Learn Russian Russian Alphabet and Pronunciation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of these Russian letters is a vowel?
- Б
- Ф
- Э (Correct answer)
- Г
Correct answer: Э
Э (E) is a vowel in Russian, pronounced like the 'e' in 'bed'; the others are consonants.
Question 2: What does the Russian letter 'Й' (short I) sound like?
- Like 'y' in 'yes' (Correct answer)
- Like 'i' in 'bit'
- Like 'ee' in 'bee'
- Like 'w' in 'wet'
Correct answer: Like 'y' in 'yes'
Й (Kratkoe) is a semivowel pronounced like the 'y' in 'yes', often appearing at the end of words like мой (my).
Question 3: Which Russian vowel, when stressed, sounds like 'yo'?
- Е
- Ё (Correct answer)
- Ю
- Я
Correct answer: Ё
The letter Ё always sounds like 'yo' and is always stressed when present in a word.
Question 4: What sound does the Russian letter 'Щ' make?
- sh (as in 'shoe')
- shch (a long soft 'sh') (Correct answer)
- ch (as in 'chair')
- zh (as in 'measure')
Correct answer: shch (a long soft 'sh')
Щ (Shcha) represents a long, soft 'shch' sound, similar to saying 'fresh cheese' quickly.
Question 5: In Russian, what happens to unstressed 'О' in most positions?
- It remains a full 'o' sound
- It is silent
- It reduces to an 'a' sound (akanye) (Correct answer)
- It becomes a 'u' sound
Correct answer: It reduces to an 'a' sound (akanye)
In standard Russian, unstressed О is reduced to an 'a' sound — a phenomenon called akanye.
Question 6: Which pair of Russian letters are called the 'hard sign' and 'soft sign'?
- Э and Е
- Ъ and Ь (Correct answer)
- Ы and И
- Ю and Я
Correct answer: Ъ and Ь
Ъ is the hard sign (tvyordy znak) and Ь is the soft sign (myagky znak); neither is independently pronounced.
Learn Russian Russian Alphabet and Pronunciation 2
Which of these Russian letters is a vowel?