The biggest hurdle for beginners is the script, but many letters are actually "friends."

These look familiar but sound different: В = V (like Valentine) Н = N (like No) Р = R (rolled like in Spanish) Х = H (like a raspy "h" in loch)

Letters like A, K, M, O, T look and sound exactly like their English counterparts.

Russian grammar is famous for its "cases," where the endings of words change depending on their role in a sentence.

Unlike English, Russian doesn't use "a" or "the." To say "a book" or "the book," you just say книга ( kniga ).

Starting your Russian language journey can feel like staring at a giant puzzle, but it’s more approachable than it looks. Whether you're using the official Russian For Dummies book or just looking for a crash course, 1. The Alphabet (Cyrillic)