GrammarPractical Applications

Dates

Dates use an ordinal number + month in genitive.

• Сегодня пятое января. - Today is the 5th of January.
• Я думаю о пятом января. - I think about the 5th of January.

Years

Years are said as a masculine ordinal + год.

• Сейчас две тысячи двадцать шестой год. - It’s the year 2026.

Age

Age is expressed with dative + лет, not “to be”.

• Мне двадцать лет. - I am 20 years old. (literally: “To me there are 20 years.”)

Money

Amounts use ruble + kopek with numeral grammar.

• Это стоит сто рублей пятьдесят копеек. - It costs 100 rubles 50 kopeks.

Phone Numbers

Numbers are read in 2–3 digit chunks, using ноль for 0.

• Мой номер: восемь девятьсот одиннадцать, два три, ноль пять. - My number: 8 911 23 05.

Counting people: Человек vs. Люди

Use человек after anything that behaves like a numeral:

• exact numbers: один, два, три, сто, тысяча → человек
• semi-numerals: несколько, сколько, столько, сколько-нибудь, сколько-то, столько-то, пара → человек

Use людей after non-count words:

• vague quantity: много, мало, куча, масса → людей
• generic reference: эти люди, многие люди

But: If there is a numeral (or numeral-like word), it controls the whole phrase. Then:

• Nominative / Accusative → человек
  
• Any other case → forms of люди (людей, людям, людьми, людях)

Examples with numerals:

• Nominative: Пять человек пришли. - Five people came.

• Dative: Я говорю с пятью людьми. - I'm talking to five people.

• Accusative: Я видел пять человек. - I saw five people.

• Prepositional: Я думаю о пяти людях. - I'm thinking about five people.

Examples without a numeral (люди behaves like a normal animate noun):

• Эти люди работают здесь. - These people work here.
• Я вижу людей. - I see people.
• Я говорю с людьми. - I'm talking to people.

Public Transport & "The Route"

When talking about автобусы, трамваи or маршрутки (busses, trams or minibusses), Russians often turn the number into a noun or use the word номер (number).

Naming the bus is often turned into a feminine noun: пятёрка (bus/tram #5), десятка (#10) or одиннадцатый (#11, adjective form).

• Какой номер идёт до центра? - Which bus number goes to the center?
• Сядь на пятёрку. - Take the #5.
• Едет десятка. - The ten is coming.
  
• Через три остановки. - In three stops.
• Выходи через одну. - Get off after one stop.

The School Grading System

Understanding Russian education requires knowing the numbers 1 through 5.

• 5 Отлично: Excellent.
• 4 Хорошо: Good.
• 3 Удовлетворительно: Satisfactory.
• 2 Неудовлетворительно: Fail.
• 1: Rarely used, but signifies total failure.

In conversation, people say Я получил пятёрку ("I got a five") or Мне поставили тройку (I got a three)., using the noun form of the number.

Floor Numbering & Addresses

Unlike the UK, Germany or some other parts of Europe, Russia does not have a "Ground Floor" (0). The floor you walk in from the street is первый этаж (the first floor).

Addresses are written in the order of дом → корпус/строение → квартира (house → building → apartment). For example: дом 12, корпус 2, кв. 45 (house 12, building 2, apartment 45), which might be abbreviated to д12к2-45.

Clothing and Shoe Sizes

Clothing: Often based on half-chest circumference in centimeters (e.g., a Russian size 50).

Shoes: They basically use the metric-based system where like a European 38.

Asking for size: Какой это размер? What size is this?

Temperature: The "Plus/Minus" Culture

Because of the climate, Russians almost always specify if a temperature is above or below zero.

Negative: Минус десять (-10°C) or десять градусов мороза (10 degrees of frost).

Positive: Плюс двадцать (+20°C) or двадцать градусов тепла (20 degrees of warmth).

Cooking and Recipes

Most recipes use weight (граммы) rather than volume.

If a recipe does use volume, it refers to a стакан (a standard 200-250ml glass). You'll see "half a glass" (полстакана) frequently.

Common Units

Common unit abbreviations and how numbers are written with them in Russian: