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Russian Course Outline

The Cactus Course Outlines provide a learning framework for the Cactus Foreign Language Evening Courses. They are designed to provide you with a good idea of what you might cover over a 10-week period, and include typical themes, grammar and vocabulary fields. They are flexible rather than prescriptive, in that our teachers may decide to adapt their learning plans to the specific level, aims and interests of their classes. Use the tabs below to view the relevant Russian course outline for your level. If you want to cover the same course outline in a shorter period of time, we also offer One-Week Online Courses and 5-week Courses.

Beginner 1

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Name, profession and personal information
  • Greeting and parting.
  • What are they doing?
  • My Family.
  • Who and What?
  • Introduction
  • Eating out
  • Talking about places and things
  • Numbers (1-100) and mathematics
  • Telling the time
  • Asking directions
  • Talking about position (где, в, на)
  • Describing things and activities
Grammar
  • Gender of nouns.
  • Personal pronouns.
  • Personal pronouns in the Nominative and Accusative case.
  • Verbs in the present tense: 1st and 2nd group conjugation.
  • Plural of nouns. Possessive pronouns.
  • Consonants: hard and soft; voiced and voiceless.
  • Vowels: reduction of о, е, я.
  • Intonation of a question and a statement. Accent (stress).
  • Reading rules. Voiced and voiceless consonants combinations
Cultural Content
  • People in Russia
Skills Work
  • Alphabet
  • Pronunciation: key sounds and intonation
  • Reading rules
  • Speaking and understanding
  • Writing simple words

Beginner 2

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Describing people
  • Work and activities
  • Weather & climate.
  • My day
  • Getting around the city.
  • Clothes, Food & Shopping
  • Home & Accommodation
  • Languages & Countries
  • Reading rules and intonation.
  • Difficulties of pronunciation.
Grammar
  • Nouns in the Prepositional case. Prepositions “ в”, “на” in the Prepositional and Accusative case.
  • Verbs in the past tense.
  • Numbers.
  • Adjectives.
  • Adverbs of time and quality.
  • Irregular verbs вставать, давать, продавать. Accusative case inanimate and animate.
  • Demonstrative pronouns это, эта, этот, эти in the Nominative and Accusative case.
  • Verb “хотеть”.
  • Prepositional case with preposition “about”.
  • Impersonal structures.
  • Personal pronouns in the Prepositional case.
Cultural Content
  • Russia: geography and history
Skills Work
  • Reading and listening
  • Speaking and understanding (dialogues and role plays)
  • Writing

Beginner 3

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Cities & Streets
  • House & Flat, Rooms & Furniture
  • Dates, Week agenda. Planning your week activities
  • Summer holidays & Travel
  • Cultural aspects, music, films, television, books & theatres
  • Positions & Directions
Grammar
  • Adjectives and Possessive pronouns in the Prepositional case.
  • Irregular verb of 1st group conjugation “брать”.
  • Irregular verbs of 2nd group conjugation: просить, платить, видеть, ненавидеть, переводить, любить, спать, готовить.
  • Days of the week in the accusative case. When did you have a meeting?-On Monday.
  • Verbs with suffixes “-ова-, -ева-»: e.g. планировать.
  • Structure “У меня был…”
  • Reflexive verbs of type “кататься»
  • Verbs “мочь and уметь»
  • Pronoun “свой”
  • Conjunctions: because, that is why (потому что, поэтому)
Cultural Content
  • Russian holidays / festivals and traditions
Skills Work
  • Reading and listening
  • Speaking and understanding (dialogues and role plays)
  • Writing

Elementary 1

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Possessions, positions, the genitive and dative
  • Transport
  • Travel & Travelling
  • Directions
  • Travel tips
  • Staying in hotels
  • Restaurants, local & International cuisines and customs
  • Describing processes, activities and states
  • People in the World
Grammar
  • Verbs of Motion.
  • Nouns and adjectives in the Genitive case singular and plural
  • Genitive and dative cases
  • Prepositions (в, на, из, с, к, у, от)
  • Genitive case with numbers
Cultural Content
  • Reading papers and magazines
  • Common idioms and proverbs
Skills Work
  • Reading and listening
  • Speaking and understanding
  • Writing
  • Discussing

Elementary 2

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Introductions, self, job and family
  • Time and Time zones
  • Daily activities
  • Health
  • Vacation and Travel
  • Sightseeing
  • My hobbies, sports and free time activities
  • Eating out (Cafés, restaurants and markets)
Grammar
  • Verb aspect: Non-perfective and perfective verb pairs.
  • Dative case.
  • Category of state: стоять, лежать, висеть, находиться.
  • Modal words (Мне нравится… Надо, нужно, можно)
  • Verb aspect: Imperative.
  • Instrumental case.
  • Comparative and superlative structures.
  • Verbs of motion with prefixes.
Cultural content
  • The world of work and leisure
Skills Work
  • Reading and listening
  • Speaking and understanding
  • Writing
  • Discussing

Elementary 3

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Talking about yourself
  • Shopping, Souvenirs ; Money and Buying things
  • Food and Drink, Products.
  • Clothes
  • Health, Tastes and Diet – Healthy way of life.
  • The body
  • At the doctors.
  • Dining out-menu, ordering, deciding what to eat
  • Talking about work and professions; how to choose an employee; how to judge a person by his/her CV
  • My day.
  • Time
  • Everyday activities. How to start a new life.
  • Hobby and entertainment. Sharing your experiences.
Grammar
  • Mastering vocabulary and functional grammar necessary for communication and skills
  • Verbs of Motion, all aspects
  • Verbs of Motion with prefixes such as “идти, прийти, пойти, войти, выйти, зайти, подойти, перейти”
  • Other verbs with prefixes such as “читать, прочитать, перечитать, зачитаться, вчитаться”, etc.,
  • Participles and Gerund
Cultural Content
  • Russia in the World
  • Russian baths.
Skills Work
  • Reading and listening
  • Speaking and understanding
  • Writing
  • Discussing

Intermediate 1

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Talking about tastes. Tastes differ.
  • What century? What year? What is this book about?
  • How to ask and explain directions.
  • Stories about travellers, tourism and adventures.
  • Person’s appearance: face and figure, typical appearance.
Grammar
  • Animate nouns and adjectives in the Accusative case.
  • Time structures with Prepositional case.
  • Imperfective and perfective verbs of motion with prefixes.
  • Prepositions with verbs of motions.
  • Comparative and superlative degree of adjectives.
Cultural Content
  • The subjects of Russian cultural and ‘business’ sphere included in conversations and discussions
Skills Work
  • Reading and listening
  • Speaking and understanding
  • Writing
  • Discussing

Intermediate 2

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Features of character, horoscope.
  • Discussions on global issues: ecology and space flights.
  • Home and office interior.
  • How to bring up children. Problems of childhood in different countries.
  • Languages and how to learn foreign language.
  • World economics and level of life. Poverty and wealth; social justice.
Grammar
  • Short adjectives.
  • Conditional clauses.
  • Subjunctive mood.
  • Verb aspects in the future.
  • Instrumental case with prepositions.
  • Negative structures.
  • Participles.
  • Passive structures.
  • Adverbial participle (or Russian Gerund- деепричастие).
Cultural Content
  • Russian and international society – social issues
  • Famous people
  • Russian Media
  • Russian Business and Economy
Skills Work
  • Reading and listening
  • Speaking and understanding
  • Writing
  • Discussing

Intermediate 3

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Talks and discussions on economic and cultural issues.
  • Languages and how to learn foreign language.
  • Reading and analysing Russian literature: poetry and prose.
  • Watching and discussing films.
  • Reading and analysing newspapers
  • World economics and level of life. Poverty and wealth; social justice
Grammar
  • Conditionals and Subjunctives
  • Verb aspects
  • Cases and prepositions
  • Negative structures.
  • Verbal nouns and adjectives
  • Passive and active structures
Cultural Content
  • Aspects of Russian social, cultural and ‘business’ spheres in conversations, debates and discussions
Skills Work
  • Reading and listening
  • Speaking and understanding
  • Writing
  • Discussing

Upper Intermediate

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Talks and discussions on economic and cultural issues.
  • Reading and analyzing Russian literature: poetry and prose.
  • Watching and discussing films.
  • Reading and analysing newspapers.
Grammar
  • Advanced grammar
Cultural Content
  • Russian and international society – social issues
  • Famous people
  • Russian Media
  • Russian Business and Economy
Skills Work
  • Reading and listening
  • Speaking and understanding
  • Writing
  • Discussing

Advanced

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Talks and discussions on economic and cultural issues.
  • Reading and analysing Russian literature: poetry and prose.
  • Watching and discussing films.
  • Reading and analysing newspapers.
Grammar
  • Advanced grammar
Cultural Content
  • Russian and international society – social issues
  • Famous people
  • Russian Media
  • Russian Business and Economy
Skills Work
  • Reading and listening
  • Speaking and understanding
  • Writing
  • Discussing

Proficiency

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Talks and discussions on economic and cultural issues.
  • Reading and analysing Russian literature: poetry and prose.
  • Watching and discussing films.
  • Reading and analysing newspapers.
Grammar
  • High level grammar
Cultural Content
  • Russian and international society – social issues
  • Famous people
  • Russian Media
  • Russian Business and Economy
Skills Work
  • Reading and listening
  • Speaking and understanding
  • Writing
  • Discussing

Understanding Language Levels

If you are taking a language course with Cactus you can find out more about our language levels and how you can track your progress using the ‘can do statements’ below. These statements outline the key things that you should be able to say and understand once you have completed each level. Can do statements are officially recognised as a set of performance-related scales describing what a learner is able to do in a foreign language, in accordance with the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and the CEFR defined levels.

CEFR Levels

If you are taking a language course with Cactus you can find out more about our language levels and how you can track your progress using the ‘can do statements’. These statements outline the key things that you should be able to say and understand once you have completed each level. Can do statements are officially recognised as a set of performance-related scales describing what a learner is able to do in a foreign language, in accordance with the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and the CEFR defined levels.

Beginner (A1)

  • You can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type
  • You can introduce yourself and others
  • You can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where you live, what you do, people you know and things you have
  • You can ask and give directions
  • You can order food and drink
  • You can make very basic travel and accommodation arrangements
  • You can have a basic conversation, provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

Elementary (A2)

  • You can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas including basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography and employment
  • You can communicate in simple and routine tasks, requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters
  • You can describe, in simple terms, aspects of your background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need
  • You can comfortably ‘get by’ when visiting the country, albeit with some difficulty.

Intermediate (B1)

  • You can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.
  • You can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken
  • You can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest
  • You can describe experiences and events
  • You can talk about dreams, hopes and ambitions
  • You can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans
  • You could consider working in the country using the language (e.g. bar/counter work, waiting service in cafes or basic office work).

Upper Intermediate (B2)

  • You can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in your field of specialisation.
  • You can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible, without strain for either party.
  • You can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue, giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
  • You can do business with speakers of the language in most run-of-the-mill situations.

Advanced (C1)

  • You can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning
  • You can express yourself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions
  • You can use the language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes
  • You can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, logical flow of text, and clear awareness of the audience.

Proficient (C2)

  • You can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read
  • You can summarise information from different spoken and written sources
  • You can reconstruct arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation
  • You can express yourself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely
  • You can differentiate finer shades of meaning, even in the most complex situations.

How to book with Cactus

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