GrammatikGenitiv
Alles über den Russischen Genitiv.
Genitiv
Hinweis: Die Grammatikartikel sind noch neu und wir arbeiten teilweise noch daran. Zurzeit sind sie nur auf Englisch verfügbar, in circa zwei Monaten dann aber auch in Deutsch.
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 кого́? (of whom?) and чего́? (of what?).
When to use the Genitive
Possession as "A's B"
- - The doctor's car
- - The city's center
- - The name of the girl
Possession with у ... есть ...
When you want to say "A has B" you can use у [Gen.] есть [Nom.].
- - The doctor has a car.
- - The city has a center.
- - 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.
- There is tea here. → There is no tea here.
- My friend is here. → My friend is not here.
- I have a dog. → 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, 21, 31, 41, ..., 91, 101, 121, 131, ... | Nom. | Оди́н час (1 hour) Три́дцать оди́н час (31 hours) Сто оди́н час (101 hours) |
| 2, 3, 4 or ending in 2, 3, 4, but not ending in 12, 13, 14 2, 3, 4, 22, 23, 24, 32, 33, 34, ... | Gen. sg. | Два часа́ (2 hours) Три часа́ (3 hours) Четы́ре часа́ (4 hours) |
| 5-20 or ending in 0, in 5-9, or in 11-14 5, ..., 20, 25, ..., 30, ..., 111, 112, 113, 114, ... | Gen. pl. | Пять часо́в (5 hours) Де́сять часо́в (10 hours) Сто оди́ннадцать часо́в (111 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. | оди́н большо́й стол |
| 2–4 masculine/neuter 2–4 feminine | Gen. pl. Nom. pl. | Gen. sg. Gen. sg. | два больши́х стола́ две больши́е кни́ги |
| 5+ | Gen. pl. (agree) | Gen. pl. | пять больши́х столо́в |
Prepositions
There are quite a few prepositions that demand the Genitive case.
| Preposition | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Spatial relationship between objects | ||
| у | at / by / near | - I am standing by the window. |
| о́коло | near / around | - He lives near the park. |
| во́зле | beside / near | - The car is beside the house. |
| вокру́г | Around | - Children run around the tree. |
| напро́тив | Opposite / Across | - The pharmacy is opposite the metro. |
| ми́мо | Past / By | - We walked past the museum. |
| From (origin and direction) | ||
| из | from (inside) | - I am from Russia. |
| с / со | from (off a place or surface) | - I came from work. |
| от | from (a person or a point) | - This letter is from [my] brother. |
| Time prepositions - For scheduling and describing the order of events. | ||
| до | before / until | - Until we meet again! |
| по́сле | after | - Let's talk after the lesson. |
| с | since | - I've been here since the morning. |
| во вре́мя | during | - Don't talk during the movie. |
| Others | ||
| для | for | - This is a gift for you. |
| и́з-за | because of / from behind | - We were late because of traffic jams. |
| без | without | - Tea without sugar, please. |
| кро́ме | except / besides | - Everyone came except Ivan. |
| вме́сто | instead of | - Let's go to the cinema instead of the park. |
When using a preposition with the pronouns его́ (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 него́ (for him) - Not для его́.
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:
- Ма́ло вре́мени - Little time (uncountable)
- Мно́го друзе́й - Many friends (countable)
- Ско́лько биле́тов? - How many tickets? (countable)
- Не́сколько 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.
- Пе́рвое января́ - The first of January
- Девя́тое ма́я - 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": - He is older than [his] brother.
- With Genitive: - 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.
- Купи́ хле́ба. - Buy [some] bread.
- Вы́пей воды́. - Drink [some] water.
- As opposed to "Вы́пей во́ду" (accusative) which implies "Drink [all] the water."
Verbs that require the Genitive case
The 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. | ||
| боя́ться | to be afraid of | - I am afraid of the dark. |
| избега́ть / избежа́ть | to avoid | - He avoids responsibility. |
| опаса́ться | to fear/beware | - We fear the consequences. |
| стесня́ться | to be shy of | - 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. | ||
| достига́ть / дости́гнуть | to reach/achieve | - We reached the goal. |
| добива́ться / доби́ться | to obtain/strive for | - She achieved success. |
| заслу́живать / заслужи́ть | to deserve | - This deserves attention. |
| The "Switch" Verbs: Abstract vs. Concrete Some verbs demand the Genitive if the object is abstract or indefinite. | ||
| ждать, хоте́ть, иска́ть | to wait, to want, to look for Accusative: When concrete or specific. Genitive: When abstract or indefinite. | - I am waiting for (my, specific) sister. - 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. | ||
| лиша́ться / лиши́ться | to be deprived of | - He lost his job. |
| хвата́ть / хвати́ть | to be enough/lack | - I don't have enough time. |
| тре́бовать / потре́бовать | to demand | - The teacher demands silence. |
| Other | ||
| каса́ться / косну́ться | to touch/concern | - Don't touch the glass. |
| приде́рживаться | to adhere to/stick to | - I am sticking to a diet. |
Negation
Almost any verb can put its object into the Genitive when the verb is negated:
- - I don't see the point.
- - He didn't say a single word.
- - We didn't get an answer.
The Genitive is most natural when the object is abstract or indefinite. When you mean one specific, concrete thing, you keep the Accusative even under negation:
- - I didn't get any letter. → indefinite, Genitive
- - I didn't get the letter. → one specific letter, Accusative
Some fixed expressions always use the Genitive: не обраща́ть внима́ния (to pay no attention), не име́ть значе́ния (to not matter), не игра́ть ро́ли (to play no role).
In modern casual Russian this rule is becoming less strict: the Accusative is used more and more even after negation, and the Genitive can sound a little more formal or literary.
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 окно́ → 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 но́вый друг → но́вого дру́га | -ых / -их но́вый друг → но́вых друзе́й |
| Feminine | -ой / -ей но́вая подру́га → но́вой подру́ги | -ых / -их но́вая подру́га → но́вых подру́г |
| Neuter | -ого / -его но́вое окно́ → но́вого окна́ | -ых / -их но́вое окно́ → но́вых о́кон |
When you see the masculine/neuter ending -ого or -его, the "г" is pronounced like a "v": , .
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