The case system & the nominative
A1 Падежная система и именительный падеж 8 / 50
In short
Russian marks a noun’s job in the sentence by changing its ending - there are six cases. The endings you already learned in lessons 1 and 3 are the nominative (имени́тельный): the dictionary form, used for the subject (the doer) and answering Кто? / Что? (“Who? / What?”). Because the ending carries the grammar, Russian word order is free.
The rule
1. What a case is. A case (паде́ж) is a set of endings that shows a noun’s role: who acts, who is acted on, who owns, who receives, and so on. The same noun appears in different “coats”:
кни́га (subject) - кни́гу (object) - кни́ги (of the book) - кни́ге (to the book) - кни́гой (with the book) - о кни́ге (about the book)
2. The six cases and their jobs. Learn the names and core question now; the oblique cases get their own lessons later.
| # | Case / Паде́ж | Question | Core job | Lesson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nominative · Имени́тельный | Кто? Что? | subject; dictionary form | this one |
| 2 | Accusative · Вини́тельный | Кого́? Что? | direct object; goal of motion | 10 |
| 3 | Genitive · Роди́тельный | Кого́? Чего́? | “of” / possession / absence | 11 |
| 4 | Dative · Да́тельный | Кому́? Чему́? | “to / for”; recipient | 22 |
| 5 | Instrumental · Твори́тельный | Кем? Чем? | “by / with”; tool | 23 |
| 6 | Prepositional · Предло́жный | О ком? О чём? | location; “about” (always after a preposition) | 9 |
A common learner-friendly order is Им - Вин - Род - Дат - Тв - Пр (used above). Russian schoolbooks list them slightly differently: Им - Род - Дат - Вин - Тв - Пр.
3. The nominative. This is the base form - exactly what you find in a dictionary. Use it for:
- the subject: Студе́нт чита́ет. (The student reads.)
- a predicate noun after the dropped “to be”: Москва́ - столи́ца. (Moscow is the capital.)
- a label / answer to a pointing question: Это дом. (This is a house.) Кто там? - Анна.
The nominative is the only case that never follows a preposition.
4. Where the endings come from. Each case ending depends on three things: gender (masculine / feminine / neuter), hard or soft stem, and number (singular / plural). You already met the nominative endings as “noun gender” (lesson 1) and “plural” (lesson 3).
Forms & patterns
Nominative singular (the dictionary endings):
| Gender / Род | Hard stem | Soft stem |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine · м.р. | -◌ (zero): стол, го́род | -ь: слова́рь · -й: музе́й |
| Feminine · ж.р. | -а: кни́га, рабо́та | -я: неде́ля · -ь: ночь |
| Neuter · ср.р. | -о: окно́, письмо́ | -е: мо́ре, по́ле |
Nominative plural (see lesson 3 for the full story):
| Singular | Ending | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| стол (m, hard) | -ы | столы́ | tables |
| слова́рь / музе́й (m, soft) | -и | словари́ / музе́и | dictionaries / museums |
| язы́к (m, after к) | -и | языки́ | languages |
| кни́га / рабо́та (f) | -и / -ы | кни́ги / рабо́ты | books / jobs |
| неде́ля / ночь (f, soft) | -и | неде́ли / но́чи | weeks / nights |
| окно́ (n, -о) | -а | о́кна | windows |
| мо́ре (n, -е) | -я | моря́ | seas |
Spelling rule (lesson 3): after г, к, х, ж, ш, ч, щ write -и, never -ы - that is why кни́га → кни́ги, not кни́гы.
Examples
| Русский | English |
|---|---|
| Стол стои́т в углу́. | The table stands in the corner. |
| На столе́ лежи́т кни́га. | A book is lying on the table. |
| Москва́ - большо́й го́род. | Moscow is a big city. |
| Это мой брат. | This is my brother. |
| Студе́нты чита́ют в библиоте́ке. | The students are reading in the library. |
| Кто там? - Учи́тель. | Who is there? - The teacher. |
| Моё и́мя - А́нна. | My name is Anna. |
| О́кна в ко́мнате больши́е. | The windows in the room are big. |
Common mistakes
- Это кни́гу -> Это кни́га - a thing you name or point to stays in the nominative (the dictionary form), not the accusative.
- На столе́ лежи́т газе́ту -> …лежи́т газе́та - the subject (what is lying there) is nominative, not accusative.
- в Москва́ -> в Москве́ - the nominative never follows a preposition; “in” needs the prepositional (lesson 9).
- о́кны -> о́кна - neuter nouns in -о take the plural -а, not -ы.
- кни́гы -> кни́ги - after г/к/х/ж/ш/ч/щ you must write -и (spelling rule).
Tips
- The nominative is free - you already know it. It is the form in every dictionary and the form from lessons 1 and 3.
- To find the subject, ask Кто? / Что? about the verb: the answer is in the nominative.
- One quick test: if a word comes right after a preposition, it is not nominative.
- Both the subject and a noun naming it (after the silent “to be”) are nominative: Москва́ - столи́ца.