TORFL Exam Preparation

Mikhail Yurievich was my tutor of the Russian language in 2014 during the first semester at the MSU in the name of Lomonosov. With him we studied the grammar rules and the spoken language at the same time; he understood that the grammar rules- are one thing, but the way that the Russian people speak, in which mode you can interact in Russian, which cliché phrases the Russians use, how to quickly deal with basic, political and philosophical situations, when you need to express your opinion and which songs all the Russian people know and sing- are completely different things and are very important.
We did written exercises and checked them during the lessons. Mikhail Yurievich always gave us dialogues- which in turn established discussions on many different topics, and so in this way all of the students in the group got the opportunity to speak their mind out loud, ask each other questions and so on. Mikhail Yurievich has achieved his goal; no-one was embarrassed or afraid to speak and, in my opinion, this is most important. Every student felt enough confidence to speak freely and to understand that it is possible! In conclusion, I believe that Mikhail Yurievich is a great tutor!

I have been very impressed with Dana and can fully recommend her as a tutor. She takes the time to carefully tailor each class to my needs, even producing her own home tasks based on what we cover in each class. Dana takes the time to find relevant articles based on my interests and has the patience and knowledge to explain why things work the way they do. Dana is perfect if you really want to understand grammar, in particular why and how Russian works the way it does. She combines an academic, professional approach with a warm and friendly delivery making each class a pleasure to take part in.

Yulia is a diligent, interested and accomplished teacher. Working as a translator and teacher myself, it´s easy to see just how prepared, bighearted, and engaged she is. She very intently contributes to her students´ growth. There is a great assortment of interesting resources she kindly makes available on Russificate, as well as constant posts on language and culture and new exercises. By the replies on her page, I know I´m not the only student advancing. She is, indeed, very considerate and devoted to this project. Having family roots in Russia, I´m very glad Yulia is helping me better understand part of my cultural heritage. She´s been teaching me for about six months, and I think of her as a friend already. I find her truly inspiring.