As we know, many of our students started to study Russian because they were fond of Russian literature. Their dream was to read one of the famous novels in the original one day. This is a very ambitious goal and we advise to go towards it systematically, developing skills step by step. Even if you are not that keen on Russian literature, reading skill is one of the most significant aspects of language. We want to give you several advice how to develop it and learn Russian language faster.
1. Choose the book for your level
Do not rush to read War and Peace at your first week of learning Russian language! Maybe it sounds obvious, but there should not be too many unfamiliar words in the book you read. The commonly accepted opinion is that the book suites your level if every 6-7th word in it is new for you. With such proportion of known and unknown words, you will have an opportunity to develop your vocabulary without constant stumbling on new words.
2. Alternate between thorough and out-of-focus reading
Basically, there are two approaches to reading. You can read slowly and attentively, thoroughly looking up all unfamiliar words in the dictionary and writing them down to your copybook. Or, on the contrary, read at a faster pace trying to identify the words’ meaning from the context. Both ways have its pros and cons. In the first case, you might quickly get tired and annoyed of monotonous work. The second one is simply not that efficient for your vocabulary. To keep the balance, you can, for instance read the beginning of the chapter “scrupulously” and then go faster. It is also quite natural to speed up at the stories climax, do not control this impulse. You will have a chance to pick up new words at the descriptive fragments.
3. Start with modern literature
Classical literature is wonderful, but it is littered with weird out-of-date words. You need not know them to speak fluently during your future travel to Russia. We advise you to try something newly published, as such books and magazines contain most actual collocations and slang. After absorbing modern expressions, you will feel confident, if you decide to study in Russia, do volunteering in our country, travel to St. Petersburg or any other Russian city. Read modern literature to tame up-to-date spoken language, it really works!
4. Choose simple genres
Maybe it is the thing you never read in your native language, but romance novels, detective stories and other uncomplicated pieces of literature are quite suitable for practicing reading. The easier the plot is, the faster you plunge into the story and the language. What is more, such books usually contain a lot of dialogues. They will prepare you for real communicative situations: at a shop, at your Russian language school, at the dinner with your host family (if you choose this type of accommodation, for example).
5. The subject must be interesting for you
When reading whatever in foreign language, you should stay interested, not just read because it is necessary. We have been talking a lot about simple genres, but you need not force yourself to read tabloids if the passion of your life is history. Follow your personal and professional interests, just start with some historical magazines instead of complicated encyclopedias. By the way, who knows, maybe you will make up your mind to undertake an internship in Russia. Then ability to talk on professional topics in Russian will be a great advantage.
