Language/Russian/Grammar/Nominative-Case

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Russian → Grammar → Nominative Case

Today, we will dive into the basics of the Russian language's Nominative case. As a Russian language teacher with 20 years of experience, I have found that mastering the cases is one of the most difficult, but essential parts of learning Russian. In this lesson, we will focus on the Nominative case.

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Genitive Case & Comparatives and Superlatives.

What is the Nominative Case?

The Nominative case is used to indicate the subject of the sentence. It is also used for predicate nouns and adjectives. In other words, if a noun is the main actor in the sentence, then it is in the Nominative case.

For example:

• Я ем яблоко. (Ya em yabloko.) - I am eating an apple.

In this sentence, "I" is the subject and "an apple" is the direct object. "An apple" is in the Nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence.

• Моя сестра умна. (Moya sestra umna.) - My sister is smart.

In this sentence, "my sister" is the subject and "smart" is the predicate adjective. "My sister" is in the Nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence.

• Ты кто? (Ty kto?) - Who are you?

In this sentence, "you" is the subject. It is a pronoun and is already in the Nominative case.

Noun Gender

One of the most important things to keep in mind when dealing with Russian nouns and their cases is the concept of gender. Nouns in Russian are either masculine, feminine, or neuter, and each gender has its own declension patterns.

In general, the gender of a noun is determined by its ending:

• Masculine nouns often end in a consonant or "-ий" (-iy).
• Feminine nouns often end in "-а" (-a) or "-я" (-ya).
• Neuter nouns often end in "-о" (-o) or "-е" (-e).

However, there are also many exceptions to these patterns, so it is important to memorize the gender of each noun as you learn it.

Noun Declensions

Declension refers to the changes that a noun undergoes depending on its usage in the sentence. In Russian, there are six different cases: Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, Instrumental, and Prepositional. Each case has its own set of ending patterns for each gender.

To decline a noun, you need to know its gender and its ending in the Nominative case. For example, let's use the noun "стол" (stol), which means "table":

• Masculine: стол (stol) - table
  • Nominative: стол (stol)
  • Accusative: стол (stol)
  • Genitive: стола (stola)
  • Dative: столу (stolu)
  • Instrumental: столом (stolom)
  • Prepositional: столе (stole)

• Feminine: книга (kniga) - book
  • Nominative: книга (kniga)
  • Accusative: книгу (knigu)
  • Genitive: книги (knigi)
  • Dative: книге (knige)
  • Instrumental: книгой (knigoy)
  • Prepositional: книге (knige)

• Neuter: окно (okno) - window
  • Nominative: окно (okno)
  • Accusative: окно (okno)
  • Genitive: окна (okna)
  • Dative: окну (oknu)
  • Instrumental: окном (oknom)
  • Prepositional: окне (okne)

As you can see, each case has its own ending pattern for each gender.

Examples

Here are some examples of sentences in the Nominative case:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
Мальчик играет.	Mal'chik igrayet.	The boy is playing.
Женщина пьет кофе.	Zhenshchina pyet kofe.	The woman is drinking coffee.
Собака лает.	Sobaka layet.	The dog is barking.

In each of these sentences, the subject is in the Nominative case.

Tips for Learning

Here are some tips to help you learn the Nominative case and the declension patterns:

• Start by memorizing the gender of each noun as you learn it.
• Practice the declension tables regularly.
• Focus on each case one at a time.
• Pay attention to the different ending patterns for each gender.

With practice, you will get the hang of the declension patterns and the Nominative case in no time!

Sources

• The Nominative Case - Russian Grammar
• The Nominative Case in Russian: Usage and Examples
• A COMPLETE guide to the Nominative Case in Russian ...

Other Lessons

• Future Tense
• Gender Recognition
• How to Use Have
• А vs Но
• Past Tense Conjugations
• Conditional Mood
• The verb to be
• Кое То Нибудь
• Personal Pronouns
• Tricky Adverbs

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

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