TRH Community

Welcome to the TRH Community!

You're here to speak Russian with more confidence — and hopefully have a few laughs along the way. 

This is a space for real conversation, real mistakes (we all make them!), and real progress.

And you're one of the first people here. 🎉

That means this isn't a giant community where your post disappears into the void. You're actually helping shape what this place becomes — so please don't be shy about jumping in.

Whether you're doing Speak Russian in 12 Weeks or learning Russian in your own way, you're very welcome here.

A student asked me something a lot of you will know: "I know the grammar, but when I need to say something, my mind goes blank."

Knowing a rule is one skill. Using it while someone waits is another. The second one only grows if you practise it. So let's practise it. In small pieces.

Heads up: this is a long post. That's how we do things here. We go through it properly, with real examples, so you can use it today. Grab a coffee. It suits the topic.

Step 1. Pick a moment you already have

Coffee. Breakfast. The walk to work. You probably talk in these moments anyway, so just do it in Russian. Start with 30 seconds. Then one minute. Then two. Same topic every time.

Boring? A little. Effective? Very. Keep going with the same topic until one of two things happens: the words feel like…

I was just writing mine for the week and thought why not suggest this to you too, because most of you do it anyway.

Writing a to-do list is already a proper brain workout — figuring out priorities, breaking big goals into smaller steps. Do it in Russian and you're practising without even sitting down to "study."

Here's what I love about this one: you end up learning vocabulary that's actually yours, not from a textbook, but from your real life: Записаться на приём к стоматологу. Забрать детей из школы. Позвонить другу. Words you'll use again and again, which is exactly how they stick. You write Cyrillic every day without it feeling like homework, and slowly, without noticing, you start thinking in Russian rather than translating from English. That's the real win.

And here's the science bit: every time you cross something off, your brain gets a little dopamine hit.…

Я Молли. Мне 29 лет. Я выросла в США в Нью Джерси и переехала в Канзас, когда мне было тринадцать лет. Шесть лет я учила японский язык в университете и два года я учила библиотековедение. Я получила степень бакалавра и две степени магистра. Сейчас я работаю в библиотеке в канзасском университете и здесь учу русский язык, и с Яной. Я хочу стать библиотекаршей, которая специализируется на славянских языках. В свободное время, мне нравится смотреть русские фильмы, ездить на ренессанс фестиваль и я люблю ходить в бар с друзьями, где мы говорим о политике и новостях. У меня есть кошка, её зовут Бин. Очень приятно познакомится!