GrammarGenitive
Everything about the Russian Genitive case.
Genitive
The Genitive case is used to express possession, negation and absence, quantities and most numbers, and it is required by certain verbs and prepositions. It answers the questions кого? (of whom?) and чего? (of what?).
Possession as "A's B"
- Машина врача - The doctor's car
- Центр города - The city's center
- Имя девушки - The name of the girl
Possession with у ... есть ...
When you want to say "A has B" you can use у [Gen.] есть [Nom.].
- У врача есть машина. - The doctor has a car.
- У города есть центр. - The city has a center.
- У девушки есть имя. - The girl has a name.
Non-existence with нет
Whenever you use нет to mean "there is no..." or "there are no...", the subject vanishes into the Genitive case.
- Здесь есть чай. There is tea here. → Здесь нет чая. There is no tea here.
- Мой друг здесь. My friend is here. → Моего друга нет здесь. My friend is not here.
- У меня есть собака. I have a dog. → У меня нет собаки. I don't have a dog.
With numbers
In Russian, the case of the noun changes based on the number preceding it and almost all numbers demand the Genitive case.
| Number | Noun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 or ending in 1, but not ending in 11 1, 11, 21, 31, 41, ..., 91, 101, 111, 121, 131, ... | Nom. | Один час (1 hour) Тридцать один час (31 hours) Сто один час (101 hours) |
| 2, 3, 4 or ending in 2, 3, 4, but not ending in 12, 13, 14 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, 14, 22, 23, 24, 32, 33, 34, ... | Gen. sg. | Два часа (2 hours) Три часа (3 hours) Четыре часа (4 hours) |
| 5-20, ending in 0, in 5-9, or 11-14. | Gen. pl. | Пять часов (5 hours) Десять часов (10 hours) |
Adjective behaviour: For 1 and 5+ the adjective agrees in case with the noun. For 2-4 the adjective's case depends on the noun's gender.
| Pattern | Adjective | Noun | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nom. sg. (agree) | Nom. sg. | один большой стол |
| 2–4 masculine/neuter 2–4 feminine | Gen. pl. Nom. pl. | Gen. sg. Gen. sg. | два больших стола две большие книги |
| 5+ | Gen. pl. (agree) | Gen. pl. | пять больших столов |
Prepositions
| Preposition | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Spatial relationship between objects | ||
| у | at / by / near | Я стою у окна. - I am standing by the window. |
| около | near / around | Он живёт около парка. - He lives near the park. |
| возле | beside / near | Машина возле дома. - The car is beside the house. |
| вокруг | Around | Дети бегают вокруг дерева. - Children run around the tree. |
| напротив | Opposite / Across | Аптека напротив метро. - The pharmacy is opposite the metro. |
| мимо | Past / By | Мы прошли мимо музея. - We walked past the museum. |
| From (origin and direction) | ||
| из | from (inside) | Я из России. - I am from Russia. |
| с / со | from (off a place or surface) | Я пришёл с работы. - I came from work. |
| от | from (a person or a point) | Это письмо от брата. - This letter is from [my] brother. |
| Time prepositions - For scheduling and describing the order of events. | ||
| до | before / until | До свидания! - Until we meet again! |
| после | after | Поговорим после урока. - Let's talk after the lesson. |
| с | since | Я здесь с утра. - I've been here since the morning. |
| во время | during | Не разговаривай во время фильма. - Don't talk during the movie. |
| Others | ||
| для | for | Это подарок для тебя. - This is a gift for you. |
| из-за | because of / from behind | Мы опоздали из-за пробок. - We were late because of traffic jams. |
| без | without | Чай без сахара, пожалуйста. - Tea without sugar, please. |
| кроме | except / besides | Все пришли, кроме Ивана. - Everyone came except Ivan. |
| вместо | instead of | Давай пойдём в кино вместо парка. - Let's go to the cinema instead of the park. |
When using a preposition with the pronouns его (him), её (her), or их (them), you must add an "н" to the start of the pronoun: без неё (without her) - Not без её. для него (for him) - Not для его.
Quantities (how much?)
Words that describe an indefinite quantity require the Genitive case.
- Uncountable or mass things like water or sugar → Genitive Singular.
- Countable things → Genitive Plural.
Examples:
- Мало времени - Little time (uncountable)
- Много друзей - Many friends (countable)
- Сколько билетов? - How many tickets? (countable)
- Несколько дней - Several days (countable)
мно́го ≠ мно́гие
мно́го is a quantity word and requires the Genitive (мно́го друзе́й).
мно́гие is an adjective and agrees normally in Nominative Plural (мно́гие друзья́).
The Nth day of a month
When you want to say "on the [number] of [month]," the month is always in the Genitive. If you are stating the specific day, the number is usually a neuter ordinal (like "first" or "fifth") and the month follows in Genitive.
- Первое января - The first of January
- Девятое мая - The ninth of May
Comparisons without чем (than)
When you compare two things using a comparative adjective (like "taller" or "cheaper"), you can either use the word чем (than) or simply put the second object in the Genitive.
- With "Than": Он старше, чем брат. - He is older than [his] brother.
- With Genitive: Он старше брата. - He is older [than] brother. - The Genitive replaces the word "than."
Partitive (A piece of...)
When you aren't talking about an object in its entirety, but rather a "portion" of it, you use the Genitive.
- Выпей воды. - Drink [some] water. - As opposed to "Выпей воду," which implies "Drink [all] the water."
- Купи хлеба. - Buy [some] bread.
Verbs that require the Genitive case
In Russian, verbs that require the Genitive case often share a common "vibe": they usually involve fearing/avoiding, or desiring/reaching for something. It often implies a relationship of partitive quantity, absence, or an abstract goal.
| Verb (Imp/Perf) | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fear and Avoidance These are the most common "pure" Genitive verbs. If you are staying away from something or are afraid of it, use the Genitive. | ||
| бояться | to be afraid of | Я боюсь темноты. - I am afraid of the dark. |
| избегать / Избежать | to avoid | Он избегает ответственности. - He avoids responsibility. |
| опасаться | to fear/beware | Мы опасаемся последствий. - We fear the consequences. |
| стесняться | to be shy of | Не стесняйтесь вопросов. - Don't be shy of asking questions. |
| Success and Attainment When you are striving for a goal or have finally reached a certain "level," the target is usually in the Genitive. | ||
| достигать / достигнуть | to reach/achieve | Мы достигли цели. - We reached the goal. |
| добиваться / добься | to obtain/strive for | Она добилась успеха. - She achieved success. |
| заслуживать / заслужить | to deserve | Это заслуживает внимания. - This deserves attention. |
| The "Switch" Verbs: Abstract vs. Concrete Some verbs demand the Genetive if the object is abstract or indefinite. | ||
| ждать, хотеть, искать | to wait, to want, to look for Accusative: When concrete or specific. Genitive: When abstract or indefinite. | Я жду сестру. - I am waiting for (my, specific) sister. Я жду помощи. - I am waiting for (some/any) help. |
| Verbs of Deprivation and Lack If something is being taken away or is simply missing, the Genitive is required. | ||
| лишаться / лишиться | to be deprived of | Он лишился работы. - He lost his job. |
| хватать / хватить | to be enough/lack | Мне не хватает времени. - I don't have enough time. |
| требовать / потребовать | to demand | Учитель требует тишины. - The teacher demands silence. |
| Other | ||
| касаться / коснуться | to touch/concern | Не касайся стекла. - Don't touch the glass. |
| придерживаться | to adhere to/stick to | Я придерживаюсь диеты. - I am sticking to a diet. |
| A Note on Negation Almost any verb can trigger the Genitive if it is negated, though this is becoming less strict in modern casual Russian. | ||
| не [verb]. | I don't see the point. | Я не вижу смысла. - I don't see the point. |
Declension Overview
The Genitive Plural for nouns is irregular and by far the most complicated case and we suggest to best learn it with the noun, not by rule.
Quick reference for nouns full rules and tables
| Noun | Genitive Singular | Genitive Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | -а / -я стол → стола́ | -ей учителя́ → учителе́й | (no ending) глаза́ → глаз | -ов / -ев столы́ → столо́в |
| Feminine | -ы / -и кни́га → кни́ги | -ей но́чи → ноче́й | (no ending) кни́ги → кни́г | |
| Neuter | -а / -я о́кно → о́кна | -ей моря́ → морéй | (no ending) ли́ца → ли́ц | stem change пи́сьма → пи́сем |
Quick reference for adjectives full rules and tables
| Adjective | Genitive Singular | Genitive Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | -ого / -его новый друг → нового друга | -ых / -их новый друг → новых друзей |
| Feminine | -ой / -ей новая подруга → новой подруги | -ых / -их новая подруга → новых подруг |
| Neuter | -ого / -его новое окно → нового окна | -ых / -их новое окно → новых окон |
When you see the masculine/neuter ending -ого or -его, the "г" is pronounced like a "v": Бе́лого, си́него.
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