ИК-1 to ИК-7, drawn over the words
Pick a melody. The line shows the voice: higher on the page means a higher voice. The red syllable is the stressed syllable of the key word, where the melody makes its move.
How to say it: Keep the voice level and calm, then let it drop on the stressed syllable of the last important word. Don’t rise at the end.
Move the rise, change the question
In a yes/no question (ИК-3) the rise lands on the word you are really asking about. English moves the stress the same way, but Russian makes it much more obvious. The answer repeats that word.
| Rise on | You are asking | Short answer |
|---|---|---|
| Is it you who’s going (not someone else)? | Да, я.Yes, me. | |
| Are you actually going, or not? | Да, пойду́.Yes, I will. | |
| Is it tomorrow that you’re going? | Да, за́втра.Yes, tomorrow. | |
| Is it the cinema you’re going to? | Да, в кино́.Yes, to the cinema. |
Rise to say “more is coming”, fall to finish
In a long sentence, every part except the last ends with a gentle rise (an ИК-3 shape, but softer). The listener hears “I haven’t finished”. Only the last part falls with ИК-1. Lists work the same way: each item rises, the last one falls.
Same word, different melody
Short words like да, ну and хорошо́ change meaning completely with the melody. Russians rely on this constantly in conversation. Tap each version to hear it.
Four more situations where melody does the work
Once you know ИК-1 to ИК-4, these everyday cases follow. Each one combines two melodies, or uses a familiar melody in a new place.
Why Russian questions sound so different
An English yes/no question rises at the very end and stays up. A Russian one jumps on the key word and drops straight back down, even if the key word is first. Carrying the English melody into Russian makes questions sound unclear.
Hear all the melodies in one short chat
Two friends talk about a concert. Each line is labelled with its melody. Notice how a single exclamation (ИК-5 or ИК-7) changes the whole meaning of the same words.
Which melody does it need?
Read the sentence and its meaning, then choose the melody.