A Beginner’s Guide to Russian Grammar Cases
Grammatical cases are used to assign functionality to various types of words. Some languages have relatively few cases; English has just three. Other languages are much more complex. Hungarian has nearly 20 grammatical cases, and Finnish has more than two dozen.
Russian grammar cases fall somewhere between English and Hungarian…and the good news is, that number is much closer to English! Interested in learning Russian? You’ll need to understand the basics of grammar cases pretty quickly because you’ll see and hear them in every sentence.
There are 6 different cases in Russian. They are important for adding and clarifying context when constructing a sentence or conversing with a native Russian speaker.
Keep reading to discover all about grammar cases in Russian – which types exist and how they are used in day-to-day conversation.
The Six Russian Grammar Cases
The six grammar cases in Russian are:
Nominative case. This Russian case identifies the subject of a sentence. This case exists in the English language and answers the questions “who / what.” It is a “default” form of the word, and thus dictionary entries are given in the nominative case.
Example
English: The squirrel ran up the tree.
Russian: Белка взбежала на дерево. (Belka vzbezhala na derevo.)
In this sentence, the word for “squirrel,” белка (belka), is in the nominative case, since it’s the subject. This is the form you’d see if you looked up “squirrel” in a dictionary.
Genitive case. The genitive case in Russian answers “of whom” or “of what.” The genitive case also signifies possession or absence.
Example
English: I took my tool out of the bag.
Russian: Я достал инструмент из сумки. (Ya dostal instrument iz sumki.)
The genitive case changes the word for “bag,” сумка (sumka), to сумки (sumki) when you say, “out of” the bag.
Dative case. This case specifically shows what is addressed or given to the object of the sentence. Think of this case as the “to whom / to what” identifier.
Example
English: The prince gave the beautiful ring to a princess.
Russian: Князь подарил красивое кольцо принцессе. (Knyaz’ podaril krasivoe kol’tso printsesse.)
The word princess “принцесса” (printsessa) changes to принцессе (printsesse) because it is in the dative case. This indicates that the ring was gifted to her.
Accusative case. The accusative case identifies the direct object of the sentence.
Example
English: Katrina loves English literature.
Russian: Катрина любит английскую литературу. (Katrina lyubit angliyskuyu literaturu.)
Note how this case changes the word ending of literature, литература (literatura), to литературу (literaturu). What’s more, the adjective here, английскую (angliyskuyu), is also in the accusative case, as it is describing the direct object.
Instrumental case. This case marks the means or accompaniment of an action. It shows “with whom” someone is together or “with what” something is done, indicating the tool, instrument, or companion involved.
Example
English: I spoke with the person who was directly in front of me.
Russian: Я поговорил с человеком, который был прямо передо мной. (Ya pogovoril s chelovekom, kotorj byl pryamo peredo mnoj.)
This example changes the word for “person,” человек (chelovek), to “with a person,” человеком (chelovekom).
Prepositional case. It is used with a preposition and answers the questions “about whom?”, “about what?”, and “where?”.
Example
English: At the theater, they’re showing the plays.
Russian: В театре показывают спектакли. (V teatre pokazyvayut spektakli.)
The word for “theater,” театр (teatr), changes to театре (teatre) when you say, “at the theater,” — в театре (v teatre).
As you can see, Russian cases can cause words to change their endings. It can be tricky to learn at first, but once you become more familiar with the Russian language and practice new phrases, it becomes easier. The key is to have an intuitive, adaptive learning resource like Pimsleur to help you along the way!
Importance of the Russian Case System
The Russian cases we’ve just seen are critical for conveying the correct context. By using them, you are guaranteed to make communication more efficient. Knowing these cases will allow you to accurately describe how you got from the Red Square to the Bolshoi Theater. They’ll also help you explain how long the wait is at a restaurant famous for its пельмени (Pelmeni), traditional Russian dumplings. But whether you’re asking about a particular landmark in Moscow or discussing nearby cuisine with a local, a thorough knowledge of the Russian case system is imperative for concise communication.
Mastering Grammar Cases in Russian for Fluent Communication
With an understanding of the alphabet and pronunciation, and knowledge of some high-frequency vocabulary words, it will be much easier to apply cases in each sentence you speak. And Pimsleur is here to help you achieve and exceed all your Russian learning goals. We’ll help get you going so you can understand how to use these Russian cases quickly and correctly!
Once you learn Russian, you’ll enjoy endless possibilities – interesting travel, potential conversations with people all over the world, and fascinating insight into one of the world’s great historical cultures.
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