Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
Modern
Russian
Grammar
Eugenia Nekrasova
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Ron Maxim, Director,
Government Cargo Support Services, Maersk Sealand, Atlanta, GA, USA:
...Mrs.Nekrasova`s book is very creative...
Frederick Lyons, Resident Representative,
United Nations Development Programme in the Russian Federation
This book very definitely helped me improve my Russian fluency.
With good humour and strong didactic principles it leads through the
difficulties of the Russian Grammar.
Markku Lehto, Chief of Moscow Bureau
of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, Finland
The book is really very helpful. The explanations given in the
book are clear and inventive. The teaching materials have been very
well sorted.
To the Readers
This book is meant both for the learners and the teachers of Russian.
The name of the book speaks for itself: "A Basic Modern Russian Grammar".
The attention is focused on the facts of Modern Russian language which are
basic, of high frequency and in common use.
As most of the learners are not professional linguists the author tried to avoid
unnecessary linguistic terms.
The explanations, charts and presentation of grammar material enable the
learners of Russian understand some practical mechanisms of the language
in a certain logical order .
The teachers of Russian can use it in their practical work.
All the charts originally belong to the author.
The author expresses her deep gratitude to Mr D. Pobedimsky without whom
the book would not have succeeded and to Prof. T. Wade (UK) for his encour-
agement.
I wish you success,
Eugenia Nekrasova
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar, Eugenia Nekrasova,1997.
Graphic Design, eBook publisher, Dmitry Pobedimsky, 2002.
ISBN 5-85550-119-1
Shortly about the Author
Eugenia Nekrasova, Moscow, Russia.
M.A. in Philology and Education, Moscow State University.
For many years she has been working as a full-time senior
teacher and lecturer for the USSR / Russian Federation Minis-
try of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Language Service, teaching
Russian, English and related subjects to foreign diplomats,
businessmen and journalists, including the staff of the United Nations Moscow
office, Sea Land CIS Logistics, Caterpillar Overseas, Ernst & Young, the State
Finnish Radio & TV Moscow office and many others.
Now she divides her time between teaching and writing books on language.
She has written five successful books on learning Modern Russian as a Second
Language and on learning English for people speaking Russian:
1. "A Basic Modern Russian Grammar" - 380 pages, "Gummerus", Helsinki,
Finland, 1998. Published in Finnish, translated from English. ISBN 951-20-5264-4
2. "Exercises in Basic Modern Russian Grammar" - 250 pages,
"Gummerus", Helsinki, Finland, 2000. Published in Finnish, translated from Eng-
lish. ISBN 951-20-5507-4
3. "Living & Working in the Former USSR" - 211 pages, colour illustrated,
succesfully practised course book of Modern Russian, best used for crash-
courses. ISBN 5-85550-121-3
4. "Popular English Grammar" - 400 pages, "Slavyansky Dom Knigi" Publish-
ers, Moscow, Russia,1999. First print - 25,000 copies. ISBN 5-93220-001-4
5. "English for Work and Travel" - 360 pages, "Slavyansky Dom Knigi" Pub-
lishers, Moscow, Russia, 2000, with D.Pobedimsky. First print - 15,000 copies.
ISBN 5-93220-052-9
The author would gladly accept any comments on the book
email: eugnekr@mail.ru
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
Part 1
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page 1
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The characterizing words can be:
adjectives,
adjectival pronouns (possessive, demonstrative etc),
ordinal numerals,
long participles,
cardinal numeral one.
You will learn:
how to establish the Gender of a noun and
how to make the Singular form Gender Agreement between nouns
and words characterizing them.
AGREEMENT BETWEEN WORDS IN RUSSIAN
There are 2 main types of relations between the words in a Russian
sentence: Agreement and Governing.
Agreement could be in Gender, Number and Person.
Part 1
The Gender Agreement of Russian Nouns
in the Singular
between the nouns/personal pronouns and the short participles
/short adjectives,
between the nouns/personal pronouns and the verbs in the Past
tense form.
Part 1 deals with the first five types of Gender Agreement.
THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER AGREEMENT
Agreement in Gender takes place:
between the long adjectives and the nouns,
between the adjectival pronouns and the nouns,
between the ordinal numerals and the nouns,
between the cardinal numeral one and nouns,
between the long participles and the nouns,
Part 1 covers the problems of Gender Agreement between nouns and
words preceding them in units. I called the words preceeding nouns in
units - the characterizing words.
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
Part 1
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Masculine (M), Feminine (F) or Neuter(N)
You will be glad to know that the gender of the majority of the Russian
nouns one can tell from the ending of the dictionary form (Nominative
Case).
The gender of nouns is mostly a formal thing.
Now you will learn how to determine the gender of a noun.
Nouns ending in consonants and - are Masculine:
- house - friend -museum
- man - city - China
All Russian nouns are attributed to one of the three genders:
HOW TO ESTABLISH THE GENDER OF A NOUN
k + N
Nouns ending in -, -, -, - are Feminine:
- mama, mommy - Volga
- car - article
- week - surname
- Russia
But things are never that simple in languages:
irrespective of the Feminine -, - ending
a small group of nouns denoting males
has Masculine gender agreement
(so called Natural Masculines):
- father, dad - grandfather
- man - uncle
- seat
- sea
- compartment
- building
- TV
- health
Nouns ending in -, -, -, - are Neuter:
- time
- name
- interview
- menu
- jury
- taxi
The following nouns are Neuter:
E.g.
() +
Notice!
h
Notice!
h
N
M
F
, , , , , , +
, , , , , , +
, , , , , , +
N
M
F
N
M
F
N
M
F
N
M
F
N
M
F
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
Part 1
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- is an emphatic pronoun, it can characterize both nouns and
personal pronouns:
Other characterizing words
O
Some other popular nouns denoting professions:
- announcer, - director, - teacher,
- chairman, - professor, - cook,
- engineer, - bookkeeper, - trainer,
- guide, - film-director, -
photographer, - editor etc.
...self
- he himself
- she herself - by itself
- all, the whole
- the whole day
- the whole country - all the time
- one, a...
a...
one,
- one house, a house
- one seat, a place
- one car, a car
THE GENDER OF NOUNS DENOTING PROFESSIONS IN RUSSIAN
Names of professions ending in consonants and the soft sign are
exclusively masculine as originally they were male dominated.
The characterizing words are always Masculine irrespective of sex:
Notice!
h
all,
the whole
N
M
F
N
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F
N
M
F
profession
- doctor
. .
^
. .
^
E.g.:
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
Part 2
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SINGULAR - ONLY NOUNS
Not all the nouns have both Singular and Plural forms.
There are nouns which exist only in the Singular.
They include nouns which denote:
collectives:
- dishware, - furniture, - footware, -
weapons,
- clothes, - cosmetics, etc.
human activities:
- policy/politics, - industry,
- economy/economics, - medicine, - sports,
- television, - radio, etc.
substances; foods, cereals, fruits and vegetables:
- gold, - oil, - wool, - oil, butter,
- beer, - rice, - meat, - flour, - grapes,
- raisins, - cabbage, - onion, -
chocolate, etc.
feelings and sensations: - happiness, - envy, etc.
The nouns of all Genders make Plural forms with the help of 2 groups
of endings:
First Group: Masculine & Feminine Nouns
- ending (hard line) after hard consonants
Singular Plural
M. - suitcases
M. - computers
M. - foreigners
etc.
Part 2
The Plural of Nouns.
The Number Agreement of Russian Nouns.
- ending instead of -
F. - cars
F. - apartments
F. - women etc.
FORMATION OF PLURAL NOUNS
Notice!
h
First Group
- or - ending: Big Group of Masculine& Feminine Nouns
Second Group
- or - ending: Small Group of Masculine & Neuter Nouns
Singular Plural
F. - skies
M. - knives
M. - doctors
M. - raincoats
etc.
, , , +
they
E.g.
.
These are my friends.
.
They live in London now.
.
These are my books.
.
They are on the shelf.
Summing - up table
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
Part 2
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page 19
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MIXED PLURAL ADJECTIVAL ENDINGS
A big group of commonly used adjectives has the following peculiarities in
the Plural formation:
Summing - up table
M.
F.
N.
Plural
M.
F.
N.
Plural
M.
F.
N.
Plural
M.
F.
N.
Plural
M.
F.
N.
Plural
Plural
M.
F.
N.
The adjectives with stems ending in , ,
have - Plural ending
(both spelt and pronounced), for example:
-, -, -,
-, -, -
group
M. F. N. Pl.
- - -
- - -
- - -
M. F. N. Pl.
- - -
- - -
- - -
strict expensive, dear
Russian
sity, urban
bad, poor
quiet, calm
M.
F.
N.
M.
F.
N.
Plural
Plural
Plural
M.
F.
N.
Plural
M.
F.
N.
Plural
M.
F.
N.
fresh
big, large
good, nice
alien
hot
present, real, true, genuine
my
- my keys
M.
F.
N.
Plural
our
- our keys
M.
F.
N.
Plural
your from
- your keys
The Demonstrative pronouns in the Plural O
- these keys
M.
F.
N.
Plural
M.
F.
N.
Plural
!
- What kind of idiots
they are!
M.
F.
N.
M.
F.
N.
Plural
- same kind of keys
- those keys
M.
F.
N.
Plural
M.
F.
N.
Plural
your from
- your keys
1
O
The Plural of Other Characterizing Words - all, the whole
also - many (people)
- some (people)
Notice!
h
- most expensive shops
M.
F.
N.
Plural
- same kind of keys
Plural
M.
F.
N.
- all the things
- all the people
M.
F.
N.
Plural
M.
F.
N.
...selves
Plural
-they themselves
M. ?
F. ?
N. ?
Plural
?
Notice!
h
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
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page 25
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Nom. - lesson
Gen. - after the lesson
Dat. . He is not ready for the lesson.
Acc. =Nom.
. He missed (skipped) the lesson.
Instr. - before the lesson
Prep. - at the lesson
Nom. .
Gen. .
He lives not far from Petersburg.
Dat. .
We walked about Petersburg.
Acc. =Nom.
. I am going to Petersburg.
Instr. . It is close to Petersburg.
Prep. . He lives in Petersburg.
THE DECLENSION OF MASCULINE NOUNS IN THE SINGULAR
All nouns are registered in the dictionaries in the Nominative case form.
Nom. .
Gen. . Ivan has a dog.
Dat. . I have to call Ivan.
Acc. =Gen.
. I know Ivan.
Instr. . I go with Ivan.
Prep. . We spoke about Ivan.
Mind that the case endings are attached to consonants
but replace vowels, and (soft sign).
All Masculine nouns, full first names and place names ending in a hard or
hissing consonant decline on the following pattern:
Hard-ending Masculine nouns
Notice!
h
Type
Nom. .
Gen. . Nikolay has the tickets.
Dat. . I have to call Nikolay.
Acc. = Gen.
. I know Nikolay.
Instr. . I go with Nikolay.
Prep. . We spoke about Nikolay.
Gen. .
The teacher has the book.
Dat. .
I have to call the teacher.
Acc.=Gen.
. I saw the teacher.
Instr. . I go with the teacher.
Prep. . We spoke about the teacher.
Nom. .
Type
Hard Soft
Gen. /
Dat. /
Instr. /
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
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page 28
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- on the floor
1985 - in 1985
. We were sitting in the garden.
- in the port
- at the airport
. We walked in the forest.
. The files are in the bookcase.
. There is a traffic jam on the bridge.
There is a group of Masculine nouns denoting a place
which take / instead of e in the Prepositional Case.
Here are some of them:
Summing-up table of Masculine nouns and names in the Accusative
Inanimate nouns take the form of the Nominative case, so the Accusative
of inanimate nouns does not differ from the dictionary form, for example:
Notice!
h
Nom.
Acc. .
Some special case endings of the Masculine nouns in the Singular
Accusative of
Animates=Genitive
.
.
.
.
Accusative of
Animates=Genitive
.
.
.
.
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
Part 3
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page 29
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. I lived before in the Crimea.
. The box is in the corner.
. The house stood on the bank.
Some Masculine nouns ending in , , , and take -e
ending instead of -o when the ending is unstressed:
Some Masculine nouns ending in (soft sign) take - ending
in the Instrumental Case:
- in hell
- in paradise
! Happy birthday!
- with a dictionary
THE DECLENSION OF NEUTER NOUNS IN THE SINGULAR
Nom. . Here is the lake.
Gen. .
Our summer cottage is not far from the lake.
Dat. . This road goes to the lake.
Acc. = Nom.
. I am going to the lake.
Instr. . Our summer cottage is close
to the lake.
Prep. . Our summer cottage is on the lake.
O
Hard ending Neuter nouns
Neuter nouns ending in decline like the Masculine noun ,
for example:
The Neuter nouns have the same
case endings as the Masculine nouns
Notice!
h
Type
Type
Type
Type
Type
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Instr.
Prep.
-
near the square
-
by the square
?
Do you see the square?
-
behind the square
- in the square
Type
e p y T
e p y T
. m o N
- ---- - ----
. n e G
- ---- - ----
. t a D
- ---- - ----
. c c A
- ---- - ----
. r t s n I
- ---- - ----
. p e r P
- ---- - ----
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
Part 3
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page 33
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-
nouns
There are 3 additional mixed types of Feminine noun case forms:
Mixed types of endings
Type
Type
Type
Follows Type ,
but in the Genitive Case - is used instead of -:
Type
, - -
Type
- -
Follows Type ,
but in the Instrumental Case - is used instead of -:
Type
Nom.
,
,
Nom. /
Gen. /
Dat. /
Acc. /= Nom.
Instr. /
Prep. /
Special case!
Declension of the Feminine nouns and
Notice!
h
,
, ,
, ,
,
Gen.
,
, , ,
, ,
Dat.
, ,
,
,
,
Acc.
, ,
, ,
Instr.
, , , ,
,
,
Prep.
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
Part 3
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page 36
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aADJECTIVAL TYPE OF DECLENSION IN RUSSIAN
The following categories of Russian words have the adjectival case forms:
all types of adjectives
possessive pronouns - , , ,
all demonstrative pronouns - , ,
and other pronouns in combination with them
interrogative/relative pronouns - , , - which, who
indefinite and negative pronouns based on , , ,
- only Plural
possessive reflexive pronoun -
determinative pronouns - , - whole, - each, every
all long participles - , , etc.
ordinal numerals - - first, - 21-st
adjectival nouns - - person on duty, - ice-
cream, - embankment etc.
participial nouns -
- a wounded person, - a passer by etc.
family names of adjectival origin - , etc.
place names and names of subway, railroad stations, hotels etc. -
(earlier village, now a part of Moscow),
(town), (station), (subway
station), also (hotel) etc.
generalizing/replacing words -
- this, that, - everything, - everybody,
everyone (only Plural), - many (only Plural).
Type
Exception:
words with , , and , stems.
Notice!
h
The following words belong to this declension type:
all Masculine and Neuter long adjectives, long participles, ordinal
numerals and adjectival pronouns ending in - or -,
all possessive adjectives like and their Neuter forms.
+
Masculine and Neuter
Singular adjectives
Type
Type
Type
Feminine
Singular adjectives
+
Type
Type
Type
Notice!
h
Type
Type
Type
Type
e p y T
. m o N
. n e G
. t a D
. c c A
. r t s n I
. p e r P
Type
- group
Part 4
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Part 4
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page 42
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100
100 meters
10
at 10 o`clock
100
100 kilometers
100
100 liters
100
100 percent
This group includes only the Masculine hard stem
nouns:
Group 1
100
100 dollars
100
100 sheets
a lot of lessons
a lot of parks
a lot of mushrooms
etc.
Nom. Singular Gen. Plural
- group
Model
100
- without glasses
- no jeans
- during the negotiations
- after the elections
- no watch
- a lot of memoirs
- a lot of applause
- a bottle of perfume
- a box of canned food
- near Luzhniki (Moscow area)
Also some common Plural - only nouns:
- a lot of mistakes
100 - 100 marks/poststamps
10 - 10 packs
10 - 10 kopecks etc.
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
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10 - 10 people/persons
- many times
Coll. 100 - 100 grams
Coll. 10 - 10 kilograms
- a lot of Gypsies
Nom. Singular = Gen. Plural
The zero-ending group also includes some commonly used Masculine
nouns:
Nouns from the baby group:
- a lot of children
5 - 5 kittens
- a lot of chicken etc.
Also - no owners
- a lot of apples
N.
- a lot of names
Nom. Plural Gen. Plural
and other words like:
- - a lot of Russian people
- - a lot of Christians
- - a lot of peasants
- - a lot of English people
- - a lot of Danes
- - citizens have... etc.
- many muslims
Also - words denoting people:
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The zero-ending group includes the following Plural-only nouns:
- a lot of money
- near the gate
- no scissors
- no sledge
- after the vacation
- after the funeral
- no firewood
- a pack of cream
- two days (and nights)
- near the Alps
- near the Kuril islands
- near the Philippines
Nom. Plural Gen. Plural
This group includes the soft - stem Masculine
and Feminine nouns (ending in the soft - sign
or a hissing consonant , , , ):
M. 100 - 100 roubles
M. 10 - 10 days
M. - a lot of guests
M. - a lot of teachers
Group 3
- group
Model 100
Nom. Plural Gen. Plural Nom. Singular
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- a lot of trees
- a lot of brothers
- a lot of chairs
- a lot of leaves
This small group includes Feminine nouns
ending in -, - and the Neuter Nouns ending
in - in the Nominative Singular:
F. - a lot of photos
F. - a lot of illustrations
F. - a lot of families
N. - a lot of buildings
N. - a lot of sentences, offers
N. - a lot of exercises
N. - a lot of competitions
Group 4
To this group belong Masculine nouns ending
in - and - in the Nominative Singular:
- a lot of Japanese
- a lot of foreigners
( is fleeting)
10 - 10 months
- a lot of museums
Several Masculine and Neuter nouns having the Plural Nominative
ending in -:
Group 5
- group
Model
Nom. Pl. F.
. - from
He bought the skies.
Nom. Pl. M.
. - from
He bought the tickets.
Nom. Pl. N.
. - from
He learned the words.
Type
.
These are my skies.
. (See the Genitive Plural of Nouns).
There are a lot of skies in the shop.
.
There are boots for skies.
.
I bought the skies.
.
I go in for skiing now.
. I like skiing.
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Instr.
Prep.
Acc.=Nom.
(Inanimate)
Type
.
These are my friends.
.
My brother has a lot of friends.
.
He often calls his friends.
.
My brother invited his friends.
.
My brother plays hockey with his friends.
(but , , )
.
He aIways tells about his friends.
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Instr.
Prep.
Acc.=Gen.
(Animate)
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Instr. .
My friend showed some interest in my new skies.
Prep. !
It`s nice to ride my new skies. (= Gen.)
Nom. .
Here are my new skies.
Gen. .
It`s the wax for my new skies.
Dat. .
I have to buy boots to my new skies.
Acc. .
My friend has not yet seen my new skies.
(Inanimate = Nom., Animate = Gen.)
Here you can find the examples with both types of endings:
First group Second group
Here you can find the summing-up table of the Plural adjectival endings:
Gen. = Prep.
. m o N
, ,
. n e G
. t a D
. c c A
s e t a m i n a -
s e t a m i n a n i -,
s e t a m i n a -
s e t a m i n a n i -,
. r t s n I
. p e r P
+
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Two adjectival pronouns and have slightly different endings:
Nom. ,
Gen. ,
Dat. ,
Acc. Animates - , ( = Gen.) Inanimates - , ( = Nom.)
Instr. ,
Prep. , ( = Gen.)
Here you can find a list of words in the Nominative Plural declining like :
all adjectives ending in , like etc.
all possessive adjectives ending in , like etc.
ordinal numerals , etc.
participles ending in , like
few adjectival pronouns:
, , , ,
adjectival surnames like
Here you can find a list of words in the Nominative Plural declining like :
all adjectives ending in , like , etc.
all possessive adjectives ending in , like etc.
participles ending in
majority of the adjectival pronouns:
- -
- -
. N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . F. F. F. F. F . l P . l P . l P . l P . l P
. N. N. N. N. N ,
. G. G. G. G. G
. D. D. D. D. D
. A. A. A. A. A , , ,
. I. I. I. I. I
. P. P. P. P. P
. N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . F. F. F. F. F . l P . l P . l P . l P . l P
. N. N. N. N. N ,
. G. G. G. G. G
. D. D. D. D. D
. A. A. A. A. A , , ,
. I. I. I. I. I
. P. P. P. P. P
. N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . F. F. F. F. F . l P . l P . l P . l P . l P
. N. N. N. N. N ,
. G. G. G. G. G
. D. D. D. D. D
. A. A. A. A. A , , ,
. I. I. I. I. I
. P. P. P. P. P
The declension of the Possessive pronouns
. N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . F. F. F. F. F . l P . l P . l P . l P . l P
. N. N. N. N. N
,
. G. G. G. G. G
. D. D. D. D. D
. A. A. A. A. A
, , ,
. I. I. I. I. I
. P. P. P. P. P
The declension of the Demonstrative pronouns
. N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . F. F. F. F. F . l P . l P . l P . l P . l P
. N. N. N. N. N
,
. G. G. G. G. G
. D. D. D. D. D
. A. A. A. A. A
, , ,
. I. I. I. I. I
. P. P. P. P. P
. N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . F. F. F. F. F . l P . l P . l P . l P . l P
. N. N. N. N. N
,
. G. G. G. G. G
. D. D. D. D. D
. A. A. A. A. A
, , ,
. I. I. I. I. I
. P. P. P. P. P
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. N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . F. F. F. F. F . l P . l P . l P . l P . l P
. N. N. N. N. N
,
. G. G. G. G. G
. D. D. D. D. D
. A. A. A. A. A
, , ,
. I. I. I. I. I
. P. P. P. P. P
. N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . F. F. F. F. F . l P . l P . l P . l P . l P
. N. N. N. N. N
,
. G. G. G. G. G
. D. D. D. D. D
. A. A. A. A. A
, , ,
. I. I. I. I. I
. P. P. P. P. P
The declension of the Interrogative/Relative pronouns
. N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . F. F. F. F. F . l P . l P . l P . l P . l P
. N. N. N. N. N
,
. G. G. G. G. G
. D. D. D. D. D
. A. A. A. A. A
, , ,
. I. I. I. I. I
. P. P. P. P. P
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The declension of the Relative pronoun
. N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . F. F. F. F. F . l P . l P . l P . l P . l P
. N. N. N. N. N
,
. G. G. G. G. G
. D. D. D. D. D
. A. A. A. A. A
, , ,
. I. I. I. I. I
. P. P. P. P. P
. N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . N . M . F. F. F. F. F . l P . l P . l P . l P . l P
. N. N. N. N. N ,
. G. G. G. G. G
. D. D. D. D. D
. A. A. A. A. A
,
,
,
. I. I. I. I. I
. P. P. P. P. P
The use of the Possessive - reflexive pronoun (someone`s own)
appears in the Nominative only in the possessive constructions,
for example:
. I have my own key.
In other cases qualifies the object which has a kind of ownship
relation with the subject, for example:
. He does not like his job.
. I will call my friend.
declines like
O Dat.
O
Nom.
O
$
Gen.
#$
#
O
Instr.
O
Prep.
Dat.
Instr.
Prep.
Acc.
O
O
O
O
O
O
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All Russian female patronimics decline on the pattern of :
= =
For example:
Nom. .
Gen. .
Dat. .
Acc. .
Instr. .
Prep. .
Type
Gen.
O
Nom.
M.
F.
Pl.
O
Dat.
O
Acc.
O
Prep.
O
Instr.
- (referring to
more than one)
Russian personal pronouns are as follows:
is used seldom
!
,
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THE DECLENSION OF THE PERSONAL PRONOUNS
The third-person pronouns he, it, it, she, it,
they
A noun is replaced by these pronouns depending on the formally
established gender.
Same pronouns are used both
for the animate and inanimate objects.
The case forms are as follows:
The first group was described in Part 1 and Part 2.
Now I will describe the second group.
Among these pronouns are:
the personal pronouns ///////,
the Interrogative/Relative pronouns /,
the Indefinite pronouns based on /,
the Reflexive pronoun ,
the Nominative pronoun ,
the generalizing words like , .
Notice!
h
Nom. . =
This is my friend.
Gen.
Dat.
or
Acc.
Instr.
Prep.
.
He has a car.
.
I will visit him in the summer.
.
I called him in the morning.
.
I met him in Paris.
.
We went to school together.
.
I often think of him.
The case forms of he, it
Gen. = Acc.
Dat. = Prep.
Notice!
h
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!
The case forms of we
The case forms of you - polite singular or plural form
Gen. ? - Special case!
Do you have a fax machine?
Dat. .
I`ll call you.
.
I will come to you tomorrow.
Acc. .
I don`t know you.
Instr. .
I`ll go with you.
Prep. .
I heard much of you.
Gen. . - Special case!
We don`t have a car.
Dat. .
He didn`t call us.
.
He will come to us tomorrow.
Acc. .
They don`t know us.
Instr. .
They go with us.
Prep. .
They don`t know anything about us.
Nom.
,
Acc.
Instr.
()
()
()
Prep.
Dat.
()
()
()
? Whom did you tell it?
? Whom are you going to?
M, N F
Pl
M, N F
Pl
M, N F
Pl
M, N F
Pl
M, N F
Pl
M, N F
Pl
Acc. ? Whom do you know here?
Instr. ? Whom are you going with?
Prep. ? Whom are you talking about?
Nom. ? Who is that man?
Gen. ? Who has a car?
Dat.
O
O
O
O
O
O
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The Interrogative / Relative pronoun
Like , can be used both in direct and indirect questions:
Nom. ? What is that?
Gen. ? What are you afraid of?
Dat. ? What is he delighted with?
Acc. ? What do you like?
Instr. ? What are you dissatisfied with?
Prep. ? What are you thinking about?
The case forms of and are similar
to the Masculine adjectival endings.
The combination ?
This combination is used as an equivalent of the pronoun -
especially when the answer with a specifying word is expected, as in:
- ? What kind of building is it?
- .
The combination is used only in the Nominative of all genders and
numbers.
Compare:
S. ?
What kind of program is it?
Pl. ?
What kind of people are they?
Notice!
h
Notice!
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THE DECLENSION AND THE USE OF THE REFLEXIVE PRONOUN
Gen. .
John is at his office.
Dat. .
I invite you to my place.
Acc. .
He loves only himself.
Instr. ?
Do you have any papers with you?
Prep. .
He thinks only about himself.
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THE REPLACING GENERALIZING PRONOUNS AND
These pronouns can be used in a sentence both as a subject and an object.
Their gender and number agreement is as follows:
/ + the Neuter of the Past tense verbs
E.g.
. It was interesting.
. Everything was all right.
/ + the 3-d person Singular of the Present/Future tense verbs.
E.g.
. It will be interesting.
. Everything will be all right.
When used as an object and have the following case forms:
Nom. . It is interesting.
Gen. . She is afraid of it.
Dat. . She believes it.
Acc. . She knows it.
Instr. . She is interested in it.
Prep. . She knows it.
Nom. . Everything is good.
Gen. . She is afraid of everything.
Dat. . She believes everything.
Acc. . She knows everything.
Instr. . She is interested in everything.
Prep. . She knows everything.
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THE USE OF THE GENITIVE CASE
The Genitive is the most frequently used Russian case.
It comprises about 70 % of all the case forms.
The Genitive case can be used both with or without prepositions.
We can speak about:
the Genitive of Negation / Absense / Exception
the Genitive of Possession
the Genitive of Relation / Description
the Genitive of Quantity
the Genitive of Time
the Genitive of Place
the Genitive used after certain prepositions
the Genitive used after certain verbs
the Genitive of Comparison
the Genitive of Special Descriptive characteristics
O
THE USE OF THE NOMINATIVE CASE
The forms of the Nominative Case coincide with the dictionary form.
The Nominative is used as follows:
It is used to denote the subject of an action or a state:
. My car is in the garage.
. I live in Moscow.
It is used in phrases:
. This is my house.
. These are my friends.
It is used in phrases:
. Here is my house.
. Here are my documents.
It is used in possessive constructions:
? Do you have a car?
. Lena has a spare ticket.
It is used in definitions:
- .
Bulgakov is my favourite writer.
O
Part 6 The Case Usage
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THE GENITIVE OF NEGATION / ABSENSE / EXCEPTION
The Genitive is used to express an absense or non-availiability
of a person, object or quality, for example:
Two prepositions - - without and - except are used in the
same meaning, for example:
- without sugar
, - everyone except Natasha
THE GENITIVE OF POSSESSION
The combination with the preposition is used to denote possession
of an object or some characteristics, for example:
The Genitive is used to denote an owner:
. It`s my brother`s car.
THE GENITIVE OF RELATION / DESCRIPTION
An object or a person is described in relation to another object/person,
for example:
Gen.
.
Natasha has a dog.
Gen.
- map of Russia
- train schedule
+
noun or
proper name
noun or
proper name
Gen.
. - He is not available.
. - Natasha was not at home.
Gen.
. - I have no car.
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THE GENITIVE OF QUANTITY
The Genitive is used after words of indefinite or relative amount,
for example:
- more
- less
- few, little
- many, much
-- not a few
- not many, a few
- several
- how many, how much
- so many, so much
- (coll.) - a bit
The Genitive is used after words denoting certain amount, measure,
containers, set of objects, for example:
The Genitive is used to denote part of a whole, for example:
, .The Genitive is used also after
- 1
1
/
2
- 2
1
/
2
-
-1
/
3
-
1
/
4
-
3
/
4
Only the Genitive Singular
is used after these words.
Notice!
h
much snow
Gen. Sing.
of uncountables
Gen. Pl.
of countables
many books
Gen. Sing.
of uncountables
Gen. Pl.
of countables
Gen.
+
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The Genitive is used to denote the exact number of persons or objects:
cardinal numerals + Gen.
There is a certain rule which regulates the use of the Genitive
Singular or the Genitive Plural after the cardinal numerals.
See below:
The Genitive Plural is used after the following collective and double
numerals:
, , , , ,
for example:
Cardinal numeral 1 and any number ending in 1
take the Nominative Singular, for example:
1 , 21 etc.
E.g.
10
100
2
12
E.g.
2 , 22 , 102 etc.
2, 3, 4
any number ending in 2, 3, 4
5
15
any number from 5 to 19
any number ending in a numeral from 5 to 19
any number ending in 0
125
120
The Genitive Plural is used after the following words:
- thousand, - million, - billion (10
12
),
for example:
, .
Notice!
h
Notice!
h
1941 1945
Gen. Gen. Gen.
Gen. Gen. Gen.
1991
The Genitive is used to denote:
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approximate time
coll. - about twelve o`clock
THE GENITIVE OF PLACE
The Genitive of Place is used only after prepositions.
It is used to denote the position of an object/person in relation
to another object/person - both stationary and moving.
The following prepositions and adverbial combinations are used here:
time of the day
first part of an hour:
Gen.
11
05
, 23
05
-
second part of an hour:
Gen.
11
30
, 23
30
-
Gen.
Gen.
11
55
, 23
55
-
- to the left from
- to the right from
- in front of
/ - behind
- inside
- outside
- near
- near, at
- not far from
- close to
- far from
- far from
- opposite
/
- in the middle of
- among
- around
- along
- across
- by, passing by
E.g Gen.
- not far from our house
. We stayed at our friends.
+ + +
+ Genitive
, , - from a place
- - from behind
- - from beneath
+
Genitive
+ Gen.
+ Gen.
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/ - to make
/ -
to make, to manifacture, to produce
/ - to build
/ - to cook
- to consist of
/ - to sew
/ - to knit
THE GENITIVE USED AFTER CERTAIN PREPOSITIONS.
The Genitive can be also used after several other prepositions
or in other meanings than described earlier.
Preposition is used to denote a sender of an object:
.
To denote relation between two objects or phenomena:
- key to the car (lit. key from the car)
- anti-allergic medicine
Preposition - is used to denote a reason or a cause:
- .
I came late to work because of a traffic jam.
Preposition means for, meant for:
.
The paper is for the printer.
E.g. .
This box is made of wood.
.
This book consists of five chapters.
+ Genitive
Preposition is used mostly with the following verbs:
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- to be afraid of
- to avoid
- to be shy, to feel uneasy
- to achieve, to gain
, - to get to, to reach
- to be worth
- to take from someone
- to ask someone
- to ask someone to do or give something
- to buy something from a person or a company
/ ... - to translate from
- to wish
E.g. ! I wish you succes.
Very often the verb is omitted:
! All the best to you!
It comes from !
/ - to wait
E.g. . We are waiting for your reply.
- to lack, to be short of- used only impersonally
E.g. . I am short of time.
E.g. . He does not want any scandal.
. He does not want the watermelon.
The following verbs take the Genitive:
/ - to call/phone
/ - to show
/ - to give
Asking about...
..? size
..? model, type
..? breed (of dogs, cats etc.)
..? height of a person
..? length
..? width
..? height
..? depth
..? brand, sort, type
..? quality
Dat
. Help me.
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/ - to send
/ - to bring
/ - to pay
/ - to help
/ - to send
/ - to bring
/ - to help
- by, along, about, according to, across, in
It is the vaguest of all Russian prepositions, see some examples:
- to go by Tverskaya (street)
- Russian exam (exam in/about
Russian)
- to travel about/around Russia
- according to the law
- in the mornings
. - I am cold. (lit. To me it is cold).
When Russians wish to specify the state of a person they use
the Dative, for example:
The Dative of Person can be used in formally impersonal senteces.
- I bought a dog. .
+
+
expressed by
transitive verbs
action subject object
in Accusative
Dat.
Dat.
Dat.
Dat.
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The Accusative is also used with the same model to denote cost,
measure, distance:
.
The dog costs one thousand dollars.
.
We drove a thousand kilometers.
The Accusative is used to denote the direction of an action or a place
of destination after prepositions , , , , , for
example:
Some other examples include:
.
I am going to the exhibition.
.
I sent a fax to London.
.
He put the money into the safe.
.
He was admitted to the university.
.
I made a call to Paris.
.
He put a box under the table.
.
He went to work abroad.
.
I am going to the countryside.
.
He shot a policeman.
.
He was wounded in his knee.
I am going to London. .
expressed by
motion verbs
action subject object in Accusative
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The Accusative is used after certain prepositional verbs:
-to pay for the ticket
- to believe in God
- to sell for one thousand dollars
- to punish for a crime
- to vote for the Greens
- to spent money on books
- to answer a question
- to fall in love with a neighbour
- to play football
- to knock on the door
- to converse through an
interpreter
The Accusative is also used in some combinations:
- prescription for antibiotics
- flight to London
- ticket for the concert
- bill for May
- money for the ticket
In everyday conversation the preposition (about) followed by
the Accusative is used instead of about followed by the
Prepositional:
- to tell about the trip
Some prepositional verbs with preposition are used to denote the
date or the time for which something has been arranged:
.
To arrange the meeting for January the second.
Other verbs which are used in the construction include:
- to order for
- to postpone to...
- to postpone to...
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The Accusative can be used in the following time-expressions:
with days of the week:
- on Monday
- on Tuesday
- on Wednesday
- on Thursday
- on Friday
- on Saturday
- on Sunday
with festivals and public holidays:
/ - at the New Year
/ - at Christmas
- at Easter
to denote a period of time:
. I spent a week in Spain.
. I am going to Spain for a week.
after - in
. In a week I am going to Spain.
with - ago
. I went to Spain a week ago.
after - to denote the time taken to complete the action:
.
It took us an hour to get to the town.
to denote frequency of occurence:
- once a week
- once a month
- once a year
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THE USE OF THE INSTRUMENTAL CASE
The case got its name from one of its uses,
it is the case form for the instrument used to do something, as in:
- to cut oneself with a knife.
However, it is not the most important use to learn.
More important is its use after six prepositions:
, , , , ,
The Preposition
- with, don`t confuse it with + Gen., meaning from
. - I go there with Natasha.
.
-Yesterday I spoke to... (lit. with Natasha)
also - together with - .
- caviar sandwich (lit. sandwich with caviar)
The Instrumental is used after some verbs taking the preposition c :
- to congratulate on
- to settle with somebody
- to meet with
with - in, during, in the time of...
- in bad weather
- when it`s hot
- when it`s cold
- in winter time
- in the middle ages
- in our time
-in Stalin`s time
- in stagnation period
- at midday
- at midnight
- at one o`clock
- at the last minute
, , - this, last, next Tuesday
- on the first day
- that morning
- in the reign of Peter the First
Note + Gen is used mostly for the distant past.
O
(coll.)
during the war
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- behind
. The car is parked behind the house.
- between
.
The car is parked between the houses.
- above, over, on
. We flew above the Alps.
- in front of, before
.
The car was parked in front of the house.
Preposition can also be used in time-expressions:
- before breakfast
- under .
There is a big garage under the hotel.
also - near Moscow
The Instrumental is used after a number of verbs of which
the most common are /:
. He was a famous photographer.
. He will become a surgeon.
... When I was small...
The Instrumental is used after 5 prepositions to denote a place of an object:
Some other verbs which take the Instrumental:
- to be
- to seem
- to be considered
- to remain, to stay
- to be proud of
- to delight in
- to be obsessed with
- to boast of
- to be distinguished by
- to smell of
- to trade in
Notice!
h
Also , ,
- to command
to control
to manage, to run
- to own
-sacrifice
- to be sick
- to pay (in)
- to feed (with)
- to reward (with)
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The Instrumental case is used after some prepositional verbs:
. He worked on a contract.
. He laughed at his friend.
Preposition is also used to denote a purpose of action:
. I am going to buy bread.
The Instrumental without a preposition is used to denote the time of
events (parts of the day, seasons):
- in the morning
- in the afternoon
- in the evening
- at night
- in (the) winter
- in (the) spring
- in (the) summer
- in (the) fall/autumn
Also . He is satisfied with his job.
THE USE OF THE PREPOSITIONAL CASE
The Prepositional case is used only after the following prepositions:
, - to denote a place or time,
- about, - in the time of
The Prepositional is used after and to denote a place:
. I live in Moscow now.
. I have been to the exhibition.
- in January etc.
- last year
- next month
- this week etc.
( ) .
- It was in 1948.
. He lived in the 19-th century.
O
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Some other verbs used with this case after prepositons , :
/ - to work
/ - to study
/ - to be (situated)
/ - to take a walk
/ - to be born
/ - to stay
/ - to sit
/ - to lie
/ - to hang
- to play (sports)
- to play (music instruments) and some others.
After or the Prepositional is used to denote means of transport:
. I will go by car.
The Prepositonal is used with the following verbs after the preposition :
... - to think
... - to speak, to talk
... - to write
... - to read
... - to tell
... - to ask
... - to know
E.g
.
He does not like to talk about his work.
After the Prepositional is used to denote a period in history:
- in tzar time
- in Stalin`s time
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THE INFINITIVE AS A BASE FOR THE VERB FORMS
In the dictionaries the Russian verbs are registered in the Infinitive.
The Infinitive is the form which does not have any ending indicating
the Tense. It is possible to say that the Infinitive is the naked form
of the verb. So, to dress the verb you have to add the Tense endings
to it. Further you will learn how to do it.
There are three Tenses in Russian:
Part 7 Verbs
THE SYSTEM OF THE RUSSIAN VERB
Russian verbs have the following forms:
The Infinitive - - to read
The Indicative mood
The Imperative - , ! - Please, read!
The Conjunctive mood - Past Tense + ,
- I would read,
The verbs also have some other forms:
The participles and
The adverbial participles or gerunds
Many verbs have the reflexive particle - (-) attached to all their
forms, for example:
- to return,
- to study etc.
When studying the Russian Verb system you have also to bear in mind
such an unusual characteristics as the Aspect.
The verbs of motion, particularly non-prefixed verbs, form a peculiar
group which needs special treatment.
{
Present Tense - - I read, I am reading
Past Tense - , - I read, I have read
Future Tense - - I will read,
I will be reading
The Present Tense
The Past Tense
The Future Tense
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THE USE OF THE INFINITIVE IN RUSSIAN
The Infinitive is normally combined with a great many verbs:
The infinitives end in:
-, -, -, -, -, -, -
The combinations with the Infinitive can be represented by the following
scheme:
The Infinitive is used in the sentences with the meaning of obligation,
supposition, permission or prohibition, for example:
. I have to work. / I must work.
.
He should come tomorrow.
He is supposed to come tomorrow.
.You can go by subway.
.You cannot park your car here.
It`s forbidden to park your car here.
The infinitive is used with the ... - forms in phrases like:
.
It is difficult to drive a car in Moscow.
. I like reading.
. I want to go sightseeing.
. He asked me to come.
. I will always help you.
Verbs
Infinitive
It is phrases
with forms
O
O
O
O
O
O
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THE ASPECT
The Russian verb has an extra characteristics: the Aspect.
The action expressed by a verb may be viewed from different stand
points: completion, frequency of occurance, action in progress,
statement of fact etc.
The Aspect is manifested through prefixes or suffixes and not through
the endings as the tenses do. Practically each Russian verb belongs
either to the Imperfective or the Perfective Aspect.
Most Russian verbs go in pairs of Imperfective and Perfective verbs,
for example: - - to do
The Aspect of the Verb is always marked in the dictionaries.
E.g.
- Imperfective
- Perfective
The verbs which make up an Aspect pair generally have the same
meaning, i.e. they name one and the same real action, for example:
/ - to do,
- to do,
-lit., to have something done.
The Tense formation scheme:
The Aspect formation scheme:
Mind that the Aspect goes through the whole system of the verb:
Notice!
h
Tense ending
Stem
of the verb
Aspect Aspect
Infinitives Tenses Imperatives Participles
Suffix
Prefix
Stem
of the verb
+
Tense
ending
+
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THE ASPECT IN THE TENSE SYSTEM
The Aspect is a kind of a rod which goes through the Tense system
of the Russian verb.
With reference to the Aspect, the Tense system of the Russian verb can
be presented by the following scheme:
THE PRESENT TENSE OF THE VERBS
Only the Imperfective verbs can be used in the Present Tense.
Perfective Aspect (Second Form)
As a base for the Present tense formation we use part of the Infinitive,
for example:
The infinitive Present tense stem
-
-
In the Present Tense verbs change for person and number - they conjugate.
Each person has its own ending. There are two types of personal endings,
in accordance with which verbs fall into
Notice!
h
Imperfective Aspect (First Form)
These verbs are simply called the Imperfective verbs.
PAST TENSE PRESENT TENSE FUTURE TENSE
and
-nd
conjugation
O
-st
conjugation
O
O
O
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-ST CONJUGATION, REGULAR FORMATION
Many Russian 1-st conjugation verbs are conjugated on the pattern
of (vowel stem):
,
The 1-st conjugation ( conjugation) comprises the verbs ending in
-, -, -, -, -, -, -, -.
The Present Tense endings are as follows:
Singular
- - after consonants
- - after vowels
and (soft sign)
-/ -
, -/ -
O
-ND CONJUGATION, REGULAR FORMATION
Many Russian 2-nd conjugation verbs are conjugated on the pattern
of (consonant stem):
,
O
Plural
-
-
- after , , ,
, , .
- in other cases.
Plural
-/-
-/-
- - after consonants
- - in other cases.
-
, -
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A big group of common verbs ending in -, - and -
also belongs to the 2-nd Conjugation ( Conjugation).
Among them are:
E.g.
Prefixed verbs of both conjugations follow the same conjugation
pattern as their root verbs, for example:
- 2-nd conjugation - to see -
- 2-nd conjugation - to see (suddenly)-
- to watch,
to look at, to see
- to see
- to hear
- to lie
- to sit
- to stand
- to sleep
- to be silent
- to shout, to scream
- to depend on
- to knock
- to hold, to keep
- to breathe
and many others.
THE IRREGULAR 1-ST CONJUGATION
With some verbs the Present Tense stem differs from the Infinitive stem.
See them below.
Dropping of some parts of the Infinitive
also - - to recognize
- to get up etc.
Verbs in -:
- to give
- is dropped.
The stem is -
also - - to demand
- etc.
Verbs in -/-:
- to vote
-- is dropped, -- is added.
Notice!
h
Notice!
h
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changing of the stem vowel
- to sing
also - - to swim
- appears in conjugation:
- to live
- to wash
Verbs in -:
- to take
also
- to strike,
- to pour,
- to sew, etc.
- to drink
Verbs in -:
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Verbs in - with consonant interchange throughout conjugation:
- to write, / interchange
also
- to tear,
- to lie
,
/
- to look for, to seek
/ - - to whisper -
/ - - to weep -
/ - - to knit -
- verbs:
Verbs in - like:
- to wait
,
- , ,
to go , ,
- , ,
to convey , ,
- , ,
to grow , ,
- , ,
to carry , ,
- , ,
to lead , ,
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THE IRREGULAR 2-ND CONJUGATION
,
The verbs described before had the peculiarity gone throughout
the conjugation. But now you`ll meet with a special case:
Verbs in -/:
- to place
,
Regular - verbs are conjugated as :
consonant stem
- to remember, - to smoke,
- to believe, - to teach, to learn,
- to give (as a present).
vowel stem
- to build, - to coast also
- to stand
- to fear
Irregular conjugation of verbs
A consistent feature of the second conjugation is the change
(mutation) of the consonant in the first person Singular of verbs
ending in - and -.
Verbs in -:
- to be able
,
// interchange
also - to flow
- to bake
Notice!
h
/
/
interchange
So, the 1-st Person Sigular differs from other forms.
Notice!
h
Inf.
O
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- to save, to keep, to guard, to protect
/ - interchange
- to light, to switch on a lamp
or a match
/ - interchange
- to cross, to intersect
/ - interchange
Similar Past Tense formation have lot of other verbs.
Some - verbs (consonant stem) also have the Irregular Past
Tense Formation - no - in the Masculine Past, for example:
So, the Past Tense forms
are as follows:
- he died
- she died
- they died
- to get used to
the stem is -
A lot of - verbs (consonant stem):
- to die.
To this type belong
some other verbs:
- to lock,
- to wipe etc.
So, the Past Tense forms are:
- he got used to
- she got used to
- they got used to
Inf. - to go (from )
Past Tense
, , ,
+
Inf. - to come
(from )
Past Tense
, , ,
+ +
Inf.
(from )
Past Tense
, , ,
carrying verbs
Inf.
(from )
Past Tense
, , ,
+ +
leading verbs
Inf.
(from )
Past Tense
, , ,
Inf.
(from )
Past Tense
, , ,
+ +
There are many other
prefixes which not only
add some new shades
of meaning but can
also change the
meaning of a verb.
But the formation of
the Past Tense is
always based on the
Past Tense forms of
non-prefixed verbs of
motion.
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Some other verbs with the same peculiarities in the Past Tense formation:
The above mentioned verbs can have different prefixes
or meanings, but their Past Tense Formation retains
the same peculiarities.
THE FUTURE TENSE OF THE VERBS
Depending on the Aspect of a verb, there are 2 ways to form
the Future Tense:
The Compound Future for the Imperfectives and
The Simple Future for the Perfectives
The Future Tense
of the verb
- to be
+
The Imperfective
Infinitive
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Infinitive Past Tense forms
- to grow - , , ,
- to save,
to rescue - , , ,
- to bloom - , , ,
- to shake - , , ,
- to sweep - , , ,
- to row - , ,
- to climb up - , , ,
- to crawl - , , ,
O
O
O
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THE SIMPLE FUTURE FOR THE PERFECTIVES consists of one verb.
The Future Perfectives follow all the patterns
of the Present Imperfectives of the same root.
Here are some difficult forms of the Future Perfectives:
- to understand
- I will understand
- to start, to begin
- I will start
- to take
- I will take
- to get up
- I will get up
- to give
- I will give
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Summary
So, the Perfective verbs have the following Tense forms:
-
-
-
If you are speaking
to someone you call
}
! form,
! form.
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vowel stem + -()
Infinitive Imperative
()
Special case!
The rarest ending is -(),
it is used also after the consonant stems:
- to forget ()
- to answer ()
- to be ()
If the verb is reflexive it retains the reflexive ending /:
Notice!
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Notice!
h
+
Long Active Participles
Long Participles
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SHORT PASSIVE
PERFECTIVE PARTICIPLES
The agent of the action may be rendered by the Instrumental, for example:
Instr.
.
These works were painted by Renoir.
Some participles take -
from - to occupy
from - to open
from - to close
from - to dress
from - to wash etc.
Past tense .
The shop was closed yesterday.
Present tense .
The shop is closed today.
Future tense .
The shop will be closed tomorrow.
The short Passive Perfective Participles are used only as a
complement to the verb - to be(in Compound Predicates),
for example:
The Short Passive Perfective Participles are used to describe states
which are the results of some actions.
They end in -, -, - and -
These participles agree with the subject in gender and number:
- to do, to have smth done
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M. F. N.
Pl.
M. . - The renovation has been done.
F. . - The work has been done.
N. . - Everything has been done.
Pl. . - All the things have been done.
+
- next
- next
- present, real
- suitable
- outstanding
- favourite
- respected,
honourable
- indispensable,
necessary
- independant
also
- broken lock
- roasted meat
- pickled
cucumbers
- smoked sausage
- ground coffee
- grated cheese
- whipped cream
- sliced sausage
etc.
Long participles used as nouns (participial nouns):
- the present
- the future
- the past
- a madman
- a wounded person
- the accused
- a convict
- a passer-by
- a civil servant
- pupils, students
- people present at...
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Imperfective Perfective
- to make up one's face
- to dye one's hair
- to do one's hair
- to change one's clothes
- to dress oneself
- to undress oneself
- to put on one's shoes
- to wash oneself
- to go to sauna
- to wash one's hands and face
- to bathe oneself
- to shave oneself
- to find him/herself in/at
- to get oneself ready
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The Reflexives can be used in the sentences with inanimate objects
and the action is presented as if preformed by itself:
. The door opened.
19
00
. The performance starts at 19
00
.
. Suddenly the computer switched off.
? When does the shop open?
. My car broke.
Imperfective Perfective
- to close
- to switch on
- to spill
- to continue
- to decrease, to lessen
- to increase, to grow
- to improve
- to deteriorate
- to stop
- to get lost
and some others
?
- How is this word spelt?
?
- How is this word pronounced?
?
- How to wash this sweater?
?
- How is this word translated?
?
- How to switch on this stove?
?
- Where is this bank situated?
The Reflexives with the passive meaning
Reflexive suffix adds the passive meaning to many transitive verbs:
non - Reflexives Reflexives
There is usually a third-person subject in these sentences.
also
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The Reflexives are used to describe human states or feelings:
Imperfective
+ gen. - to fear
+ gen. - to get frightened
- to seem
+ acc. - to hope for
Imperfective / Perfective
/ + dat. - to like (used only impersonally)
/ + dat. - to smile
/ + instr. - to laugh at
+ instr. - to be proud of
/ + dat. - to be surprised
/ - to worry
/ - to get excited
/ + dat. - to rejoice
/ + - + gen. - to get upset
/ + acc. - to get angry with
/ - to wake up
/ - to have a good sleep
/ - to get drunk
.
My dog does not bite.
The Reflexives are also used to denote human activities or actions:
Imperfective
+ instr. - to go in for, to study
- to study
Imperfective / Perfective
/ - to ride
/ - to come back
/ - to get involved into
/ - to make a mistake
The Reflexives are used to denote a purposeful action:
/ - to try
/ - to attempt
/ + gen. - to achieve
Special case:
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Personal sentences with + infinitive
They express obligation, necessity or supposition, for example:
.
I have to go = I must go = I have to go.
.
She should be here soon.
changes according to gender and number,
like the Past Tense forms of the verbs:
PERSONAL SENTENCES
Personal sentences with / + Infinitive,
/ - can, be able to
Infinitive Present Past, Masc.
Perfective: /
Future Past
Imperfective: /
E.g. . I cannot come.
. I could not come./I failed to come.
Masc. , ,
Fem. , ,
Pl. & Pol. , ,
+
Future
,
,
+
Present
,
,
Past
M. + inf.
F. + inf.
N. + inf.
Pl. + inf.
Future
M. + inf.
F. + inf.
N. + inf.
Pl. + inf.
Present
M. + inf.
F. + inf.
N. + inf.
Pl. + inf.
Thus, literally There is a dog by me.
So, the Genitive denotes a person or a thing which possesses an
object.
The object functions as a subject of a sentence and is denoted by
the Nominative.
= there is, is
The Possessive construction can be used without when the
object is specified:
.
I have a big dog.
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NEGATIVE Present Past Future
The Tense forms of possessive constructions
/
/
/
/
Infinitives
Verbs of
motion in progress
Verbs of habitual
/repeated motion
Verbs of
single motion
O
O
O
O
/
/
First Pair
- every day
- every week
- every month
- every year etc.
The verbs of the second pair are used to describe motion
in a definite direction when it is repeated or habitual:
E.g. .
I go to the pool every Saturday.
. I often visit London.
Second Pair
Present and Future Tense
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It so happened that both groups of verbs (single motion and
habitual/repeated motion) have one and the same Past Tense forms:
Here are the Present and the Future Tense forms of unidirectional verbs
of the repeated/habitual motion:
Present Tense
Future Tense
Present Tense
Future Tense
O O
and
+
Present & Future
Single motion in a definite direction
/
/
Present & Future
Repeated or habitual motion
in a definite direction
/
/
Past Tense
/
/
M. , , ,
F. , , ,
Pl.&Pol. , , ,
The Past Tense forms of verbs of both single and habitual/repeated
motion (within the unidirectional verbs)
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Present Tense
/
Future Tense
/
Past Tense
/
Present Tense
/
Past Tense
/
+
- now
- for a long time
- slowly
- fast, quickly
For example:
/ , .
When I was going/driving home I met Natasha.
Present Tense
/ /
/ /
/ /
Past Tense
, , /
, , /
,
, , /
Multidirectional going verbs
The verbs and are used to denote visiting
different places, for example:
.
We were shopping (going round the shops) the whole day.
.
We were driving about the city for several hours.
O
The Present and the Past Tense Forms of Verbs denoting
Motion in Progress (within the unidirectional verbs)
The following verbs and time-expressions are used for that:
Here are the Tense forms:
O
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Only the verbs and are used in these meanings,
for example:
, 10 .
My daughter started to walk when she was 10 months old.
.
Natasha cannot ride a bicycle.
. I don`t like going by subway.
. I like walking.
Here are some other common verbs of motion used in these meanings:
. - I dislike jogging.
. - I cannot swim.
. - I cannot drive a car.
. - I like skiing.
Going verbs denoting ability or capacity to perform an action
(or used when talking of likes and dislikes)
Here we use the following forms:
Present - ,
Past - , , ,
Future - ,
or ,
Non-prefixed goingverbs with special (figurative) meaning
O
O
Some examples:
. - The film is on.
. - The lesson is on.
. - It is snowing.
. - This cap suits you.
. -Time goes fast.
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SOME COMMON PREFIXED VERBS OF MOTION
Various prefixes can be added to the verbs of motion to specify the action:
to or away from a place, happening or a person; into or out of a place,
happening or a person etc.
In contrast to non-prefixed verbs of motion the prefixed ones form the
standard aspect pairs (through internal modification), for example:
Imperfective -
Perfective -
Prefixed verbs of going and carrying form submeaning pairs
(as their root non-prefixed verbs do), with reference to the mode of action:
Group 1
Imperfective Perfective
Someone either goes on foot or visits some place of interest or a
working place without reference to transport used to perform an action.
Some means of transport are used to perform an action.
Group 2
Imperfective Perfective
See:
Group 1 .
Group 2 .
1
2
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THE TENSE FORMS AND THE GENERAL MEANING OF THE ASPECT
PAIRS OF MOST COMMON PREFIXED VERBS OF MOTION
First table
Meaning: coming by air, arriving at a place
Meaning: coming, arriving at a place, visiting someone by transport
(also by planes)
Meaning: coming on foot (or the motion is unspecified) and bringing
(delivering) something or someone to somewhere or somebody.
Meaning: coming by transport and bringing (delivering) something
or someone to somewhere or somebody
Imp. Perf.
Present Past Future
Past Future
Meaning: coming, arriving at a place, visiting someone either on foot
or the motion is unspecified
Imp. Perf.
Present Past Future
Past Future
Imp. Perf.
Present Past Future
Past Future
Imp. Perf.
Present Past Future
Past Future
Imp. Perf.
Present Past Future
Past Future
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Meaning:
leaving a place or a person, going either on foot or the motion is unspecified
Meaning: leaving a place or a person by transport
Meaning: leaving a place or a person by air
Meaning:
taking a thing or a person, going either on foot or the motion is not specified
Meaning: taking a thing or a person to some place by transport
Second table
Imp. Perf.
Present Past Future
Past Future
Imp. Perf.
Present Past Future
Past Future
Imp. Perf.
Present Past Future
Past Future
Imp. Perf.
Present Past Future
Past Future
Imp. Perf.
Present Past Future
Past Future
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Here you can find a table of the PREPOSITIONS AND CASES
ACCOMPANYING some common PREFIXED VERBS OF MOTION
O
O
- from a place
- from a place
or happening
- from a person
+ Gen.
- to a place
- to a place
or happening
- to a person
+ Acc.
+ Dat.
+
coming, arriving at
/
/
/
delivering, carrying to
/
/
- to a place
- to a place or happening
to a person - with or
without preposition + Dat.
+ Acc.
- from a place
- from a place
or happening
- from a person
+ Gen.
+
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O
going away, leaving,
departing
/
/
/
- to a place
- to a place
or happening
- to a person
+ Acc.
+ Dat.
O
delivering, taking to
/
/
- to a place
- to a place or happening
to a person
with or without preposition + Dat.
+ Acc.
O
setting off for destination
- to a place
- to a place or happening
- to a person
+ Acc.
+ Dat.
+
- from a place
- from a place
or happening
- from a person
+ Gen.
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Some adverbs can be used in a sentence as a compliment to some
verbs (predicative adverbs):
- forms
. It was cold yesterday.
. It is hard to say.
Modal words , , , :
. I have got to go.
? May I have a look?
THIS PART DEALS WITH
Adverbs, including predicative adverbs (- forms and modal words).
The degrees of comparison of some adverbs,
also the degrees of comparison of some adjectives.
The short form of some adjectives.
Part 10 Adverbs
Adjective Adverb
ADVERBS
Adverbs can originate from different parts of speech, for example:
- in the evening, comes from a noun (evening);
- in a group of two,
comes from a collective numeral (a group of two) .
If an adverb is not registered in a dictionary you can try to form it on
your own from an adjective:
Most adverbs derived from adjectives have the ending -o:
-
-. -.
From adjectives denoting nationality the adverbs are usually
derived by means of the ending - in a combination with the prefix -:
-
-
-
-
E.g.
, .
Nikolay`s car is much more expensive than Ivan`s car.
much more
N.
()
F.
, ,
etc.
etc.
etc.
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A lot of Russian negative sentences can have the following pattern:
words can be :
Prepositions are inserted between and the pronoun,
for example:
Negative pronouns
and their case forms
based on /:
Negative adverbs: Negative adjectival
pronouns:
N. /
G. /
D. /
A. /
I. /
/
P. /
/
- never
- nowhere
- nowhere (direction)
- not at all
- in no way
- not once
- from nowhere
+ verb
+ verb
no longer, not any more
replaces when the verb is omitted:
- ?
Is he still in Moscow?
- . .
Not any more. He has left for London.
Present
Past
Future
Present
Past
Future
Part 12 Impersonal Constructions
Dative
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Constructions denoting permission (asking permission) or prohibition:
? - May I take it?
. - He is not allowed to jog.
Constructions with the verbs denoting chance, luck or succes:
. - I was very lucky.
. - He is always lucky.
... - I succeeded...
The verbs in the Present Tense are used in the third - person:
. - He is always lucky.
In the Past Tense the verbs are used in the Neuter:
. - He was lucky.
Constructions with /, ,
could be used in different tense forms:
Constructions denoting the internal state of a person or feelings:
. - I am feeling cold.
. - I am feeling hot.
. - I am feeling bad.
. - I am feeling better.
. - I am scared.
. - It hurts.
... - I like...
. - I feel thirsty.
. - I do not feel sleepy.
... - It seems to me...
... - I had a dream...
Notice!
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Constructions denoting objective necessity :
Present Tense I need, I have to
Future tense I will have to
Past Tense I had to
- I have to, I need
- I had to
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(they constructions):
, - I was told, they told me
- I got (the message)
- I got it as a present
- They bought me a bicycle
- I got a phone call
- They showed me or I was shown
- I have been operated etc.
In the Past Tense the verbs are used in the Plural:
.
- They called me in the evening.
In the Present Tense the third-person Plural is used:
.
- They normally call me in the morning.
The Accusative of Person is used in the impersonal constructions with
verbs taking the Accusative and in the sentences involving an external
force or the authority. Quite often these sentences deal with accidents
or unpleasant situations:
. - He was dismissed/fired.
. - He was killed.
. - He was wounded.
. - He was arrested.
. - He was fined.
. - He was cheated.
. - He was transferred/moved.
. - He was taken to hospital.
The Detailed Description of the Impersonal
Constructions with the Accusative of a Person.
The Passive Constructions.
Accusative=
Genitive
Notice!
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Genitive
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When describing natural phenomena, situations and objects the
Russians normally use the impersonal subjectless sentences with the
so-called -o forms, for example:
. - It is cold today.
. - It is occupied here.
. - Wet paint. (literaly It has been painted.)
. - It is late. . - It is still early. etc.
The o forms are the short adjectives like
or the Neuter form of the short perfective participles like ,
.
These sentences could be used with the following tense forms:
THE IMPERSONAL CONSTRUCTIONS DEALING
WITH NATURE OR OBJECTIVE REALITY
The subjectless sentence. The -o forms.
175 = 100 + 70 + 5 =
If preceded by a preposition or a verb, or being used in the negative
construction all cardinals change according to the cases.
M. F. N.
+
Meaning Alone :
.
I go there alone.
Meaning Same :
.
We live in the same building.
1
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The Nominative case of the Russian cardinal numerals used for two,
has two Gender forms:
Masculine and Neuter - ,
Feminine - .
The case forms of the cardinal numerals /, ,
The declension of
All the other case forms do not have this Gender difference.
You`ll find them below.
E.g.
M.
N.
F.
Gen. .
I will come after two.
Dat. .
I will come by two.
Acc. , .
I will come at two.
Instr. .
I will come between two and three.
Prep. .
= Gen. The dictionary was in two volumes.
2, 3, 4
M/N F Pl
N. /
G.
D.
A. , , ,
I.
P.
Halves
- half, is reduced to and forms a compound word
with a noun in the Genitive, for example:
- half an hour
- half a liter also - semifinal
- meter
- for Masculine and Neuter nouns,
- for Feminine nouns, for example:
- hour
- ton
Nom. ,
Gen. ,
+ Genitive
1
/
2
1
1
/
2
2
1
/
2
, 3
1
/
2
1
1
/
2
+ Genitive
+ Genitive, for example:
2
1
/
2
301
st
400
th
401
st
500
th
501
st
600
th
601
st
700
th
701
st
800
th
801
st
900
th
901
st
1000
th
1001
st
1002
nd
2000
th
2001
st
10 000
th
100 000
th
1 000 000
th
70
th
71
st
80
th
81
st
90
th
91
st
100
th
101
st
200
th
201
st
1
st
2
nd
3
rd
4
th
5
th
6
th
7
th
8
th
9
th
10
th
21
st
22
nd
30
th
31
st
40
th
41
st
50
th
51
st
60
th
61
st
11
th
12
th
13
th
14
th
15
th
16
th
17
th
18
th
19
th
20
th
in the thirties
()
16
05
16
10
16
15
16
20
16
25
16
30
16
35
A Basic Modern Russian Grammar
Part 13
N
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a
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page 177
E
u
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N
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THE DOUBLE NUMERALS
Nouns based on numerals
The Neuter nouns based on numerals are used when talking of
anniversaries or historical periods, for example:
| - 10-th anniversary, 10-year period
| - 50-th anniversary
| - centennial
| - bicentennial
| - millenium
The Feminine nouns are used in evaluation, marking grades, in card games, etc.
1 6
2 7
3 8
4 9
5 10
. He got an excellent mark.
When counting in some units we use:
- a ten - ten eggs
- a hundred - twins, - triplets
O
The double numerals / -both deal with two people,
two animals or two objects.
two people
The double numeral is used for a group of two Masculine nouns
or a group of one Masculine and one Feminine noun, for example:
+ =
- both students
- they both
M. M.
+ +
+ =
- both students
- they both
M. F.
+ +
two animals
M. M.
+ = - both tigers
- they both
- several
- enough
- so many
.., - as much.., as
+ Gen.
from, down from
+ Acc.
+ Prep.
- because
,