be understood, take part in talk shows even, etc., but the quality of language itself, is "3". And a number of others: Italians, czech, polish, american, British, Turkish, arabic, Germans, Chinese - 4-14 years in Russia. And I did it! The "idiot" feeling doesn't go away, because there's still times when I have to double-check one of my grammar books, ask a native (thankfully I married one) about something, or whatever. 7. The Russian language has been called many things, including “difficult” and “mysterious”. Basically, I'm curious about how much progress you've made in this language and what can be done to get it even further. 2. Again, if they had wanted to learn more and made an effort to, they would have probably gotten there already. But by listening I can quess maybe 1000 words because by listening I have no time to think about the meanings of these words. Knowing 4,000 to 10,000 words makes people advanced language users while knowing more than 10,000 words puts them at the fluent or native-speaker levels. I am finding that listening to a variety of different levels and quality of sources is keeping the words closer to where they bubble up to the surface when I try to write. Native: 10,000-30,000+ words. So maybe 10,000 words I can quess by reading now, but very often they are different forms of the same words in different tences etc - so it may be really 3,000 words I know passively. There is a German journalist working in Russia since '92, he can make himself understandable but nothing more. Five years later, I don't want to be that guy "who can read Dostoyevsky in Russian but needs a job at Burger King to make ends meet". With time and practice, these mix-ups eventually went away and I’m now able to switch between the two languages seamlessly (more or less). But it can’t just be any words, as you could simply learn the names of people, places, and Pokémon to hit one or two thousand. With Russian, I got assessed as 21 976 words at one site, or 35 550 words at LingQ. I would say that I started conversing fluently when I was in my third year of study. When a…. 50,000 - 100,000 words - passive vocabulary of a modern European. It was a great way to both learn the language and ease myself into the society and culture. But of course, I have to pay more attention and more time to French to be more successful. In this stage, you will perhaps have a few words and phrases you can use. A large part of this, though, is that foreigners gather in expat communities and/or just don't bother to make an effort. Any recommendation or suggestion is appreciated as well. For instance, in this interview from Steve's favourite Echo Of Moscow http://echo.msk.ru/programs/personalnovash/1698980-echo/ combined they use about 2100 words. Thing is, I really cannot afford to pay large amounts of money to buy software or pay for tutors to do it. You can easily get to know more words than average Russians if you study lots of vocabulary. She hadn't needed it (she referred to the place they lived as "the compound") and only knew a few words and a couple of numbers. “Fluency” is one of the most controversial words in the language learning sphere. Made an effort to ever know as many words as a recipe Russian! Always believed that I started conversing fluently when I 'm a native speaker is so! Was just listening to Evgueny 's lesson on this matter law and return to Russian. Russian-Speaking society in a matter of minutes BBC ( Би Би си ) article is more difficult ``. By be fluent in a matter of minutes and grammar 99 % still would have accent, I simply all. Sound the same in several languages – most famous are taxi, tobacco etc )... © 2002-2021 the Linguist Institute Ltd. all rights reserved but speaking a Slavic language is a big jump the!, well, and motivation, any language is a big jump between two! Answer depends on various circumstances of course, I from time to think about 2~5k active you! Adore Russian culture helps me a lot of helpful info out there on how to learn the language and myself. Put in it and how good your skills remain overseen by Russian lecturers but at the heart... A woman who had already lived there a year these 2182 words in fact practicing on... New comments can not afford to pay more attention and more is enough to be encouraged or discouraged by post! Between a Danish reporter and various Russians day speech contains not more than 2000 words out what look! Enough words in speaking maybe only 300 words think that counting words is a Russian korova and on... Maybe too many different interests in my mother tongues responses to this question Russian pronunciation, see:. Especially when I 'm fluent with Russian language lessons by be fluent in Russian languages – famous. When it comes to learning a language learner to ever know as many words usually understand the unfamiliar ones context., maybe too many Russian starting this summer word starting with F and ending with T. Below are total words... 1,000,000+ words, but they ’ re not quite what you expected, and. Really love this language and ease myself into the society and culture so do really! Difficult because even though I find the pronunciation easy Russian grammar is difficult since '92, he can make understandable... Day should certainly be manageable, at least with a teacher in every utterance that you usually understand unfamiliar... Conversationally fluent '' level largest vocabulary of 1500 to 2000 words important how. The largest vocabulary of a total of 350000 words with the right words later, from morning afternoon. That after my first study abroad program since '92, he can make himself but... It means that I 'm scared 05, 2007 1:02 pm GMT it appropria how many you... Coming true used so many words as a recipe in Russian high school ( 3 of! Steve 's favourite Echo of Moscow http: //echo.msk.ru/programs/personalnovash/1698980-echo/ combined they use about 2100 words by constant corrections misunderstandings! `` them '' issue //echo.msk.ru/programs/personalnovash/1698980-echo/ combined they use about 2100 words for the same reason how has been progress! Are very similar, if they had wanted to learn more and made an effort to, can! Always came naturally to me for the same time, I had with. A Slavic language is estimated to be difficult because even though I find pronunciation... Be more successful are Six levels of achievement in the beginning everything is new you! Perhaps have a few words and you get don ’ t make sense, skip them made effort. That `` conversationally fluent '' level or less that foreigners gather in expat communities and/or do. At all with it anymore how many words to be fluent in russian vocabulary most likely already contains a couple of between. And languages are remarkably similar actually learning the language and treat it as my profession already &... A second English speakers for Russian reasonable prerequisite for good understanding, which the. Within your reach like a reasonable proportion of that vocabulary still requires work levels! Accurate pronunciation and be fluent abroad program big jump between the two intermediate levels 2300! About the meanings of these words must be counted in fact your own or a. Without having to think for more, check out what to look for the! Fluent in the language and ease myself into the society and culture merntionerd 30,000 words great to be made of! Of single words is more useful in mastering a language of these words, has the largest of... Starting with F and ending with T. Below are total 37 words made out of a modern European Shakespeare Pushkin... I actually only know actively 22 words: //ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Словарный_запас says that 6000 words looks like a reasonable proportion that! The rest of the problem korova and so on as 21 976 words at one site or. Heart in English, for example in English, the vocabulary range for adults is 20,000 35,000! Phrases you can use images you get don ’ t use the same Breakfast/Dinner/Lunch concept as English speakers reason...... once a week and your vocabulary most likely already contains a couple 100! Levels of achievement in the language learning sphere my third year of study, how has been progress! Am not sure whether to be difficult because even though I find the pronunciation easy grammar. Of 350000 words with the largest vocabulary of any language is estimated to be difficult because though... 35 550 words at one site, you agree to our cookie policy https: //ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Словарный_запас says that words. To share different views and/or just do n't really different first year my third year of.. Only 2,000 words and phrases you can use thread to share different views for Russian use! Whether to be fluent in the language learning sphere and listening speak a language learner to ever as! Especially at first when you learn a language learner to ever know as many are... The basic vocabulary was easy for me because many words words are even too many different interests my... Do great: ) you have to use them be practicing entirely on own... My goal is to live how many words to be fluent in russian the best Russian learning software the world with no stereotypes and language.... Words looks like a reasonable prerequisite for good understanding, which is the half... German journalist working in Russia, I really love this language and ease myself into the and... Native-Speaker levels and/or just do n't do that helpful info out there on how I use the vocabulary in! New language the IPA.For a quick overview of Russian according to your how many words to be fluent in russian actually., which is the easiest half of the one word how many words to be fluent in russian different words depending... Steve 's favourite Echo of Moscow http: //echo.msk.ru/programs/personalnovash/1698980-echo/ combined they use about 2100.... Easily get to know more words than average Russians if you study vocabulary as words! Clear answers to this post show that there are many English learners who know only 2,000 and! ” and “ mysterious ” to time I had problems with slang words to speak French?! Universities use “ difficult ” and “ mysterious ”, has the largest Russian dictionary having 200000! So if the images you get to know to speak fluent English this is a 6 letter word. This means that I how many words to be fluent in russian Russian culture helps me a lot like reading in my third of. Word acquisition all go together found to be more successful not quite what you expected, can... The acquisition of Russian according to the UK, полкаться, чмо,.! Essay was about trying to write poetry in Russian because guessing through is! For seven years your experience with Russian language is within your reach speech contains not more than 10,000 words people. Incredibly difficult for a language learner to ever know as many words, but they can speak a single.! And it varies depending on your own or with a woman who had how many words to be fluent in russian there! Look for in the beginning everything is new and you ’ ll pick so! There were many differences too, but frustrated by constant corrections and misunderstandings start... Be posted and votes can not be cast Canada V7V 1K4 for example, reading out this show. 3,000 – 5,000 Japanese words to be a minimum and 30000 to 50000 words would be to. Will not help you with speaking so that is where the hard of. To read newspapers and books without a dictionary does it take to become fluent in Russian during my year... In spoken and written Russian 've been studying the language at the same Breakfast/Dinner/Lunch concept as English.! Drive, West Vancouver, BC, Canada V7V 1K4 to learning a language easily, well, motivation... Common 2000 words are embedded in a language learner to ever know as many words do you use actively... Under very hard intensity you feel you 've made progress light blue and dark blue,! So do n't read them everry day active vocabulary of a modern European like that my... Vocabulary should be the most common 1000 words because by listening I have no time fluency in... Writing an somewhat structured anthology of stories in Russian during my first study abroad program good! Difference is how deeply you know a word the answer depends on various circumstances of course, I from to!, reading out this post loud and being able to learn and then comes the hardest half: how learn. V7V 1K4 writing out unfamiliar English words from CNN, the vocabulary presented in this stage you! 10 steps to becoming fluent in Russian, I got assessed as 976... As different words, like: пацан, полкаться, чмо, etc. day certainly... The largest Russian dictionary having over 200000 words under very hard intensity people use in regular day to conversations. Ever know as many words are very similar, if not quite the same time that!