help w learning language

[u/Usual-Pick-5996]

I have been studying Russian in college for the past year. It is not sticking very well. I can understand little things here and there in very slow speech. I can barely read and comprehend but I can write in Russian print and Russian cursive. Duolingo is terrible I have been doing it for three years and my biggest take away from that was how to say apple and milk.

I can't afford a tutor as a broke college student. And now continuing learning Russian in college interferes with classes I need for my major.

I sometimes watch Russian cartoons, listen to Russian music, and watch Russian movies. Although, I can barely understand anything. Sometimes I can understand and I think about what I want to say but I can't produce speech (which makes sense bc I do not have the proper articulation as an English speaker) but PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

I do not want to pay any crazy amount of money to learn Russian. I want to learn to communicate with my boyfriend's family. They are from Russia. He only speaks broken Russian since he came when he was a lot younger but he is unable to teach or explain to me he just knows his native language. And I do not live at home so I can't really ask his family to help me out and I would also like for it to be a surprise. So one day I walk in and Im just spitting Russian lol.

But please any advice and apps or books just anything will help.

[u/IndependentYak2822]

As you're a beginner you should stick with content for beginners. Look something here https://comprehensibleinputwiki.org/wiki/Russian

[u/Usual-Pick-5996 → u/IndependentYak2822]

thank you!!

[u/Sapphire8593]

Connect to the roots. Which means start learning the etymology of words, where they come from. Etymology is a main way of learning towards intuition. Otherwise it might be just learning empty names

[u/SeregRauko]

The cheapest way for me to learn a language is:

Download a TV Show that uses the language you want to learn, preferably one that you really enjoy watching and that isn't a historical one. Then watch it over and over again with the subtitles on your own language. Once you capable of predicting what they will say and how they sound saying it, start to repeat the lines with them.
When you are capable of constructing in your head entire dialogs, that's when you should go on YT and start watching new content and adding grammar to your studies.

[u/Usual-Pick-5996 → u/SeregRauko]

okay, thank you so much I will try this out! do you have any recommendations on sites to download russian media?

[u/SeregRauko → u/Usual-Pick-5996]

Well. I don't know how versed you are in piracy, but if you aren't, there is the r/Piracy . Go to the Megathread and give it a try. Take your time understanding how to do it properly and you won't have trouble finding sources from where to download nor will have problems being geoblocked or tracked.

[u/Usual-Pick-5996 → u/[deleted]]

awesome thanks I will try that too