Imparo il russo.

Imparo is the first-person singular form of the verb imparare (to learn), in the present indicative.

So:

• io imparo = I learn / I am learning

Italian present tense often covers both:

• a general habit: I learn
• what is happening now: I am learning

That is why imparo works naturally here.

Italian often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The ending of the verb already tells you who the subject is:

• imparo = I learn
• impari = you learn
• impara = he/she learns

Because imparo already clearly means I, Italians usually just say Imparo il russo rather than Io imparo il russo.

You can still say io for emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Io imparo il russo, lui impara il tedesco.

In Italian, language names are often used with a definite article after verbs like studiare, insegnare, parlare bene, or imparare.

So:

• imparo il russo
• studio l’italiano
• insegna il francese

This is different from English, where you usually say just Russian, Italian, French without the.

So il here is normal Italian grammar.

In Italian, names of languages and nationalities are usually not capitalized, unless they begin a sentence.

So Italian writes:

• il russo
• l’italiano
• il francese

Compare that with English, where you write:

• Russian
• Italian
• French

This is a very common difference between the two languages.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Italian present tense is broader than English present tense. It can express:

• a general fact or current activity: I learn Russian / I study Russian
• something happening around now: I am learning Russian

If you want to make the ongoing idea especially clear, Italian can also use:

• Sto imparando il russo. = I am learning Russian.

But Imparo il russo is still perfectly normal.

Yes. Studio il russo is very common and often sounds more natural when talking about learning a language in the sense of studying it.

There is a slight difference:

• imparare = to learn, to acquire knowledge
• studiare = to study

So:

• Imparo il russo focuses on the learning process or result.
• Studio il russo focuses more on the activity of studying.

In real life, both can work, but studio il russo is often the more common everyday way to say you are learning a language.

A simple guide is:

• Imparo ≈ eem-PAH-ro
• il ≈ eel
• russo ≈ ROOS-so

A few useful notes:

• The stress is on -par- in imparo
• In russo, the ss is pronounced as a clear doubled consonant
• The r in Italian is typically rolled or tapped

So the rhythm is roughly:

eem-PAH-ro eel ROOS-so

The article depends on the sound that follows.

Italian uses:

• il before most masculine singular nouns
• lo before masculine singular nouns beginning with s + consonant, z, ps, gn, and some other special clusters

Since russo begins with a normal r sound, the correct article is:

• il russo

Compare:

• il russo
• lo spagnolo
• lo studente
• lo zio

Here, russo is functioning as a noun, meaning the Russian language.

The same word can also be an adjective:

• la lingua russa = the Russian language
• un libro russo = a Russian book

But in Imparo il russo, it stands on its own as the name of the language.

You change the verb ending:

• Imparo il russo = I learn Russian
• Impari il russo = You learn Russian
• Impariamo il russo = We learn Russian

More forms:

• Impara il russo = He/She learns Russian
• Imparate il russo = You all learn Russian
• Imparano il russo = They learn Russian

This is one of the key features of Italian: the verb ending carries a lot of information.