Short Stories in Russian for Intermediate Learners

Foreign Language Graded Reader Series

By: Olly Richards

Narrated by: Oleg Mirochnikov

Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's Summary

An unmissable collection of eight unconventional and captivating short stories for young adult and adult intermediate learners of Russian.

Short Stories in Russian for Intermediate Learners has been written specifically for students from a low-intermediate to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, and, most importantly - enjoyment! Mapped to B1-B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference, these eight captivating stories will both entertain you, and give you a feeling of progress when listening.

What does this book give you?

• Eight stories in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making learning fun, while you learn a wide range of new vocabulary
• Controlled language at your level to help you progress confidently
• Realistic spoken dialogues to help you learn conversational expressions and improve your speaking ability
• Accessible grammar so you learn new structures naturally, in a stress-free way
• Pleasure! Research shows that if you're enjoying learning in a foreign language, you won't experience the usual feelings of frustration - 'It's too hard!' 'I don't understand!' 

With intriguing plots that will spark your imagination and keep you listening, Short Stories in Russian will take your grasp of Russian to the next level with key features to support and consolidate your progress, including:

• A glossary for bolded words in each text
• A bilingual word list
• Full plot summary
• Comprehension questions after each chapter.  

As a result, you will be able to focus on enjoying learning, delighting in your improved range of vocabulary and grasp of the language all without ever feeling overwhelmed. From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, Short Stories in Russian for Intermediate Learners uses listening as the perfect tool to not only delight in learning Russian, but to accelerate your journey towards fluency. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. 

©2021 Olly Richards (P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd

Trouble w/PDF

Is anyone else having trouble getting the PDF? I have the book downloaded but the PDF won't download. I've double-checked and internet is definitely working.

Useful adjunct but narration slow and unnatural

Whether the audiobook is a useful addition to the written text depends on where you are with your Russian learning journey and in which domains (speaking, listening, reading, writing). If you are early on in your journey and find listening a challenge you may find this more useful. Otherwise the narration is painfully slow. You can hear where the correct stress is in the words, but the natural flow and intonation is lost at this speed so it doesn’t really help boost your reading-out-loud skills.

Disappointed

I was really looking forward to this but found it so disappointing. To my mind it's seems completely devoid of any life. In addition, I thought it would've been recited a little bit faster for an intermediate reading. I'd expect this kind of speed for the beginner version but not this. As a result the speed an actual intermediate would use 1.75-2 in order to sound like normal speech just sounds like a robotic translation.

I would not recommend the audio but the books are great.