SRF Russian language classes in Edinburgh

2024 – 2025

Enjoy learning Russian in small groups with professional Russian language tutors
  • Russian classes will resume on the 16th of September 2024. 
  • Contact Natasha Samoilova to enquire about classes or to enrol:  [email protected], mob.07980004569
  • To encourage potential students - an article about why adults make good language students (Daily Telegraph 18 Sept 2013)
  • Here are 5 tips on how to learn Russian from the British actor Andrew Byron​

Tutors

Course Organiser/Head Tutor:
​Dr Natasha Samoilova (PhD St Andrews)
Dr Samoilova has considerable experience of teaching Russian at all levels and has taught at the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews. She is a native speaker.
Tutor:  Irina Safronova (MA Moscow State University, MCIL).  Irina has taught Russian and English in Moscow, Strasbourg and Edinburgh and also worked as an interpreter/ translator for various international governmental and non-governmental organisations.

Classes in 2024-2025

Classes run for 1hr 30mins once a week on a weekday evening in central Edinburgh. Term 1 is 13 weeks long, from September to December 2024. Please contact the course organiser, Natasha Samoilova, for advice on which class would suit you best and other enrolment queries: mob. 07980004569 or email [email protected]


​Some student comments:
"Excellent, patient, thorough, fun", "Excellent, engaging, informed", "Friendly informal style", "Very enjoyable, very well organised", [about the Ruslan textbook] "best of all used before"

Classes offered in term 1
​ 

A1 level
complete beginners

  • ​in-person
​Tutor's home
​Tues. 6.00 - 7.30 pm.

13 weeks,
​first lesson on 17 Sept.
  
​Textbook: 
Ruslan Russian 1
​& Workbook.

A2 level
​

  • in-person
Tutor's home
Thur. 6.00 - 7.30 pm.​​

13 weeks,
​first lesson on 19 Sept.
​​
Textbook: 
Poekhali 2.2

B1 level 

  • ​in-person
at 50 George Square
​Wed. 6.00 - 7.30  pm.
  • ​on Zoom
Wed. 12:30 - 2 pm
​
13 weeks,
​first lesson on 18 Sept.

Textbook:
​Tochka Ru B1, part 1
& Workbook 

B2 level
​

  • in-person
at 50 George Square
Mon. 6.00 - 7.30 pm.
​
13 weeks
​first lesson on 16Sept.
 
YouTube & Internet resources, handouts

 
Fee
The fee for Term 1 is 195 pounds (15 pounds for 1.5 hour class).             
Please pay by bank transfer to Natasha (Natalia) Samoilova by the 16th of September 2024,
account no.00220436, sort code 83-26-28. If you want to pay in instalments please contact Natasha.

Venue
          All in-person classes will take place at 50 George Square, EH8 9JU (The University of Edinburgh),
          room 2.14 
​
Books
  • Ruslan language course: the course is devised by the British Russian language teacher John Langran.
           For the Beginners course will be using two books – Ruslan 1 Course book (5th ed.) and Ruslan 1 Workbook.
           Here you can find more information about the course as well the Contents and Lesson 1 for Ruslan 1:
           http://www.ruslan.co.uk/
  • Poekhali language course: the course is devised by the Russian teachers Stanislav Chernyshov and
           Alla Chernyshova. This year will be using Поехали 2.2 (8th revised edition), which is a course book
           and a workbook all in one. You can find more information about this book, for example, here:
           https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Go-Poekhali-Textbook-2-2/dp/5907123508
  • Tochka Ru language course: for higher levels will be using books devised by the Russian teachers
           Olia Dolmatova and Ekaterina Novacac. You can explore the books and see lesson samples here:
​           https://www.tochkaru-book.com/
​
Additional courses
  • Advanced level Discussion group with Irina Safronova
The classes take place on a Thursday at 6:30 - 8 pm at tutor's home.
Please contact Irina for dates & fees at [email protected]   
  • Translation class, online class for B1 /B2
We will start with reading and translating the play – "Дракон" Евгения Шварца
("The Dragon" by Evgeny Shvarts), 1944, a political and philosophical parable. 
Friday 4.00 -5.30 pm on Zoom, it is free for the current or former SRF students.
Classes will start on the 21st of September 2024. 

How to enrol
Please email the course organiser Natasha Samoilova at [email protected].
​ 
Benefits
All enrolled students will automatically become full members of SRF - reduced rates for SRF meetings,
​invitations to members-only events, annual magazine, regular email news bulletins and other benefits.