Russian Alphabet Russian Language Lesson 1 Main Lesson

So you are here to learn Russian! The first step to learning Russian is to learn the Russian alphabet. It may seem daunting to learn a new alphabet, but it is relatively easy. In fact, the great thing about Russian is that almost all words can be sounded out as they are written. Unlike English where the pronunciation of a word may not be clear from its written form. Russian also has one letter to one sound, unlike English where two letters often make one sound. (Example “sh”).

Either before or after this lesson we recommend you print the alphabet table, and stick it up next to the computer (or around the house), to help you with the following lessons.

The Russian alphabet is known as the Cyrillic alphabet. There are 33 letters in the Russian alphabet. 11 vowels, 20 consonants, and 2 pronunciation signs. Here is what the Russian alphabet looks like (in dictionary order).

А, Б, В, Г, Д, Е, Ё, Ж, З, И, Й, К, Л, М, Н, О, П, Р, С, Т, У, Ф, Х, Ц, Ч, Ш, Щ, Ъ, Ы, Ь, Э, Ю, Я

Now let's have a look at these letters in detail. For your reference we will make some notes about unusual hand-written forms, however this will be covered in another lesson so don't worry too much yet.

Russian letters that are (almost) the same.

А а - Pronounced like the "a" in the word "father" or "car". It is not the 'flat' "a" sound you sometimes hear in words like "cat" or "flat".

К к - Pronounced like the "k" in "kitten" or "kangaroo". This letter replaces the english "c" sound in words like "cat".

М м - Pronounced like the "m" in man. (Note: Unlike english, the hand-written " м " should always start from the bottom)

O o - When stressed, it is pronounced like the "o" in "bore". When un-stressed it is pronounced more like the letter "a". (See later notes.)

Т т - Pronounced like the "t" in "tap". (Note: The hand-written form for " т " should always start from the top, as it looks quite similar to the letter " м ")

Russian letters that look like english letters but sound different.(These are the most important to learn so you don't get them mixed up.)

В в - Pronounced like the "v" in "vet". (Equivalent to the english letter "v").

Е е - Pronounced like the "ye" in "yes".

Н н - Pronounced like the "n" in "no". (Equivalent to the english letter "n").

Р р - Pronounced like the "r" in "run", but it is rolled. (Equivalent to the english letter "r").

С с - Pronounced like the "s" in "see". (Equivalent to the english letter "s"). (It might help to remember that it's used like the "s" sound in the english words "centre" and "cent".)

У у - Pronounced like the "oo" in "boot" or "root".

Х х - Pronounced like the "h" in "hello". However, this is often pronounced more like the "ch" in the Scottish "Loch" or German "Bach", or the spanish "x" in "Mexico".

Russian letters that look unusual, but have familiar sounds

Б б - Pronounced like the "b" in "bat". (Equivalent to the english letter "b").

Г г - Pronounced like the "g" in "go". (Equivalent to the english letter "g").

Д д - Pronounced like the "d" in "dog". (Equivalent to the english letter "d").

З з - Pronounced like the "z" in "zoo". (Equivalent to the english letter "z").

И и - Pronounced like the "i" in "taxi". (Sometimes equivalent to the english letter "i", the short 'ee' sound.). (Note: The hand-written form for " и " looks a little like the english "u").

Л л - Pronounced like the "l" in "love". (Equivalent to the english letter "l").

П п - Pronounced like the "p" in "pot". (Equivalent to the english letter "p").

Ф ф - Pronounced like the "f" in "fat". (Equivalent to the english letter "f").

Э э - Pronounced like the "e" in "fed".

New Russian letters and sounds(The sounds will be familiar, but they don't have their own letter in English).

Ю ю - Pronounced like the "u" in "universe". (Pronounced much like the english word "you").

Я я - Pronounced like the "ya" in "yard".

Ё ё - Pronounced like "yo" in "yonder".

Ж ж - Like "s" in "measure", "pleasure" or "fusion" or like "g" in colour "beige". (As there is no english symbol for this sound, it is usually represented as "zh")

Ц ц - Similar to the "ts" sound in "sits" or "its".

Ч ч - Pronounced like the "ch" in "chips" or "church" .

Ш ш - Pronounced like the "sh" in shut.

Щ щ - Pronounced like "sh" but with your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Try putting your tongue in the same position as you would to say "ch" but say "sh" instead. English speakers may find it hard to define the difference between "ш" and "щ".

Ы ы - Pronounced like the "i" in "bit" or "ill". (Said with your tounge slightly back in your mouth.)

Й й - This letter is used to form diphthongs. So "oй" is like the "oy" sound in "boy" or "aй" is like the "igh" in "sigh".

Pronunciation Symbols(These letters have no sound on their own, but are still considered letters.).

Ъ ъ - The 'Hard Sign' is rarely used. It indicates a slight pause between sylables.

Ь ь - The 'Soft Sign' makes the previous letter 'soft'. Think of the "p" sound in the word "pew". (Try inflecting a very slight "y" sound onto letter before it.)

A note about vowels

You may have noticed that there are often two forms of a vowel, hard and soft. It may help to note the corresponding vowels.

А ("a") Я ("ya")Э ("e") Е ("ye")У ("oo") Ю ("yoo")О ("o") Ё ("yo")Ы and И are corresponding vowels but don't really follow this pattern. Й is also considered a vowel

The "y" sound is always pronounced. It may take some time to get used to pronouncing it with consonants. Try the following:

 НЕТ (No) - Pronounced "nyet". This is one syllable. 

 семь (Seven) - Pronounced "syem". 

 пять (Five) - Pronounced "pyat"  МЕТР О (Metro, underground railway) - Pronounced "mye-tro".

Click the green play icon to listen to the word pronounced in Russian.

Spelling Rule 1.

There is a rule for spelling in russian you should keep in mind: "Never write Ы, Ю, or Я after the letters 'Г, К, Ж, Х, Ч, Ш, Щ' instead use И, У, А".

It is not important to worry about this yet, but it will help you understand how things are spelt in later lessons.

A note about stress.

In most languages, including English, some syllables are emphasised more than others. A good example would be the word “ph o tograph”, where the first syllable is stressed.

Compare this to “Phot o graphy” where the second symbol is stressed. Phonetically the sound of the vowel changes.

Russian works in much the same way. However in some words it's important to know which syllable is stressed, this is because the letter “o” is pronounced very differently depending on whether it's stressed or not. Other stressed vowels are important, but if you only remember the “o” rule, then you will still be able to speak well. Once you start to hear Russians speak, you will be able to copy the way they are pronouncing words. (On this site we will indicate a stressed vowel by underlining it. However, we will only do this to the first occurrences of a word. One syllable words are assumed to be stressed.)

Take notice of the following examples:

 До свид а ния (good-bye) - Pronounced "da-svee-da-nee-ye". (The до is pronounced as if it is part of the next word).

 Спас и бо (thank-you) - Pronounced "spa-see-ba".

 Да (yes) - Pronounced "da".

 Нет (no) - Pronounced "nyet".

 сто (100) - Pronounced "sto".

 Пок а (Bye)

 Пл о хо (Bad)

 Хорош о (Good)Some Listening Practice

There are many more examples in the following lessons that also have Russian audio that you can listen to. It is important you learn the sounds by listening to the Russian audio in the following lessons. If you learn by listening, your speach will be much clearer.

There are hours of audio on this site. Here are some example sentences to get you started. Don't worry about learning the words, just try to learn the sounds of the letters.

 Моя мама любит музыку - (My mother loves music)

 шесть книг - (six books)

 семь газет - (seven newspapers)

 в о семь зданий - (eight buildings)

 д е вять собак - (nine dogs)

 д е сять студентов - (ten students)

 сто рублей - (one hundred roubles)

 сто долларов - (one hundred dollars)

Conclusion

You have now seen how the whole alphabet works and is pronounced. It is time to practice, go to the exercises section of this lesson. Here you will be able to practice your new skills, reading words that are almost the same as the English equivalent. You may also wish to print a copy of the alphabet table for reference in future lessons.

ALPHABET

In the table below is the full Russian alphabet in presented in dictionary order.

The Russian Alphabet

Russian Character

English Equivalent

SoundLetter Name in

Russian

А а А а Like "a" in car "ah"

Б б B b Like "b" in bat "beh"

В в V v Like "v" in van "veh"

Г г G g Like "g" in go "geh"

Д д D d Like "d" in dog "deh"

Е е YE ye Like "ye" in yet, "yeh"

Ё ё YO yo Like "yo" in yonder "yo"

Ж ж Zh zh

Like "s" in measure or pleasure or like "g" in beige (the colour)

"zheh"

З з Z z Like "z" in zoo "zeh"

И и EE ee Like "ee" in see "ee"

Й й I i or Y y like "y" in boy or toy "ee kratkoyeh"

К к K k Like "k" in kitten, "c" in cat. "kah"

Л л L l Like "l" in light "ehl"

М м M m Like "m" in mat "ehm"

Н н N n Like "n" in no "ehn"

О оStressed: O o Unstressed: A a

Like "o" in bore Like "a" in car

"oh"

П п P p Like "p" in pot "peh"

Р р R r Like "r" in run (rolled) "ehr"

С с S s Like "s" in sam "ehs"

Т т T t Like "t" in tap "teh"

У у U u Like "oo" in boot "oo"

Ф ф F f Like "f" in fat "ehf"

Х х H h, KH khLike "h" in hello or like the "ch" in Scottish 'loch' or German 'Bach'

"khah"

Ц ц TS ts Like "ts" in bits "tseh"

Ч ч CH ch Like "ch" in chip "cheh"

Ш ш SH sh (hard) Like "sh" in shut "shah"

Щ щ SH sh (soft) Like "sh" in sheep "schyah"

Ъ ъ Hard Sign Letter before is hard "tvyordiy znahk"

Ы ы I i Like "i" in ill "i"

Ь ь Soft Sign Letter before is soft "myagkeey znahk"

Э э E e Like "e" in pet "eh"

Ю ю YU yu Like "u" in use or university "yoo"

Я я YA ya Like "ya" in yard. "yah"

The table below gives you the normal printed version of the russian characters, and the cursive (italic) version of the character. This may be useful in a later lesson, as the lowercase cursive version is much closer to the hand-written version of the russian character. Differences to note are highlighted in red.

А а

Б б

В в

Г г

Д д

Е е

Ё ё

Ж ж

З з

И и

Й й

К к

Л л

М м

Н н

О о

П п

Р р

С с

Т т

У у

Ф ф

Х х

Ц ц

Ч ч

Ш ш

Щ щ

Ъ ъ

Ы ы

Ь ь

Э э

Ю ю

Я я

А а

Б б

В в

Г г

Д д

Е е

Ё ё

Ж ж

З з

И и

Й й

К к

Л л

М м

Н н

О о

П п

Р р

С с

Т т

У у

Ф ф

Х х

Ц ц

Ч ч

Ш ш

Щ щ

Ъ ъ

Ы ы

Ь ь

Э э

Ю ю

Я я

EXERCISES

Here are some exercises to help you learn the Russian alphabet. You may be surprised how many Russian words you are now able to recognise now that you can sound out the words.

1. Places spelt in Russian Try reading the following words in russian. They are cities from around the world. 

Л о ндон Т о кио Амстерд а м Мадр и д Санкт Петербург 

Now try to recognise these countries written in Russian, their names should sound similar to English. 

Англия Канада Корея Бразилия Нидерланды Австралия Португалия Америка Мексика Германия 

2. Russian Signs Here are some signs you might see while you are in Russia. See if you can understand them. 

Аэроп о рт Туал е т Рестор а н Бар Такси 

3. Russian words that are similar in english Try reading the following words in russian. You should be able to work out what they mean. 

О пера Суп Сп о рт Футб о л гимн а стика Волейб о л М е ню К о фе Каф е 

You may also wish to try our Russian Language Trainer to help you remember some of this lesson.

Answers 1a: London, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Madrid, St. Petersburg 1b: England, Canada, Korea, Brazil, Netherlands, Australia, Portugal, America, Mexico,

Germany. 2: Airport, Toilet, Resturant, Bar, Taxi. 3: Opera, Soup, Sport, Football, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Menu, Coffee, Cafe 

Russian Numbers Russian Language Lesson 2 Main Lesson

The next step in learning Russian is to learn the Russian numbers. Once you learn the Russian numbers you will find it much easier doing things like shopping, or catching a train or tram. You will be able to understand when people give you the price of something. We will start with the numbers 1-10.

Russian numbers: 1 to 10

 1 - од и н ("a-deen")

 2 - два ("dva")

 3 - три ("tree")

 4 - чет ы ре ("chye-tir-ye")

 5 - пять ("pyat")

 6 - шесть ("shest")

 7 - семь ("syem")

 8 - в о семь ("vo-syem")

 9 - д е вять ("dyev-yat")

 10 - д е сять ("dyes-yat")

Read through the numbers 1-10 a couple of times until you are confortable with them. Try counting from 1 to 10 without refering to them. Then for practice, try counting backwards from 10 to 1 in Russian.

Russian numbers: 11 to 19

Now that you are confortable with your first Russian numbers, try to learn the numbers from 11 to 19. To help you with reading practice we will not include the trans-literations.

 11 - од и ннадцать

 12 - двен а дцать

 13 - трин а дцать

 14 - чет ы рнадцать

 15 - пятн а дцать

 16 - шестн а дцать

 17 - семн а дцать

 18 - восемн а дцать

 19 - девятн а дцатьRussian numbers: 20 and onwards

As you could see, the numbers 11-19 are simply formed by adding "надцать" to the numbers 1-9. (You will need to drop the soft sign, or the "е" in "чет ы ре")

20 in Russian is "дв а дцать". The numbers 21-29 are formed in a similar way to English. Here are some examples:

 20 - дв а дцать21 - дв а дцать од и н22 - дв а дцать два23 - дв а дцать три24 - дв а дцать чет ы ре

Other compound numbers are formed in the same way, quite similar to English. (There is no need to use the word "and" in Russian). Here are the other numbers you will need to form numbers in Russia. It will be useful to learn as many of these numbers as you can because it makes it easier to understand the price of goods in Russian roubles.

 30 - тр и дцать

 40 - с о рок

 50 - пятьдес я т

 60 - шестьдес я т

 70 - с е мьдесят

 80 - в о семьдесят

 90 - девян о сто

 100 - сто

 200 - дв е сти

 300 - тр и ста

 400 - чет ы реста

 500 - пятьс о т

 600 - шестьс о т

 700 - семьс о т

 800 - восемьс о т

 900 - девятьс о т

 1,000 - т ы сяча

 1,000,000 - милли о н

 1,000,000,000 - милли а рд

For example: 131 - сто тр и дцать од и н

When reading phone numbers you may also need to know the name of the digit 0.

 0 - нольSaying Large Russian Numbers

Try pronouncing the numbers below. Then listen to the sound example to see if you are correct.

 456

 219

 9,345

 23,564

 2,007

 2,008

 2,000

 1,994

 1,812

At first it may be difficult to remember all those Russian numbers. But don't worry. You can always return to this lesson to revise them. In the next lesson or two we will cover some useful Russian words and phrases that will help you to introduce yourself and to buy things.

Here are the Russian numbers that you have learnt in this lesson.

Russian Numbers 

0 - ноль ("nol") 1 - од и н ("a-deen") 2 - два ("dva") 3 - три ("tree") 4 - чет ы ре ("chye-tir-ye") 5 - пять ("pyat") 6 - шесть ("shest") 7 - семь ("syem") 8 - в о семь ("vo-syem") 9 - д е вять ("dyev-yat") 10 - д е сять ("dyes-yat") 

11 - од и ннадцать 12 - двен а дцать 13 - трин а дцать 14 - чет ы рнадцать 15 - пятн а дцать 16 - шестн а дцать 17 - семн а дцать 18 - восемн а дцать 19 - девятн а дцать 20 - дв а дцать 

30 - тр и дцать 40 - с о рок 50 - пятьдес я т 60 - шестьдес я т 70 - с е мьдесят 80 - в о семьдесят 90 - девян о сто 100 - сто 

200 - дв е сти 300 - тр и ста 400 - чет ы реста 500 - пятьс о т 600 - шестьс о т 700 - семьс о т 800 - восемьс о т 900 - девятьс о т 

1,000 - т ы сяча 1,000,000 - милли о н 1,000,000,000 - милли а рд 

1. Count backwards in Russian from 20 to 1.

2. Can you recognise the following numbers when they are written in Russian д е вять 

шесть чет ы ре од и н д е сять двен а дцать дв а дцать в о семьдесят сто пятн а дцать с о рок 

3. See if you can read out the following phone numbersin Russian: a. 22 56 78 54 b. 79 09 34 51 c. 43 85 99 20 

You may also wish to try our Russian Language Trainer to help you remember some of this lesson.

Answers 2 - 9, 6, 4, 1, 10, 12, 20, 80, 100, 15, 40 3a - дв а дцать два, пятьдес я т шесть, с е мьдесят в о семь, пятьдес я т чет ы ре 3b - с е мьдесят д е вять, ноль д е вять, тр и дцать чет ы ре, пятьдес я т шесть од и н 3c - с о рок три, в о семьдесят пять, девян о сто д е вять, дв а дцать 

Basic Russian Phrases Russian Language Lesson 3 Main Lesson

Now that you understand the Russian letters and numbers, we will begin to learn some basic Russian phrases that you will commonly use as part of everyday communication. We will not attempt to introduce any grammar in this lesson. It is more important to learn some basic communication skills in Russian. Once you have a 'feel' for the language, you will find it easier to understand how the grammar works. When you were young, you learnt to speak before you learnt the grammar. We feel it is easier to learn Russian the same way, however don't worry, we will cover grammar in later lessons. In this lesson you will learn the Russian language basics.

When you are in Russia it is important to realise that Russians have two manners of speaking, formal or friendly. It would be considered slightly rude to use the wrong form in the wrong situation. Use the friendly (or familiar) form when you are speaking to someone you consider a friend. In situations where you have never met the person before you would use the formal form, for example in shops or with taxi drivers. You would also use the formal form as a sign of respect to teachers, or in places like business meetings. Keep this in mind as you work through these Russian lessons. This is much easier than it sounds, as there are only a couple of words that change.(Mainly the Russian word for “you”.)

Please and Thank-You.

The two most important words you will learn in Russian are please and thank-you. You can just add these to any sentence to make it more polite.

 Спас и бо ( "spa-see-ba" )   -   Thank-You

 Пож а луйста ( "pa-zhal-sta" )   -   Please (and You're Welcome)

The word Пожалуйста is also used to mean "You're Welcome", after somebody says thank-you. You should always say this after someone thanks you. Пожалуйста is pronounced a little different than it is written, you can basically forget the "уй".

Yes and No.

Two other very important Russian words are "Yes" and "No".

 Да ( "da" )   -   Yes

 Нет ( "nyet" )   -   NoSaying Hello.

When you are in Russia and you meet somebody, the first thing you will want to do is to say "hello". There are two forms of this word.

 Здр а вствуйте ( "zdra-stvooy-tye" )   -   Hello (Formal)

 Прив е т ( "pree-vyet" )   -   Hi (Informal)

Здравствуйте may be a little difficult for you to pronounce at first, but it is the most common Russian greeting so you should try to practice it. Привет is also commonly used with friends. However, keep in mind that Привет is informal (much like "hi" in English), and should only be used with friends. If somebody says Привет to you, then it is normally safe to proceed in the friendly tone.

Introducing Yourself.

In order to introduce yourself, you may need the following phrases.

 Мен я зов у т ... ( "min-ya za-voot" )   -   My name is ...

 Как вас зов у т? ( "kak vas za-voot" )   -   What is your name?

 О чень при я тно ( "och-en pree-yat-na" )   -   Pleased to meet you.

Note: The above 3 phrases are gramatically unusual. You should just learn the whole phrase, not the individual words.

How are you?

The most natural way to ask someone how they are in Russian is to ask: "how are things?"

 Как дел а ? -   How are things?

 Хорош о спас и бо -   Good/Well thank-you

 Пл о хо -   BadSaying Good-Bye.

There are also two words for saying good-bye.

 До свид а ния ( "da-svee-da-nee-ye" )   -   Good-bye. (The до is pronounced as if it is part of the next word)

 Пок а ( "pa-ka" )   -   Bye (Informal, slang) 

You should generally use до свид а ния, which is appropriate in formal or informal situations. You may also hear people say Пок а , but we suggest you only use it as a response when it is said to you.

Asking about languages

When you are asking a yes/no question in Russian, there is no difference between the question and the statement, except for the question mark. When you are speaking Russian you should ask questions in a different tone. The tone of your voice should rise if you are asking a question. If you are making a statement your tone will naturally fall. You may find that you actually do this in English without meaning to. If all else fails, put a real questioning expression on your face.

 Вы говор и те по-англ и йски? -   Do you (formal) speak English?

 Вы говор и те по-р у сски? -   Do you (formal) speak Russian?

 Я говор ю по-англ и йски -   I speak English

 Я говор ю по-р у сски -   I speak Russian

 Я поним а ю -   I understand

 Я не поним а ю -   I don't understand

You may have noticed that the ending of the verb говорю (speak) changes depending on who the subject is. Don't worry too much about this yet. It will be covered in another lesson very soon. (lesson 5).

Conclusion

You have now reached the end of your first lesson that involves useful Russian phrases. After some practice you should be comfortable introducing yourself.

Here is a summary of all the Russian words we covered in this lesson.

Спас и бо ( "spa-see-ba" )   -   Thank-You Пож а луйста ( "pa-zhal-sta" )   -   Please (and You're Welcome) 

Да ( "da" )   -   Yes Нет ( "nyet" )   -   No 

Здр а вствуйте ( "zdra-stvooy-tye" )   -   Hello (Formal) Прив е т ( "pree-vyet" )   -   Hi (Informal) 

Мен я зов у т ... ( "min-ya za-voot" )   -   My name is ... Как вас зов у т? ( "kak vas za-voot" )   -   What is your name? О чень при я тно ( "och-en pree-yat-na" )   -   Pleased to meet you. 

Как дел а ? -   How are things? Хорош о -   Good Пл о хо -   Bad 

до свид а ния ( "da-svee-da-nee-ye" )   -   Good-bye. Пок а ( "pa-ka" )   -   Bye (Informal, slang) 

Вы -   You (formal) Я -   I говор и те / говор ю -   To Speak Не -   Not по-р у сски -   (On/In) Russian по-англ и йски -   (On/In) English 

Вы говор и те по-англ и йски -   Do you (formal) speak English? Вы говор и те по-р у сски -   Do you (formal) speak Russian? Я говор ю по-англ и йски -   I speak English Я говор ю по-р у сски -   I speak Russian 

Я поним а ю -   I understand Я не поним а ю -   I don't understand 

1. Read out-loud then translate the following Russian phrases: Как дел а ? Хорош о Спас и бо. Я говор ю по-англ и йски Я не поним а ю Здр а вствуйте Нет Да Пож а луйста О чень при я тно 

2. Translate the following phrases into Russian. Also practice saying them out-loud in Russian Thank-You. Hi (Informal). What is your name? My name is.... Nice to meet you. Bad. Do you speak Russian? 

I speak Russian Please. I understand. 

You may also wish to try our Russian Language Trainer to help you remember some of this lesson.

Answers 1. How's things?, Good thank-you, I speak English, I don't understand, Hello, No, Yes, Please, Nice to meet you. 2. Спас и бо, Прив е т, Как вас зов у т?, Мен я зов у т ..., О чень пре я тно, Пл о хо, Вы говор и те по-р у сски?, Я говор ю по-р у сски, Пож а луйста, Я поним а ю. 

In the bar or cafe. (Buying things) Russian Language Lesson 4 Main Lesson

As you learn Russian, one of the most important things you will learn is how to ask for something you want. The aim of lesson 4 is to enable you to buy things when you are in Russia. With just a few phrases you should be able to manage in Russian bars or cafes. In this lesson we will not introduce any grammar concepts. The lesson will focus on helping you to learn some new basic Russian phrases.

Finding a cafe

After a busy day in Russia, you might be looking for somewhere to have a drink. You could ask people with the following phrases.

 Скаж и те, пож а луйста.... - Tell me please....

 Скаж и те, пож а луйста, где каф е ? - Tell me please, where is a cafe?

 Скаж и те, пож а луйста, где бар? - Tell me please, where is a bar?

Russian does not use the articles “a” or “the”, so the phrase “Где каф е ?” means both “where is a cafe?” and “where is the cafe?”. It will probably sound more natural to ask where the nearest café is.

Скаж и те, пож а луйста, где ближайшее каф е ? - Tell me please, where is the nearest cafe?On the Menu

If you were in a Russian bar or café, here are some words you might see on the menu:

 Мен ю - Menu

 К о фе - Coffee

 Чай - Tea

 Молок о - Milk

 Кока-К о ла - Coca-Cola

 Лимон а д - Lemonade

 Сок - Juice

 Борщ - Russian beetroot soup

 Суп - Soup

 Торт - Cake

 В о дка - Vodka

 П и во - Beer

 Вин о - Wine

 Вод а - Water

Be careful, when you order vodka in russia, you will generally get straight vodka.

Do you have...?

If you want to ask someone if they have something, you can use the following phrase. (Just learn the whole phrase, it is gramatically unusual).

 У вас есть ....? - Do you have ....? (formal)For example:

 У вас есть К о фе? - Do you have coffee?

 У вас есть Чай? - Do you have tea?

 У вас есть В о дка? - Do you have vodka?

Please give me

When you decide what you will have you will need to order. Here are some Russian phrases you might need, or be asked:

 Что? (" shto? ") - What?

 Что вы хот и те? - What do you want?

 Я хоч у ... - I want...

 Дайте, пож а луйста .... - Give me please...

 Ск о лько ст о ит? - How much is it?.Examples:

 Д а йте, пож а луйста, чай. - Please give me tea.

 Д а йте, пож а луйста, к о фе - Please give me coffee.

 Д а йте, пож а луйста, к о фе с молок о м - Please give me coffee with milk.

 Д а йте, пож а луйста, к о фе с молок о м и с с а харом - Please give me coffee with milk and sugar.

What is it?

Some short but useful Russian phrases to ask what things are...

Что э то? - What is it?Э то к о фе. - It is coffee.Прост и те, э то к о фе. - Excuse me, is it coffee?Нет, э то чай. - No, it is tea.

How Much?

The word "Сколько?" means "how much?" or "how many" in Russian. You can use it to ask the price of something.

Ск о лько? - How much? / How many?Ск о лько ст о ить? - How much does it cost?дв а дцать од и н рубль - 21 rubles.

Where is the toilet...?

To finish up this lesson here is a Russian phrase to help you find out where a toilet is.

 Скаж и те, Пож а луйста , Где Туал е т - Tell me please, where is the toilet?

The mens toilets are normally labeled with an "M". The ladies toilets are normally labeled with a "Ж". 

Conclusion

This has been a shorter Russian lesson. However these Russian phrases should be helpful next time you are in a Russian café or bar. You may wish to try some of the exercises. In

the next lesson we will introduce verbs and pronouns, and you will be able to start constructing your own sentences.

Here is a list of the new Russian words from lesson 4.

Скаж и те -   Tell Где? -   Where is? Каф е -   Cafe Бар -   Bar 

Мен ю -   Menu К о фе -   Coffee Чай -   Tea Молок о -   Milk Кока-К о ла -   Coca-Cola Лимон а д -   Lemonade Сок -   Juice Борщ -   Russian beetroot soup Суп -   Soup Торт -   Cake В о дка -   Vodka П и во -   Beer Вин о -   Wine Вод а -   Water 

У вас есть ....? -   Do you have ....? (formal) 

Что? (" shto? ")   -   What? Что вы хот и те? -   What do you want? Я хочу ... -   I want ... Дайте, пож а луйста, .... -   Give me please ... ск о лько ст о ит? -   How much is it?. 

с молок о м -   with milk и -   and с с а харом -   with sugar Туал е т -   toilet 

Что е то? - What is it?Е то к о фе. - It is coffee.Прост и те, е то к о фе. - Excuse me, is it coffee?Нет, е то чай. - No, it is tea.

Imagine you are in a Russian cafe, 

1. Try ordering a coffee with milk. 

2. Ask the waitress if they have any beer. 

3. Ask where the toilet is. 

4. Order three other items from the menu. (refer to the vocabulary for ideas). 

Refer back to the lesson, and see if what you asked was correct. Did you remember to say please and thank-you?

Russian Verbs and Pronouns Russian Language Lesson 5 Main Lesson

Now that you have learnt some basic Russian phrases, it is time to start forming your own Russian sentences. To do this you need to learn about Russian verbs and pronouns. This lesson will enable you to start forming short Russian sentences. When you are learning to speak Russian it is easiest to start by just using short sentences. Often you can break a long sentence into several short ones. This is a long lesson, and introduces some of the most difficult concepts in Russian. So don't worry if you need to go slow, or it takes some time to understand at first. You can always come back and review this lesson. When you have completed this lesson you will have taken a major step forward in understanding Russian grammar.

Definitions

Verbs are action words, they are things you can do. For example: run, walk, love, eat, want.

Pronouns are words that can replace names. For example: I, you, he, she, him, her, it.

In the sentence "I love him". "love" is the verb. The subject is "I", and the object is "him".

Russian PronounsHere are the Russian pronouns that can be used as the subject of a sentence. (Known as the nominative case.) 

Я - IТы - You (informal)Он - He, It (m)Он а - She, It (f)Он о - It (n)Мы - WeВы - You (formal, or plural)Он и - They

Вы is used as the formal singular "you", and the plural "you" (slang: "yous" or "you all") when talking to more than one person.

Here are the Russian pronouns that can be used as the object of a sentence. (Known as the accusative case)

Мен я - MeТеб я - You (informal)Ег о - ( "yevo" ) - Him, It (m,n)Е ё - Her, It (f)Нас - UsВас - You (formal, or plural)Их - Them

You should be familiar with using different pronouns for the subject and object of a sentence ("me" instead of "I"). Just remember that unlike English,Russian uses an extra version of the word "you". You should memorise these pronouns.

Russian Verbs

You will be pleased to know that Russian has only one present tense. In Russian there is only one way of saying "I work", "I am working" and "I do work".

Russian verbs change their endings depending on the subject. This happens a little in English, but not as much. (Example: I work, he works). This happens according to two different patterns known as the first conjugation , and the second conjugation . (There are also some irregular verbs). Both these patterns are quite similar, and once you get the hang of it, it is not too difficult.

The first conjugation

The first conjugation is used for verbs ending in "ть" but not "ить". It is the most common.

To form the verb for each person you need to drop the last two letters of the infinitive (normally "ть"), and add the appropriate ending ("ю", "ешь", "ет", "ем", "ете" or "ют").Let's take a look at a verb that uses the first conjugation: раб о тать (to work).

 раб о тать - To work. (infinitive, dictionary form)

 Я раб о таю - I work

 Ты раб о таешь - You work

 Он, Он а , Он о раб о тает - He, She, It works.

 Мы раб о таем - We work

 Вы раб о таете - You work.

 Он и раб о тают - They work.

Let's try some other Russian words from the first conjugation:

 поним а ть - To understand. (infinitive, dictionary form)

 Я поним а ю - I understand.

 Ты поним а ешь - You understand.

 Он, Он а , Он о поним а ет - He, She, It understands

 Мы поним а ем - We understand.

 Вы поним а ете - You understand.

 Он и поним а ют - They understand.

 Знать - To know. (infinitive, dictionary form)

 Я зн а ю - I know.

 Ты зн а ешь - You know.

 Он, Он а , Он о зн а ет - He, She, It knows.

 Мы зн а ем - We know.

 Вы зн а ете - You know.

 Он и зн а ют - They know.

Remember you can make a statement negative by using the word "не" (not). For example:

 Я не зн а ю - I don't know.

 Я не поним а ю - I don't understand.

 Он не поним а ет - He doesn't understand.

You can also form questions:

Ты знаешь? - Do you know?

 Ты поним а ешь? - Do you understand?

The second conjugation

Verbs where the infinitive ends in "ить" use the second conjugation.

Now we will introduce some verbs from the second conjugation. There are also some other verbs that use this conjugation.

The second conjugation uses the endings "ю" (or "у") "ишь" "ит" "им" "ите" "ят" (or "ат"), which replace "ить".

Note 1: The second conjugation is affected by the spelling rules.

Note 2: The first person singuar is affected by the rule of consonant mutation. Remember, this only applies to the first-person singular (Я).

 говор и ть - To speak. (infinitive, dictionary form)

 Я говор ю - I speak.

 Ты говор и шь - You speak.Он, Он а , Он о говор и т - He, She, It Speaks.Мы говор и м - We speak.Вы говор и те - You speak.

Он и говор я т - They speak.

 сл ы шать - To hear.

 сл ы шу - I hear.

 сл ы шишь - You hear.сл ы шит - He, She, It hears.сл ы шим - We hear.сл ы шите - You hear.сл ы шат - They hear.

For Example:

 Я говор ю по-англ и йски - I speak English

 Он говор и т по-р у сски - He speaks Russian

 Вы говор и те по-р у сски? - Do you speak Russian?

 Мы не говор и м по-р у сски - We don't speak Russian.

 Соб а ка не говор и т по-англ и йски - The dog doesn't speak English.

Irregular Verbs

There are a number of irregular verbs in Russian. (Verbs that don't exactly follow the above rules). However, often once you know the stem of the verb, you can often predict the endings. Even irregular verbs normally follow a similar pattern to those above.

Some examples:

 Е хать - To go (by transport).

 Я е ду - I go (by transport).

 Ты е дешь - You go (by transport).

 Он, Он а , Он о е дет - He, She, It goes (by transport).

 Мы е дем - We go (by transport).

 Вы е дете - You go (by transport).

 Он и е дут - They go (by transport).

Notice that once you know the stem "Ед" it almost follows the first conjuction, except that "у" replaces "ю".

 Жить - To live.

 Я жив у - I live.

 Ты жив ё шь - You live.

 Он, Он а , Он о жив ё т - He, She, It lives.Мы жив ё м - We live.Вы жив ё те - You live.Он и жив у т - They live.

Notice that "ё" is used instead of "е" when the stress falls on the ending.

Examples:

Я живу в Лондоне - I live in London.Он е дет домой - He is going home

Conclusion

You now know the main concepts involved in forming Russian verbs. This lesson contained a lot of grammar, which is some of the hardest in the Russian language, so don't worry if you found this lesson a little difficult at first. In lesson 7 you will get some more practice. In the next lesson we will introduce some grammar associated with nouns (things), so by lesson 7 we will have covered enough grammar to have some practice forming sentences.

Russian Conjugated VerbsHere you can find, view and sort conjugated Russian verbs. Just click "view conjugations" to see each verb, used in the present, past and future tenses. Verbs for each aspect are listed. The list is still growing. 

Sort by Russian Imperfective Aspect Sort by Russian Perfective Aspect Sort by English Meaning Sort by Frequency of Use 

Russian Imperfective

Russian Perfective

English

Бегать Побежать run(View Conjugations)

Бродить Побрести stroll(View Conjugations)

Быть Побыть be (is, are, will, was)(View Conjugations)

Видеть Увидеть see(View Conjugations)

Водить Повести drive, lead(View Conjugations)

Возить Повезтиtransport, carry (by vehicle)

(View Conjugations)

Говорить Сказать speak, talk, say(View Conjugations)

Гонять Погнать drive(View Conjugations)

Давать Дать give(View Conjugations)

Делать Сделать do, make(View Conjugations)

Думать Подумать think(View Conjugations)

Ездить Поехать go (by vehicle)(View Conjugations)

Есть Съест eat(View Conjugations)

Жить Прожить live(View Conjugations)

Знать Знать know(View Conjugations)

Изучать Изучить study(View Conjugations)

Иметь Иметь have(View Conjugations)

Лазить Полезть climb(View Conjugations)

Летать Полететь fly(View Conjugations)

Любить Полюбить love(View Conjugations)

Мочь Смочь can, able (to be able)(View Conjugations)

Носить Понести carry, wear(View Conjugations)

Плавать Поплыть swim(View Conjugations)

Ползать Поползти crawl(View Conjugations)

Понимать Понять understand(View Conjugations)

Работать Поработать work(View Conjugations)

Сидеть Посидеть sit(View Conjugations)

Слушать (ся) Послушать (ся) listen (View

Conjugations)

Смотреть (ся) Посмотреть (ся) watch, look at(View Conjugations)

Спрашивать Спросить ask(View Conjugations)

Становиться Стать become, begin(View Conjugations)

Стоять Постоять stand(View Conjugations)

Таскать Потащить pull, drag(View Conjugations)

Ходить Пойти go (on foot)(View Conjugations)

Хотеть (ся) Захотеть (ся) want, feel like(View Conjugations)

Читать Прочитать read(View Conjugations)

Бегать / Бежать / Побежатьrun

 Imperfective (Indefinite)

Imperfective (Definite)

Perfective Aspect

 English   run Infinitive   Бегать  Бежать  Побежать  Present Tense      1st Person Singular Бегаю  Бегу     2nd Person Singular Бегаешь  Бежишь     3rd Person Singular Бегает  Бежит     1st Person Plural Бегаем  Бежим     2nd Person Plural Бегаете  Бежите     3rd Person Plural Бегают  Бегут  Past Tense      Masculine Бегал  Бежал  Побежал     Feminine Бегала  Бежала  Побежала     Neuter Бегало  Бежало  Побежало     Plural Бегали  Бежали  Побежали  Future Tense      1st Person Singular Буду бегать  Буду бежать  Побегу     2nd Person Singular Будешь бегать  Будешь бежать  Побежишь     3rd Person Singular Будет бегать  Будет бежать  Побежит     1st Person Plural Будем бегать  Будем бежать  Побежим 

    2nd Person Plural Будете бегать  Будете бежать  Побежите     3rd Person Plural Будут бегать  Будут бежать  Побегут  Command Form      Informal Бегай  Беги  Побеги     Formal Бегайте  Бегите  Побегите  Comments  

This verb is a verb of motion.

ExamplesЯ бегаю в лесу каждый день.    I run in the forest every day.Она сейчас бежит в магазин.     Now she is running to the shop.Не бегайте по траве!     Do not run on the grass!Ты бегал вчера утром?     Did you run yesterday morning?Он не бегал со мной неделю назад.     He did not run with me a week ago.Они бегали здесь вчера?     Did they run here yesterday?Саша побежит завтра в 8 утра.     Sasha will run tomorrow at 8 o’clock.Мы побежим на стадион через час.     We will run in an hour.Бродить / Брести / Побрестиstroll

 Imperfective (Indefinite)

Imperfective (Definite)

Perfective Aspect

 English   stroll Infinitive   Бродить  Брести  Побрести  Present Tense      1st Person Singular Брожу  Бреду     2nd Person Singular Бродишь  Бредёщь     3rd Person Singular Бродит  Бредёт     1st Person Plural Бродим  Бредём     2nd Person Plural Бродите  Бредёте     3rd Person Plural Бродят  Бредут  Past Tense      Masculine Бродил  Брёл  Побрёл     Feminine Бродила  Брела  Побрела     Neuter Бродило  Брело  Побрело     Plural Бродили  Брели  Побрели  Future Tense      1st Person Singular Буду бродить  Буду Брести  Побреду     2nd Person Singular Будешь бродить  Будешь Брести  Побредёшь     3rd Person Singular Будет бродить  Будет Брести  Побредёт 

    1st Person Plural Будем бродить  Будем Брести  Побредём     2nd Person Plural Будете бродить  Будете Брести  Побредёте     3rd Person Plural Будут бродить  Будут Брести  Побредут  Command Form      Informal Броди  Бреди  Побреди     Formal Бродите  Бредите  Побредите  Comments  Also translated as: to wander

This verb is a verb of motion.

ExamplesЯ брожу по городу.     I am strolling through the city.Одному бродить скучно.     İt is borring to stroll alone.Не броди по городу ночью.     Do not stroll through the city at night.Я завтра пойду бродить по лесу.     Tomorrow i will go for a stroll through the forest.- Что ты делал сегодня? - Бродил по городу.    

What were you doing today?I was strolling through the city

Быть / Побытьbe (is, are, will, was)

  Imperfective Aspect Perfective Aspect English   be (is, are, will, was) Infinitive   Быть  Побыть  Present Tense      1st Person Singular --     2nd Person Singular --     3rd Person Singular -- (есть)**     1st Person Plural --     2nd Person Plural --     3rd Person Plural --  Past Tense      Masculine Был  Побыл     Feminine Была  Побыла     Neuter Было  Побыло     Plural Были  Побыли  Future Tense      1st Person Singular Буду  Побуду     2nd Person Singular Будешь  Побудешь     3rd Person Singular Будет  Побудет     1st Person Plural Будем  Побудем 

    2nd Person Plural Будете  Побудете     3rd Person Plural Будут  Побудут  Command Form      Informal Будь  Побудь     Formal Будьте  Побудьте  Comments  **Not used in present tense. есть is used only in certain situations.ExamplesЯ студент.     I am a student. (note: verb omitted)Он рабочий.     He is a worker. (note: verb omitted)Я был в кино вчера.     I was in the cinema yesterday.Они были в театре месяц назад.     They were in the theatre a month ago.Мы не были в кино вчера.     We did not go to the cinema yesterday.Я побуду с вашим ребенком сегодня.     I will stay with your child today.Он будет учить русский язык.     He will learn russain.Видеть / Увидетьsee

  Imperfective Aspect Perfective Aspect English   see Infinitive   Видеть  Увидеть  Present Tense      1st Person Singular Вижу     2nd Person Singular Видишь     3rd Person Singular Видит     1st Person Plural Видим     2nd Person Plural Видите     3rd Person Plural Видят  Past Tense      Masculine Видел  Увидел     Feminine Видела  Увидела     Neuter Видело  Увидело     Plural Видели  Увидели  Future Tense      1st Person Singular Буду Видеть  Увижу     2nd Person Singular Будешь Видеть  Увидишь     3rd Person Singular Будет Видеть  Увидит     1st Person Plural Будем Видеть  Увидим     2nd Person Plural Будете Видеть  Увидите     3rd Person Plural Будут Видеть  Увидят 

 Command Form      Informal (Смотри)  Увидь     Formal (Смотрите)  Увидьте  ExamplesЯ видел тебя вчера.     I saw you yesterday.Мы видели этот фильм в прошлом месяце.     We saw this movie last month.Они видели эту картину в музее.     They saw this picture in the museum.Ты не видишь моих очков?     Don’t you see my glasses?Я хочу тебя увидеть.     I want to see you.Вы видите мои книги?     Do you see my books?Мы увидимся завтра.     We wil see each other tomorrow.Они увидят мое письмо через два дня.     They will see my letter in two days.

FALTAAAAAAAA

Here is the vocabulary for Russian lesson 5.

Я   -   IТы   -   You (informal)Он   -   He, It (m)Она   -   She, It (f)Оно   -   It (n)Мы   -   WeВы   -   You (formal, or plural)Они   -   They

Меня   -   MeТебя   -   You (informal)Его - ("yevo")   -   HimЕё   -   HerНас   -   UsВас   -   You (formal, or plural)Их   -   Them

работать   -   To work. понимать   -   To understand.Знать   -   To know. говорить   -   To speak. слышать   -   To hear. Жить (живу)   -   To live. Ехать (еду)   -   To go (by transport). 

Собака   -   Dog. 

. Try translating the following phrases to Russian:

Do you know? (informal)I don't know.They don't know.He understands.She doesn't understand.We don't speak Russian.Do you speak English? (formal).I live in London.

2. Try forming all the variations of смотреть (to look). (Use the 2nd conjunction).

I look.You look.He looks.We look.You look.They look.

Answers1. Ты знаешь?.Я не знаю.Они не знают.Он понимает. Она не понимает.Мы не говорим по-русски.Вы говорите по-английски?Я живу в Лондоне

2. Я смотрюТы смотришьОн смотритМы смотримВы смотритеОни смотрят

Gender and the Russian Case System.Russian Language Lesson 6Main Lesson

In this lesson we will introduce some of the Russian grammar that is associated with nouns. This is the second lesson in a row that will deal with a lot of the Russian grammar, but afterwards you will start to see a little less, as we concentrate more on Russian phrases and vocabulary in the following lessons.

This lesson will introduce two concepts: Gender of nouns, and cases. Specifically the accusative case.Other cases will be introduced through-out later lessons.

Definitions

Noun - A noun is a thing, name or place. Example: dog, cat, Moscow, cup, paper, pen.Cases - Cases are a grammatical way of determining what a noun does in a sentence. In English we do this by having a strict word-order. In Russian we use 6 cases.Vowel - Letters that can be said with an open vocal tract. The letters А, Я, Э, Е, У, Ю, О, Ё, Ы, И and Й. (A,E,I,O,U in English).Consonant - A letter that is not a vowel. (Except ь, ъ because they have no sound).

Gender of nouns.

In Russian, as with many other languages, each noun is assigned a gender. Russian has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter (neutral). In the cases of words like “father” these relate to physical gender. In the case of other objects like “pen”, “cup”, “house”, there is no physical meaning attached to the gender. However you will still need to know the gender because it affects how words are formed. Luckily, unlike many languages, in Russian it is almost always possible to tell what the gender of a noun by its spelling. This is not true in some other languages where you just have to memorise them. 

When you use a noun as the subject of a sentence, it will be in its dictionary form. In this form you can easily work out it’s gender. If the noun is in another part of the sentence the ending is changed to suit the case. From the dictionary form of a noun, here is how you can tell what the gender is: 

1. Look at the last letter of the word:2. If it is a consonant, or “й”, the word is masculine.3. If it is “а” or “я” it is feminine.4. If it is “о” or “е” it is neuter.5. If it is a soft sign “ь” then it could be either masculine or feminine.

There are very few exceptions to these rules. But there are five notable exceptions, this occurs mainly because of physical gender. Папа - (Daddy, Papa) - Is MasculineДядя - (Uncle) - Is MasculineДедушка - (Grandfather) - Is MasculineМужчина - (Man) - Is MasculineКофе - (Coffee) - Is Masculine

Some examples:

Masculine : паспорт (passport), документ (document), брат (brother), Хлеб (bread).Feminine : газета (newspaper), Россия (Russia), Дочь (daughter) Neuter : здание (building), радио (radio), письмо (letter) 

Cases in Russian

Russian grammar uses the case system. The case system is also used in languages like Latin, Greek and German. In fact it was also used in Old English. In Russian there are six cases. To help you understand what cases are we will compare them to English...

In English the subject of the sentence must be first noun. For example...

‘Ivan gives flowers to Anna’. (Иван даёт цветы Анне)

In English it makes no sense to swap the position of the words ‘Ivan’ and ‘flowers’. The meaning of the sentence would be completely changed. In Russian it is possible to change the order of these words, and still keep the same meaning. You may wish to do this to emphasise something. Although it is common in Russian to use a similar word order to English. The Russian word’s position is not so important because it’s meaning in the sentence is indicated by it’s case. To indicate each case we change the ending of word. Lets look at the six cases (You don’t need to remember this yet):

Nominative case : The subject of the sentence. (“Ivan”)Accusative case: The object of the sentence. (“flowers”)Dative case: The indirect object of the sentence (“Anna”)Genitive case: Indicates ownership. (Eg. “Anna’s flowers”)Instrumental case: Indicates ‘with’ or ‘by means of’. (“Anna writes with a pencil”)Prepositional case: Used after certain propositions. (In, on, at, and about.)

For example the word Anna in the six different cases would be:

Nominative case: АннаAccusative case: АннуDative case: Анне (to Anna)Genitive case: Анны (Anna’s)Instrumental case: Анной (with Anna)Prepositional case: Анне (about Anna)

We will teach you how to form the cases over the next few lessons so don’t worry too much now. It is just important to understand that case effectively gives a word its meaning in the sentence.

Understanding the case system is often one of the biggest hurdles for people learning Russian, so we will take it slowly. Once the case system is understood the Russian language will really open up to you, and we can concentrate more on vocabulary. Our lessons are designed for English speakers so we will not assume much knowledge of grammar.

It’s important not to worry much about the fine details of grammar at first. You will learn it more naturally when you start using Russian. Remember that Russian children all learnt to speak Russian before they understood any grammar. Just try to get a good general overview of the grammar.

Interestingly, some remnants of the case system still exist in English, especially pronouns. For example we must use ‘me’ instead of ‘I’ when not the subject.

The Nominative Case. (The subject of a sentence)

The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence. In the sentence “I love her”, the word “I” is the subject. The nominative case is the dictionary form for nouns, so there is nothing special to learn here. 

The only time you need to change the ending is to form the plural. In English we make a plural by adding “s”. In Russian, in the nominative case, you make a plural by using the letters “и”, “ы”, “я” or “а”. 

For masculine nouns:If the word ends in a consonant, add “ы”.Replace “й” with “и”

Replace “ь” with “и” 

For feminine nouns:Replace “а” with “ы”Replace “я” with “и”Replace “ь” with “и”

For neuter nouns:Replace “о” with “а”Replace “е” with “я”

Examples:студент becomes: студенты (student - students)газета becomes: газеты (newspaper - newspapers)здание becomes: здания (building - buildings)

The Accusative Case. (The object of a sentence)

To form simple sentences like “I want a dog”, you need to use the accusative case also. The accusative case is used for the object of a sentence, in this case the word “dog”. The only time we use the accusative case in English is with pronouns. We use “me” instead of “I” and “him” instead of “he”. Russian uses the case for all nouns. 

Russian is very free about word order. For example, in Russian it may be possible to change the order of the words in a sentence, without changing the actual meaning. This doesn’t work in English because we rely on the subject always coming first. However, in Russian it still makes perfect sense because the object will still be in the accusative case. It is normal in Russian to use the same word ordering as English. 

Definition: An “animate” noun is something that is alive (person or animal, not plants). An “inanimate” noun is a non-living object. 

Here are the rules for forming the accusative case from the dictionary (nominative) form. 

Masculine Nouns:1. If the noun in inanimate, there is no change.2. If noun is animate and ends in a consonant, add “а”.3. If noun is animate, replace “й”, with “я”.4. If noun is animate, replace “ь”, add “я”.

Feminine Nouns:1. Replace “а” with “у”.2. Replace “я” with “ю”.

Neuter Nouns:1. Inanimate nouns do not change (almost all neuter nouns are inanimate).

Examples:спорт remains: спорт (sport) музыка becomes: музыку(music)Москва becomes: Москву(Moscow)газета becomes: газету(newspaper) здание remains: здание(building)Иванbecomes: Ивана(Ivan)

You will learn about the plurals of the accusative case in a later lesson.

Conclusion

Now you know all the theory to move onto lesson 7. In the next lesson we will focus on forming sentences, vocabulary building and take a rest from grammar. A summary of the grammar information you learnt in this lesson is always available in the grammar section of this site. 

1. For each of the following Russian nouns, work out their gender.a. Собака - (dog)b. Бар - (bar)c. Лимонад - (lemonade)d. Пиво - (beer)e. Вода - (water)f. Туалет - (toilet)g. Торт - (cake)h. Журнал - (magazine)i. Газета - (newpaper)j. здание - (building)k. радио - (radio)l. телевизор - (television)m. Англия - (England)n. Письмо - (letter)o. Паспорт - (passport)p. виза - (visa)q. школа (school)

Answers1. (a) F, (b) M, (c) M, (d) N, (e) F, (f) M, (g) M, (h) M, (i) F, (j) N, (k) N, (l) M, (m) F, (n) N, (o) M, (p) F, (q) F.

I Love...Russian Language Lesson 7Main Lesson

Now that we have done the hard work learning some Russian grammar, it is time to start using it. In this lesson we will form simple Russian phrases and sentences. After this lesson you should be able to ask or tell people what you want and like.

To Love

Let's start with the Russian verb "to love": 

Любить (Люблю, Любишь) (View Conjugations)

Remember that a noun after “I love” should be in the accusative case as it is the object of the sentence. Here are some uses of the word:

   Я люблю спорт - I love sport.   Я люблю музыку - I love music.   Я не люблю музыку - I don't like music.   Ты любишь музыку? - Do you love music?

   Я люблю Москву - I love Moscow.   Он любит Москву - He loves Moscow.   Иван любит чай - Ivan loves tea.   Надя любит вино - Nadya loves wine.   Надя не любит вино - Nadya doesn't like wine.

"I love you" in Russian

You should now know enough Russian to say 'I love you'

Я тебя люблю - I love you.

This particular phrase is usually said with the word order above. It would still make sense to say: Я люблю тебя. Try inserting different pronouns (from lesson 5) into this phrase to change the meaning. Remember to select the pronoun to match the case:

Я его люблю - I love him.Я её люблю - I love her.Она любит меня - She loves me

What?

The word "Что?" (pronounced "shto?") means "What?". You can use it to form questions. 

Что ты любишь?   -   What do you love?

However, if you see the word "Что" in the middle of a sentence, it is probably the conjunction "that". The word "Что" has two uses, so don't be confused. An example could be:

Я знаю, что ты любишь музыку. - I know that you love music.

Using other Russian verbs

To express yourself better in Russian you will need to learn some more Russian verbs. Let's introduce some new Russian verbs now. If you would like, you can see how these verbs are conjugated by clicking here.

Смотреть - to watch.Читать - to read.Слушать - to listenИзучать - to studyДумать - to thinkРаботать - to workХотеть - to want

Here are some possible uses of these verbs:

   Я смотрю телевизор - I am watching television.   Я слушаю радио - I am listening to the radio.   Я слушаю музыку - I am listening to music.   Я читаю журнал - I am reading a magazine.

   Я читаю газету - I am reading the newspaper   Я читаю книгу - I am reading a book.   Я изучаю русский язык - I study Russian. (lit: I study the Russian language).   Я так думаю - I think so!   Как вы думаете? - What do you think? (lit: How do you think?)   Я хочу чай - I want tea.   Что вы хотите? - What do you want?

Sometime you will want to talk about an action. For example "I like to read" or "I want to read". In such cases you are using 2 verbs in a row. In Russian you should leave the 2nd verb in the infinitive form. For example:

   Я люблю читать - I love to read.   Я люблю путешествовать - I love to travel.   Я хочу купить журнал - I want to buy a magazine.

Very

A very useful Russian word is the word for "very". You can include it into many phrases. It sometimes replaces the word "really" also. For example:

Очень - very. (or really)   Я очень люблю спорт - I really love sport.   Я очень люблю Москву - I really love Moscow.

Question Words

You may also find these question words useful during your travels around Russia.

   Где? - Where?   Кто? - Who?   Что? - What?   Как? - How?   Почему? - Why?

If you would like to learn more then refer to the question words page in the grammar section.

Conclusion

You should now know the basics for forming simple Russian sentences. In this lesson we learnt expressions that are useful for talking about things that you like. There is quite a bit of vocabulary in this lesson, so you may wish to review some of it again later. In particular, if you can memorise the verbs you will find it easier to express yourself in Russian.

Here is the vocabulary for Russian lesson 7.

Любить   -   to love (also: to like)Смотреть   -   to watch.

Читать   -   to read.Слушать   -   to listenИзучать   -   to studyДумать   -   to thinkРаботать   -   to workХотеть   -   to wantКупить   -   to buyПутешествовать   -   to travel

спорт   -   sportмузыка   -   musicМосква   -   Moscowвино   -   wineтелевизор   -   televisionРадио   -   radioжурнал   -   magazineгазета   -   newpaperкнига   -   bookязык   -   languageрусский язык   -   Russian language

Что? (pronounced "shto?")   -   what?Как?   -   how?

Очень   -   veryтак   -   soЧто (pronounced "shto?") (as a conjuction)   -   that

1. Translate the following sentences to Russian.

I am watching televisionI don't want teaI love to travelI love readingHe loves MoscowI really love sportNadya doesn't like wineI know that you love music

2. Translate the following sentences to Russian. (Use the personal form of 'you')

What do you love?What do I love?What are you reading?What are you saying?What do you know?What do you want?

3. Translate the following sentences to Russian. (Use the formal form of 'you')

What do you love?What are you reading?What are you saying?What do you know?

What do you want?What do they want?What does she want?What does he want?

4. In Russian, make up your own answers to the questions in exercise 2 and 3.

Answers

1.Я смотрю телевизорЯ не хочу чайЯ люблю путешествоватьЯ люблю читатьЯ очень люблю спортОн любит МосквуНадя не любит виноЯ знаю, что ты любишь музыку.

2.Что ты любишь?Что я люблю?Что ты читаешь?Что ты говоришь?Что ты знаешь?Что ты хочешь?

3.Что вы любите?Что вы читаете?Что вы говорите?что вы знаете?Что вы хотите?Что они хотят?Что она хочет?Что он хочет?

The Russian Prepositional Case, and Going Places in RussianRussian Language Lesson 8Main Lesson

In this lesson we will introduce the prepositional case. It will also attempt to expand your vocabulary to include a number of places. The prepositional case is one of the easiest Russian cases to learn. It is also one of the most useful. It will allow you to expand your use of Russian phrases to include useful phrases like “I live in Russia”. The prepositional case has no meaning of it’s own. It is simply used after certain Russian prepositions. Afterwards we will introduce you to the Russian words for ‘to go’.

The prepositional case is used after the prepositions “в” (in), “на” (on/at), “о” (about).

Forming the prepositional case

To form the prepositional case you should take the nominative form (dictionary form) and do the following to the end of the word: 

Masculine Nouns:1. Add : “е”.2: Some nouns (mostly single syllable) take “у” (but not after preposition “о”)

Feminine Nouns:1. Replace “а” with “е”.2. Replace “я” with “е”.3. Replace “ь” with “и”.4. Exception: Replace “ия”, it becomes “ии” 

Neuter Nouns:1. Replace “о” with “е” 2. “е” remains unchanged. 

Using prepositions and the prepositional case.

As with any language, Russian prepositions can sometimes have slightly different uses and meanings than in English. Here are some tips to help you, although these aren’t precise rules.

The word “в” (in) is used to replace the English word “at”, when you are referring to enclosed spaces or buildings. (Eg. ‘at school’)

The word “на” (on/at) replaces the English word “at” when you are talking about open spaces or places that were traditionally open spaces. (Eg. ‘at work’, ‘at a station’, ‘at a concert’).

Now you can easily tell people where you live:

   Где вы живёте? - Where do you live?   Я живу в Москве - I live in Moscow.   Я живу в Лондоне - I live in London.   Я живу в Петербурге - I live in St. Petersburg.   Я живу в Сибири - I live in Siberia.

As with "Лондоне" you should change the case of other cities, suburbs and places, even though they are not Russian.

You can also describe where something or someone is:

Где она? - Where is she?на вокзале - at the stationна почте - at the post officeв саду - in the gardenв лесу - in the forestна улице - on the street

   Что на столе? - What is on the table?   На столе книга и карандаш - On the table is a book and a pencil.

Other Places

Here are some names of other useful places. (They are in dicionary form)

кино - cinemaтеатр - theatreаптека - pharmacyпарк - parkстадион - stadiumшкола - schoolбиблиотека - libraryкафе - cafeплощадь - squareресторан - restaurantбанк - bankгостиница - hotelмузей - museumбольница - hospital

Location and Direction

Sometimes, prepositions have more than one meaning, you can tell this by the case. When answering questions asked with the word "Где" (Where is (location)), your answer will involve the prepositional case. However, when you answer questions asked with "Куда" (Where to), you would use the accusative case. Here are some examples for you to compare.

   Куда вы идёте - Where are you going (to)?   (Indicates direction)   Я иду в школу - I am going to school.

   Где вы работаете? - Where do you work?   (Indicates a location)   Я работаю в школе - I work at (in) a school.

Here are some useful words and phrases for finding your way around Russia.

   прямо - Straight ahead.   налево - To the left.   направо - To the right.

прямо потом направо - Straight ahead then to the right.

Going Places in Russian

In Russian there are two words that can be used to express “I am going”. The first indicates you are going on foot, the second indicates that you are going by some form of transport. Both these words are verbs of motion, and are grammatically quite complex, but as these words are so important for basic Russian, we will introduce them now in a simple way. A more detailed lesson on verbs of motion will follow at a later stage

Each of these 2 verbs (and all verbs of motion) come in pairs. The first indicates ‘to go in one direction’, the second indicates ‘to go in more than one direction’ or to ‘go somewhere repetitively’. You will notice from the examples that this often relates to when you use 'going' or 'go' in English. So to express ‘to go’ in Russian, there are actually four ways:

Идти - To go on foot, in one direction.(Я иду, Ты идёшь, Он идёт, Мы идём, Вы идёте, Они идут)

Я иду в школу - I am going to school.Я иду в кино - I am going to the cinema.Ты идёшь в кино? - Are you going to the cinema?Он идёт в гостиницу - He is going to the hotel.Мы идём в кафе - We are going to the cafe.я иду в университет - I am going to the university

Ходить - To go on foot, in more than one direction, or repetitively.(Я хожу, Ты ходишь, Он ходит, Мы ходим, Вы ходите, Они ходят )

Я хожу в школу - I go to school.Я часто хожу в кино - I often go to the cinemaМы ходим в кафе каждый день - We go to the cafe every day.

Ехать - To go by transport, in one direction.(Я еду, Ты едешь, Он едет, Мы едем, Вы едете, Они едут )

Я еду в школу - I am going to school. (by transport)Я еду в кино на метро - I am going to the cinema on the metro.Он едет в гостиницу на такси - He is going to the hotel by taxi.Мы едем в кафе - We are going to the cafe. (by transport)Он едет в Лондон - He is going to London

Ездить - To go by transport, in more than one direction, or repetitively(Я езжу, Ты ездишь , Он ездит , Мы ездим, Вы ездите, Они ездят)

Он часто ездит в Лондон - He often goes to LondonЯ езжу в театр каждый день - I go to the theatre every day.Они часто ездят в Амстердам - They often go to Amsterdam

Conclusion

You should now be comfortable using the prepositional case. Combined with the your knowledge from the previous lessons, you should be a little more confortable expressing yourself in Russian. If you have reached this point in the lessons, then you now know a number of basic phrases and concepts that will help you get by in Russia. You may not yet sound like a native Russian speaker, but you will definitely be in a better position to make yourself understood by others. The people you meet on your travels in Russian will no doubt appreciate that you have made an attempt to learn Russian. In future lessons we will continue to introduce more vocabulary and grammar concepts.

в  -   in/at. на   -   on/at.о   -   about.

школа   -   School.вокзал   -   Train Station.почта   -   Post office.сад   -   Garden.лес   -   Forest.улица   -   Street.кино  -   Cinemaтеатр   -   Theatre

аптека   -   Pharmacy парк   -   Parkстадион   -   Stadiumшкола   -   Schoolбиблиотека   -   Libraryкафе   -   Cafeплощадь   -   Squareресторан   -   Restaurantбанк   -   Bankгостиница   -   Hotelмузей   -   Museumбольница   -   Hospitalстол   -   Table

прямо   -   Straight ahead.налево   -   To the left.направо   -   To the right.потом   -   then.

иду / идёте   -   to go (by foot).Куда   -   Where to

FamilyRussian Language Lesson 9Main Lesson

In our next Russian lesson will introduce words and phrases associated with families. This will allow you to talk of your family which is a very popular topic of conversation in Russia. One of the important concepts that we will introduce in this lesson is possesive pronouns. Possesive pronouns are words such as: my, your, his, her, our. Personal pronouns are normally used indicate the ownership of an object, the other method to indicate ownership is to use the genative case.

Russian Family Words

Here are the words Russians commonly use to refer to members of their family:

Мать - motherОтец - fatherМама - mumПапа - dadСестра - sisterБрат - brotherДочь - daughterСын - sonбабушка - grandmotherДедушка - grandfatherЖена - wifeМуж - husband

Just like English, in Russian there are two ways to refer to your mother and father. For example we use the words mum and dad. Most commonly Russians use the words Mama and Papa to refer to their parents.

Here are some other words that it is a talk about members of your family.

Тётя - auntieДядя - uncleРодители - parentsДети - childrenВнучка - granddaughterВнук - grandsonСемья - familyBasic russian phrases

Quite often you want to tell people how many brothers and sisters you have. Here are some Russian phrases you could use.

   У меня есть сестра - I have a sister.   У меня есть брат - I have a brother.

   У тебя есть дети? - Do you have children?.   У меня есть сын и дочь - I have a son and a daughter.   У меня нет детей - I don't have any children.

Note: This grammar explained in lesson 10.

Possesive Pronouns

In order to talk about your family you normally need to use possesive pronouns so we will introduce them now. You should always choose the possesive pronoun that matches the gender of the item it owns.

Мой (m),   Моя (f),   Моё (n),   Мои (pl)   -   myТвой (m),   Твоя (f),  Твоё (n),   Твои (pl)   -   yourЕго (m n) ("yevo"),   Её (f)   -   his, herНаш (m),   Наша (f),   Наше (n),   Наши (pl)   -   ourВаш (m),   Ваша (f),   Ваше (n),   Ваши (pl)   -   yourИх   -   their

Now you will be able to combine Russian words and phrases that your learnt in earlier lessons to talk about your family. Here are some Russian phrases and sentences you could say with words you already know.

   Моя мама любит музыку - My mother loves music   Моя сестра читает газету - My sister is reading a newspaper   Мой брат любит спорт - My brother loves sport   Твой брат любит спорт - Your brother loves sport   Наш брат любит спорт - Our brother loves sport

When you introduce members of your family you will need to adapt one of the phrases we learnt lesson 3. For example, you may wish to say her name is Anna. However, the only problem is that this particular phrase is unusual. The pronouns need to be used in the genative case which we have not learnt yet. So here are two examples that you can use for now:

   Меня зовут Анна - my name is Anna   Её зовут Анна - her name is Anna   Его зовут Иван - his name is Ivan.

This is...

The Russian word Это means 'this is'. Here is how you can use it with some possesive pronouns.

   Это мой дом - This is my house   Это моя квартира - This is my apartment   Это твоя квартира? - Is this your apartment?

Common greetings

Finally, we will introduce some common greeting phrases that you may wish to use every now and again.

   Доброе утро - good morning   Добрый день - good afternoon   Добрый вечер - good evening   Спокойной ночи - goodnight (when going to bed)

More Words

Click Here to visit our vocabulary section to find more Russian words related to families.

Conclusion

In this lesson we have learnt the basic Russian words and phrases for talking about your family. And possibly more importantly you can use possesive pronouns. For some practice it would be good idea to try and describe members of your family, perhaps you could try writing a paragraph about each member of your family discussing their names, hobbies, where they live and which languages they can speak. When you get the chance to talk to Russian people in Russia, you will find that this is often a popular topic of conversation, in particular when you're having conversations with people you don't know in times such as travelling on a train.

Here are the Russian words you might need to talk about your family.

Отец   -   fatherМать   -   motherПапа   -   dadМама   -   mumСестра   -   sisterБрат   -   brotherСын   -   sonДочь   -   daughterбабушка   -   grandmotherДедушка   -   grandfatherЖена   -   wifeМуж   -   husbandДядя   -   uncleТётя   -   auntieРодители   -   parentsДети   -   children

Внучка   -   granddaughterВнук   -   grandsonСемья   -   family

Это   -   this is

Мой (m),   Моя (f),   Моё (n),   Мои (pl)   -   myТвой (m),   Твоя (f),  Твоё (n),   Твои (pl)   -   yourЕго (m n) ("yevo"),   Её (f)   -   his, herНаш (m),   Наша (f),   Наше (n),   Наши (pl)   -   ourВаш (m),   Ваша (f),   Ваше (n),   Ваши (pl)   -   yourИх   -   their

Russian Genitive CaseRussian Language Lesson 10Main Lesson

In our tenth Russian lesson we will introduce the genitive case. It is one of the most common cases in the Russian language. The primary use of the genitive case is to indicate possession, however it also has many other uses within the Russian language. It is commonly used with numbers and other quantities. It is also probably one of the most complex cases in Russian particularly in the plural. However, once you can use the case efficiently the language should really open up to you, as you will have an understanding of four of the six Russian cases. In this lessons we won’t cover the plural as we will cover plurals in detail in the next lesson.

In past lessons you have learnt about the possessive pronouns. In this lesson you will learn how to talk about the owner of an object. This is the Russian equivalent to using the apostrophe ‘s’, or the word ‘of’. As the genitive case relates to possession, it is also used to create a way of saying ‘to have’ or ‘to not have’. In Russian there are also some additional uses of the genitive case, we will also learn about these in this lesson and the next.

This is how you can convert nouns to the genitive case. (we will explain how to use it soon).

Forming the genitive caseMasculine Nouns:1. If the noun ends in a consonant, add “а”.2. Replace “й”, with “я”.3. Replace “ь”, add “я”.Feminine Nouns:1. Replace “а” with “ы”.2. Replace “я” with “и”.3. Replace “ь” with “и”.

Neuter Nouns:1. Replace “о” with “а” 2. Replace “е” with “я” 

For example, some names in the genitive case: 

Иван (Ivan) becomes Ивана (of Ivan, Ivan's)Адам becomes Адама (of Adam, Adam's)Анна becomes Анны (of Anna, Anna's)

Дом Ивана - Ivan's house (lit: House of Ivan).

It may be worthwhile noting that the genitive case for masculine nouns is formed the same way as the accusative case for masculine animate nouns.

Using the genitive case - ownership

As you can see in the above example, you can use the genitive case to indicate possession. The 'owner' is the noun that is used in the genitive case. (This is like using 's in English). However, in Russian, the object that is owned always comes first. In the phrase "Дом Ивана", the house (Дом) is owned by Ivan. This is a similar concept to using the word 'of'' in English. Let's have a look at some more examples.

Собака Адама - Adam's dog. (lit: The dog of Adam's)Автомобиль Анны - Anna's car. (lit: The car of Anna's)Телефон Игоря - Igor's telephone. (lit: The telephone of Igor's)Это телефон Адама? - Is this Adam's telephone? (lit: Is this the telephone of Adam's)

In the above examples, pay particular attention to the order of the words. Now let’s see some examples of the genitive case used like this in sentences.

Брат Адама любит Москву - Adam's brother loves Moscow.Сестра Анны читает газету - Anna's sister is reading the newspaper.Дедушка Ивана слушает радио - Ivan's grandfather is listens to the radio.

Did you notice that we used 3 different cases in the sentences above? It is important to understand why each case used. For example, in the first sentence: “Брат”(brother) is the subject of the sentence and uses the nominative case, “Адама” (Adam) is the owner of the first noun and uses the genitive case, “Москву” (Moscow) is the direct object of the verb and uses the Accusative case.

Using the genitive case - of

The genitive case is used to correspond to the English word ‘of’. This is exactly the same concept as above, except here we will give examples where you would actually use the word ‘of’ in English.

план города - A map of the city.стакан молока - A glass of milk.Pronouns of the genitive case

The pronouns of the genitive case are the same as the accusative case. (Меня, Тебя, Его, Её, Нас, Вас, Их)

Using the genitive case - to have

As the genitive case relates to possession, it is also used to create a way of saying ‘to have’ or ‘to not have’. As we have seen in a previous lesson, Russians don’t construct ‘to have’ sentences like we do in English. To create these sentences you use the words ‘У’ (by/near) and ‘есть’ (exist/is). There is no exact way to literally translate this concept to

English, but you would construct the sentence “I have a dog” something like “By me there exists a dog”. Generally, it is just easier to learn the concept by example.

The noun or pronoun following the word “У” is used in the genitive case. Here are some examples.

У меня есть книга - I have book.У нее есть собака. - She has a dog.У вас есть кофе? - Do you have coffee?У вас есть чай? - Do you have tea?У вас есть водка? - Do you have vodka?У Адама есть водка? - Does Adam have vodka?У Анны есть водка? - Does Anna have vodka?У Ивана есть чай? - Does Ivan have tea?

Using the genitive case - there is not

The Russian word ‘Нет’ has a second meaning. As well as meaning ‘No’ it also means ‘There isn’t ...’. These meanings are quite similar and you probably would have understood the meaning of ‘Нет’ in this context without it being explained. When it is used with a person it indicates that they are not here. The important thing to remember is that ‘Нет’ is followed by the genitive case. Here are some examples.

Чая нет - There is no tea.Молока нет - There is no milk.Ивана нет - Ivan isn't here.Его нет дома - He is not home.Кофе нет< - There is no coffee. (coffee is an indeclinable noun)

Using the genitive case - numbers, quantaties, plurals.

The genitive case is used after most numbers, for example "10 roubles". This will be covered in the next lesson.

Conclusion

You should now be able to form the genitive case and have a good understanding of when to use it. You may find that there are more occasions when you will need to use the genitive case, but so far we have learnt the most important ones. In the next lessons we will teach you how to use plurals in Russian, which will cover aspects of the genitive plural. You should now also be comfortable forming ‘to have’ in Russian, as we also covered it a little in lesson 4.

Take your time to learn how to form the genitive case. As the case is very important in Russian, it is important that you can recognise it and form it quickly. Now you have learnt the basics you will find that with some practice you will be able to express a lot more concepts in Russian. In particular once you cover the next lesson on plurals your ability to express yourself should increase greatly, and we will start to focus a little more on vocabulary.

Russian PluralsRussian Language Lesson 11Main Lesson

In this lesson the Russian language concept we will learn is 'plurals'. Naturally this topic is a very important as it is used in all aspects of the language. In English we create a plural by simply adding the letter 's'. In Russian things are not so simple. As the Russian language is based on the case system there are different plurals in each case. Don’t worry this is not as hard as it sounds, you will quickly learn to recognise and form plurals. Often it is best to practice grammar concepts with words that you already know, or are the same in your native language, that way your brain will get used to hearing the different cases.

Most Russian language resources teach plurals as they teach each case. Consequently a number of students struggle to master plurals for some time, as they are too busy worrying about learning each case. However we feel it would be more logical to teach plurals as one lesson on it's own. By now you should have a good understanding of the nominative, accusative and genitive cases. These three cases are the most important when it comes to plurals, it is less common to use plurals in the other cases.

Plural nouns follow their expected cases in the case system. The main exception to this rule is when you are talking about exact quantities. When you refer to exact quantities (eg ‘10 roubles’) you normally use the genitive case.

Forming Plurals.

First we will show you how to form the plurals in each of the cases we have already learnt. It is quite a bit of information to present all at once, but don’t worry, you will find it easier to learn and remember when you see it used in context later in the lesson.

The Nominative Case - Plural (Subject)In Russian, in the nominative case, you make a plural by using the letters "и", "ы", "я" or "а".

For masculine nouns:    If the word ends in a consonant, add “ы”.    Replace “й” with “и”    Replace “ь” with “и”

For feminine nouns:    Replace “я” with “и”    Replace “ь” with “и”     Replace “а” with “ы” (unless previous consonant is Г, К, Х, Ж, Ч, Ш, Щ then replace with "и" as per the spelling rules.)

For neuter nouns:    Replace “о” with “а”    Replace “е” with “я” (don't forget the spelling rules)

Some examples:студент (student) - студенты (students)газета (newspaper) - газеты (newspapers)здание (building) - здания (buildings)

The Accusative Case - Plural (Direct Object)For plural nouns the accusative case just 'borrows' from the other cases, depending on whether the object is animate or not.

Inanimate nouns (not-alive) : Same as the nominative plural.Animate nouns (alive) : Same as the genitive plural.

The Genitive Case - Plural (Possession)The genitive seems to have the most rules for the plural, but it generally ends in -ов (manculine) or it is cut short (feminine). These rules refer to converting nouns from the nominative singular (dictionary form).

For masculine nouns:    If ends in "ж,ч,ш,щ,ь" then add "ей"     If ends in "й, ц" (stressed) add "ев"    All other masuline nouns end in "ов"

For feminine nouns:    If ends in "а" then drop "а" (no ending)    If ends in [consonant] "я" then "ь"    If ends in [vowel] "я" then "й"    If ends in "ь" then add "ей"     Note: If a feminine word ends in a double consonant it is quite common for a vowel (о, е) to be inserted for easy pronunciation. (марка - марок, англичанка - англичанок, девушка - девушек)

For neuter nouns:    If ends in "о" then drop "о" (no ending)    If ends in "е" becomes "ей"     If ends in "ие" becomes "ий"

Some examples:студент - студентов (students')газета - газет (newspapers')здание - зданий (buildings')

General use of plurals.

The Russian language works a little differently depending on whether you are counting something, or whether you are just using general plurals. For example in a sentence like “The books are on the table” we don’t specify how many books are on the shelf. In this instance you should just have the word ‘books’ in it’s normal case, but in the plural form. Here are some examples.

Книги на столе - The books are on the table.Анна любит книги - Anna loves books.Plurals with numbers

In the situation where you would like to specify how many books there are you will need to use the genitive case. Its kind of like saying “2 of books” or “10 of roubles”. This may feel a little strange at first, but it will become natural as you learn and hear more of the language. You will hear this quite often when you are talking about amounts of money.

Occasionally we use a similar construction in English “hundreds of dollars” or “a lot of money”, but in Russian we use it for all numbers.

Ok, now that we understand when to use counting-plurals, let’s see how to use them.

Numbers ending in : 1

If the number is 1, or the number ends in the word 'один' (example: 1, 21, 61) (but not 11), then you should use the case (singular) that is suitable for the position in the sentence. The number one declines like an adjective. Here are some examples.

   одна девушка - one girl   Я знаю одну девушку - I know one girl

один рубль - one roubleдвадцать один рубль - 21 roublesодин доллар - one dollarNumbers ending in : 2,3,4

If the number, or the last digit of the number is 2, 3 or 4, (example: 22, 42, 103, 4) (but not 12, 13 & 14), then you should use the genitive singular case.. Here are some examples.

   три рубля - three roubles   четыре рубля - four roubles   две книги - two books   три собаки - three dogs   четыре доллара - four dollars   четыре студента - four students   три газеты - three newspapers

Numbers ending in : 5,6,7,8,9,0, -надцать

If the number ends in any other digit you should use the genitive plural. All the 'teens' (-надцать) fit in to this catagory (11, 12, 13, 14, etc)

   пять рублей - five roubles   десять рублей - ten roubles   сто рублей - one hundred roubles   сто долларов - one hundred dollars   шесть книг - six books   семь газет - seven newspapers   восемь зданий - eight buildings   девять собак - nine dogs   десять студентов - ten students

Nobody really knows why we use two different plural formations in the Russian language. To help you get used to this concept, try using plurals that involve money. You are probably quite used to hearing the words “rouble” or “dollar”, so if you practice pronouncing these words in the different cases to form plurals your brain should be able to become accustomed to this concept very quickly.

So in summary...Quantity ends in 1 - As per position in the sentence.Quantity ends in 2,3,4 - Genitive Singular.Quantity ends in 5,6,7,8,9,0,-надцать - Genitive PluralGeneral Quantity - Genitive Case (Singular or Plural depending on context.)Quantity not specified - Use the case that is appropriate to the sentence position.

Expressing Your Age in Russian

When talking about your age you need to know the word ‘years’. In Russian this word has an irregular plural:

1: год2-4: года5-0: лет

Сколько вам лет? - How old are you.Мне восемнадцать лет - I am 18 years oldМне двадцать три года - I am 23 years old.

Notice that the dative case is used for the pronouns. This is occurs often when you are expressing the state of something. (Lit: To me there are 16 years). Much like “Мне холодно” - “I am cold” (lit: to me it’s cold). You will learn more about this in the lesson 13 - the dative case.

Conclusion

You should now be much more comfortable using plurals and numbers in the Russian language. But don't worry if you need to read this lesson a few more times, we have introduced a lot of new material in this Russian lesson. Although it is a lot of information to absorb, we decided to introduce it all together so you can compare the different uses of the plurals.

It is important to practice in order to learn this concept well. In particular for when you are using money, or purchasing items in the shop. Try practising with different items you already know. You should have the different plural forms of the words 'rouble' and 'dollar' memorised.

Russian Language ReviewRussian Language Lesson 12

Main Lesson

The aim of our twelth Russian lesson is just to let you practice the language concepts that you already know. It is really a review lesson, althought we may introduce some vocabulary, and show you some different ways of using it. We will avoid introducing new grammar in this lesson.

This Russian language lesson will be based on examples. We will try to use some Russian phrases and sentences that you might see in real situations. Review each Russian phrase or sentence to make sure that you understand both the vocabulary and the structure of the sentence used. Take particular notice of the use of the four cases that we have learnt so far.

Russian Names...

Note the use of the accusative case for pronouns in this construction.

Как вас зовут? - What is your name?Меня зовут Вера. - My name is Vera.Как её зовут? - What is her name?Её зовут Алёна - Her name is Alyona.Как его зовут? - What is his name?Его зовут Борис - His name is Boris.

Here are some other common Russian names for men...

Николай - Nikolay (Коля)Борис - BorisВладимир - Vladimir (Володя, Вова)Пётр - Pyotr, Peter.Андрей - AndreyАлександр - Alexander (Саша, Шура)Дмитрий - Dimitry (Дима)Сергей - SergeyАлексей - Aleksey

And here are some common Russian names for women.

Елена - Yelena (Лена)Наталья - Natalya (Наташа)Мария - Mariya (Маша)Ольга - Olga (Оля)Александра - Alexandra (Саша)Оксана - OxanaЕкатерина - YekaterinaАнастасия - Anastasiya (Настя)Надежда - Nadezhda (Надя)Анна - Anna (Аня)

Note: the form in brackets is the diminutive form of the name. This is like a pet name. (For example in English 'William' is also 'Will'). There are many diminuatives for each Russian name and they are commonly used. The diminuative is a more personal, or tender form, and should only be used when you are in close firendship. The exception is when a person intruduces themself using this form.

Russian Greetings...

Here are some Russian greetings that we learnt in earlier lessons. You should be able to remember all of these.

Здравствуйте - HelloПривет - Hi (Informal)Доброе утро - good morningДобрый день - good afternoonДобрый вечер - good eveningСпокойной ночи - goodnight (when going to bed)Please and Thank-You

Never forget please and thank-you.

Спасибо - Thank-YouПожалуйста - Please (and You're Welcome)

Really Small Russian Words

To help you remember, here is a summary of those really small Russian words that we have learnt. Some of these may be new, but try to learn them all. In fact all of these words are from the 100 most used words in the Russian language

и - andа - and/but (contrasting)но - butили - or

The word "а" is generally used when you could use either the english words "and" or "but". For example, in the sentence "I am in Moscow and he is in Kiev.", the statements are related but contrast each other so you could also use the word "but". In Russian we would use the word "а".

These prepositions are commonly used in Russian

с - withу - near, by (also used in the "to have" construction)в, во - in (+prepositional), to (+accusative)на - on, at (+prepositional), onto, to (+accusative)о, об - aboutк - towards, toза - for (+accusative), behind (+instrumental)из - out of, fromот - fromпо - along, (also used with languages)

You should already know these pronouns. Refer to lesson 5 if you have forgotton.

я - Iон - he, itты - you (informal)вы - you (formal/plural)его - him, itеё - her, itих - themUsing the Russian Language

Now we will give you some sample Russian sentences. You might also find some new words in these sentences. We will use only common words, so you should try to learn them all. Also pay attention to the different cases used for nouns and how verbs are formed.

Скажите, пожалуйста, где туалет? - Tell me please, where is the toilet?У вас есть кофе? - Do you have coffee?Кофе нет. - There is no coffee.У вас есть чай? - Do you have tea?Чая нет. - There is no tea.Что вы хотите? - What do you want?Я хочу чай, пожалуйста. - I want tea please.Дайте, пожалуйста, кофе с молоком и с сахаром. - Give me please, coffee with milk and with sugar.

У вас есть водка? - Do you have vodka?У Анны есть водка? - Does Anna have vodka?У Ивана есть чай? - Does Ivan have tea?

Я знаю, что ты говоришь по-русски. - I know that you speak Russian.Он любит говорить по-английски. - He loves to speak EnglishМоя мама любит музыку. - My mum loves music.Твой брат говорит по-русски? - Does your borther speak Russian?Да. Он хорошо говорит по-русски. - Yes. He speaks Russian well.Собака не говорит по-английски. - The dog doesn't speak English.Почему вы не говорите по-русски? - Why don't you speak Russian?

Я понимаю. - I understand.Я не понимаю. - I don't understand.Ты понимаешь? - Do you understand?Я знаю, что вы понимаете. - I know that you understand.Я думаю, что ты понимаешь. - I think that you understand.Почему ты не понимаешь? - Why don't you understand?

Я живу в Лондоне - I live in London.Он едет домой - He is going home.

Где? - Where?Кто? - Who?Что? - What?Как? - How?Когда? - When?Почему? - Why?Что ты знаешь? - What do you know?Что ты думаешь? - What do you think?Где он? - Where is he?Где кафе? - Where is the cafe?Кто он? - Who is he?

Я читаю журнал - I am reading a magazine.Я изучаю русский язык - I am studying the Russian language.Я слушаю музыку - I am listening to music.Я очень люблю спорт - I really love sport.Я очень люблю Москву - I really love Moscow.

Брат Адама любит Москву - Adam's brother loves Moscow.Моя сестра читает газету - My sister is reading a newspaper.Сестра Анны читает газету - Anna's siser is reading a newspaper.Дедушка Ивана слушает радио - Ivan's grandfather is listenig to the radio.Моя мама любит музыку - My Mum loves music.Его нет дома - He is not home.

сколько стоит? - How much?сто рублей - 100 roubles.

сколько стоит? - How much?четыре доллара - 4 dollars.

сколько стоит? - How much?двадцать один рубль - 21 roubles.

сколько стоит? - How much?

четыре рубля - 4 roubles.Conclusion

This is mainy a review lesson, so you should make sure that you understand most of the Russian language above. Try learning the above phrases by covering up the English then translating for yourself. You should also try to form some of your own Russian sentences and phrases.

Russian Dative CaseRussian Language Lesson 13Main Lesson

This Russian language lesson is all about the Russian dative case. This is the fifth Russian case we will learn, there is only one case left after this lesson. This lesson does introduce more grammar concepts and word endings for you to learn. However, this is just the Russian language, you need to be able to use all cases effectively in order to be able to speak Russian. Try your best to remember the different endings to all the cases you have learnt, sometime it helps to learn them by looking at examples. If you can not remember the other cases you have learnt, revise them quickly now using this site’s grammar section.

The Russian dative case is used to represent the indirect object. This is the person or thing that receives the main object. The dative generally corresponds to the English word “to”, although this rule is only general, as the word “to” has many meanings in English.

Firstly we will see how we form the dative case from normal dictionary form nouns. Then we will investigate the many ways in which we are able to use the dative case in Russian. The Russian language relies on the dative case more then you might first expect.

Forming the dative case.

To create nouns in the dative case, we first start with the nominative (dictionary) form.

Masculine Nouns:1. If the noun ends in a consonant, add “у”.2. Replace “й”, with “ю”.3. Replace “ь”, add “ю”.

Feminine Nouns:1. Replace “а” with “е”.2. Replace “я” with “е”.3. Replace “ь” with “и”.4. Replace “ия” with “ии”.

Neuter Nouns:1. Replace “о” with “у” 2. Replace “е” with “ю” 

Plurals:Look at the last letter nomitive singular form (dictionary form) and...1. Replace "а", "о" or a consonant with "ам".2. Replace the last letter with "ям"

Here are some examples.

Адам - АдамуЕлена - ЕленеМолоко - МолокуВино - Вину

Pronouns of the Dative Case.

It is worth learning the dative case personal pronouns quite well as they are used more than you might expect.

Мне - me.Тебе - you (informal).Ему (m), Ему (n), Ей (f) - him, it, her.Нам - us.Вам - you (formal, or plural).Им - them.

Using the Dative Case for Indirect Objects

The indirect object is the person or object in a sentence that receives something. For example in the sentence “Ivan gives flowers to Anna”, the word “Anna” is the indirect object. It should be used in the dative case. In this sentence notice that the dative case is used in the place of the word “to”.

When the above sentence is rearranged to “Ivan gives Anna flowers”, the word “Anna” is still used in the dative case as Anna is the person who is receiving the object. Similarly, in Russian the word order of a sentence can be rearranged. In fact because Russian uses the case system words can be rearranged much more freely than in English. For this reason, you need to be able to recognise cases effectively.

The word Давать(give) is commonly used with the dative case. Here are the conjuctions:

Даю - (I) giveДаёшь - (you) giveДаёт - (he) givesДаём - (we) giveДаёте - (you) giveДают - (they) give

The command forms of this word include...

Дай - give!Дайте - give!

You will learn more about commands in a later lesson. (View all conjugations)

Here are some examples

   Иван даёт цветы Анне - Ivan gives flowers to Anna.   Я даю цветы Анне - I give flowers to Anna.

Они дают цветы Елене - They give flowers to Elena.Дайте мне ... - Give me ...

Дайте мне ваш адрес и номер телефона. - Give me your address and telephone number.

Other uses of the dative case meaning “to”

There are a number of verbs that can be used with the dative case. Most of these involve giving something or communicating something. In English we sometimes also use the word “to” in these situations. Here are a couple of verbs that use the dative case:

Помогать - to help (to give help to)   Я помогаю Анне - I am helping Anna.   Я помогаю Ивану - I am helping Ivan.   Мы помогаем маме каждый день - We help mother every day.   Я помогаю этой девушке - I am helping this girl.

Звонить - to call (to make a phone call to)   Она звонит Ивану каждый день - She calls Ivan every day.   Иван звонит Анне каждый день - Ivan calls Anna every day.

To Like

In an earlier lesson we met the Russian verb "Любить" (to love). If you would like to say “I like” which is not quite so strong you must use the word "нравится" (to like). However this verb is used differently, and it relies on the dative case. The dative case is used where you would expect the subject. Although it's almost impossible to translate literally to English, it is like saying “To me it is likable”. The object that is liked is the subject and is used in the nominative case.

This is verb is also a reflexive verb, a concept which we haven’t learnt yet. (The "ся" ending is reflexive). However it is a common word, so it is worth learning now. You will learn how to conjugate it in a later lesson. (It conjugates relative to the word in the nominative case, so in most examples this verb is used in the 3rd person, so it is enough for now just to learn this form.)

Practice using the word нравится. It is also a good chance to practice your dative case pronouns.

   Мне нравится Москва - I like Moscow. (lit: Moscow is pleasing to me.)   Ей нравится Москва - She likes Moscow. (lit: Moscow is pleasing to her.)   Ему нравится Москва - He likes Moscow.   Вам нравится Москва - You like Moscow.   Адаму нравится Москва - Adam likes Moscow.   Как вам нравится ...? - How do you like ...?   Как вам нравится фильм? - How do you like the film?

Вам нравится Москва? - Do you like Moscow?

If the subject is plural use нравятся

Мне нравятся дети - I like the children. (lit: children is pleasing to me.)Мне нравятся ваши дети - I like your children.Мне нравятся цветы - I like the flowers.Мне очень нравятся цветы - I really like the flowers.

Feelings

Interestingly in Russian the dative case can be used to express the state of something. You commonly use this to express whether you are hot or cold. Although we have not learnt any adjectives yet, it is still worth learning these examples. Again you will make use of the dative case pronouns.

   Мне холодно - I am cold (to me it’s cold)   Мне жарко - I am hot (to me it’s hot)

Ему холодно - He is cold (to him its cold)Ей холодно - She is cold (to her its cold)Нам холодно - We are cold (to us its cold)Мне скучно - I am bored (to me its boring)Мне восемнадцать лет - I am 16 years old (to me there are 16 years)

The preposition "к" (towards/to)

In Russian the preposition "к" means "towards/to". It is followed by the dative case.

The dative case can also be used with the preposition "по" (along). Although the use of this proposition is too varied, and has too many meanings, to create an exact rule.

Some More Examples

Я иду к вокзалу - I am walking towards the station.   Мы едем к друзьям - We are going to our friends.

More Dative Case

A large number of Russian reflexive verbs also use the dative case, but more on this in a later lesson

You can visit the dative case entry in the grammar section.

You can also try and learn the possessive pronouns of the dative case.

Conclusion

The dative case represents the English word “to”, and it is a case that is commonly used in the Russian language. We recommend that you memorise the personal pronouns associated with the dative case. You should also try to memorise forming the dative case so that you can do it quicky and automatically. Sometimes it is easiest by simply reading and writing sample sentences.

In the next lesson we will learn the sixth and final Russian case: the instrumental case. Once you have learnt all the Russian cases you should be able to form many sentences in the present tense.

In future lessons we will learn the past and future tenses of verbs, and the use of motion verbs. To create full sentences you will also need to learn about adjectives and conjunctions. Sometimes it may feel like there is a lot more to learn, which there is, but you have already come a long way, so keep learning. Understanding and using cases is one of the big hurdles to leaning Russian, and you are almost there.

Russian Instrumental CaseRussian Language Lesson 14Main Lesson

Welcome to the final lesson about Russian cases. The sixth and final case is the instrumental case. The instrumental case is used to illustrate the concepts of ‘with’ and ‘by means of’. Another way to think about it is that it represents the ‘instrument’ that was used to carry out the action.

Unfortunately it is hard to learn Russian without first learning about the cases. But after this lesson you will be able to recognise and form all six Russian cases, so we can start concentrating on more practical Russian such as vocabulary and using verbs.

Forming the Russian Instrumental CaseMasculine Nouns:1. All consonants, add “ом”. Except...2. If the noun ends in unstressed “ж”, “ц”, “ч”, “ш” or “щ”, then add “ем”. (This is to comply with the spelling rules)3. Replace “й”, with “ем”, if stressed “ём”.4. Replace “ь”, add “ем”, if stressed “ём”.Feminine Nouns:1. Replace “а” with “ой”. Except...2. If the stem of the noun ends in “ж”, “ц”, “ч”, “ш” or “щ”, replace “а” with “ей” (This is to comply with the spelling rules)3. Replace “я” with “ей”, if stressed “ёй”.4. Replace “ь” with “ью”.Neuter Nouns:1. Add “м” PluralsLook at the last letter nomitive singular form (dictionary form) and...1. All consonants, add "ами".2. Replace "а", "о" with "ами".3. Otherwise replace with "ями"

Examplesмолоко - молоком (milk)сметана - сметаной (sour cream)карандаш - карандашом (pencil)ложка - ложкой (spoon)нож - ножом (knife)муж - мужем (husband)жена - женой (wife)Иван - Иваном (Ivan)Анна - Анной (Anna)студенты - студентами (students)

Using the Intrumental Case: By means of

The instrumental case is used to express the concept of “by means of”. In English this is normally done using the words “using” or “with”. In English these words can have different meanings, so it’s important to recognise when they are meaning “by means of”.

Examples.Иван пишет карандашом - Ivan writes with a pencil.Я ем суп ложкой - I eat soup with a spoon.Олег режет мясо ножом - Oleg cuts the meat with a knife.

The preposition: ‘с’ - With, Accompanied by.

The preposition “с” means “with” when used with the instrumental case. It expresses the concept of “to be accompanied by” or “together with”. “с” is normally pronounced as though it is part of the next word.

For ease of pronunciation, when “с” it is followed by two or more consonants, it is often written as “со”. This way it can be pronounced as a word on it’s own rather than combined with the following word. Here are a couple of examples from lesson 4:

   Дайте, пожалуйста, кофе с молоком - Please give me coffee with milk.   Дайте, пожалуйста, кофе с молоком и с сахаром - Please give me coffee with

milk and sugar.

More examples:Я ем борщ со сметаной - I eat borsh with sour cream.Иван хочет чай с молоком - Ivan wants tea with milk.Надя хочет чай с лимоном - Nadya wants tea with lemon.Я люблю блинчики с икрой - I love pancakes with caviar

In Russian the preposition “с” is also used to indicate when two people accompany each other. In English we would use the word “and”, but Russian generally uses “с” (with). Have a look at the following Russian examples.

Иван с Анной идут в кафе. - Ivan and Anna are going to the cafe.Иван с женой идут в кафе. - Ivan and his wife are going to the cafe.Анна с Иваном идут в кафе. - Anna and Ivan are going to the cafe.Анна с мужем идут в кафе. - Anna and her husband are going to the cafe.

Another interesting language point is how Russians say “Ivan and I”. It is said as “Мы с Иваном” (“we, with Ivan”). Here are some examples.

Мы с Иваном идём в школу - Ivan and I are going to school.Мы с мужем идём в кафе - My husband and I are going to the cafe.Мы с женой идём в кафе - My wife and I are going to the cafe.Мы с вами - Me and you

Notes: 1. The Russian word for ‘without’ is ‘без’. However it is followed by the genitive case.2. ‘вместе’ is the Russian word for 'together'. So ‘вместе с’ means 'together with' and is followed by the instrumental case.

Pronouns - Instrumental Case

Here are the Russian pronouns in the instrumental case. Remember that these pronouns are very often follow the preposition “с”. So they commonly have the meaning ‘with me’,

‘with you’, ‘with him’. It is a good idea to also practice saying them with the “с” sound at the start.

Мной - MeТобой - YouИм - HimЕй - HerИм - ItНами - UsВами - You (plural)Ими - Them

Seasons and parts of the day.

Changing a season to the instrumental case gives it the meaning of ‘in’. For example:

лето - summerлетом - in summer

осень - autumnосенью - in autumn

зима - winterзимой - in winter

весна - springвесной - in spring

The same principal applies to parts of the day:

утро - morningутром - in the morning

день - day, afternoonднём - in the afternoon

вечер - eveningвечером - in the evening

ночь - nightночью - at night

Вечером я ем борщ со сметаной - In the evening I eat borsh with sour cream.

Other Prepositions and the Instrumental Case.

The instrumental case is also used after the following prepositions. Remember that some of these prepositions may have different meanings if they are followed by a different case.

за - behind, beyondмежду - betweenнад - aboveперед - in front ofпод - under

Examples:За этим зданием - школа. - Behind this building there is school.Между обедом и ужином выпей чай. - Between lunch and dinner drink tea.Над столом висит лампа. - The lamp is above the table.Перед этой школой поверните налево. - In front of this school turn to the left.Под столом сидит кот. - Under the table the cat is sitting.

Advanced: Verbs that use the Instrumental Case.

The following verbs are used commonly used with the instrumental case. Most of these are reflexive verbs which we haven’t learnt yet. As this is a little bit advanced we won’t give examples now, but it is something to keep in mind. You don't need to learn these verbs now.

быть - to be, is, wasзаниматься - to be engaged in, to be occupied withинтересоваться - to be interested inоказываться - to turn out to beоставаться - to remain asпользоваться - to use, enjoyстановиться/стать - to becomeувлекаться - to be keen onуправлять - control, manage, governявляться - to seem, be

The verb “Быть” (to be, is, was) has no present tense. However when it is used in the past and future tense with nouns, the following noun is usually in the instrumental case. (Example: Я был врачом - I was a doctor). You will learn more about this in a later lesson.

Conclusion

This lesson concludes the study of the Russian cases. You should now be able to form each of the Russian cases, and understand the basic uses of each case. You may wish to revise some of the cases to make sure you can form them. Although you will get plenty more practice. You now should be able to recognise how all Russian nouns are declined, perhaps some of the plurals will still be difficult, but it will come with some more practice.

The case system is one of the major differences from Russian to English, so congratulations, you have reached an important milestone in you learning!

In the next lessons we will start to introduce more vocabulary and help you improve your sentence forming skills in Russian. The next major point to learn in Russian grammar is forming the past tense, so that you can tell stories about things that have happened in the past. Fortunately in Russian, forming the past tense is actually quite simple.

If you feel you need a break from grammar concepts, now might be a good time to visit the vocabulary section of this site and try memorising a few Russian words. Try to use the in sentences, it will help you remember. If you are finding the Russian grammar difficult, don’t worry, after you learn the past tense you will have learnt most of the basic Russian grammar concepts. From this point you will find that you are able to learn grammar more naturally by looking at sample Russian sentences and texts.