Русский алфавит: учим буквы и звуки

What does мягкий знак (soft sign) do in Russian?

Russian has a letter that makes no sound at all, yet changes how a word is pronounced. The мягкий знак (soft sign, Ь) sits after a consonant and “palatalizes” it — your tongue rises toward the roof of your mouth, producing a softer, slightly y-tinged version. The difference is phonemic: брат means “brother,” but брать means “to take.” One silent letter, two different words.

In the clip, teacher Maria Petrova makes the contrast audible on the spot: д then дь, б then бь, т then ть — and asks “Слышите разницу?” (“Do you hear the difference?”). The name Николь (Nicole) is her first example: the л without the soft sign sounds like a firm English L, while Николь ends with a softer, almost melted Л. Мягкий means “soft” and знак means “sign” — so the letter names itself.