Today's post won't be as lenghty as usual, because I am literally swamped with exam preparations. To add to this pressure I will also be going to the PolyGlotBerlin Gathering next week, where I'll be giving a talk – so the pressure is definitely on. This means that my Russian studies and by extension this blog will be running at slightly slower pace during the month or so. I will still strive to post at least one post a week and the weekly podcast, as I have done every week now so far.
Today's tip is about an Android app that helps with the hardest part of Russian grammar, the countless different endings on words. But before I give you a quick overview of that APP I'd like to take a minute to just talk about the give-away that is currently going on here on the page.
June Give-away
Yes, I'm giving away free stuff again, this time in partnership with Antosch & Lin flashcards, who have been very supportive in offering up premium memberships to the winners of this give-away. The drawing is on the 15th so be sure to enter your name into the hat before then. In addition to the premium flashcard service membership, I will also be giving away Amazon gift certificates. All you have to do is leave a comment, send a tweet or post a review on the AFP iTunes page. Doing any (or all) of these will yield you tickets to the random draw later in the month.
-> Go to the Give-away page to read all the details. (Opens in a new window.)
It takes less than a minute to enter, so give yourself the chance!
Yazh – The Android app to save your Russian declension problems
I recently stumbled upon a great Android App for Russian Learners and I wanted to share it with you today. As I get more and more involved with Russian I'm beginning to see a pattern where I often guess the endings, because I am not sound enough in them. Although my Penguin Russian course does constantly mention endings, it's not a very interactive method, so the endings do not stick.
What Yazh does basically is that its a quiz that tests your knowledge in Russian declinations for all types of words and all cases. If you like me constantly get confused about endings, which to be honest is one of the difficult parts of learning Russian then Yazh is for you.
Here is a few screenshot from the app:
Features of the Yazh Android App:
- Full support for all words and cases
- Full reference guide for brushing up or checking a particular ending
- Quiz-like format to make it a game (improves motivation)
- Customizeable – If you are only at the beginning stages of Russian you can ask to only be tested in say, nouns and Accusative and use the multiple choice. Later you are free to add all the combinations and use the typed method, where you have to type the words manually, no help is given 🙂
- Freemium version available with ads and no pronoun support: The PRO version is only $1.50 (or your currency equivalent)
-> Get the APP on Google Play
Sadly I have no knowledge of an iPhone compatible equivalent, as I do not own an iPhone but if you do have any suggestions for Apps on any of the two platforms please do share in the comments below!
Kris is the founder of Actual Fluency, and has spent the last 8 years becoming an expert in language learning software, methods, and techniques.
He lives in Denmark and speaks 5+ languages at varying levels. His other interests are Wine, Online Marketing, and Travelling.