Russians study English at school for 6 years and then for 3 more years at universities, so why there are so few people who speak good English? Let’s solve this mystery!
Why are there few Russians who can speak English well?
It is the fact of life in Russia that learning a foreign language is compulsory both in the middle and high school and then in a college or university. So, every person in Russia had to study English at school for 6 years and then pass an exam at the end.
If the person went to a university, then it means another 3 years of English studies.
You may think this should be enough for anyone to start speaking English fluently. But if you talked to Russians or in real life, you’d have realized that not many of them are fluent in the language they had spent so much time studying. What is going on?
The reason for that is in the system of learning foreign languages.
Since the times of the USSR the system didn’t change much. Students are still required rather to memorize words and translate texts than speak and listen.
They are learning the language in a way of studying math, rather than picking it up naturally like kids do, while communicating with others.
This is why when Russian women find a partner from another country, which is what we at Elenasmodels.com help them to do, and then move abroad, they quickly learn the language within months. It is because they communicate in English daily, speaking and listening. It is emotional and important to understand each other.
When learning the language at school and university, it is unemotional and lacks real human interaction during the lessons.
It’s quite strange that women who know a lot of English words and understand grammar, can read and write reasonably well, struggle to chat in the language. But because the base knowledge is there, they pick it up easily within months, once living in an English-speaking country.
- Should I limit my search by women who speak English?
- 63% of Russians consider knowledge of foreign languages absolutely essential
- Never Again Struggle Because of Language Barrier: Iconspeak T-shirts for International Tourists
- A Russian woman’s opinion: Why Western men are better
April 20, 2018Leave a commentBy Elena
Hello, I fully agree with your statement! I had English in school for many years in Germany. However, when I immigrated to Canada, I could barely form a sentence. Within a few month I was able to communicate pretty good. Today, many years later, my English is somewhat above that of the average person that was born with the English language. None the less, to this day, I still have a slight German accent. One of the reasons for this, is the fact, that here in Canada I speak German daily. I have traveled in the countries of the former… Read more »
“communciate pretty well …” not “good.” One of the major problems with English by talking is that most people have a poor command of the proper use of the language, especially native speakers. Even highly educated Americans are often poor English speakers. Look at President Trump. One must be an accurate speaker before he can be a great writer. With socialized education in the USA, before long communication without a cellphone will be impossible for almost everyone here. If you find someone who can read, speak, and write proficiently … keep them close. You’ll get the hang of the language… Read more »
Все зависит от качества преподавания языков. Не только английского. Конечно, хотелось бы владеть еще некоторыми иностранными языками, но где взять таких преподавателей? Хорошо, что сейчас есть интернет и можно при желании это можно осуществить. Но нужно иметь огромное желание. если можно сделать это на вашем сайте это отлично, класс!
This is exactly the reason. You must have the desire. How many times have I heard a Russian say “why?”, as in, ‘what does it matter’. Russians are a practical people. Political spin is going nowhere with Russians eh heh.
Anyway, I heard we are two years away from earbuds that translate 150 languages back and forth! So why learn?
Hello I am curious if it the same in Ukraine? Do they also study this much English in school? Thanks and I look forward to your answer
Bob, yes, the system of learning English is practically the same in Ukraine.
Yes but it is all a bit irrelevant really considering they need to speak, write, listen and talk in English to obtain a Marriage visa. Visa applications are very strict now.
Phil, there is no requirement for a wife or a fiancée to speak English when applying for a visa to the USA or Australia. For UK you only need to pass IELTS test on level 4, which is very low. There are plenty of prep courses for IELTS test that anyone with a school level of English (as from a Russian school) can take and in 3 months they will pass IELTS on level 5-6 or higher. It’s more an IQ test than a language skill test, in fact, and a large part of it is in writing, which makes… Read more »