- Explain vowel reduction
- Place stress correctly
- Pronounce key consonants
Pronunciation and Stress
Москва is pronounced ‘maskVA’, not ‘moskva’. Unstressed vowels shrink — the single biggest key to sounding Russian.
Definition: Vowel reduction
Vowel reduction: unstressed о sounds like а (‘a’), unstressed е sounds like и (‘i’). Молоко (milk) is pronounced ‘malaKO’.
Key points
- Stress can fall on any syllable — dictionaries mark it; learners must memorise it.
- ЗАмок (ZAmok) = castle; замОк (zaMOK) = lock. Stress alone distinguishes them.
- Consonants: р is rolled; ж like ‘zh’ (measure); ц like ‘ts’; щ like soft ‘shsh’.
- Ы is the famous vowel — between ‘i’ and ‘u’, tongue pulled back.
Moloko
МОЛОКО → malaKO. Three о’s, one stressed — the unstressed two reduce to ‘a’. Say ‘moloko’ and Russians hear a foreigner instantly.
Practice
How is молоко pronounced, and why?
Reduction.
‘malako’ — unstressed о reduces to ‘a’; only the stressed о keeps its sound.
How do замок and замок differ?
They’re spelled identically.
Stress position: ZAmok (castle) vs zaMOK (lock).
Key takeaways
- Unstressed о→a, е→i.
- Stress is free — memorise it per word.
- Stress can change meaning (zamok).
- Ы, ж, щ need dedicated practice.