Since the look of words written in Russian is different from that of western languages, you will have a difficult time trying to learn to say Russian phrases without the aid of being able to listen to them being read by a native speaker. However, once you hear the phrases, you will see that you can pronounce them using English sounds. There are 20 consonant sounds in the Russian language - The sounds of the consonants depend on the letters that follow them, so they can be pronounced as either hard or soft. The combinations of sounds mean that there are 37 distinct sounds in the Russian language that you must learn in order to say the phrases correctly. When you look at the list of consonants and see some of the Russian phrases that there is a number used as a letter. 6 is actually the same as the letter B in English.

Some phrases from the Russian language that you will find useful when you visit this country include:

- This phrase means Welcome and is pronounced as Dobro

- This is the phrase for Hello. The pronunciation is Zdravstvujte

- This is the way to ask How are you'in Russian. The pronunciation of this phrase is Kak dela

- This phrase means what is your name?You would pronounce it as Kak teb'a zovut

- You use this phrase to tell someone your name. You say it as Men'a zovut

The best way to learn the phrases you want to say in Russian is to take a course in learning the language. Then you will understand how to construct the words and phrases on your own and not have to rely on a few phrases that you have memorized. By learning the language right from the beginning, which starts with learning the Russian alphabet, you will not run the risk of using phrases in the wrong situations, in which case you may insult your host. There are formal and informal forms of most of the common phrases. If you are speaking to a stranger, you should always use the formal version because the informal version is for use between friends.

When you see letters written in the Russian words as upper case letters, this means that you should place more stress on these letters when you say the word. There are also feminine, masculine and neuter forms of words in this language, which means that you do need to learn the grammar so that you can use the words correctly.

Once you gain a knowledge of speaking, reading and writing Russian, you will completely understand the language when speaking to a native speaker. In order to reach this stage and know many phrases in the language, you do have to practice all facets of the language and listen to many passages. Practice, practice, practice, but don't get frustrated when you make mistakes. This is a perfectly natural part of learning a new language.