Customer Reviews
There are better books for beginners - By: Ian Shine, 29 Feb 2008 
This book is frankly poor. The emphasis is on vocabulary, although it does throwin a few set phrases for you to use. However, this book is not going to enable you to actually SPEAK Russian or understand anything of any real merit. Yes, I realise it is for complete beginners, but Take Offin Russian is also aimed at the beginner market & can do a lot more for you than this. If you want short lessons, then Take Off provides this (although they are more like half an hour than 10 minutes - but then what can you really learnin 10 minutes?). Take Off also provides you with the tools to produce language on your own, rather than relying on the few set phrases you might have foundin a book like 10 minutes.
Another criticism of 10 minutes is the pronunciation guide. It's way off the mark. There are no stress markers, which are foundin all other Russian books I have come across, & as stress is very importantin Russian pronunciation, it's important for even beginners to learn it correctly. The romanised guides are also bizzare at times, & sound nothing like the word should sound.
I do quite like the stickers section (although having a sticker for words like 'dog' & 'cat' seems a bit pointless, because 1) I don't have a dog/cat to stick it on 2) I wouldn't stick it on my dog/cat if I did), & the crosswords are quite good for vocab revision, although there are only 2 or 3 of them. The menu translator is the best thingin here - ideal for trips to restaurants & good to stick on your fridge to help you learn the words while you'rein the kitchen - & the flashcards are a good idea, although I didn't really take to them.
For these good points, I'd give it 3 stars, but because of the pronunciation issues, I'm reducing it to 2. Buy Take Offin Russian instead. It's a little pricier, but if you want to actually learn Russian, you should be prepared to fork out a couple of quid more.
Fantastic for beginners - By: nbarnett_uk, 27 Oct 2007 
As a complete beginner learning the Russian language, i found this book excellent for breaking down what seems to be a very complex language into small, manageable pieces. The flash cards & stickers for the house are great for jogging the memory. I have found this book incredibly useful & i highly recommend it for other beginners to Russian.
Excellent method - By: Antyllus, 03 Jan 2007 I found this book's method so easy, & the lessons short, & captivating I learned enough & well enough to make myself perfectly understood.
Highly recommended for beginners. And there's nothing like pleasing the locals by making at least a good effortin their native tongue.
Russian easially - By: , 08 Oct 2002 
This book gives a great way of learning Russian. It goes back to basics. A child learns to talk before reading & writing & the book continues this theme. There are lots of comprehensive flash cards as well as stickers to place around the home so that you are able to learn quickly & efficiently. Russian writing is used but english phonetic breakdowns complement the flash cards & stickers. The excersises are simple although Russianin ten minutes a day is probably a little optimistic but I am finding it a very useful bookin my russian studies. There are lots of big pictures & the style of the book makes it less intimidating than a lot of the 'teach yourself' books. It is a definate must have if you are attempting to master the Russian language.
