Russian Grammar.Russian is worth speaking.
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4.3. The Genitive Case
The nominative (Роди́тельный паде́ж) answers the questions кого́? (of whom?) чего́? (of what?). кому́ чему́ кого́ что кем чем о ком о чём
Possession: In Russian, the genitive case is often used to indicate possession, similar to using "of" or an apostrophe-s ('s) in English. It typically answers the question "чей?" (whose?). The possessed noun remains in its base form, while the possessor is placed in the genitive case.
- Кни́га студе́нта. (The book of the student / The student's book.)
(The bag of the teacher / The teacher's bag.)
Numerals
Negated Verbs
Some time expressions
Some prepositions
Possession: In Russian, the genitive case is often used to indicate possession, similar to using "of" or an apostrophe-s ('s) in English. It typically answers the question "чей?" (whose?). The possessed noun remains in its base form, while the possessor is placed in the genitive case.
- Кни́га студе́нта. (The book of the student / The student's book.)
- "Книга" (book) remains in the nominative case.
- "Студента" (student) is in the genitive case, indicating possession.
(The bag of the teacher / The teacher's bag.)
- "Сумка" (bag) remains in the nominative case.
- "Учителя" (teacher) is in the genitive case, indicating possession.
Numerals
Negated Verbs
Some time expressions
Some prepositions
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4.1.1. Possession
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4.1.2. Numbers 2, 3, 4
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3.1.3. Negation
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3.1.4. Preposition 'у'
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2.1.5. Examples
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3.1.1. Possession: In Russian, the genitive case is often used to indicate possession, similar to using "of" or an apostrophe-s ('s) in English. It typically answers the question "чей?" (whose?). The possessed noun remains in its base form, while the possessor is placed in the genitive case.
- Кни́га студе́нта. (The book of the student / The student's book.)
(The bag of the teacher / The teacher's bag.)
- Кни́га студе́нта. (The book of the student / The student's book.)
- "Книга" (book) remains in the nominative case.
- "Студента" (student) is in the genitive case, indicating possession.
(The bag of the teacher / The teacher's bag.)
- "Сумка" (bag) remains in the nominative case.
- "Учителя" (teacher) is in the genitive case, indicating possession.
Кни́га сестры́ (The book of the sister / The sister's book)
Игру́шка ребёнка (The toy of the child / The child's toy) Маши́на дру́га (The car of the friend / The friend's car) Дом роди́телей (The house of the parents / The parents' house) Телефо́н бра́та (The phone of the brother / The brother's phone) Ча́шка ба́бушки (The cup of the grandmother / The grandmother's cup) Рюкза́к студе́нта (The backpack of the student / The student's backpack) Фо́то соба́ки (The photo of the dog / The dog's photo) Ша́пка де́душки (The hat of the grandfather / The grandfather's hat) Тетра́дь учи́теля (The notebook of the teacher / The teacher's notebook) Часы́ бра́та (The watch of the brother / The brother's watch) Кни́га подру́ги (The book of the friend / The friend's book) Очки́ профе́ссора (The glasses of the professor / The professor's glasses) Карти́на худо́жника (The painting of the artist / The artist's painting) Стихи́ поэ́та (The poems of the poet / The poet's poems) |
Портре́т худо́жника (The portrait of the artist / The artist's portrait)
Тракта́т фило́софа (The treatise of the philosopher / The philosopher's treatise) Речь ора́тора (The speech of the orator / The orator's speech) Прое́кт архите́ктора (The project of the architect / The architect's project) Мастерство́ ску́льптора (The skill of the sculptor / The sculptor's skill) Му́зыка компози́тора (The music of the composer / The composer's music) Ру́копись писа́теля (The manuscript of the writer / The writer's manuscript) Изобрете́ние учёного (The invention of the scientist / The scientist's invention) Карти́на реставра́тора (The painting of the restorer / The restorer's painting) Кабине́т профе́ссора (The office of the professor / The professor's office) Запи́ски путеше́ственника (The notes of the traveler / The traveler's notes) Труд учёного (The work of the scientist / The scientist's work) Ру́копись мона́ха (The manuscript of the monk / The monk's manuscript) Го́лос актёра (The voice of the actor / The actor's voice) Костю́м танцо́ра (The costume of the dancer / The dancer's costume) |
2.1.2. In Russian, the numbers 2 (два, две), 3 (три), and 4 (четы́ре) are followed by nouns in the genitive singular form. This is because these numbers require the noun to agree grammatically in case, and they specifically govern the genitive singular rather than the nominative or plural.This rule applies only to these numbers and changes for other numbers like 1 (nominative singular) or 5 and above (genitive plural).
Examples:
Два стола́ (Two tables)
"Стола́" is the genitive singular form of "стол" (table).
Три я́блока (Three apples)
"Я́блока" is the genitive singular form of "я́блоко" (apple).
Четы́ре маши́ны (Four cars)
"Маши́ны" is the genitive singular form of "маши́на" (car).
This structure reflects the syntactical relationship between the number and the noun.In Russian, the numeral два (two) changes to две when it precedes a feminine noun. This distinction exists because Russian has grammatical gender, and numerals must agree with the gender of the noun they modify.
Examples:
Examples:
Два стола́ (Two tables)
"Стола́" is the genitive singular form of "стол" (table).
Три я́блока (Three apples)
"Я́блока" is the genitive singular form of "я́блоко" (apple).
Четы́ре маши́ны (Four cars)
"Маши́ны" is the genitive singular form of "маши́на" (car).
This structure reflects the syntactical relationship between the number and the noun.In Russian, the numeral два (two) changes to две when it precedes a feminine noun. This distinction exists because Russian has grammatical gender, and numerals must agree with the gender of the noun they modify.
Examples:
- Два стола́ (Two tables) — "стол" is masculine, so "два" is used.
- Две кни́ги (Two books) — "кни́га" is feminine, so "две" is used.
Два кота́ (Two cats)
Две кни́ги (Two books) Три сту́ла (Three chairs) Четы́ре окна́ (Four windows) Два дру́га (Two friends) Три я́блока (Three apples) Четы́ре зада́ния (Four tasks) Две кварти́ры (Two apartments) Три вопро́са (Three questions) Четы́ре челове́ка (Four people) Два за́мка|замка́ (Two castles) Две реки́ (Two rivers) Три самолёта (Three airplanes) Четы́ре корабля́ (Four ships) Два докуме́нта (Two documents) |
Два инжене́ра (Two engineers)
Две фа́брики (Two factories) Три музе́я (Three museums) Четы́ре арти́ста (Four artists) Два экспериме́нта (Two experiments) Три изобрете́ния (Three inventions) Четы́ре аспира́нта (Four graduate students) Две конфере́нции (Two conferences) Три достиже́ния (Three achievements) Четы́ре университе́та (Four universities) Три иссле́дователя (Three researchers) Четы́ре плане́ты (Four planets) Две леге́нды (Two legends) Три сове́та (Three pieces of advice) Четы́ре портфе́ля (Four briefcases) |
2.1.3. In Russian, the genitive case is used to indicate the absence or lack of something in negative constructions. When expressing that something is not present or does not exist, the noun being negated is placed in the genitive case.
Structure:[Subject] + нет + [noun in genitive case]
Examples:
Structure:[Subject] + нет + [noun in genitive case]
Examples:
- У меня нет книги.
(I don’t have a book.)- "Книги" is the genitive form of "книга" (book).
- На столе нет ручки.
(There is no pen on the table.)- "Ручки" is the genitive form of "ручка" (pen).
У меня́ нет де́нег. (I don’t have money.)
На столе́ нет кни́ги. (There is no book on the table.) В ко́мнате нет сту́ла. (There is no chair in the room.) У него́ нет вре́мени. (He doesn’t have time.) У нас нет маши́ны. (We don’t have a car.) В магази́не нет хле́ба. (There is no bread in the store.) У неё нет соба́ки. (She doesn’t have a dog.) На у́лице нет люде́й. (There are no people outside.) В ча́шке нет ча́я. (There is no tea in the cup.) У студе́нта нет ру́чки. (The student doesn’t have a pen.) В шкафу́ нет оде́жды. (There are no clothes in the wardrobe.) На ку́хне нет таре́лок. (There are no plates in the kitchen.) У них нет кварти́ры. (They don’t have an apartment.) В коро́бке|коробке́ нет игру́шки. (There is no toy in the box.) У ребёнка нет моро́женого. (The child doesn’t have ice cream.) Кни́ги нет. (The book is not here / There is no book.) Во́ды|Воды́ нет. (The water is not here / There is no water.) Ру́чки нет. (The pen is not here / There is no pen.) Саха́ра нет. (The sugar is not here / There is no sugar.) Моло́ка|Молока́ нет. (The milk is not here / There is no milk.) Ча́я нет. (The tea is not here / There is no tea.) Ко́шки нет. (The cat is not here / There is no cat.) Хле́ба|Хлеба́ нет. (The bread is not here / There is no bread.) Де́нег нет. (The money is not here / There is no money.) Вре́мени нет. (The time is not here / There is no time.) |
У меня́ нет ключе́й от маши́ны. (I don’t have the car keys.)
В его́ слова́х нет смы́сла. (There is no meaning in his words.) На по́лке|полке́ нет ста́рых журна́лов. (There are no old magazines on the shelf.) У нас нет пла́на на ве́чер. (We don’t have a plan for the evening.) В до́ме нет электри́чества. (There is no electricity in the house.) У соба́ки нет игру́шек. (The dog doesn’t have any toys.) На стене́ нет карти́ны. (There is no painting on the wall.) У студе́нта нет уче́бника по матема́тике. (The student doesn’t have a math textbook.) В за́ле нет свобо́дных мест. (There are no free seats in the hall.) На у́лице нет движе́ния. (There is no traffic outside.) У них нет о́бщего мне́ния. (They don’t have a shared opinion.) В библиоте́ке нет ну́жной кни́ги. (The needed book isn’t in the library.) У ребёнка нет зи́мней оде́жды. (The child doesn’t have winter clothes.) На столе́ нет ва́жных докуме́нтов. (There are no important documents on the table.) У неё нет жела́ния говори́ть. (She has no desire to talk.) |
2.1.2. Nouns ending in the suffix -тел are masculine
Words where -тель is not a suffix are feminine: посте́ль (bed), арте́ль (cooperative), мете́ль (snowstorm).
Words where -тель is not a suffix are feminine: посте́ль (bed), арте́ль (cooperative), мете́ль (snowstorm).
писа́тель → писа́тели (writers)
учи́тель → учителя́ (teachers) роди́тель → роди́тели (parents) созда́тель → созда́тели (creators) люби́тель → люби́тели (lovers, enthusiasts) искупи́тель → искупи́тели (redeemers) учреди́тель → учреди́тели (founders) соедини́тель → соедини́тели (connectors) выключа́тель → выключа́тели (switches) разруши́тель → разруши́тели (destroyers) |
иссле́дователь → иссле́дователи (researchers)
свиде́тель → свиде́тели (witnesses) изобрета́тель → изобрета́тели (inventors) жи́тель → жи́тели (inhabitants) носи́тель → носи́тели (carriers) освободи́тель → освободи́тели (liberators) истреби́тель → истреби́тели (exterminators) зри́тель → зри́тели (spectators) посети́тель → посети́тели (visitors) избира́тель → избира́тели (voters) |
благоде́тель → благоде́тели (benefactors)
испыта́тель → испыта́тели (experimenters) прави́тель → прави́тели (rulers) указа́тель → указа́тели (indicators) спаси́тель → спаси́тели (saviors) води́тель → води́тели (drivers) служи́тель → служи́тели (servants, ministers) примири́тель → примири́тели (mediators) доброде́тель → доброде́тели (virtues) слу́шатель → слу́шатели (listeners, auditors) |
2.1.5. Nouns denoting a profession are generally masculine
Masculine nouns denoting professions may be used for women. Adjectives used as attributes in such cases agree with the masculine: Она́ – хоро́ший профе́ссор (She is a good professor). Past tense verbs match the gender of the person: Секрета́рь прочита́ла письмо́ (The secretary read the letter).
Masculine nouns denoting professions may be used for women. Adjectives used as attributes in such cases agree with the masculine: Она́ – хоро́ший профе́ссор (She is a good professor). Past tense verbs match the gender of the person: Секрета́рь прочита́ла письмо́ (The secretary read the letter).
У меня́ нет де́нег. (I don’t have money.)
На столе́ нет кни́ги. (There is no book on the table.) В ко́мнате нет сту́ла. (There is no chair in the room.) У него́ нет вре́мени. (He doesn’t have time.) У нас нет маши́ны. (We don’t have a car.) В магази́не нет хле́ба. (There is no bread in the store.) У неё нет соба́ки. (She doesn’t have a dog.) На у́лице нет люде́й. (There are no people outside.) В ча́шке нет ча́я. (There is no tea in the cup.) У студе́нта нет ру́чки. (The student doesn’t have a pen.) В шкафу́ нет оде́жды. (There are no clothes in the wardrobe.) На ку́хне нет таре́лок. (There are no plates in the kitchen.) У них нет кварти́ры. (They don’t have an apartment.) В коро́бке|коробке́ нет игру́шки. (There is no toy in the box.) У ребёнка нет моро́женого. (The child doesn’t have ice cream.) |
У меня́ нет ключе́й от маши́ны. (I don’t have the car keys.)
В его́ слова́х нет смы́сла. (There is no meaning in his words.) На по́лке|полке́ нет ста́рых журна́лов. (There are no old magazines on the shelf.) У нас нет пла́на на ве́чер. (We don’t have a plan for the evening.) В до́ме нет электри́чества. (There is no electricity in the house.) У соба́ки нет игру́шек. (The dog doesn’t have any toys.) На стене́ нет карти́ны. (There is no painting on the wall.) У студе́нта нет уче́бника по матема́тике. (The student doesn’t have a math textbook.) В за́ле нет свобо́дных мест. (There are no free seats in the hall.) На у́лице нет движе́ния. (There is no traffic outside.) У них нет о́бщего мне́ния. (They don’t have a shared opinion.) В библиоте́ке нет ну́жной кни́ги. (The needed book isn’t in the library.) У ребёнка нет зи́мней оде́жды. (The child doesn’t have winter clothes.) На столе́ нет ва́жных докуме́нтов. (There are no important documents on the table.) У неё нет жела́ния говори́ть. (She has no desire to talk.) Кни́ги нет до́ма. (The book is not at home.) Маши́ны нет во дворе́. (The car is not in the yard.) Ру́чки нет в су́мке. (The pen is not in the bag.) Телефо́на нет на столе́. (The phone is not on the table.) Ко́та|Кота́ нет в ко́мнате. (The cat is not in the room.) Вре́мени нет на рабо́ту. (There is no time for work.) Ча́я нет в кру́жке|кружке́. (There is no tea in the mug.) Дете́й нет на у́лице. (There are no children outside.) Во́ды|Воды́ нет в буты́лке. (There is no water in the bottle.) Саха́ра нет в ко́фе. (There is no sugar in the coffee.) Соба́к нет во дворе́. (There are no dogs in the yard.) Отве́та нет в письме́. (There is no answer in the letter.) Овоще́й нет в холоди́льнике. (There are no vegetables in the fridge.) Ли́стов|Листо́в нет на де́реве. (There are no leaves on the tree.) Уче́бника нет у студе́нта. (The student doesn’t have a textbook.) |
Dictionaries give words. Grammar books give rules. Language360 adds context. |