Language/Russian/Grammar/Genitive-Case

Russian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Russian Nouns and Gender → Genitive Case

Introduction

In the previous lessons of our "Complete 0 to A1 Russian Course," we have covered various aspects of Russian grammar, including the basics of the Russian alphabet, pronunciation, and the different cases of Russian nouns. In this lesson, we will delve into the Genitive case, one of the most important cases in the Russian language. Understanding and correctly using the Genitive case is essential for expressing possession, negation, and indicating quantity. So let's get started!

What is the Genitive Case?

The Genitive case is one of the six cases in the Russian language. Each case has its own specific function and is used to express different relationships between words in a sentence. The Genitive case is primarily used to indicate possession, negation, and quantity. It is also used after certain prepositions and verbs.

Forming the Genitive Case

To form the Genitive case, we need to understand the concept of gender and the declension patterns of Russian nouns. In Russian, nouns can be masculine, feminine, or neuter, and they can be singular or plural. The form of the noun in the Genitive case depends on its gender, number, and the declension pattern it follows.

Masculine Nouns

Masculine nouns in the singular form usually end in a consonant or "й." To form the Genitive case of masculine nouns, we need to follow the following declension patterns:

1. If the noun ends in a consonant, we add "-а" or "-я" for animate nouns and "-у" or "-ю" for inanimate nouns. Example:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
дом	dom	house
дома	doma	of the house

2. If the noun ends in "-й," we replace it with "-я". Example:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
месяц	mesyats	month
месяца	mesyatsa	of the month

3. If the noun ends in "-ь," we replace it with "-я". Example:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
путь	put	path
пути	puti	of the path

Masculine nouns in the plural form usually end in "-ы" or "-и." To form the Genitive case of plural masculine nouns, we add "-ов" or "-ей". Example:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
студенты	studenty	students
студентов	studentov	of the students

Feminine Nouns

Feminine nouns in the singular form usually end in "-а," "-я," or "-ь." To form the Genitive case of feminine nouns, we need to follow the following declension patterns:

1. If the noun ends in "-а" or "-я," we replace it with "-ы" or "-и". Example:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
книга	kniga	book
книги	knigi	of the book

2. If the noun ends in "-ь," we replace it with "-и". Example:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
ночь	noch	night
ночи	nochi	of the night

Feminine nouns in the plural form usually end in "-ы" or "-и." To form the Genitive case of plural feminine nouns, we add "-ов" or "-ей". Example:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
девушки	devushki	girls
девушек	devushek	of the girls

Neuter Nouns

Neuter nouns in the singular form usually end in "-о" or "-е." To form the Genitive case of neuter nouns, we need to follow the following declension patterns:

1. If the noun ends in "-о" or "-е," we replace it with "-а" or "-я". Example:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
окно	okno	window
окна	okna	of the window

Neuter nouns in the plural form usually end in "-а" or "-я." To form the Genitive case of plural neuter nouns, we add "-ов" or "-ей". Example:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
яблоки	yabloki	apples
яблок	yablok	of the apples

Usage of the Genitive Case

Now that we have learned how to form the Genitive case, let's explore its various usages in the Russian language.

Possession

One of the main uses of the Genitive case is to express possession. In English, we typically use the preposition "of" to indicate possession, while in Russian, we use the Genitive case.

Example:

• У меня есть книга. (I have a book.)
• У меня нет книги. (I don't have a book.)

In the first sentence, "книга" (book) is in the Nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence. In the second sentence, "книги" (book) is in the Genitive case because it indicates the absence of possession.

Negation

The Genitive case is also used after negation words such as "нет" (no) and "ничего" (nothing).

Example:

• У меня нет времени. (I have no time.)
• Я ничего не знаю. (I don't know anything.)

In these sentences, "времени" (time) and "ничего" (anything) are in the Genitive case because they follow the negation words.

Quantity

The Genitive case is used to indicate quantity or to express the idea of "some" or "any" when used with numbers or certain words.

Example:

• У меня есть несколько яблок. (I have several apples.)
• Я хочу купить много молока. (I want to buy a lot of milk.)

In these sentences, "яблок" (apples) and "молока" (milk) are in the Genitive case because they indicate an indefinite quantity.

Prepositions and Verbs

The Genitive case is also used after certain prepositions and verbs. Here are some common prepositions and verbs that require the Genitive case:

Prepositions:

• Из (from)
• Без (without)
• Для (for)
• Вместо (instead of)

Verbs:

• Ждать (to wait for)
• Нужно (need)

Example:

• Я пришел из магазина. (I came from the store.)
• Я хочу кофе без сахара. (I want coffee without sugar.)
• Это подарок для тебя. (This is a gift for you.)
• Вместо книги, я посмотрел фильм. (Instead of reading a book, I watched a movie.)
• Я жду тебя. (I am waiting for you.)
• Мне нужно время. (I need time.)

Summary

In this lesson, we have explored the basics of the Russian Genitive case. We have learned how to form the Genitive case for masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns in both singular and plural forms. We have also discussed the various usages of the Genitive case, including expressing possession, negation, quantity, and its use after certain prepositions and verbs. Understanding and correctly using the Genitive case is essential for building grammatically correct sentences in Russian.

Keep practicing and applying the Genitive case in your Russian language learning journey. In the next lesson, we will continue our exploration of Russian grammar by diving into the Dative case. До свидания! (Goodbye!)

Table of Contents - Russian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Cyrillic Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Basic Phrases and Greetings

• Greetings and Introductions
• Everyday Phrases

  ---

Nouns and Gender

• Noun Gender
• Plurals

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Cases and Prepositions

• Nominative Case
• Prepositional Case

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships and Marital Status

  ---

Verbs and Conjugation

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Dining Out

  ---

Russian Traditions and Holidays

• National Holidays
• Traditional Celebrations

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparatives and Superlatives

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure Activities

• Hobbies
• Entertainment

  ---

Russian Literature and Arts

• Famous Writers
• Russian Art and Music

Sources

• The Genitive Case - Russian Grammar
• Russian/Grammar/Genitive case - Wikibooks, open books for an ...
• The Russian Genitive Case Explained – StoryLearning

Other Lessons

• Future Tense
• Dative Case
• The verb to be
• А vs Но
• Plurals
• Perfective Imperfective
• Noun Cases Overview
• Past Tense Conjugations
• Noun Adjective Agreement
• Verbs of Motion