The Big Silver Book of Russian Verbs, 2nd Edition (Big Book Series)

I am just a beginner learning Russian, and whether you’re a beginner or not, this book is a very *complete* resource to make sure you learn HOW the verbs are used, as well as all of the conjugations… AND exercises in the back! But in my opinion, the example sentences for each verb are invaluable, because as I will explain below in some funny examples, translations are tricky. I have some advice for beginners, so keep reading from here only if you’re a beginner, otherwise you will probably already know this. Let me give you a really funny example: On page 70, I was reading about the verb вязать which means “to knit”. One of the example sentences under “idioms” was the following: "он с утра уже лыка не вяжет." Now, the translation for this (straight from the book) is: "since this morning he was so drunk he hasn't been able to talk straight." Nowhere in this sentence is any word related to alcohol or drunkenness, and the translation doesn’t have “knit” or anything related to it. Plus, Google Translate* gave me "in the morning he already does not knit a bast" lol... So, I actually thought this book was wrong. I asked a Russian. He informed me that there was actually no mistake here!! Here is his explanation: “This idiom has roots in history. Russian villagers used to make footwear and baskets from the wood fibers named "лыко". It's not difficult, you just weave these fibers in a cross pattern. It was done in the free time, and people could talk and sing while making stuff out of these fiber. To not be able to do that, the person should be REALLY drunk. Hence the verb "лыка не вяжет" describing a state of extreme intoxication.” You might think this sort of thing doesn’t exist in English, but it does! Think about "getting wasted" ... it means getting drunk! Another example: "He couldn't *wrap* his head around the idea." If a Russian student came across this example sentence for the verb "to wrap," they would be confused for sure, just like I was with the drunk basket weaving. These expressions and idioms are not explained in the book -- you need to find out from a native. And then there is the problem of specificity in Russian, here is an example: I wanted to say in Russian “I can’t make sentences,” and so I looked up the verb “to make,” which is сделать. Got it! When I tried to use this to make my Russian sentence, I was told it’s wrong… сделать is used more for making things, *physically*. The correct verb I should have used was составать which means “to compose.” You also wouldn’t use сделать to “make food”, but rather use the verb “to cook.” Ect, ect. Russian verbs are super specific, and it is one of the major differences between English and Russian - in English you would use other added words to help describe your action more specifically (for example, “I am running late”), whereas in Russian, you must simply select the correct verb (“to run late” is literally one single verb!) Welcome to the world of languages! So just be patient, and make sure you read ALL of the example sentences in order to see how the verbs are used! Regarding the idioms: Having a native speaker to guide you is pretty much a must, because unfortunately the idioms are not explained in this book... it would be too exhaustive to do that. If it doesn't make sense -- and it *won't* at times -- find a Russian! *P.S. Don't rely on Google Translate!!

As a 4th semester university Russian-language learner, I cannot express how useful this book has been and continues to be in my pursuit of learning Russian. My text book for class doesn't even do as well of a job with conjugations and examples of how to use them in speech as well as "The Big Silver Book of Russian Verbs" does! It is difficult to find compilations of Russian verbs and verb conjugations this extensive, explanatory and easy to understand, so when one of my classmates let me look at his, I knew that I needed to have it. I purchased it over break before my 4th semester started and as I use it, I wish that I would have had it since the beginning. It is cheap considering all of the information within it and the fact that if you are persistent with learning the language, you will use it and reference it over and over again. I purchased the Kindle edition, unlike my classmate, and am quite pleased with how the Kindle edition of it holds up to the print copy. The pages are coherently laid out and it is easy to navigate within it. Any graphs or images that are in it have not been distorted by the digital Kindle edition either, which is obviously a major plus for any Kindle user (who, if they are like me, fear that things such as diagrams and images may be distorted in the switch from print to digital). As I said, if you even think that this book would be helpful and/or useful for you, it most definitely will be!

This is carefully compiled and well organized but is only useful as a reference. The only real way to acquire Russian verbs is to listen, read and interact with native speakers at a level that you can understand. I have consulted this once in two years, but my Russian has greatly improved doing the things described above.

The book has the conjugations of a lot of verbs and has sample sentences using the verbs. The web site has sentences with some verbs that are spoken, at a native speaker speed of speech. This book fills the need for looking up Russian verbs for the student. This book is similar in format to the other very good Big Books of Verbs in some other languages. Russian is not an easy matter, so this book is needed. This is a Second Edition book. My review as a long-time beginner is general, but this is a useful book that lays out a large amount of Russian verb conjugations and has verb sample sentences for students of Russian.

This book is a very handy tool for any student of russian. Verbs are possibly the most important elements of any language, and russian of course has quite a complex verbal system. This book presents some useful theory first, and then goes on with the 555 verbs and the full conjugation of each one it promises. The examples of usage are also very interesting, since they show how russians use each verb in every day speech. The binding of the book seems of very good guality, and the print is very enjoyable and easy to read, making this book a great reference for anyone. Highly recommended.

I own copies of both this book and 501 Russian Verbs: Fully Conjugated in All the Tenses Alphabetically Arranged (Barrons) [Paperback ], both which I am using to improve my Russian comprehension and usage. If you're trying to decide between the two, I would definitely recommend this one because it gives several examples of each of the verbs in sentences. This book also devotes the first 32 pages of the book to explaining verb conjugation and tenses in general. Barron's devotes less than two pages to the same subject. Granted, the version of 501 Russian Verbs I own is the first edition, so these shortcomings may have been corrected in subsequent editions. You can also link to a website from this book to hear audio recordings of the 50 most-used Russian verbs in a variety of sentences. Highly recommended.

Of all the Russian grammar books I have, this and Terence Wade's Russian Grammar are the most useful reference books I've come across. The verbs have all their various forms along side each other- ie imperfective and perfective, and there are interesting and at times highly amusing examples of how to use each verb. A must for any serious Russian student.

E' completo, agile da consultare per quanto sia un librone formato dizionario, pineo di esempi. Ottimo acquisto.

Linguistik und umfängliche Darbietung sind sehr zufriedenstellend. Die cyrillischen Fonts schwanken von fast unleserlich verwischtem Druck in 4 pt bis zu Graustufen völlig unterschiedlicher Grösse. Es ist unverständlich, unwürdig und erschwert das Lesen und Lernen. Eine zügige Überarbeitung und kostenloser Austausch wäre fällig. In dieser Form kaum empfehlenswert.

Produkten använder jag väldig ofta. Det är ett värdefull verktyg, med mer exemplar än på internet, rekommenderas!

Ce livre est vraiment une référence pour la conjugaison des verbes russes et des expressions associées. Il est vraiment dommage que la version française n'existe pas mais dans l'ensemble la version anglaise est tout à fait compréhensible à condition évidemment de maitriser la langue anglaise La version Kindle est à éviter car très peu lisible et très difficile d'utilisation Ce livre est vraiment indispensable pour l'apprentissage et l'enrichissement de la langue russe et le le conseillerais fortement à tout ceux qui veulent progresser et maitriser l'usage des verbes