Паде́жи – как они́ рабо́тают
🔄 Паде́жи · Russian cases
Шесть паде́жей
Six cases – the word changes its ending to show its job
📍 In Course 1 «Встаём на но́ги» the cases come one by one, with the ring story: День 26 → 32.
🐟 English had cases too!
fish → fish's = ры́ба → ры́бы. he → him = он → его́, ему́.
Old English had cases, like Russian. Modern English kept only a few: fish's and him are old case forms. Russian and English are cousins – they come from one old Indo-European language.
Read this page once – 3 minutes – and you will know why Russian words change their endings, and which question tells you the ending.
❓ Оди́н вопро́с – одно́ оконча́ние · One question – one ending
In English the place in the sentence shows the job of a word. In Russian the ending shows it. Ask the question – the question gives you the ending.
Кольцо́ упа́ло. Нет кольца́! Сли́нки с кольцо́м!
One word – кольцо́ (ring) – three endings, three jobs.
🔄 Шесть паде́жей · The six cases – in the order of the course
Each case has its sign and its colour – the same on every page of the site. Tap the green button to go to the day that teaches it.
● Имени́тельный
Nominative – who or what does it. The word as in the dictionary.
кто? что?
Вот кольцо́!
Here is the ring!
[●] Предло́жный
Prepositional – where? (в, на) and about whom or what (о).
где? о ком? о чём?
Кольцо́ на па́льце.
The ring is on the finger.
→[ Вини́тельный
Accusative – what you take, see, want; where to? (в, на).
кого́? что? куда́?
Беру́ кольцо́ в ру́ку.
I take the ring into my hand.
]→ Роди́тельный
Genitive – there is no…, of, from. The case you hear most.
кого́? чего́?
Нет кольца́!
The ring is gone!
↔●↔ Твори́тельный
Instrumental – with what you do it; together with (с).
кем? чем?
Пишу́ руко́й!
I write with my hand!
→●← Да́тельный
Dative – to whom you give it; who feels it.
кому́? чему́?
Ру́чку – Ри́чарду!
The pen – to Richard!
👆 Како́й паде́ж? · Which case? Say it – then tap to check
Ask the question for the word in bold. Then tap ? to see the answer.
| Ко́шка спит. The cat is sleeping. |
? ● кто? – имени́тельный
|
| Ру́чка в су́мке. The pen is in the bag. |
? [●] где? – предло́жный
|
| Беру́ кни́гу. I take the book. |
? →[ что? – вини́тельный
|
| Нет молока́. There is no milk. |
? ]→ чего́? – роди́тельный
|
| Пишу́ ру́чкой. I write with a pen. |
? ↔●↔ чем? – твори́тельный
|
| Даю́ лёд Ри́чарду. I give the ice to Richard. |
? →●← кому́? – да́тельный
|
All six? Молоде́ц!
👩🏫 Natasha says
«Cases are the flesh and blood of the Russian language. They are at the very heart of it – you can't imagine Russian without them.»
«Knowing the rules won't make you use them. Exercises will – a little every day. No pain – no gain!» → Russian language aerobics
📖 Табли́ца паде́жей · The table of all six cases – for reference. Print it out.
In the table the cases stand in the school order: имени́тельный, роди́тельный, да́тельный, вини́тельный, твори́тельный, предло́жный. In the course we learn them in the order above – from the easiest.
🔗 More
- All grammar pages about the cases
- Как устро́ено сло́во · How a word is built – the ending is the last piece of the word
- Аэро́бика ру́сского языка́ · Russian language aerobics
Some Russian words (or word constructions) govern other words in Russian sentences causing changes to their endings: Russian nouns, pronouns, adjectives and numerals decline and they also agree with each other in gender (masculine, feminine, neuter), number and case (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, prepositional). Russian adverbs, conjunctions, interjections, prepositions stay the same.
Russian verbs conjugate and have only three tenses: present, past and future but majority have two verbs to express the same action. Russian imperative is not difficult but verbs of motion & position are.