Russian · online, worldwide
Native Russian speaker · Russian as a foreign language for adults · PhD in Philology · 19 years of teaching
Russian has a reputation: six cases, a new alphabet, verbs that change shape depending on whether you walked or drove. All of that is real, and none of it is a reason to spend a year in silence before you are allowed to say something. We start with speaking, and the grammar arrives when you need it for a sentence you actually want to make.
What I teach
Adults at any level, complete beginners included. I have taught Russian to students in Hungary, France, Canada and Germany — almost all of them with no Slavic background at all, so nothing here assumes you have heard the language before.
You speak from the first lesson, in short pieces at first. The alphabet, the cases and the verbs of motion arrive when you need them for something you actually want to say — not as a syllabus to get through before you are allowed to talk.
“Irina is a very kind and understanding teacher. Her lessons have a warm, family-like atmosphere, which makes learning enjoyable. She always brings interesting and creative tasks that help us easily grasp even the more complex aspects of the Russian language.”
Flóra · Russian
How I work
They go out of date before they are printed, and the Russian in them is careful and tidy in a way no one actually speaks. I teach the Russian I speak at home with my family. Interviews, documentaries, series, articles, songs, news — the Russian you hear now.
I do not measure progress in levels. I measure it by what you can do: the first real conversation with your mother-in-law, a song you understand without looking up the words, a film you follow without subtitles, a joke you get while it is still funny.
Most of my students have demanding jobs — IT specialists, psychologists, HR managers, business owners. I know how hard it is to learn a language when your week is already full. I am patient, and we go at your speed.
Practical
We talk about what you need, and you decide whether I am the right teacher for you. Lessons are online, so the time zone is the only thing we have to agree on. If you happen to be in Budapest, we can also meet in person.