Most Useful Eastern European Language To Speak In 2025: Answered!

Europe is such a multilingual continent, so I understand how difficult it is to pick the right language to learn.

Over the past years, I’ve lived in different European countries and guided travel groups through Europe. Besides, I’ve learned 3 foreign languages (English, German, and Spanish), which has significantly improved my life. Thanks to my travel experience and living abroad, I‘ve understood where each language is mostly spoken and which will be most useful for you to learn if you travel to certain areas.

So, in this article, I’ll share my insights with you about the most useful Eastern European language to learn.

Let’s get started!

What Is The Most Useful Eastern European Language To Speak? Revealed!

Russian is the most useful Eastern European language to learn. Many people living in Eastern Europe had to learn Russian back in the Communist regime in the 1960s. As a result, you’ll meet people speaking Russian in countries like Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Hungary.

Why Is Russian The Most Useful Eastern European Language To Learn?

Russian is the most useful Eastern European language because it’s widely spoken in Eastern Europe. All Central and Eastern European countries were part of the so-called Eastern Bloc or a Soviet Bloc. It was during the Cold War (1947 – 1991), when all these countries were influenced by the Soviet Union and strict communist regimes. As part of the regime, people had to learn Russian at school. That is why many people nowadays speak Russian in Eastern and Central Europe.

Russian is also still a popular second foreign language for students to learn at school. They can mostly choose Russian and German, and many prefer Russian. That’s why you’ll be able to communicate in Russian in most Eastern European countries.

In Which European Countries Can You Speak Russian?

Here is a list of European countries in which you’ll be able to speak Russian:

✅ RUSSIA
✅ BELARUS
✅ UKRAINE
✅ MOLDOVA
✅ BULGARIA
✅ SLOVAKIA
✅ CZECH REPUBLIC
✅ POLAND
✅ HUNGARY
✅ LATVIA
✅ LITHUANIA
✅ ESTONIA
✅ GEORGIA
✅ AZERBAIJAN

Is Russian Language Difficult To Learn?

If your native language is English or German, then Russian is difficult to learn. English and German belong to the Germanic language family and have a completely different structure than Russian.

If your native language is from the Italic language group (Spanish, Italian, French), it’ll also be challenging for you to learn Russian.

However, if your native language is Slavic, Russian will be easy for you to learn because it also belongs to the Slavic language family. So you’ll find many similarities.

I’m Slovakian, and my native language is Slovak, a Slavic language. So, Russian is very easy to learn for me. I can understand it a little bit without ever learning.

My Experience Seeing Others Learning Russian

When I was at the university, my English and German-speaking friends were all complaining about the Russian language because it was difficult for them to learn. I picked Spanish back then with another friend, and it was so much fun.

Once we had language classes, everybody heading to a Russian class was stressed out. But, all Spanish learners were excited to finally have a Spanish class. It was very interesting to observe.

So, your native language matters, and it’ll determine how difficult or easy it is for you to learn other languages.

How To Approach Learning Russian Language: Step-By-Step Guide

Russian uses a different alphabet than other European languages. It’s the Cyrillic Alphabet, which comes from the Old Church Slavonic language.

It was invented in the 9th century by two monks, Cyril and Methodius, who wanted to spread Christianity across Europe. They came from around Ohrid (North Macedonia), invented the Cyrillic script, translated the Bible, and started Christian teachings in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Cyrillic alphabet has more letters than the Latin alphabet (used by other European languages). It has 33 letters in total (7 more than the Latin).

So, the very first step on your Russian learning journey is to master the Cyrillic alphabet.

Best Way To Learn Russian Alphabet

Let’s have a look at how to learn the Cyrillic alphabet successfully.

1. Start with the easy letters A, E, K, M, O, and T. These letters are the same as in the English/Latin Alphabet and sound the same way.
2. Move on to the letters easy to pronounce: Б, Г, Д, Ш, З, Ф. These are a few examples of letters with similar pronunciation to English. So, learn these letters and associate them with similar English sounds.
3. Study the most challenging letters: B, H, P, C, Y, and X. You may think these letters will be easy; they look the same as English. But I am to slightly disappoint you, my friend. Even though they look the same, these are completely different Russian letters.
4. Lastly, have a look at the weird Russian letters: Ё, Ж, Й, Щ, Ц, Я, Ь, Ъ, and Ы. These all sound and are written differently in English.

💡 PRO TIP: Write as much as you can. Practice writing each letter until you don’t remember it. When writing, don’t forget to pronounce each letter simultaneously. You’ll kill two birds with one stone.

Get The Russian Alphabet Made Easy Workbook

I recommend you also get the Russian Alphabet Made Easy workbook. It’ll guide you throughout the entire process of learning the Cyrillic alphabet.

It allows you to practice writing each Russian letter and explains how to pronounce it. What I love about the book is that it also comes with audio. Listening to the pronunciation of letters simultaneously as you write them is crucial for learning the Russian alphabet.

➡ Get the Russian Alphabet Made Easy Workbook here.

How Long Does It Take To Learn The Cyrillic Alphabet?

It generally takes around a month to learn the Russian alphabet. Take it easy and spend at least 15 minutes a day practicing and pronouncing the letters. But don’t be in a rush. The alphabet is the foundation of the language, so make sure you understand it and learn it well.

The more you practice writing and pronouncing each letter, the sooner you’ll master it. If you listen to the pronunciation of each letter, it’ll make the process even faster.

What To Learn Once You Master The Cyrillic Alphabet?

Once you master the Russian alphabet, it’s time to start learning the basics and incorporate more resources into your language learning process.

Start with listening, reading, and learning new vocabulary, then writing and practicing speaking.

👉 READ ALSO:
What To Learn In A New Language: Complete Guide For Beginners
Best Language Learning Method For Adults: Simple 9-Step Guide

Listening In Russian

First, I encourage you to start listening to a podcast in Russian. Listening is one of the crucial language skills that I recommend you practice, especially at the beginning of your Russian learning journey.

It’ll help you understand the language better and break any barriers you might have when learning it further.

👉 READ ALSO: 6 Best Russian Audiobooks For Beginners + Guide To Learn Russian With Them

Reading In Russian

Then, incorporate reading in Russian; books, and magazines for beginners are great. It’ll help you understand the language’s basics and structure once you read.

I recommend the 101 Conversations in Simple Russian. This book uses simple and everyday vocabulary in real-life conversations.

Russian language magazines are another great resource. You can do fun activities such as creating flashcards, cutting images, making vocabulary walls, or playing Pexeso with them. They’ll also give you a general understanding of Russian culture, traditions, events, and insights into events and sports.

👉 READ ALSO:
Best Foreign Language Books For Beginners
Best Foreign Language Magazines: Fun With Languages

Learn New Vocabulary & Start Writing

My approach to language learning is to learn a topic-specific vocabulary. It’s the best way to learn a language by yourself. Choose situations (topics) where you’ll need to speak Russian, then write down all the words you’ll need in that situation and create simple dialogues.

Practice Speaking Russian

Last but not least, incorporate speaking. After learning a lot of new vocabulary and some basic sentences, find a friend or a tutor to talk to. You can first talk to yourself, but it’s best to have an accountability partner that will motivate you to speak.

I like to practice my speaking skills on iTalki – you can find a tutor that suits you best and have online lessons with him. It’s best to tell him what you have been learning on your own and then practice it with him. He’ll help you with your pronunciation and motivate you to speak.

➡ Find your tutor online on iTalki and practice speaking Russian here.

Make It Fun

Make it fun. It’s difficult to do anything and achieve your goals if you have to force yourself into learning. So incorporate resources that you like and that motivate you to be in contact with Russian.

I love watching movies in foreign languages, especially if I’m not motivated to learn that day. Lingopie has been my go-to resource to watch TV shows and movies online. It’s like Netflix but for language learning.

Not only do you get to watch what you want to. You can stop the movie, pick a word you don’t understand, get an immediate translation, and save it to your list of words you want to remember. After, you can play games with these new words to remember them better.

It’s such a great platform, and it doesn’t even feel like I’m learning a new language when I use it, so try it out.

➡ Check out Lingopie and watch TV shows & movies in Russian here.

Benefits Of Speaking Russian When Traveling In Eastern Europe & My Experience

If you want to travel to Eastern or even Central Europe, the Russian language will be your biggest asset. It’ll get you closer to the locals, their traditions, and their culture. You’ll have a wonderful travel experience if you speak at least a little bit of Russian.

I highly recommend learning at least the Russian alphabet and the basics. In countries such as Ukraine or Bulgaria, all signs at train stations or public premises are often written in the Cyrillic alphabet. I was in Ukraine, and at that time, I didn’t know a single Russian word or understand the alphabet.

I was lost at the train station because all the signs were in the Russian alphabet, and nobody spoke English at the counter. I needed to book a train ticket to Kyjiv because I missed my previous train. And it was so difficult simply because I didn’t speak Russian and nobody else spoke English. You see how beneficial it’ll be for you to speak at least a few words of Russian when visiting Eastern European countries.

Check out my article about the 7 benefits of learning a foreign language for travel by clicking on the image below to get even more motivation:

Other Languages Spoken In Eastern Europe

Apart from Russian, there are many other languages that you can speak in Eastern Europe. But let’s first define what is Eastern Europe.

Many people say the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary belong to Eastern Europe, which is actually not true. That’s still Central Europe. Eastern Europe includes Romania, Bulgaria, and the Balkan countries, and we can also include the Baltic countries, including Belarus and Russia. You can speak Russian in all of these countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

Here are other languages that you can in these parts of Europe (most of them are Slavic languages):

✅ Czech
✅ Slovakian
✅ Polish
✅ Lithuanian
✅ Latvian
✅ Estonian
✅ Belarusian
✅ Ukrainian
✅ Moldovan
✅ Romanian
✅ Bulgarian

Top 10 Languages Spoken In Europe

If you want to travel to Europe and pick the right language to learn, it obviously doesn’t have to be Russian. Pick a language that interests you and that is spoken in the countries you’ll visit.

So here are the top 10 languages that people in Europe speak and will be most useful for you when visiting Europe:

1. English
2. German
3. French
4. Russian
5. Spanish
6. Italian
7. Polish
8. Romanian
9. Portuguese
10. Albanian

FAQs

I’ve also answered some of the frequently asked questions about Eastern European languages and languages in general, so check my answers below:

What Is The Most Spoken Eastern European Language?

Russian is the most spoken Eastern European language. It’s an official language in 2 European countries (Russia and Belarus). Still, it’s widely spoken in other countries in Eastern Europe as people speak it as their second language.

What Is The Best Eastern European Language To Learn?

Russian is the best Eastern European language to learn because it’s widely spoken in this part of Europe.

What Is The Most Spoken Language In The World?

English and Chinese are the most spoken languages in the world. English is the first language for most people, and Chinese is widely spoken in Asia and is the base for learning a few other Asian languages, too.

WRAP-UP: Most Useful Eastern European Language To Learn

These are my thoughts on learning Russian as the most useful Eastern European language. It’ll be very beneficial for you if you visit these parts of Europe. Learning Russian is a different experience than learning any other European language because of the Cyrillic alphabet.

When I guided groups through Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria (where they use the Cyrillic script). I took my group to a local coffee shop. I gave them some sentences to practice writing in the Cyrillic alphabet. It was so much fun.

Remember to make learning fun and incorporate several resources in different environments.

If you have any questions or need help learning a new language (especially for travel), contact me at info(at)voicesoftravel.com. I’ll be happy to help you.

Happy Learning & Travelling!