Palme School

Online Russian Language School in the USA and Canada
Online school in Russian for bilingual children and teenagers
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How to preserve Russian language in children abroad: a convenient solution for parents

Let's imagine a family living far away from Russia, where children are growing up. There comes a moment when the parents want to teach their children their native language, but there are no conditions for this. The child studies in an English-speaking school, communicates with friends in English and has no desire to learn another language. Even if he has spoken it since childhood, as soon as the child goes to kindergarten or school, Russian quickly goes away. Children begin to forget words, confuse endings and refuse to communicate at home in Russian. And parents begin to puzzle over how to keep their child interested in the language and continue learning it.

Today's children are so busy with all sorts of activities that there is simply no room for Russian. Going to a tutor or language school is not suitable. Often, they have a fixed schedule, which is inconvenient for the family. Plus, it wastes so much time traveling! But, you have to agree, if Russian classes are so important to parents, you just have to keep looking for your option.

We have figured out how to help such children. Our school has been running online Russian language classes for several years now. And you can study both in groups and individually. Let us tell you how it works.

Why is it convenient to study online?

We are so used to various gadgets that we can't imagine our lives without them. Tablets, laptops, computers - our children see all this from birth. And, of course, they stretch their hands to technology. You can forbid the use of computers, but you can go the other way - to offer your child game lessons in Russian language! Children can be presented with such lessons as an opportunity to play on a tablet or computer, as well as find new friends. Plus, it saves parents from having to drive their child somewhere. Online lessons can be taken right at home. The main thing is to find a group that is convenient in terms of time. And we have a lot of them! 

Another important point is that many parents are looking for Russian-speaking tutors, who usually live in Europe or Russia. There is a difference in time, when the child needs to sleep and the teacher has a free window for lessons. In our school there is no such problem - we have a large team of teachers living in different parts of the world. Therefore, lessons are always held at a time convenient for our students.

What it looks like

To start studying Russian online, you need to have a laptop or tablet with an internet connection. Then, study our tariffs and choose a suitable format - group or individual lessons. Then you leave a request, and our manager calls you back and arranges an introductory lesson. At this lesson we get acquainted with you, and the methodologist determines the level of your child's Russian. After acquaintance we choose you a group by level, focusing on your wishes for time. A trial lesson with a teacher is free of charge to see if your child will like the lessons. Rarely, but it happens that the child is just not yet up to the lessons in front of the laptop. Parents will just have to be patient.

So, to connect to the lessons, you need to enter the lesson using Zoom. The teacher conducts a lesson on the topic of the lesson, gives interesting tasks and asks questions. We form small groups so that children do not get bored and take an active part in the lesson. On average, 4-6 children attend the lesson. The lessons last 40 minutes.

What about homework assignments? Of course we have homework! And they are no less exciting than the lessons themselves. According to our parents, the children themselves are waiting to do their homework. And you can do them right on your computer, in your personal office.

View rates and terms and conditions at this link:

Russian as a foreign language for children

Children like doing things on the computer because it makes them feel grown up. And parents like their children to have a good time.

As we have already mentioned, our Russian language classes have a free trial lesson. Leave a request in the form below, our manager will contact you and tell you all the details.

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Helping to develop knowledge, confidence, and a love for learning through modern Russian language classes and beyond.
Ukrainian differs from Russian in several key ways, including pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Despite these differences, they are often confused because they are both East Slavic languages and share a common ancestor, Old East Slavic. This shared heritage means they have a significant degree of mutual intelligibility, particularly in spoken form. **Key Differences:** * **Pronunciation:** * **"Г" sound:** In Ukrainian, the letter "г" is typically pronounced as a voiced velar fricative, similar to the "g" in "go" but softer, almost like a gentle breath. In Russian, "г" is usually a hard "g" sound. * **"И" and "Ы" sounds:** Ukrainian has distinct "и" (pronounced like the "i" in "bit") and "i" (pronounced like the "ee" in "see"). Russian has "и" (similar to Ukrainian's "и") and "ы" (a harder, more guttural sound not present in Ukrainian). * **Vowel reduction:** Russian has significant vowel reduction, where unstressed vowels change their sound (e.g., "o" can sound like "a"). Ukrainian generally pronounces vowels more clearly, regardless of stress. * **"Є" and "Ї" sounds:** Ukrainian has specific letters like "є" (pronounced like "ye" in "yes") and "ї" (pronounced like "yi" in "yield") which are not found in Russian. * **Vocabulary:** * While many words are similar or identical, Ukrainian has a richer influence from Polish, and also incorporates words from Turkic languages and other European languages to a greater extent than Russian. * Examples: * Thank you: Ukrainian - дякую (dyakuyu), Russian - спасибо (spasibo) * To speak: Ukrainian - говорити (hovoryty), Russian - говорить (govorit') * Yes: Ukrainian - так (tak), Russian - да (da) * No: Ukrainian - ні (ni), Russian - нет (net) * **Grammar:** * **Vocative case:** Ukrainian retains and actively uses the vocative case for direct address, which has largely disappeared from modern Russian except in very specific or archaic contexts. * **Verb conjugations:** There are differences in verb endings and some verb forms. * **Grammatical genders and noun declensions:** While largely similar, there are minor variations in how nouns change form based on case and gender. **Why They Are Confused:** 1. **Shared Ancestry:** Both languages descend from Old East Slavic, the language spoken in Kyivan Rus'. This common origin means they have a large base of shared vocabulary and grammatical structures. 2. **Geographic Proximity and Historical Interaction:** For centuries, the territories where Ukrainian and Russian are spoken have been in close contact, often under the same political empires (like the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union). This led to significant linguistic borrowing and influence in both directions. 3. **Mutual Intelligibility:** Due to the shared roots and similarities, speakers of Ukrainian and Russian can often understand a significant portion of what the other language is saying, especially in simpler conversations or written texts. This superficial understanding can lead to the misconception that they are dialects of the same language. 4. **Political and Historical Context:** During periods of Russian imperial and Soviet rule, the Ukrainian language was often suppressed or discouraged, and there was a promotion of Russian as the dominant language. This historical context sometimes led to the view, particularly among those outside Ukraine, that Ukrainian was merely a dialect of Russian. However, linguistic analysis clearly shows they are distinct languages.
Ordinal numerals in Russian are formed by taking the root of the cardinal numeral and adding the appropriate ordinal suffix. These suffixes agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Here's a breakdown: **1. Basic Structure:** * **Cardinal Numeral + Ordinal Suffix** **2. Ordinal Suffixes:** The suffixes are generally based on the endings of adjectives. * **Masculine:** -ый (e.g., первый - first) * **Feminine:** -ая (e.g., первая - first) * **Neuter:** -ое (e.g., первое - first) * **Plural:** -ые (e.g., первые - first) **3. Examples:** Let's look at the first few numbers: * **Один (one):** * Masculine: первый (pervyy) * Feminine: первая (pervaya) * Neuter: первое (pervoye) * Plural: первые (pervyye) * **Два (two):** * Masculine: второй (vtoroy) * Feminine: вторая (vtoraya) * Neuter: второе (vtoroye) * Plural: вторые (vtoryye) * **Три (three):** * Masculine: третий (tretiy) * Feminine: третья (tret'ya) * Neuter: третье (tret'ye) * Plural: третьи (tret'i) * **Четыре (four):** * Masculine: четвёртый (chetvyortyy) * Feminine: четвёртая (chetvyortaya) * Neuter: четвёртое (chetvyortoye) * Plural: четвёртые (chetvyortyye) **4. Numbers 5 and above:** For numbers five and higher, the formation is more straightforward. You take the root of the cardinal numeral and add the standard adjectival endings. * **Пять (five):** * Masculine: пятый (pyatyy) * Feminine: пятая (pyataya) * Neuter: пятое (pyatoye) * Plural: пятые (pyatyye) * **Десять (ten):** * Masculine: десятый (desyatyy) * Feminine: десятая (desyataya) * Neuter: десятое (desyatoye) * Plural: десятые (desjatyye) * **Сто (one hundred):** * Masculine: сотый (sotyy) * Feminine: сотая (sotaya) * Neuter: сотое (sotoye) * Plural: сотые (sotyye) **5. Compound Numbers:** When forming ordinal numerals for compound numbers (e.g., twenty-first), only the last part of the cardinal number changes to an ordinal. * **Двадцать один (twenty-one):** * Masculine: двадцать первый (dvadtsat' pervyy) * Feminine: двадцать первая (dvadtsat' pervaya) * **Сто двадцать три (one hundred twenty-three):** * Masculine: сто двадцать третий (sto dvadtsat' tretiy) * Feminine: сто двадцать третья (sto dvadtsat' tret'ya) **6. Pronunciation and Spelling Changes:** You might notice some spelling and pronunciation shifts, especially with the softer vowels and consonant changes in the first few numbers. These are typical sound changes in Russian. **7. Case Agreement:** Like all adjectives, ordinal numerals must agree with the noun they modify in case. * **Nominative:** первая страница (the first page) * **Genitive:** первой страницы (of the first page) * **Dative:** первой странице (to the first page) * **Accusative:** первую страницу (the first page - direct object) * **Instrumental:** первой страницей (by the first page) * **Prepositional:** о первой странице (about the first page) **Key Takeaways:** * Ordinals are formed from cardinals with specific suffixes. * They agree in gender, number, and case with the noun. * The first few ordinals (первый, второй, третий) are irregular and have unique forms. * For compound numbers, only the last numeral becomes ordinal.

Do you want your child to love learning?

At Palme School, classes are held online in live groups with experienced teachers. Choose a subject and sign up for a free first lesson.

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Submit a request for a free first session with a guidance counselor to get to know each other, determine your goals, and match your child with an educator
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Submit a request for a free first session with a guidance counselor to get to know each other, determine your goals, and match your child with an educator
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Submit a request for a free first session with a guidance counselor to get to know each other, determine your goals, and match your child with an educator
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Submit a request for a free first session with a guidance counselor to get to know each other, determine your goals, and match your child with an educator
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Submit a request for a free first session with a guidance counselor to get to know each other, determine your goals, and match your child with an educator
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Submit a request for a free first session with a guidance counselor to get to know each other, determine your goals, and match your child with an educator
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Submit a request for a free first session with a guidance counselor to get to know each other, determine your goals, and match your child with an educator