A free Russian course from A1 to B2 — for anyone learning Russian as a foreign language, for heritage speakers who want the grammar written down, and for anyone preparing a TORFL level.
You build everyday sentences and type them yourself, in Cyrillic and letter by letter, learn the words of each topic level by level, and read short texts written for the course. The grammar comes as tables with the stress marked on every form: the six cases, the noun and adjective endings, aspect, the verbs of motion. Explanations and translations are in English.
the drills, flashcards and grammar charts need no account
a free account keeps your path, your streak and your mistakes
explanations in English or Russian
at a glance
Levels
A1–B2 on the CEFR scale — A1 is where a complete beginner starts
Words
2,524 words in 84 topic decks
Sentences
2,160 sentences from everyday life (18 topics), each with its meaning in English
Reading
Short texts written for the course, with reading tasks
Grammar
Tables and a cheat sheet: cases, noun declension, adjectives, pronouns, possessives, conjugation, the past and the future, aspect, verbs of motion, prepositions and numbers
Stress
Marked on every form in the grammar tables; the word decks and the sentences are written as Russian is printed, without stress marks
Audio
Words and sentences in a synthesised voice (text-to-speech), not recordings of native speakers
Exams
TORFL A2, B1 and B2: practice sets and timed mocks
What you learn
Each level is a set of everyday topics — people and family, food and drink, the city and directions, work, health, shopping, travel, the weather — with its own words, its own sentences and short texts to read. The grammar comes with them as tables: the six cases and the endings they take, the adjectives that agree with their nouns, the two aspects of the verb, and the verbs of motion, which come in pairs for one trip and for many.
At A1 alone that is 721 words and 529 sentences.
level by level
A1 — 721 words · 25 topic decks · 529 sentences
A2 — 284 words · 10 topic decks · 730 sentences
B1 — 887 words · 24 topic decks · 542 sentences
B2 — 556 words · 19 topic decks · 359 sentences
C1 · above the course — 76 words · 6 topic decks
counted from the set library itself, today
The course covers levels A1–B2; the set library holds decks above it too (C1), marked as above the course.
the topics the word decks cover
animals · art & culture · body & health · city & places · clothing · colours & shapes · emotions & feelings · food & drink · function words · house & furniture · law & government · money & shopping · motion verbs · numbers & quantity · people & family · perception verbs · plants & nature · religion & belief · school & education · sports & leisure · technology & internet · thinking & communication · time & calendar · travel & transport · weather & seasons · work & professions
How the course works
The course runs as a path generated from its own content: topics in order, level by level. Four short lessons make a topic; a lesson is twenty items, eight of them new, with the new words shown on cards and typed straight after, and it counts once you have four in five right.
Practice is a map on which your course is an island, each topic you build a place on it. Every level ends with a checkpoint, and when more than forty items are waiting for review, the next session is a review round. A daily goal and a streak, with streak freezes earned as you go, keep the rhythm.
The exercises:
flashcards with spaced repetition, typing the word you hear and the meaning of the word you see — no account needed
TORFL practice sets for A2, B1 and B2 — no account needed
sentences: put the words in order from tiles, write the sentence from its meaning, put one word in its right form — with a free account
reading: tasks on short texts written for the course — with a free account
timed mock exams for each level — with a free account; their structure is still being matched to the real papers, and writing and speaking are not assessed yet
Your goal: a TORFL level — or none
TORFL (ТРКИ) is the standardised test of Russian as a foreign language, with its levels mapped to the CEFR. This course prepares for A2, B1 and B2. The facts below come from our TORFL guide.
Five subtests at every level — vocabulary and grammar, reading, listening, writing and speaking — each passed on its own.
The certificate names its level (ТБУ, ТРКИ-I, ТРКИ-II), and the university or employer that asks for one decides which level it needs: check that before you book.
TORFL Russian exam (ТРКИ): A2–B2 format & practice
Russian stress can fall on any syllable and can move as a word changes — окно́, о́кна — and print never shows it. The grammar tables here mark it on every form, so you learn where it falls while you learn the endings; the word decks and the sentences are written as Russian is printed, without the marks.
Aspect and the verbs of motion
Most Russian verbs come in pairs — one for the action in progress or repeated, one for the action done — and the verbs of motion add another split, between one trip in one direction and trips there and back or many. The aspect and verbs-of-motion charts set the pairs side by side, and the sentence exercises put them to work in context.
What is free
The course is free. Without an account you can open the flashcards, the word drills, the TORFL practice sets, the grammar charts and the practice map; what you do stays in this browser.
A free account opens the lessons of your path, the sentence and reading exercises and the timed mock exams, and keeps your progress, your streak and your mistakes on every device. During the public beta the mock exams are unlimited; afterwards, how many you get each month depends on your plan.
frequently asked questions
Can I learn Russian from zero here?
Yes. The course starts at A1 — 721 words and 529 sentences at that level alone — and you type in Cyrillic from the first lesson. Explanations and translations are in English.
Which TORFL level is A2?
ТБУ, the basic level. ТРКИ-I is B1 and ТРКИ-II is B2; the elementary level, ТЭУ, is A1.
Are the stress marks shown everywhere?
In the grammar tables, yes: every form there carries its stress. The word decks and the sentences are written as Russian is printed, without stress marks.
Does wspell mark my writing and speaking?
Not yet. In the real exam examiners mark them; the mock exams here leave them out for now, so practise writing with someone who corrects you and speaking with a partner.
Is the audio recorded by native speakers?
No. Words and sentences are spoken in a synthesised voice (text-to-speech), not recorded by native speakers. Use it to tie a word to its sound, and listen to real Russian as well.
Where do I register for TORFL?
Through an authorised testing centre: dates, fees and formats are set by each centre, so check its current page. wspell is independent and runs no exams.
Exam names and trade marks on this page belong to the organisations that own and run those exams. wspell is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.