At the very beginning it matters to understand the difference between letters and sounds: the letters of the English alphabet are pronounced one way in the alphabet, but read differently once they land inside a word.
Certain letter combinations are not entirely logical for a Russian speaker. The English letter “e”, for instance, is a long “ee” in the alphabet, but between two consonants it becomes a short “e” — set, and so on.
In my lessons I pay particular attention to pronunciation and phonetics. That is what later lets you speak correctly — so that people around you understand you and you understand them. And that is our main goal.
Listening is a compulsory part of a lesson, on the same level as grammar, speaking and reading. I call it training the ear for real conversation later on.
