The Case Book For Russian PDF

iii
The Case Book
for Russian
Laura A. Janda and Steven J. Clancy

iv
v
Contents
SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO USE THIS BOOK ........................................................

...............................................................................
....................... xii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................... ........................................................

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.... xvi
PRELIMINARIES .......................................................
...............................................................................................................
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....... 2
PRELIMINARIES 1 — THE MISSION OF THIS BOOK ................................................ ................ 3
PRELIMINARIES 2— HOW INFORMATION IS PRESENTED IN THIS BOOK .............. .....................
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.. 5
NOMINATIVE: A NAME ........................................................

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..................................................... 8
PROLOGUE ............................................... ........................................................
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................ 9
NOMINATIVE: A NAME 1 — NAMING AND CALLING ......................................................
.............................................................
....... 9
NOMINATIVE: A NAME 2 — THE SUBJECT OF A SENTENCE ............. ....................
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... 10
NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY 1 — THE Y IN AN X = Y SENTENCE .............. .....................
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.. 12
NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY 2 — FIXED X = Y EXPRESSIONS ............. ....................
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NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY 3— X = Y REDUCED TO X, Y .............. .....................
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.... 15
EPILOGUE ................................................ ........................................................
......................................................................
.............. 15
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS ................................................... ................................................... 18

PROLOGUE ............................................... ........................................................
......................................................................
.............. 19
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 1—A map of the mental mental leaps involvedinvolved ................................ 20
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 2—Paths through space....................................................
space .........................................................
..... 20
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 3—Paths 3—Paths throughthrough time .............
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..... 22
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 4—Expans 4—Expanses es of time and space ..............
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... 23
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 5—Path 5—Path > facilitafacilitator/
tor/inst
instrume
rument nt ..............
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.............
.............
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.. 24
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 6—Actions6—Actions facilitated by instruments instruments .................................. 26
TABLE: Expressions of moving an item associated with INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 26
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 7—Questions,
7—Questions, adverbs, groups ............................................. 28
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 8—Person 8—Person or object under control ........................................ 30
TABLE: Expressions of governance and leadership associated with INSTRUMENTAL:
A MEANS ................................................. ........................................................
.............................................................
..... 30
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 9—Person 9—Person or object possessed possessed .............................................. 31
TABLE: Expressions of possession associated with INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS ..... .......
.. 31
TABLE: Expressions of exchange associated with INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS ....... .........
.. 32
TABLE:Expressions of filling and occupying associated with INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS
32
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 10—Positive/negativ
10—Positive/negativee evaluation ......................................... 32
TABLE: Expressions of enjoyment and strong emotion associated with INSTRU-
MENTAL: A MEANS .......................................................
.................................................................................................
.......................................... 33
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 11—The 11—The passive agent .....................................................
..........................................................
..... 33
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 12—An 12—An agent agent with no subject...............................................
subject..... .......................................... 35
vi
INSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL 1—Being, becoming, becoming, seeming ............................................... 36

TABLE: I NSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL with words meaning ‘be’, ‘become’ ‘become’...................
................... 37
TABLE: I NSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL with words meaning meaning ‘be’, ‘become’‘become’ (continued)
(continued) 37
TABLE: Words meaning ‘apply a label to an item’ associated with INSTRUMENTAL: A
LABEL ................................................... .......................................................
...............................................................
........ 40
INSTRUMENTAL: AN ADJUNCT 1 — Accompanim Accompaniment ent .............
...................
.............
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.. 40
TABLE: Expressions of engagement associated with INSTRUMENTAL: AN ADJUNCT 41
INSTRUMENTAL: AN ADJUNCT 2 — Idioms Idioms and other uses ............................................... 42
INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK 1—¥Å∂≈ƒ ‘in front of’ ................................................ ..... 43
INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK 2—⁄¡ ‘beyond, behind’ .................................................. 45
INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK 3—Œ¡ƒ 3—Œ¡ƒ ‘above’‘above’ .............
....................
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..............
.............
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..........
... 47
INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK 4—¥œƒ ‘under’........................................................
‘under’ ................................................................
........ 49
INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK 5—ÕÅ÷ƒπ 5—ÕÅ÷ƒπ ‘betwee ‘between’ n’ .............
....................
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........ 50
EPILOGUE .......................................................
..............................................................................................................
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........ 51
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION ....................................................

.................................................................................................
............................................. 52
PROLOGUE ......................................................
.............................................................................................................
...............................................................
........ 53
TABLE: Distribution of prepositions among the meanings of the accusative case
54
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 1—◊ ‘in, into’ .............. ....................
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...... 54
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 2—Œ¡ ‘to, on, onto’ onto’ ..............
....................
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.... 58
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 3—⁄¡ ‘beyond, ‘beyond, behind’
behind’ .............
....................
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..... 59
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 4—œ ‘against ‘against’’ ..............
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...... 61
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 5—¥œ ‘up to’ ............. ....................
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........ 61
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 6—¥œƒ ‘under’ ‘under’ ..............
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.... 62
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 7—Destin 7—Destinatio ationsns in time .............
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.... 62
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 8—The direct object.........................................................
object... ...................................................... 64
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 9—Object 9—Objectss without without subjects
subjects .............
....................
.............
.............
..............
...........
.... 66
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 10—Destinations
10—Destinations of purpose............................................
purpose ............................................ 67
ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION 1—Distance1—Distance and duration ................................................... 69
ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION 2—Size 2—Size and capacit capacity y ..............
....................
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.... 72
ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION 3—Comparison
3—Comparison ............................................... .................... 73
ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION 4—Activities
4—Activities in various domains ....................................... 74
ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT 1—Space 1—Space as opposed opposed to time .............
....................
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..... 77
ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT 2—TIME AS OPPOSED TO SPACE .............. .....................
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..... 78
TABLE: Time expressions associated with ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT .............. ...................
..... 79
EPILOGUE .......................................................
..............................................................................................................
...............................................................
........ 80
DATIVE: A RECEIVER .......................................................

.............................................................................................................
...................................................... 82
PROLOGUE ......................................................
.............................................................................................................
...............................................................
........ 83
DATIVE: A RECEIVER 1—The 1—The indirect
indirect object
object .............
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..... 84
TABLE: Expressions of giving associated with DATIVE: A RECEIVER .............. ....................
........ 85
DATIVE: A RECEIVER 2—Indirect
2—Indirect objects without direct objects ................................... 87
TABLE: Expressions of communication associated with DATIVE: A RECEIVER .... ......
.... 87
TABLE: Expressions of communication associated with DATIVE: A RECEIVER (con-
tinued) ................................................. ........................................................
...............................................................
....... 88
TABLE: Expressions of giving money associated with DATIVE: A RECEIVER ....... ..........
... 89
vii
DATIVE: A RECEIVER 3—Giving the self ............................................................ ............ 89

TABLE: Expressions of appearance and manifestation associated with DATIVE: A
RECEIVER ................................................ ........................................................
.............................................................
..... 89
TABLE: Expressions of appearance and manifestation associated with DATIVE: A
RECEIVER ................................................ ........................................................
.............................................................
..... 89
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 1—Benef 1—Benefit it .............
....................
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..............
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.. 91
TABLE: Expressions of benefit associated with DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER ...... ..........
.......
... 91
TABLE: Expressions of benefit associated with DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER ...... ..........
.......
... 92
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 2—Harm 2—Harm ..............
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..... 93
TABLE: Expressions of harm associated with DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER .............. .................. 93
TABLE: Expressions of harm associated with DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER .............. .................. 94
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 3—Having and needing ................................................. ....... 95
TABLE: Expressions of having and needing associated with DATIVE: AN
EXPERIENCER .....................................................
........................................................................................................
................................................... 95
TABLE: Expressions of having and needing associated with DATIVE: AN
EXPERIENCER (continued)
(continued) ....................................................
.....................................................................................
................................. 95
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 4—Age, 4—Age, environment,
environment, and emotions .................................... 98
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 5—Modal 5—Modal meaning meaningss .............
....................
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......... 99
TABLE: Expressions of feeling like or having to associated with DATIVE: AN
EXPERIENCER .....................................................
......................................................................................................
................................................. 100
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 6—Victims
6—Victims and beneficiaries
beneficiaries..............................................
.............................................. 101
DATIVE: A COMPETITOR 1—Matchi1—Matching ng forces
forces .............
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.. 101
TABLE: Expressions of equal or matching forces associated with DATIVE: A COM-
PETITOR ................................................... ........................................................
........................................................... ... 102
DATIVE: A COMPETITOR 2—Submission
2—Submission to a greater force ........................................... 103
TABLE: Expressions of submission associated with DATIVE: A COMPETITOR ....... ....... 103
103
DATIVE: A COMPETITOR 3—À ‘to, toward’ ........................................................
....................................................................
............ 104
DATIVE: A COMPETITOR 4—¥œ ‘along’ ‘along’ .............
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...... 107
EPILOGUE ................................................ ........................................................
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............ 109
GENITIVE: A SOURCE ............................................... ........................................................

...........................................................
... 110
110
PROLOGUE ............................................... ........................................................
....................................................................
............ 111
111
GENITIVE: A SOURCE 1—Going to > coming from ................................................... ... 112 112
GENITIVE: A SOURCE 2—…⁄ ‘from’...................................................................
‘from’........... ....................................................................
............ 113
113
GENITIVE: A SOURCE 3—∑ ‘from’ .................................................. ............................... 115 115
GENITIVE: A SOURCE 4—œ∏ ‘from’................................................
‘from’ ................................................ ............................... 116 116
GENITIVE: A SOURCE 5—Withdrawal
5—Withdrawal......................................................
...........................................................................
..................... 118
118
TABLE: Expressions of fear and avoidance associated with GENITIVE: A SOURCE 118 118
GENITIVE: A GOAL 1—ƒœ ‘to’ .............
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...... 118
GENITIVE: A GOAL 2—‘For’ and ‘against’ ........................................................
....................................................................
............ 121
GENITIVE: A GOAL 3—Actual
3—Actual approachapproach ..............
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.. 122
TABLE: Words meaning ‘get’, ‘approach’, ‘desire’ associated with GENITIVE: A GOAL
122
GENITIVE: A GOAL 4—Hypothetical
4—Hypothetical approach ................................................ ............ 123
TABLE: Words that can govern GENITIVE: A GOAL or ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION . 124
TABLE: Comparison of GENITIVE: A GOAL and ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION ...... ..........
...... 124
124
viii
GENITIVE: A WHOLE 1—‘Of’, possession, possession, and color ............................................. ....... 125
GENITIVE: A WHOLE 2—Events,
2—Events, idioms, and chains....................................................
chains.......... .......................................... 126
GENITIVE: A WHOLE 3—Prepositio
3—Prepositions ns and
and prepositional
prepositional phrases ................................. 128
TABLE: Prepositional phrases meaning ‘of’ associated with GENITIVE: A WHOLE 128
TABLE: Prepositional phrases meaning ‘of’ associated with GENITIVE: A WHOLE
(continued)
(continued) .................................................. ..................................................... 129
GENITIVE: A WHOLE 4—Numerals
4—Numerals and quantifiers quantifiers ...................................................... 129
GENITIVE: A WHOLE 5—‘Some5—‘Some’’ ..............
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.. 130
TABLE: Words expressing quantities associated with GENITIVE: A WHOLE ....... ..........
... 131
GENITIVE: A REFERENCE 1—Dates 1—Dates and and other
other reference
reference points.....................................
points ..................................... 132
TABLE: Prepositions associated with GENITIVE: A REFERENCE ............. ....................
..............
.........
.. 133
GENITIVE: A REFERENCE 2—π ‘by’ ‘by’ .............
....................
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..... 134
GENITIVE: A REFERENCE 3—Lack 3—Lack ..............
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..... 135
TABLE: Expressions of lacking associated with GENITIVE: A REFERENCE ............. ............. 136
GENITIVE: A REFERENCE 4—Comparison
4—Comparison ......................................................
.....................................................................
............... 136
EPILOGUE .......................................................
..............................................................................................................
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...... 137
LOCATIVE: A PLACE ........................................................

............................................................................................................
.................................................... 138
PROLOGUE ......................................................
.............................................................................................................
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...... 139
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 1—◊ ‘in’ ....................................................
.......................................................................................
................................... 139
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 2—Words
2—Words that that trigger
trigger ◊; ◊; the 2nd locative
locative ................................... 142
TABLE: Words that can trigger ◊ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE ............. ....................
..............
..............
............
..... 142
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 3—Œ¡ ‘on’ .................................................. .................................. 144
TABLE: A categorizat
categorization ion of common “Œ¡ words” words” ............................................. 145
TABLE: Words that can use both Œ¡ and ◊ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE .............. .....................
...........
.... 145
TABLE: Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE in time expressions expressions .......................................... 146
4—Words that that trigger
trigger Œ¡;Œ¡; the 2nd locativelocative ................................. 147
TABLE: Words that can trigger Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE .............. ....................
.............
..............
..........
... 147
TABLE: Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE in idiomatic expressions expressions .................................. 148
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 5—¥∂… ‘at’.................................................
‘at’ ................................................. .................................. 149
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 6—œ ‘about’ ............................................... .................................. 150
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 7—¥œ ‘after’ ‘after’ .............
....................
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....... 151
TABLE: ¥œ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE in the domain domain of time .............
....................
..............
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.... 151
EPILOGUE .......................................................
..............................................................................................................
.............................................................
...... 152
APPENDIX .................................................. ........................................................

.......................................................................
............... 153
Russian Spelling Rules .................................................. ........................................... 153
Declension
Declension of Nouns .....................................................
................................................................................................
........................................... 154
Feminine Declension
Declension Nouns....................................................
Nouns .....................................................................................
................................. 156
Masculine Declension
Declension Nouns ................................................. .................................. 156
Neuter Declension
Declension Nouns .......................................................
.........................................................................................
.................................. 158
Adjectives
Adjectives .................................................. ........................................................
...............................................................
....... 159
Pronouns .......................................................
..............................................................................................................
............................................................
..... 160
Numerals
Numerals .....................................................
.............................................................................................................
..............................................................
...... 161
Prepositions
Prepositions ................................................. ........................................................
.............................................................
..... 162
ix
Names .................................................. .......................................................

.....................................................................
.............. 163
FURTHER READING .................................................. ........................................................

...........................................................
... 165
SOURCES .......................................................
...............................................................................................................
....................................................................
............ 167
EXERCISES ....................................................
............................................................................................................
....................................................................
............ 169
NOTES ON THE EXERCISES ....................................................
............................................................................................
........................................ 169
LEVEL I EXERCISES ................................................. ........................................................
...........................................................
... 170
Nominative
Nominative Exercise 1, Level I ................................................. ............................... 171
Nominative
Nominative
Instrumental
Instrumental Exercise 1, Level Level I ................................................ ............................... 174
Instrumental
Instrumental
Accusative
Accusative Exercise 1, Level I .................................................. ............................... 178
Accusative
Accusative
Dative Exercise 1, Level I ................................................ ........................................ 181
Genitive Exercise 1, Level I ......................................................
.....................................................................................
............................... 184
.....................................................................................
............................... 185
.....................................................................................
............................... 186
Locative Exercise 1, Level I ......................................................
.....................................................................................
............................... 188
.....................................................................................
............................... 189
.....................................................................................
............................... 190
Mixed Case Exercise 1, Level Level I ................................................. ............................... 191
Multi-Case
Multi-Case Preposition
Preposition Exercise 1, Level Level I .................................................. ............ 194
Multi-Case
Multi-Case
LEVEL II EXERCISES ............................................... ........................................................

...........................................................
... 199
Nominative
Nominative Exercise 1, Level II ................................................ ............................... 200
Nominative
Nominative
Instrumental
Instrumental Exercise 1, Level II .......................................................
.............................................................................
...................... 204
Instrumental
.............................................................................
...................... 205
Instrumental
.............................................................................
...................... 206
Accusative
Accusative Exercise 1, Level II ................................................. ............................... 208
Accusative
Accusative
x
Dative Exercise 1, Level II .....................................................

.......................................................................................
.................................. 212
.......................................................................................
.................................. 213
.......................................................................................
.................................. 214
Genitive Exercise 1, Level II .................................................. .................................. 215
Locative Exercise 1, Level II .................................................. .................................. 219
Mixed Case Exercise 1, Level I ........................................................
................................................................................
........................ 223
................................................................................
........................ 224
................................................................................
........................ 226
................................................................................
........................ 227
................................................................................
........................ 228
................................................................................
........................ 229
................................................................................
........................ 230
Preposition Exercise
Exercise 1, Level Level I ........................................................
..............................................................
...... 230
..............................................................
...... 232
..............................................................
...... 233
..............................................................
...... 234
LEVEL III EXERCISES .....................................................

.........................................................................................................
.................................................... 236
Nominative
Nominative Exercise 1, Level III .....................................................
.............................................................................
........................ 237
Nominative
.............................................................................
........................ 238
Nominative
.............................................................................
........................ 240
Instrumental
Instrumental Exercise 1, Level III ....................................................
............................................................................
........................ 242
Instrumental
............................................................................
........................ 243
Instrumental
............................................................................
........................ 245
Accusative
Accusative Exercise
Exercise 1, Level
Level III.......................................................
III ...............................................................................
........................ 247
Accusative
Accusative Exercise
Exercise 2, Level
Level III.......................................................
III ...............................................................................
........................ 248
Accusative
Accusative Exercise
Exercise 3, Level
Level III.......................................................
III ...............................................................................
........................ 250
Dative Exercise 1, Level III ....................................................
......................................................................................
.................................. 252
......................................................................................
.................................. 253
......................................................................................
.................................. 255
Genitive Exercise 1, Level
Level III.................................................
III ................................................. .................................. 257
Level III.................................................
III ................................................. .................................. 259
Level III.................................................
III ................................................. .................................. 260
Locative Exercise 1, Level III ................................................ .................................. 262
................................................................................
........................ 268
................................................................................
........................ 269
................................................................................
........................ 271
................................................................................
........................ 272
................................................................................
........................ 274
xi
Mixed Case Exercise 6, Level

Level I ................................................. ............................... 275
Level I ................................................. ............................... 277
Level I ................................................. ............................... 278
Level I ................................................. ............................... 278
Level I ............................................... ............................... 279
Mixed Case Exercise 11, Level I ............................................... ............................... 280
Level I ............................................... ............................... 281
Level I ............................................... ............................... 282
Multi-Case
Preposition Exercise 1, Level
Level I .................................................. ............ 283
Multi-Case
Level I .................................................. ............ 284
Multi-Case
Level I .................................................. ............ 286
ENGLISH INDEX ......................................................
..............................................................................................................
...........................................................
... 289
RUSSIAN INDEX ......................................................
..............................................................................................................
...........................................................
... 295
xii
SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

The Case Book for Russian is unusual because it focuses on a single important issue con-
fronting learners of Russian: the use of grammatical cases. Rather than targeting a specific
audience (for example, second-year students) and giving a smattering of information on a
variety of topics, this book is a thorough, comprehensive analysis
analysi s of a single, but absolutely
essential feature of Russian grammar, empowering learners to achieve complete mastery of
case usage. The Case Book for Russian departs from standard textbook approaches in other
ways as well. It demonstrates that proficiency-based materials can be successfully imple-
mented while actually enhancing rather than compromising the acquisition of grammar.
This book and its analysis draw upon a large database of naturally-occurring Russian sen-
tences, presenting the reader with real native Russian rather than stripped-down textbook
examples. Just as The Case Book for Russian refuses to feed its users unnaturally simplified
samples of Russian, it also avoids offering sterile rules. This book focuses instead on ex-
plaining coherent groupings of motives that drive case use, on the understanding that Rus-
sian uses its six cases to produce a potentially infinite number of sentences, and learners
will need to recognize novel as well as commonplace uses. Because The Case Book for
Russian is so unlike most textbooks, a guide for its use might be of value to readers. The
following suggestions for integrating this book into Russian language programs are offered
in the confidence that readers will make their own more specific (and possibly more cre-
ative!) adjustments.
NO SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE IS ASSUMED FOR TEACHERS OR STUDENTS

Aside from the names of the cases (nominative, instrumental, etc.), there is virtually no
linguistic terminology used in The Case Book for Russian , and no knowledge of linguistics
or semantics is assumed. Users are not expected to master any special formalism or to
memorize new terms, and students who have used this book report that it is written in an
accessible style. Most instructors with a good working knowledge of Russian will recog-
nize the value of this book and feel comfortable with the explanations it contains.
FOR USE AT A VARIETY OF LEVELS IN A VARIETY OF SETTINGS

The material presented here is most valuable to students who have already been exposed to
the Russian case system, and now need to cement what they have learned about the case
endings to a thorough understanding of how they are used. This point will be reached by
learners at different times, depending upon their strengths and the structure of the program
they are in. It is perhaps most likely that The Case Book for Russian will be used in second-
or third-year Russian courses, although it is certainly not limited to any given time slot or
environment. The Case Book for Russian is designed to be sufficiently self-explanatory to
be used for self-study, while maintaining enough rigor to be useful also in highly structured
learning situations such as military and foreign service language instruction. One could
alternatively envision integrating this book into a course on the structure of Russian; all of
xiii
the talented graduate students who worked on this project reported learning facts about
Russian case usage that were valuable to their work as teaching assistants in our Russian
courses.
FOR USE BY ITSELF OR WITH ANY OTHER TEXTBOOKS OR READINGS

The Case Book for Russian is entirely self-contained and can be used alone or in combina-
tion with any other materials. Most college-level Russian courses will develop conversa-
tion, reading, writing, and grammar skills simultaneously, and the use of this book can
support all of these endeavors, regardless of what other materials and approaches are used.
At one extreme, an instructor could simply assign The Case Book for Russian , and require
students to work through it on their own (a process that can be monitored by collecting
periodic homework assignments or asking students to hand in printed logs of their progress
from the electronic version of this book). At the other extreme, this book could be the
primary focus of a course that could include intensive analysis of case usage in various
media (texts, audio, video, etc.). It is more likely, however, that The Case Book for Russian
will be used in conjunction with other grammar and reading materials, and that part of one
class per week will be devoted to discussing this book and applying its explanati ons to other
materials covered in the course (i.e., intensive analysis only of excerpts that students find
hard to understand). Since the meaning of every sentence in Russian is partially a function
of case usage, virtually any source of Russian language material provides ample opportuni-
ties to enlarge upon what students will learn from this book.
CHAPTERS MAY
MAY BE USED IN ANY ORDER
Each chapter in The Case Book for Russian is a separate, stand-alone module, designed to
be used in any order.
order. There is no need to follow the order presented in the book. The table
gives four plans for using The Case Book for Russian , depending upon whether the goal is
to complete it in one semester or over a whole year, and upon whether the user chooses to
follow the order of the book (nominative, instrumental, accusative, dative, genitive, loca-
tive) or another order (this model presents the cases in an alternative order of nominative,
accusative, genitive, dative, instrumental, locative, although absolutely any order can be
accommodated). The table presumes standard semesters of 14-15 weeks, but of course this
plan can be contracted or expanded to meet the needs of users on trimester or quarter sys-
tems or on more extended schedules such as at the Defense Language Institute. The Case
Book for Russian contains several other features that contribute to its overall flexibility and
ease of navigation. The appendix is a comprehensive review of all the case endings for
nouns, adjectives, pronouns, and numerals, and all the endings relevant to a given case
appear in a table at the beginning of that chapter. The Table of Contents is highly detailed.
There are both Russian and English indices,
indice s, as well as margin notes on every page to enable
users to find the exact section of the book they seek. It is hoped that even after users have
worked through all the text and exercises, they will continue to find The Case Book for
Russian a handy reference book, to be consulted for all their case needs.
xiv
THE SEMESTER PLAN

The Case Book for Russian in one semester (14 weeks; if you have a 15-week semester, you
can add a second week of review with exercises)
Assuming order in book Assuming different order

(NIADGL) (NAGDIL)
Preliminaries; Nominative case and Preliminaries; Nominative case and
Week 1
exercises exercises
Instrumental Prologue Instrumental: Accusative Prologue

Week 2
a means Accusative: a destination
Instrumental: a label Instrumental:

Accusative: a dimension
Week 3 an adjunct
Accusative: an endpoint
Instrumental: a landmark
Ins trumental
trumental Epilogue Ins trumental
trumental Accusative Epilogue
Week 4
exercises Accusative exercises
Genitive Prologue
Accusative Prologue
Week 5 Genitive: a source
Accusative: a destination
Genitive: a goal
Accusative: a dimension Genitive: a whole

Week 6 Accusative: an endpoint Genitive: a reference
reference
Accusative Epilogue Genitive Epilogue

Week 7
Accusative exercises Genitive exercises
Dative Prologue Dative Prologue

Week 8 Dative: a receiver Dative: a receiver
Dative: an experiencer Dative: an experiencer
Dative: a competitor Dative: a competitor
Week 9 Dative Epilogue Dative Epilogue
Dative exercises Dative exercises
Genitive Prologue
Instrumental Prologue Instrumental:
Week 10 Genitive: a source
a means
Genitive: a goal
Instrumental: a label Instrumental:
Genitive: a whole
Week 11 an adjunct
Genitive: a reference
Instrumental: a landmark
Genitive Epilogue Instrumental Epilogue Instrumental

Week 12 Genitive exercises exercises
Locative: a place Locative: a place

place
Week 13
Locative exercises Locative exercises
Multiple case review Multiple case r eview

Week 14 and exercises and exercises
xv
THE YEAR PLAN

The Case Book for Russian in two semesters (14 weeks each)
Assum
Assumin
ing
g orde
orderr in
in book
book (NIA
(NIADG
DGL)
L) Assu
Assumin
ming
g di
differ
ffereent or
order
der (NAG
(NAGDI
DIL)
L)
FALL S PRI NG FALL S PRING
Dative Prologue Dative Prologue
Week 1 Preliminaries Preliminaries
Dative: receiver Dative: receiver
Nominative:name Nominative:name
Week 2 Nominative:identity Dative: experiencer Nominative:identity Dative: experiencer
Nominative exercises Nominative exercises
Instrumental Prologue Accusative Prologue

Week 3 Dative: competitor
competitor Dative:competitor
Instrumental:means
Instrumental:means 1-6 Accusative:destination 1-5
Dative Epilogue Dative Epilogue

Week 4 Instrumental:means 7-12 Accusative:destination 6-10
Dative exercises Dative exercises
exercises
Instrumental:label Genitive Prologue Instrumental Prologue

Week 5 Accusative:dimension
Instrumental:adjunct Genitive: source Instrumental:means
Instrumental:means 1-6
Week 6 Instru mental:landmark Genitive:goal Accusative:endpoint Instru mental:means 7-12
Instrumental Epilogue Accusative Epilogue Instrumental:label

Week 7 Genitive:whole
Instrumental exercises
exercises I Accusative exercises I Instrumental:adjunct
Week 8 In st
strumen ta
tal exercises II Genitive:reference A cc
ccusative exercises II Instru me
mental:landmark
Accusative Prologue Genitive Epilogue Genitive Prologue Instrumental Epilogue

Week 9
Accusative:destination 1-5 Genitive exercises I Genitive: source Instrumental
Instrumental exercises I
Accusative:destination 6-
Week 10 Genitive exercises II G enitive:goal In strumen tal exercises II
10
Locative Prologue Locative Prologue

Week 11 Accusative:dimension Genitive:whole
Locative:place Locative:place
Locative Epilogue Locative Epilogue

Week 12 Accusative:endpoint Genitive:reference
Locative exercises Locative exercises
Accusative Epilogue Multiple case review Genitive Epilogue Multiple case review
Week 13 Accusative exercises I exercises Genitive exercises I exercises
Multiple case review Multiple case review

Week 14 Accusative
Accusative exercises II Genitive exercises II
exercises exercises
xvi
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book derives from over a decade of o f work on case semantics, and we are grateful
gra teful to
many people and grant funds that have made it possible for us to complete this work. First
there are the people who helped to administer funds for the project: Meredith Clason and
Glenda Thompson. There were a number of graduate students who worked on collection of
data and discussions of how they would be presented: Mi-hi Lee, George Stackpole, and
Maria Stalnaker. Sebastian Kempgen created a beautiful font custom-designed for the project.
We are especially thankful to Eleonora Magomedova who helped us edit the Russian ex-
amples and lent us her fabulous voice for the audio recordings. A number of colleagues
have made comments and suggestions that have enhanced the project, including: Edna
Andrews, Larry Feinberg, Ron Feldstein, George Fowler, Robert Greenberg, Tore Nesset,
George Rubinstein, Charles
Charle s Townsend,
Townsend, and Nadia Zilper. In the summer of 1999,
199 9, we tested
an earlier version of these materials with two brave undergraduate volunteers at UNC, who
gave us valuable feedback from the perspective of student users, they are: Ramona Carey
and Claire Horn. Grants from a number of sources have helped to keep the case book fires
burning over the years, including: a Fulbright award to conduct the original research on
cases in 1987, an American Council of Learned Societies/Social Science Research Council
grant in 1992 and 1994 to work on a book on the role of analogy in Slavic historical linguis-
lingu is-
tics (which gave us a good perspective on certain aspects of the Russian case system that are
presented in this book, such as the second genitive and locative, the distribution of genitive
plural endings, and the development of animacy), a Chancellor’s Instructional Technology
grant in 1997-1998 to launch the actual case book project, a University Research Council
grant in 1998-1999 to fund further work on audio recordings and digitization of the project,
course development money from a Title VI National Resource Center grant to prepare the
text for implementation in courses, and funds from a Title VI Language Resource Center
grant helped complete the project. An IREX short-term travel grant in 1999 made it pos-
sible to compare notes with our Russian colleagues.
Finally, we are grateful to all the students in many language courses who appreciated
presentations on case meaning in various Slavic languages and encouraged us to undertake
this project. We are also thankful to all of our colleagues who have listened to papers and
presentations on the subject of case semantics at conferences for so many years.
8 The Nominative Case
NOMINATIVE Forms
Feminine hard type: °room¢ soft type: °week¢

declension singular plural singular plural
nouns ÀÉÕŒ¡∏¡ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏Ÿ Œ≈ƒÅÃµ Œ≈ƒÅÃ…
-ÿ: °talent¢
singular plural
∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏ÿ ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏…
Masculine hard type: °courtyard¢ soft type: °nail¢
nouns ƒ◊É∂ ƒ◊œ∂á «◊É⁄ƒÿ «◊É⁄ƒ…
Neuter hard type: °body¢ soft type: °schedule¢
nouns ∏ÅÃœ ∏≈ÃÄ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…≈ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µ
Adjectives hard type: °first¢
feminine masculine neuter plural
¥Å∂◊¡µ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ™ ¥Å∂◊œ≈ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ≈
-É™ if stressed
soft type: °last¢
¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒµµ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈≈ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…≈
Pronouns °I¢ °we¢ °you¢ informal °you¢
µ ÕŸ ∏Ÿ ◊Ÿ
°she¢ °he¢ °it¢ °they¢

œŒÄ œŒ œŒÉ œŒÇ
°who¢ °what¢
À∏œ fi∏œ
°this¢
Ü∏¡ Ü∏œ∏ Ü∏œ Ü∏…
°all, every¢
◊∑µ ◊≈∑ÿ ◊∑£ ◊∑≈
Possessives feminine masculine neuter plural
°my¢
ÕœÖ Õœ™ Õœ£ ÕœÇ
°our¢
ŒÄ¤¡ ŒÄ ¤ ŒÄ¤≈ ŒÄ¤…
Numerals °one¢
œƒŒÄ œƒÇŒ œƒŒÉ œƒŒÇ
‘two¢ °three¢ °four¢ °five¢
ƒ◊e (f
(fem) ∏∂… fi≈∏á∂≈ ¥Ö∏ÿ
ƒ◊¡ (masc/neut)
Nominative: a name 1 9
NOMINATIVE: N A NAME
The nominative network:
A NAME AN IDENTITY
PROLOGUE
As you probably suspect, the nominative case is relatively simple and straightforward.
It is the logical starting point both for our survey of the cases and for many sentences. In
addition to its basic meaning, NOMINATIVE: A NAME, this case has just one submeaning, NOMI- An overview of
NATIVE: AN IDENTITY. Whereas NOMINATIVE: A NAME has a very broad naming function, NOMINA- the nominative
case.
TIVE: AN IDENTITY has a more narrow function, targeting a characteristic of something that
has already been named. You can think of NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY as being a specialized
version of NOMINATIVE: A NAME, used when we want to convey more information.
NOMINATIVE: A NAME 1—Naming and calling

Because it does not have any other more
mor e specific meaning, the nominative is ideal even
for use outside of a sentence, such as: pointing to an object and naming it; signs, tags,
labels, titles, and similar naming devices. The fact that dictionar- The naming
ies cite nouns in the nominative case is a symptom of the function of
NOMINATIVE : A
nominative¢s function as the primary name for an item or idea; NAME.
the other case forms are all variations on the nominative, second-
N ary and derived. There are two ways in which Russian uses this
naming function just like a sign: either by setting it off with a
comma, or by using a comma and À¡À °like’.
°like’. In both situations the
NOMINATIVE: A NAME nominative item is set apart from the rest of the sentence; it is
(circle labeled N) merely a parenthetical piece of commentary:
ÙŸ Œ≈ ◊ Ìœ∂ƒÉ◊……,fiÑfi≈Ãœ ! NOMINATIVE : A
NAME used to call
[You-NOM
[You-NOM not in Mordovia-LOC, scarecrow-NOM!]
scarecro w-NOM!]
someone a name
You¢re not in Mordovia, you scarecrow ! or to get their
attention.
Ó≈ ∏∂œ÷ÿ Úœ∑∑Ç¿, …Œœ∂Éƒ≈√ !
[Not touch Russia-ACC, foreigner-NOM!]
Don¢t touch Russia, you foreigner !
ÙÉÃÿÀœ ∑À¡÷Ñ — ÕœÃœƒá≈ , Œ≈ «π∫Ç∏≈ ∑≈∫Ö, Œ≈ ¥∂É∫π™∏≈.

[Only say — young people-NOM, not destroy self-ACC, not try.]
I have only one thing to say — young people , don’t destroy yourselves, don’t try it.
In the first two examples above, the naming function is being used to call someone
so meone a name.
As the third example shows (a plea for young people not to use drugs), you can similarly
The special use the nominative case to call out to someone to get their attention. Some languages have
vocative form of a separate vocative case with its own endings where Russian uses N OMINATIVE: A NAME.
NOMINATIVE : A
NAME drops final Russian does have some special vocative case forms with people’s names and names of
-¡/-µ. family members. If a name (usually a diminutive form) ends in -¡ or - µ it is not uncommon
to hear Russians drop the last vowel when calling to a friend or relative. Thus you might
hear ÔÃÿ ! as well as ìÃµ !,
!, ·Ã£¤ ! as well as ·Ã£¤¡ !,
!, and ÕÄÕ ! as well as ÕÄÕ¡ ! Here’s an
example of this truncated use of the NOMINATIVE: A NAME with the name ‰ÇÕ¡ :
‰…Õ , À¡À ∏Ÿ ƒÑÕ¡≈¤ÿ, Ã¿∫É◊ÿ ÕÅ÷ƒπ ÕÑ÷≈Õ … ÷≈ŒÉ™ ÕÉ÷≈∏ ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ◊ÅfiŒœ™?
[Dima-NOM, how you-NOM think, love-NOM between husband-INST and wife-
INST can be eternal-INST?]
Dima, what do you think, can the love between a husband and a wife last forever?
There are two special naming forms (historical leftovers from a vocative
voca tive case long ago lost
in Russian) that can be used to appeal for divine assistance: ßÉ÷≈ ! ‘O God !’ !’ (from ßœ«
NOMINATIVE : A ‘God’) and ÁÉ∑¥œƒ… ‘ ‘O Lord ’ (from Áœ∑¥Éƒÿ ‘Lord’).
NAME with À¡À. As mentioned above, NOMINATIVE: A NAME can be introduced by the word À¡À ‘like’. Here
are two examples of the parenthetical use of À¡À with the NOMINATIVE: A NAME:
ÔÀ¡⁄ÄÃœ∑ÿ, fi∏œ … ∏¡Œ√≈◊Ä∏ÿ Œ≈ πÕÅÃ¡ … ∑…ƒÅÃ¡ ∏Ç»œ, À¡À ÕŸ¤ÿ .

[Turned-out, that even dance not knew and sat quietly, like mouse-NOM.]
It turned out that she didn’t even know how to dance, and she sat quietly, like a
mouse .
È µ, À¡À ÄŒƒ≈∂∑≈Œœ◊∑À…™
ÄŒƒ≈∂∑≈Œœ◊∑À…™ Àœ∂ÉÃÿ , …⁄ ◊∑≈» ∑…Ã ∑∏¡∂ÄÃ∑µ ∂¡⁄«ÃµƒÅ∏ÿ Ü∏π
É∫Ã¡fiŒœ∑∏ÿ … ¥∂œ⁄∂ÄfiŒœ∑∏ÿ, Ü∏π ÕÑ⁄ŸÀπ ∫≈⁄ ∑Ãœ◊.
[And I-NOM, like Andersen¢s king-NOM, from all strengths-GEN tried to see-
through this cloudiness-ACC and transparency-ACC, this music-ACC without words-
GEN.]
And I, like Andersen¢s king (in the tale “The Emporer
Emporer’s
’s New Clothes”), tried with all
my strength to see through this cloudiness and transparency, this music without
words.
NOMINATIVE : A
NOMINATIVE: A NAME 2—The subject of a sentence
NAME as the
subject of a In the expression of any more complex thought, the nominative names the subject, the
sentence isn’t active head of most sentences. Because words are ar e marked with cases, there is no need for a
always at the
beginning. nominative subject to be the first item in a sentence,
sentenc e, as in English. The thing that identifies
the subject is its nominative case, not its position; no matter where it is, it can be identified
Nominative: a name 2 11
as nominative and therefore subject. As we will see, the same goes for the other cases as
well: since each item in a sentence is flagged with a case ending indicating its role, the order
of words doesn¢t matter as much. The word order we are familiar with from English is
probably the most common one used in Russian, but there are many other possibilities,
thanks to the fact that speakers of Russian can read the case flags no matter where they are
waving. Here are some examples of nominative subjects, both at the beginnings of sen-
tences and elsewhere:
Ó…À¡ÀÉ≈ ƒ∂π«É≈ ÇÕµ ◊ ◊ ∂Ñ∑∑Àœ™ ¥∂É⁄≈ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈«œ ƒ≈∑µ∏…ÃÅ∏…µ Œ≈ ⁄◊πfiÇ∏ ∏¡À

«∂ÉÕÀœ … ◊ŒÖ∏Œœ …, «ÃÄ◊Œœ≈, — ¥∂…◊Ã≈ÀÄ∏≈ÃÿŒœ.
[No other name-NOM in Russian prose-LOC last las t decade-GEN not sound as loudly
and distinctly and, mainly,
mainly, — appealingly.]
No other name in Russian prose of the last decade sounds as loud and distinct and,
most importantly, — as appealing.
Ô∑É∫≈ŒŒœ ∑Àœ∂∫Ç∏ Ä◊∏œ∂ ¥œ ¥œ ¥∂…∑Œœ¥ÄÕµ∏ŒŸÕ ◊∂≈Õ≈ŒÄÕ ÛÛÛÚ ∏∂…ƒ√Ä∏Ÿ» -

¥µ∏…ƒ≈∑Ö∏Ÿ» «œƒÉ◊.
[Especially laments author-NOM along memorable times-DAT USSR-GEN thir-
ties-GEN - fities years-GEN.]
The author particularly laments the memorable times of the USSR of the 1930¢s -
1950¢s.
˛≈Õ œ∫≈∂Œ£∏∑µ ƒÃµ Úœ∑∑Ç… ¥œ∏Å∂µ ∑∏∂¡∏≈«Çfi≈∑Àœ«œ ∑Å◊≈∂Œœ«œ ∆œ∂¥É∑∏¡.

[What-INST turn-into for Russia-GEN loss-NOM strategic northern outpost-GEN.]
What the loss of a strategic northern outpost will mean for Russia.
˜ÇƒŒœ, Œ¡ ¥Éfi∏≈ fi∏É-∏œ ¥≈∂≈¥Ñ∏¡Ã…. Ó≈∏, Œ¡ ¥¡ÀÅ∏≈ ∏ÉfiŒœ ⁄ŒÄfi…Ã∑µ Õœ™ Äƒ∂≈∑ .
[Clearly, at post-office-LOC something-ACC mixed-up. No, on package-LOC pre-
cisely appeared my address-NOM.]
Clearly they had made a mistake at the post office. No, it was precisely my address
that appeared on the package.
˜œ ÕŒÅ, ≈∑∏Å∑∏◊≈ŒŒœ, Œ¡ÀÄ¥Ã…◊¡Ã∑µ ¥∂œ∏Å∑∏ ¥∂œ∏Ç◊ …» ±¥∂Ä◊ƒŸ≤.

[In me-LOC, naturally, welled-up protest-NOM against their ±truth-GEN≤.]
A feeling of protest against their ±truth≤ naturally welled up in me.
œÜ∏œÕπ-∏œ … ∂¡⁄◊…∏É™ ∑œ√…¡ÃÇ⁄Õ ∂Ñ»ŒπÃ Œ≈ ∏ÉÃÿÀœ …⁄-⁄¡ ∏œ«É, fi∏œ ≈«É

◊œ⁄«Ã¡◊ÃÖÃ… ƒ∂Ö»ÃŸ≈ ∑∏Ä∂√Ÿ , Àœ∏É∂Ÿ» ¥∂…◊œƒÇÃ… Œ¡ ⁄¡∑≈ƒÄŒ…≈ ÀœÃÃÅ«… ¥Éƒ ¥Éƒ
∂πÀπ...
[For that reason even mature socialism-NOM collapsed not no t just because that-GEN,
that it-ACC headed decrepit elders-NOM, whom-ACC led at meeting-ACC col-
leagues-NOM under hand-ACC...]
That¢s why even mature socialism collapsed, not just because it was headed by
decrepit elders whom colleagues led by the hand to the meeting...
The first example has the NOMINATIVE: A NAME subject at the beginning, the second example
places it after the verb. The third example (the title of a newspaper article)
a rticle) shows the NOMI-
NATIVE : A NAME subject deeply embedded in the sentence, and the same goes for the last three
examples. Notice that the last example here has three clauses, all with nominative subjects;
the second one is actually active (°decrepit elders headed it¢), but we used the passive voice
in the smooth translation because English word order is not as flexible as Russian. The
active phrase °decrepit elders headed it¢ would have put °decrepit elders¢ too far away from
°whom¢. You
You will often encounter Russian sentences that cannot
ca nnot be said in the same
s ame way in
English, and this will be reflected in our translations.
NOMINATIVE : A The subject of a sentence need not engage in any real action in order to serve as the
NAME as the
subject of ∫Ÿ∏ÿ
source of energy for a verb; it can merely exist. Here is an example of NOMINATIVE: A NAME
‘be’. serving as the subject for the verb ∫Ÿ∏ÿ °be¢:
˜ √ÅŒ∏∂≈ ¥≈∂≈«œ◊É∂œ◊ — ◊œ¥∂É∑Ÿ …∂ÄŒœ-∂œ∑∑Ç™∑Àœ«œ

…∂ÄŒœ-∂œ∑∑Ç™∑Àœ«œ ∑œ∏∂ÑƒŒ…fi≈∑∏◊¡.
[In center-LOC negotiations-GEN — questions-NOM Iranian-Russian collabora-
tion-GEN.]
Questions about Iranian-Russian collaboration are at the center of the negotiations.
NOMINATIVE : A This example follows the pattern of “at a location [center of negotiations ] there is an item
NAME as the
(subject) [questions ]”. Russian uses a specialized version of this construction to express
subject of ∫Ÿ∏ÿ
‘be’, when used ‘have’, employing π ‘by’ + GEN to describe the location. Thus π Õ≈ŒÖ (≈∑∏ÿ) ÀŒÇ«¡ [by
[by me-
to express ‘have’. GEN (is) book-NOM], literally ‘by me there is a book ’, is the most usual way of saying ‘I
have a book ’. The following example contains a metaphorical assertion of having familial
attachments (roots being ancestors and shoots being offspring), followed by an assertion of
existence (expressed by an archaic form of the verb ∫Ÿ∏ÿ °be¢):
ı Õ≈ŒÖ ≈∑∏ÿ ÀÉ∂Œ… … … ≈∑∏ÿ ∂œ∑∏ÀÇ . ˙ŒÄfi…∏, µ ≈∑Õÿ.

≈∑Õÿ.
[By me-GEN are roots-NOM and are shoots-NOM. Means, I-NOM am.]
I have roots and I have shoots . Therefore, I exist.
exist.
NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY 1—The Y in an X = Y sentence

NOMINATIVE: AN Even when you have already given
IDENTITY with
the something a name, you might want to
verb ‘be’.
give more information about the item,
to tell us that it is big or unusual or what-
ever. The basis of this submeaning is a
N
simple equation of the type x = y, where
y is NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY. The bond
between x and y is typically the verb NOMINATIVE:: AN IDENTITY (circle labeled N)
∫Ÿ∏ÿ °be¢ (which usually has a zero form is associated with another item (other circle)
in the present tense). The other item, x,
is typically NOMINATIVE: A NAME (just like the examples with ∫Ÿ∏ÿ °be¢ immediately above).
This use of NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY is traditionally known as the “predicate nominative”.
Nominative: an identity 1 13
Ó¡™ÕÄŒ — …Œ∏≈ÃÃ≈À∏πÄÃÿŒŸ™ Àœ◊∫É™ .

[Naiman-NOM — intellectual cowboy-NOM.]
Naiman is an intellectual cowboy .
˜œœ∫›Å, ∂Ñ∑∑À…™ ÛÅ◊≈∂ — ≈›£ Œ≈∂¡⁄«Äƒ¡ŒŒ¡µ ∏Ä™Œ¡ Úœ∑∑Ç…. Úœ∑∑Ç….

[In-general, Russian North-NOM — still unsolved mystery-NOM Russia-GEN.]
In general, the Russian North is Russia’s as yet unsolved mystery .
‰ÉÃ÷≈Œ ¥∂…⁄ŒÄ∏ÿ∑µ, fi∏œ µ Œ≈ ∑œ◊∑ÅÕ ÷π∂Œ¡ÃÇ∑∏ .

[Must admit, that I-NOM not completely journalist-NOM.]
I must admit that I am not exactly a journalist .
ÓÄƒœ …ÕÅ∏ÿ ◊ ◊…ƒÑ, fi∏œ œŒÄ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ «Ãπ∫œÀÉ

«Ãπ∫œÀÉ ◊Å∂π¿›…™ .
[Necessary have in view-LOC, that she-NOM person-NOM deeply faithful-NOM.]
One has to keep in mind the fact that she is a person of profound faith .
Since both terms in the equation refer to the same thing, the item marked as NOMINATIVE: NOMINATIVE : AN
IDENTITY with
AN IDENTITY can be just an adjective, adding extra information, as in:
adjectives.
Îœ◊∂Ç«…Œ ∑∏∂Ä¤Œœ ∂¡ŒÇÕŸ™ … … ∫œÃÅ⁄Œ≈ŒŒœ fiÑ∏À…™.

[Kovrigin-NOM terribly woundable-NOM and painfully sensitive-NOM.]
Kovrigin is terribly easy to wound and painfully sensitive .
NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY in sentences with the x = y structure also marks the place where NOMINATIVE: AN
short-form adjectives appear in Russian; indeed when you have only an adjective in this IDENTITY with
short-form
position, it is usually short-form, and short-form adjectives can only appear in the nomina- adjectives.
tive case. Here are some examples:
œ∫Åƒ¡ ‰œ◊ÃÄ∏œ◊¡ Œ≈∑œÕŒÅŒŒ¡.

[Victory-NOM Dovlatov-GEN indisputable-NOM.]
Dovlatov¢s victory is indisputable .
ı∫Ç™√Ÿ ŒÄ¤≈«œ ◊œ÷ƒÖ ¥œÀÄ Œ≈ ŒÄ™ƒ≈ŒŸ .

[Murderers-NOM our leader-GEN as-yet not found-NOM.]
The people who murdered our leader have not yet been found .
È⁄◊Å∑∏Œœ, âŒœ∑∏ÿ ƒœ◊Å∂fi…◊¡ … … Ã¿∫œ¥á∏Œ¡ , ¡ ¥œ∏œÕÑ … ∫≈∑∑∏∂Ä¤Œ¡ .

[Known, youth-NOM trusting-NOM and curious-NOM, and for-that-reason also
fearless-NOM.]
It is well known that youth is trusting and curious and for that reason also fearless .
Contrast between
In reality there are two kinds of x = y expressions, the relatively simple identity de- NOMINATIVE : AN
IDENTITY and
scribed here, and a different one that involves labeling x as a member of category y, in INSTRUMENTAL: A
which case y is marked as INSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL. Here is one example for comparison: LABEL with the
verb ‘be’.
Ò ∫ŸÃ œƒŒœ◊∂≈ÕÅŒŒœ »Ç›Œ…ÀœÕ … … ÷Å∂∏◊œ™ .

[I-NOM was simultaneously predator-INST and victim-INST.]
I was simultaneously a predator and a victim .
NOMINATIVE : The use of INSTRUMENTAL: A LABELwill become clearer in the discussion of the instrumental
AN IDENTITY may
mark permanent
case in the following chapter. For now it is enough to note that although both the nomina-
identities, tive and the instrumental cases can be used to describe an item, NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY
INSTRUMENTAL: A
tends to describe inherent, unchanging properties, whereas INSTRUMENTAL : A LABEL tends to
LABEL may mark
temporary describe temporary, changing properties. Remember that an identity is something that is
labels. permanent, whereas a label can be taken off and exchanged.
Word order can be
b e rearranged for this use of the nominative as well, as in this example:
Ó¡Ç◊ŒŸ≈ ÕŸ
ÕŸ ◊∑£ ÷≈ Ãâƒ… !
[Naive-NOM we-NOM after all people-NOM]
We are after
af ter all naive people !
The normal word order, corresponding to the other examples we have seen, would of cou rse
be ÕŸ ◊∑£ ÷≈ Œ¡Ç◊ŒŸ≈ Ãâƒ… , but the word Œ¡Ç◊ŒŸ≈ has been moved to the beginning for
emphasis.
NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY 2—Fixed X = Y expressions

fi∏œ ∏¡ÀÉ≈ + There are a couple of fixed expressions that use NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY. One is the
NOMINATIVE : AN
phrase fi∏œ ∏¡ÀÉ≈ + NOM ‘what is Y?’, which asks the hearer to identify the meaning of a
IDENTITY
expresses ‘what word that the speaker does not
n ot know.
know. Here is an example of how this simple
s imple question can be
is Y?’ embedded in a sentence for rhetorical effect:
˙ƒ≈∑ÿ, Àœ«ƒÄ ∑∏∂µ∑ÃÉ∑ÿ π Õ≈ŒÖ ∫œÃÿ¤É≈ «É∂≈, µ ¥œ⁄ŒÄÃ¡ … fi∏œ ∏¡ÀÉ≈ Œ¡∑∏œÖ›…≈
ƒ∂π⁄ÿÖ .
[Here, when shook-off by me-GEN big grief-NOM, I-NOM found-out also what-
NOM such-NOM real friends-NOM.]
Here, when I shook off the burden of grief,
gr ief, I also found out what true friends really
are.
fi∏œ ⁄¡ + The use of NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY with the preposition ⁄¡ °behind¢ to mean ‘what kind of
NOMINATIVE :
AN IDENTITY
Y is that?’ is not uncommon in spoken Russian:
expresses ‘what
kind of Y is ÙŸ ÕŒ≈ ÃÑfi¤≈ œ∫flµ∑ŒÇ, fi∏œ Ü∏œ ⁄¡ Ãâƒ… !
that?’
[You-NOM
[You-NOM me-DAT
me-DAT better explain, what-NOM that-NOM for people-NOM!]
Then you explain to me what kind of people those are!
ñ∏œ ≈›£ fi∏œ ⁄¡ ŒÉ◊œ∑∏… ?

[That-NOM still what-NOM for news-NOM?]
What kind of news is that now?
Epilogue 15
˛∏œ ⁄¡ œ¥¥œ⁄…√…ÉŒŒ¡µ ¥Ä∂∏…µ — ∫áÃœ ≈›£ Œ≈ ∑œ◊∑ÅÕ Ö∑Œœ.

[What-NOM for opposition
oppos ition party-NOM — was still not entirely clear.]
What kind of opposition party — that was still not entirely clear.
NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY 3—X = Y reduced to X, Y

The construction associated with NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY can appear in an abbreviated NOMINATIVE : AN
form, without any verb to connect the two entities (perhaps not such a big loss, since the IDENTITY can be
used to give
most common verb is ‘to be’, which is usually not expressed in the present tense, as shown specific names to
in most of the examples in the preceding two sections). In this construction we see a word examples of
that refers to a generic category (like ‘state’ or ‘novel’) followed by the specific
s pecific name or title categories.
of something in that category (like ‘Nevada’ or ‘The White Guard’), as in these two ex-
amples:
1992 «. — ◊ ¤∏Ä∏≈ Ó≈◊Äƒ¡ ¥∂œ…⁄◊≈ƒ£Œ

¥∂œ…⁄◊≈ƒ£Œ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…™ Öƒ≈∂ŒŸ™ ◊⁄∂Ÿ◊.
[1992 year-NOM — in state-LOC Nevada-NOM produced-NOM last nuclear ex-
plosion-NOM.]
The year 1992 — in the state of Nevada the last nuclear explosion is produced.
ë∑Ã… ◊ “ÌÄ∑∏≈∂≈ … Ì¡∂«¡∂Ç∏≈” …∂∂≈ÄÃÿŒœ≈ … ∆¡Œ∏¡∑∏Çfi≈∑Àœ≈ œ¥∂≈ƒ≈Ã≈ŒÉ

⁄ÄÕŸ∑ÃœÕ, ∏œ œ∏ ∂œÕÄŒ¡ “ ßÅÃ¡µ «◊Ä∂ƒ…µ ” Œ…À∏É Œ≈ œ÷…ƒÄÃ Õ…∑∏Çfi≈∑À…»
¥∂…ÀÃ¿fiÅŒ…™.
[If in “Master-LOC and Margarita-LOC” unreal-NOM and fantastic-NOM deter-
mined-NOM design-INST, then from novel-GEN “White Guard-NOM” no-one-
NOM not expected mystical adventures-GEN.]
Whereas in The Master
Master and garita unreal and fantastic elements were deter-
and Mar garita
mined by design, no one expected mystical adventures from the novel The White
Guard .
Notice that the word for the generic category can be in any case (in these examples, ¤∏Ä∏≈
‘state’ is in the locative, and ∂œÕÄŒ¡ ‘novel’ is in the genitive), but the actual name (com-
monly known as an appositive) is in the nominative. The second example provides us with
an opportunity to compare the effect of this use of the NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY with its
absence. When the generic category is not stated, the title of the first book mentioned (The
Master and Mar garita ) is declined, but when the generic term meaning ‘novel’ is used, the
title (The White Guard ) appears in the nominative case.
EPILOGUE
To recap: the nominative case can be used to call someone or something by name, to
name the subject of a sentence,
sentence , and also to indicate the identity of an item. The nominative
is all about naming, and it should not surprise
s urprise you that the very term
ter m “nominative” is related
to our English word name. Though not all Russian sentences have nominative subjects, the
vast majority do, and your strategy should be to look first for a nominative subject and its
verb; once you find these two items, the rest of the sentence becomes easier to unpack. The
remaining chapters of this book will reveal the meanings of the other cases and demonstrate
their functions. Russian operates on an austere and powerful little system, using only six
cases to describe all the possible relationships that human beings encounter in their lives.
As the pieces fall into place, you will gradually become acculturated
ac culturated to the logic of Russian
sentences and you will find that each case takes on a life of its own.
17
18 The Instrumental Case
INSTRUMENTAL Forms

nouns ÀÉÕŒ¡∏œ™ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏¡Õ… Œ≈ƒÅÃ≈™ Œ≈ƒÅÃµÕ…
-ÿ: °talent¢
singular plural
∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏ÿ¿ ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏µÕ…
nouns ƒ◊œ∂ÉÕ ƒ◊œ∂ÄÕ… «◊œ⁄ƒ£Õ «◊œ⁄ƒÖÕ…
nouns ∏ÅÃœÕ ∏≈ÃÄÕ… ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…≈Õ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µÕ…
¥Å∂◊œ™ ¥Å∂◊ŸÕ ¥Å∂◊ŸÕ ¥Å∂◊ŸÕ…
soft type: °last¢
¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…Õ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…Õ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…Õ…
ÕŒœ™ ŒÄÕ… ∏œ∫É™ ◊ÄÕ…

(Œ)≈™ (Œ)…Õ (Œ)…Õ (Œ)ÇÕ…
°who¢ °what¢ °oneself¢

À≈Õ fi≈Õ ∑œ∫É™
°this¢
Ü∏œ™ Ü∏…Õ Ü∏…Õ Ü∏…Õ…
°all, every¢
◊∑≈™ ◊∑≈Õ ◊∑≈Õ ◊∑ÅÕ…
°my¢
ÕœÅ™ ÕœÇÕ ÕœÇÕ ÕœÇÕ…
°our¢
ŒÄ¤≈™ ŒÄ¤…Õ ŒÄ¤…Õ ŒÄ¤…Õ…
Numerals °one¢
œƒŒÉ™ œƒŒÇÕ œƒŒÇÕ œƒŒÇÕ…
ƒ◊πÕÖ ∏∂≈ÕÖ fi≈∏Ÿ∂ÿÕÖ ¥µ∏ÿâ
Prologue 19
INSTRUMENTAL: I A MEANS
The instrumental network:
A LABEL
A MEANS
AN ADJUNCT
A LANDMARK
PROLOGUE
The instrumental is one of the most complex Russian cases, but the idea behind it is An overview of
fairly simple. You
You can think of it as an accessory for something
so mething else. Rather than serving as the instrumental
case.
a source for energy (which is the primary
p rimary task of NOMINATIVE: A NAME), the instrumental is a
peripheral attachment for something else. The peripheral accessory named by the instru-
mental can be associated either with an activity or with an item. When an item in the instru- The instrumental
mental case is associated with an activity, we have INSTRUMENTAL : A MEANS, and the instru- case marks an
item associated
mental item is a conduit for the activity.
activity. When an item in the instrumental case is attached to with an activity
another item, it serves as an address for that item; this can be done by tagging it in some or another item.
way, in which case we have INSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL, by identifying something to which it is
joined, in which case we have INSTRUMENTAL : AN ADJUNCT (here we use the Russian preposi- prepos i-
tion ∑ °with¢), or by locating it in reference
ref erence to a landmark, in which case
c ase we have INSTRUMEN-
TAL: A LANDMARK (used with the prepositions Œ¡ƒ °above¢,
TAL °above¢ , ¥œƒ °under¢, ¥Å∂≈ƒ °in front of¢,
of¢ , ⁄¡
°behind¢, and ÕÅ÷ƒπ °between¢).
Your first task when confronted with an item in the instrumental case will be to figure
out which part of the network it is using. If anyan y of the prepositions (∑, Œ¡ƒ, ¥œƒ, ¥Å∂≈ƒ, ⁄¡,
ÕÅ÷ƒπ) are present, you can put this task behind you, since sinc e you will have INSTRUMENTAL : AN
ADJUNCT with the preposition ∑, and INSTRUMENTAL : A LANDMARK with the remaining preposi-
tions. If not, you will need to think about whether the instrumental is being used to augment
a description of an activity (INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS) or a thing (INSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL). The
explanations and examples below should help you get used to looking for this difference.
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 1—A map

map of the mental leaps involved
Overview of Though INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS always designates a conduit for action, there is an intri-
conduit
meanings of cate web of specific uses, and it is worth mapping them out ahead of time before diving
INSTRUMENTAL: A right into them. I NSTRUMENTAL : A MEANS can be divided into two smaller groups: one takes
MEANS. the concept of a path as its point of departure (sections 2-9), and the other focuses on the
agents of actions (sections 10-11). The following diagram might help you to think about
how the ideas in the first group (the path group) are organized:
path >
facilitator/instrument/means >
person/object under control >
person/object possessed >
person/object evaluated positively/negatively
A path, because it facilitates movement, can also be conceived of as a facilitator

fa cilitator for action,
an instrument, or a means (think of our English expression of a way to do things , where we
also understand means and instruments
ins truments in terms of a path by using the word
wor d way ). The fact
that instruments are objects under our control motivates the use of the instrumental with
verbs expressing domination, facilitating a mental leap from instrument to person or object
under control. Since having control
contro l is a special kind
of having, some verbs of possession also have in-
strumental objects, and this brings us to person or
object possessed. Finally,
Finally, an item under control can
be variously evaluated and as a result we use the I
instrumental with certain verbs meaning ‘enjoy’ and
‘despise’. The next eight sections will take you
through all these mental leaps, with enough ex- A force (arrow) passes through
amples and explanations to ensure a safe landing INSTRUMENTAL : A MEANS
for every jump. (circle labeled I)
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 2—Paths through space

INSTRUMENTAL: A When an instrumental item is associated with a verb, its purpose is to tell us something
s omething
MEANS as a about the means by which the verbal activity takes place. It can be thought of as a channel
conduit for an
activity.
for realizing the activity of the verb. The instrumental item thus serves as a conduit for the
flow of energy named by the verb. This can involve simply passing through a space or
I
4 NSTRUMENTAL A
: following a path, as in:
MEANS as a path
(conduit)
through space. ÌŸ ∑◊≈∂ŒÑÃ… À ŒÄ∫≈∂≈÷Œœ™ … ¥∂œ¤ÃÇ ƒœ›Ä∏ŸÕ ∏∂Ä¥œÕ Œ¡ƒ Œ¡ƒ ÀœÃÅ∫Ã¿›≈™∑µ
◊œƒÉ™.
[We-NOM
[We-NOM turned toward
towar d embankment-DA
embankment- DAT
T and walked planked ladder-INST
ladde r-INST above
quavering water-INST.]
water-INST.]
We turned toward the embankment and walked along the planked ladder above the
quavering water.
Instrumental: a means 2 21
ÔŒ ∂Å⁄Àœ ∑◊≈∂ŒÑÃ ◊ ∑∏É∂œŒπ … ¥œ¤£Ã ∑π»œƒÉÃœÕ ŒÄ…∑Àœ∑ÿ.

ŒÄ…∑Àœ∑ÿ.
[He-NOM sharply turned to side-ACC and went riverbed-INST diagonally.]
He turned sharply to the side and walked diagonally across the riverbed .
Å«…™ ¥£∑, ∫≈«Ñ›…™ À∂Ä≈Õ ÕÉ∂µ

ÕÉ∂µ
[Skewbald dog-NOM, running-NOM edge-INST sea-GEN]
A skewbald dog, running along the edge of the sea
In the above examples, the planked ladder, the riverbed, and the edge of the sea are all paths
for movement.
A path can of course be conceived of abstractly, giving us examples like this one: INSTRUMENTAL: A
MEANS as an
abstract path.
ÌŸ ◊∑≈ œ∫œ÷Ä≈Õ ‰œ◊ÃÄ∏œ◊¡ ⁄¡ ∏œ, À¡À œŒ ÷…Ã, Œœ ÕŸ-∏œ ¥œ™ƒ£Õ ƒ∂π«ÇÕ ¥π∏£Õ.
[We all-NOM adore Dovlatov-ACC for that-ACC, how he-NOM lived, but we-
NOM will-go another way-INST.]
We all adore Dovlatov for how he lived, but we will go another way .
In both English and Russian we think of life as a s a journey along a path; this makes it possible
for us to talk of the path of life and life¢s obstacles . Because life is a path, a Russian can
substitute life for path to get:
Ò ÷…Ã ∏œ™ ÷≈ ÷≈ ÷Ç⁄Œÿ¿ , fi∏œ … ◊∑≈, … ◊œÃŒœ◊ÄÃœ Õ≈ŒÖ ∏œ ÷≈, fi∏œ … ◊∑≈».
[I-NOM lived same life-INST, that and everyone-NOM, and upset me-ACC that-
NOM, that and everyone-ACC.]
I lived the same life as everyone and got upset by the same things as everyone.
In this example, life is the path along which living is realized. Living goes down the path of
life.
If the verb describes a state
s tate rather than a movement, the space marked
marke d in the instrumen-
tal is a container for the state. You can think of this as a stationary path. The connection of
paths of movement with stationary routes is one that is veryv ery well motivated, since repeated
motion along a given route carves stationary paths through meadows and forests, and nowa-
days we often ensure the stability of these stationary paths with layers of asphalt. Here is an INSTRUMENTAL: A
example of a stationary path along another kind of terrain, namely a woman’s face: MEANS as a
stationary path,
the container of a
ÔŒÄ ∫ŸÃÄ ∫Ã≈ƒŒÄ Ã…√ÉÕ . state of being.
[She-NOM was pale-NOM face-INST.]
She was pale in the face .
Paleness extends along the face just as movement extends along a path. A common example
of this meaning is found in the idiom ◊◊≈∂» Œœ«ÄÕ… [up
[up legs-INST] °upside-down¢; the legs
are the place where “up” is happening. The same principle is at work, albeit more abstrac tly,
tly,
with the instrumental item naming a domain that can be measured, in the following ex-
ample:
ÔƒÇŒ …⁄ ∑ÃœŒÉ◊ — ∏∂£»ÃÅ∏Œ…™ Ú¡ƒ÷Ä ◊Å∑œÕ ◊ 850 À…Ãœ«∂ÄÕÕœ◊ —

◊œ∑¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡Ã∑µ ¥∂œ«ÑÃÀœ™, fi∏É∫Ÿ ⁄¡«ÃµŒÑ∏ÿ ◊ ¥œ∑ÑƒŒπ¿ ÃÄ◊Àπ.
[One-NOM of elephants-GEN — three-year-old Rajah-NOM weight-INST in 850-
ACC kilograms-GEN — took-advantage outing-INST, to peek to china shop-ACC.]
One of the elephants — three-year-old Rajah, weighing 850 kilograms — took ad-
vantage of the outing to take a peek into a china shop.
Thus, in the case of Rajah the elephant, the parameter of weight is the instrumental con-
tainer for a measurement of 850 kilograms.
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 3—Paths through time

INSTRUMENTAL: A As we saw in Preliminaries, time can often
of ten behave in a way similar to space,
s pace, or at least
MEANS as a path we think of it as behaving similarly and talk about it as if it did. Stretches of time can also
through time.
serve as paths for activity. Duration is essential, since a point that is instantaneous does not
have enough dimension to be conceived of o f as a path. You
You are probably already familiar with
the use of the instrumental case with the names of seasons of the year and parts of the day;
here is a list of them:
seasons of the year parts of the day

◊≈∑ŒÉ™ in the spring Ñ∏∂œÕ in the morning
ÃÅ∏œÕ in the summer ƒŒ£Õ in the afternoon
É∑≈Œÿ¿ in the fall ◊Åfi≈∂œÕ in the evening
⁄…ÕÉ™ in the winter ŒÉfiÿ¿ at night
The use of INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS with these words is so well entrenched in Russian that
dictionaries commonly list them as adverbs. These words can, however, be modified, as in:
ÓáŒ≈¤Œ≈™ ⁄…ÕÉ™ Àœ Àœ ◊∑≈Õ ∫Åƒ¡Õ ˜Ã¡ƒ…◊œ∑∏ÉÀ¡ ƒœ∫Ä◊…∏∑µ ≈›£ … œ∏∑Ñ∏∑∏◊…≈

◊œƒá.
[Current winter-INST to all misfortunes-DAT Vladivostok-GEN is-added still and
absence-NOM water-GEN.]
This winter , in addition to all of Vladivostok’s misfortunes, there is also a water
shortage.
ê◊«π∑∏œ◊∑Àœ™ ŒÉfiÿ¿ ÕŸ ÕŸ ÕÅƒÃ≈ŒŒœ ¤Ã… ¥œ ∏∂œ∏πÄ∂π, Ç⁄∂≈ƒÀ¡ œ∫ÕÅŒ…◊¡µ∑ÿ

∑Ãœ◊ÄÕ….
[August night-INST we-NOM slowly walked along sidewalk-DAT
sidewalk-DAT, rarely exchang-
ing words-INST
word s-INST.].]
that August night we walked slowly down the sidewalk, rarely exchanging words.
In that
And other words for durations of time can also be used:

˜≈ÃÇÀ…Õ ¥œ∑∏ÉÕ Õ≈ŒÖ
Õ≈ŒÖ ⁄¡∑∏Ä◊…Ã… «œ◊Å∏ÿ.
[Great Lent-INST me-ACC forced fast.]
During Great Lent they forced me to fast.
ÄÕµ∏ŒŸÕ ¥¡∂Ç÷∑À…Õ ÕÄ≈Õ ¤≈∑∏ÿƒ≈∑Ö∏ ◊œ∑ÿÕÉ«œ, Àœ«ƒÄ ◊ Ï¡∏ÇŒ∑ÀœÕ

À◊¡∂∏ÄÃ≈ ◊œ⁄◊œƒÇÃ…∑ÿ ∫¡∂∂…ÀÄƒŸ ∫πŒ∏Ñ¿›…» ∑∏πƒÅŒ∏œ◊, ¡∂…∑∏œÀ∂¡∏Çfi≈∑À…™
¤≈∑∏ŒÄƒ√¡∏Ÿ™ À◊¡∂∏ÄÃ Œ¡∑Ã¡÷ƒÄÃ∑µ ¥œÀÉ≈Õ … ∏…¤…ŒÉ™.
[Memorable Paris May-INST sixty eighth-GEN, when in Latin quarter-LOC were-
raised barricades-NOM rioting students-GEN, aristocratic sixteenth quarter-NOM
enjoyed peace-INST and quiet-INST.]
memorable May in Paris in 1968, when the rioting students’ barricades
During that memorable
were going up in the Latin quarter, the aristocratic sixteenth quarter was enjoying
peace and quiet.
The previous four examples prove that the use of INSTRUMENTAL : A MEANS for durations of
time is a productive phenomenon in Russian.
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 4—Expanses of time and space

Expanses of both time and space can appear in the plural, creating either continuous (as in Plural paths—
◊≈ÀÄÕ…, fi¡∑ÄÕ… below)
below) or discontinuous (as in ŒœfiÄÕ…, Õ≈∑∏ÄÕ… ) locations for objects INSTRUMENTAL: A
MEANS in places
and events. This use of the instrumental builds on the notion of a stationary path through and at times.
space or time (the latter interpreted as duration, as we saw in section 3), but multiplies these
stationary paths. If the paths connect neatly end-to-end, we simply have a very long stretch
of time, as in the first two examples below.
below. If the paths do not connect, then the activity is
distributed along a patchwork of stationary paths, as in the second two examples.
ñ∏œ — ∏∂¡ƒ…√…ÉŒŒœ≈ ¥∂…◊Å∏∑∏◊…≈, ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕœ≈ fi≈Ãœ◊Åfi≈∑∏◊π ◊≈ÀÄÕ….

[It-NOM — traditional greeting-NOM, known-NOM humankind-DAT centuries-
INST.]
It is a traditional greeting, known to humankind for centuries .
Ó≈…⁄ÕÅŒŒœ ◊á¥…◊¤…™, œŒ fi¡∑ÄÕ… ∫∂œƒÇÃ ∫∂œƒÇÃ ¥œ Àœ∂…ƒÉ∂π.

[Invariably drunk-NOM,
drun k-NOM, he-NOM hours-INST
hours -INST wandered along corridor-DAT
corridor-DAT.]
Invariably drunk, he wandered for hours along the corridor.
ÔŒÄ ¥œƒ÷…ƒÄÃ¡ ÕÑ÷¡ ŒœfiÄÕ… .

[She-NOM waited-up husband-ACC nights-INST.]
She waited up for her husband during the nights .
˜ Ã≈∑Ñ Õ≈∑∏ÄÕ… ≈›£ ≈›£ Ã≈÷ÄÃ ∑ŒÅ«.

[In forest-LOC places-INST
p laces-INST still lay snow.]
In the forest there was still snow lying in places .
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 5—Path > facilitator/instrument

INSTRUMENTAL: A Let¢s go back again to that idea of a path. In an abstract sense, a path is something that
MEANS as a facilitates movement; the existence of a way to go makes it possible for you to go. We can
facilitator,
instrument, or get more mileage out of the concept of facilitation by doing some substitutions. Instead of
means. looking only at movement, we can expand our view to include any activity named by a
verb. And instead of looking only at paths as facilitators,
f acilitators, we can look at anything that makes
make s
activity possible. By taking the original concept of path for movement and extending it to
facilitator for activity we open up a wide horizon of ideas. All other uses of INSTRUMENTAL:
A MEANS take advantage of this horizon, empowering the instrumental
instrumen tal case to signify a wide
variety of instruments and agents of actions.
INSTRUMENTAL: A We will start with instruments facilitating
fac ilitating action. Examples of concrete
concre te physical
MEANS with instruments are fairly common:
physical
instruments.
ÉÕŒ¿ ≈«É ÕœÃœƒÉ«œ, œ«∂ÉÕŒœ«œ, ◊ ÕÖ∏œ™ ∑Å∂œ™ ¤…ŒÅÃ…, ¥≈∂≈¥œÖ∑¡ŒŒœ™

∂≈ÕŒ£Õ ∑
∑ ÕÅƒŒœ™ ∫ÃÖ»œ™.
[Remember him young, huge-ACC, in wrinkled grey overcoat-LOC, girded-LOC
belt-INST with brass buckle-INST.]
I remember him young, huge, in a wrinkled grey overcoat, girded
girde d with a belt with a
brass buckle.
È À¡À ∂¡⁄ ◊ Ü∏œ∏ ÕœÕÅŒ∏ ∑ ÃÅ∑∏Œ…√Ÿ ∑∏ÄÃ… ŒÄ¤π ÀÉÕŒ¡∏π œ∏À∂Ÿ◊Ä∏ÿ ÀÃ¿fiÉÕ .
[And like once in that moment-ACC from stairway-GEN began our room-ACC
open key-INST
key- INST.].]
And right at that moment they started to open our
ou r room from the stairway with a key .
ÛÕÅ» π«Ãπ∫ÃÖ≈∏ ƒŸ»ÄŒ…≈, œ∫œ«¡›Ä≈∏ À…∑Ãœ∂ÉƒœÕ À∂œ◊ÿ À∂œ◊ÿ … ◊≈Œ∏…ÃÇ∂π≈∏ Ã£«À…≈.

[Laughter-NOM deepens breathing-ACC, enriches oxygen-INST blood-ACC and
ventilates lungs-ACC.]
Laughter deepens the breathing, enriches the blood with oxygen , and ventilates the
lungs.
INSTRUMENTAL: A These next three examples are fairly typical metaphorical extensions of the idea of a
MEANS with physical instrument:
metaphorical
instruments.
Ò Õœ« Ã≈∏Å∏ÿ ƒœÕÉ™ ∫Ã…÷Ä™¤…Õ ∂Å™∑œÕ.
[I-NOM could fly home next flight-INST.]
I could fly home on the next flight .
ÔŒÄ «∂œ⁄ÇÃ¡ ≈ÕÑ ∂¡⁄◊ÉƒœÕ.

[She-NOM threatened him-DAT
him-DAT divorce-INST
divorce-I NST.]
.]
She threatened him with divorce .
œ∫ÅƒŸ Ûπ◊É∂œ◊¡ … ¥œ∂¡÷ÅŒ…µ Îπ∂œ¥Ä∏À…Œ¡ œ¥∂≈ƒ≈ÃÖÃ…∑ÿ Œ≈ ∏ÉÃÿÀœ …»

ÃÇfiŒŸÕ… ∏¡ÃÄŒ∏¡Õ… , Œœ … …∑∏œ∂Çfi≈∑À…Õ ÀœŒ∏ÅÀ∑∏œÕ …» …» ◊œ™Œ … ¥œ»Éƒœ◊.
[Victories-NOM Suvorov-GEN and defeats-NOM Kuropatkin-GEN were-deter-
mined not only their personal talents-INST, but also historical context-INST their
wars-GEN and campaigns-GEN.]
Suvorov¢s victories and Kuropatkin¢s defeats were determined not only by their
personal talents , but also by the historical context of their wars and campaigns.
The next flight is a way to realize a trip home, a divorce is wielded as a threat, and talents
and context serve to determine military successes and failures. In the next example the
speaker declares that he was ready to pay any price as an instrument to dispel his depressing
thoughts:
Ï¿∫É™ √≈ŒÉ™ µ µ ⁄¡»œ∏ÅÃ …⁄∫Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ œ∏ Ü∏…» ∏Ö÷À…» Õá∑Ã≈™. Õá∑ Ã≈™.

[Any price-INST I-NOM wanted get-rid from these grave thoughts-GEN.]
I wanted to get rid of these grave thoughts at any price .
Now let¢s try something a bit more challenging:
ÉÕŒ¿ ∫Ã…∑∏Ä¿›…™, œ∑É∫≈ŒŒœ Ã¿ƒÿÕÇ , ∂≈∑∏œ∂ÄŒ Î∂á¤¡.

[Remember shining-ACC, especially people-INST, restaurant-ACC Krysha.]
I remember the Krysha restaurant, shining especially by means of the people there.
The restaurant shines in the memory of the speaker, and the reason it shines is because it
was filled with brilliant people. The people caused the brilliance that made the restaurant
shine. Or to follow the logic of the example, the restaurant shone by means of the people .
This use of the instrumental is very much parallel to English with in phrases like the air was
buzzing with bees , the yard was crawling with ants , the sky was glittering with stars . Here’s
a more typical Russian example:
É∑Ã≈ ¥œÅ⁄ƒÀ… À ÕÄ∏≈∂… … ƒœ ◊≈fiÅ∂Œ≈™ ∂¡∫É∏Ÿ ◊ ∂≈∑∏œ∂ÄŒ≈ œŒÄ π∑¥ÅÃ¡ π∫∂Ä∏ÿ

◊ À◊¡∂∏Ç∂≈, … ∏≈¥Å∂ÿ ÀÑxŒµ ∑…ÖÃ¡ fi…∑∏œ∏É™ .
[After trip-GEN to mother-DAT
mother-DAT and before evening work-GEN in restaurant-LOC
she-NOM managed clean-up in apartment-LOC, and now kitchen-NOM shone clean-
liness-INST.]
After visiting her mother and before her
h er evening shift in the restaurant she managed
man aged
to clean up the apartment, and now the kitchen shone with cleanliness .
You¢ll also need some imagination to tackle an example

exa mple like:
Ò ∏π∏ ¥∂œÅ⁄ƒœÕ .
[I-NOM here trip-INST.]
trip-INST.]
I¢m here on a trip / I¢m just stopping through here.
The journey has facilitated the fact that the speaker is here; it has brought about his pres-
ence. The verbal activity in this example is ±being≤, and it is still valid even when the
present tense forms of the verb ∫Ÿ∏ÿ are omitted.
The instrument used can be very close to home, including a part of one¢s own person:
‚Ñƒπfi… ¡Õ≈∂…ÀÄŒ√≈Õ, œŒ ◊∑≈™ ƒπ¤É™ Õ≈fi∏ÄÃ

Õ≈fi∏ÄÃ ∂¡⁄∫œ«¡∏Å∏ÿ.
[Being American-INST,
American-INST, he-NOM all soul-INST dreamed get-rich.]
get-r ich.]
Being an American, he dreamed of getting rich with all his soul .
In this case the soul serves to facilitate dreams of riches.
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 6—Actions facilitated by instruments

INSTRUMENTAL: A Expressions using INSTRUMENTAL : A MEANS of the type ‘produce an action by means
me ans of X’
MEANS can are quite common. Here is an example:
express the item
necessary for an
action. ˜œŒ! — À∂ÇÀŒπÃ¡ ∆∂¡π Œ≈œ÷Çƒ¡ŒŒœ ⁄◊ÉŒÀ…Õ «ÉÃœ∑œÕ.
[Out! — shouted frau-NOM unexpectedly sonorous voice-INST.]
Out! — shouted the frau unexpectedly in a sonorous voice .
Often the instrumental item represents something necessary to the performance of the ac-
tion. The following combinations are standard fare:
Expressions of moving an item associated with INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS
∫∂œ∑Ä∏ÿ∑µ ÀÄÕŒµÕ… ‘throw stones ’ ¥œ÷Ä∏ÿ ¥Ã≈fiÄÕ… ‘shrug one¢s shoulders ’

ƒ◊Ç«¡∏ÿ/ƒ◊ÇŒπ∏ÿ ∂πÀÉ™/Œœ«É™ ‘move one’s ¥œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ ¥ÄÃÿ√≈Õ ‘point one’s finger ’
hand/foot ’ ¥œÀ∂á∏ÿ ∑∏ÉÃ ∑ÀÄ∏≈∂∏ÿ¿ ‘cover a table
À∂π∏Ç∏ÿ/⁄¡À∂π∏Ç∏ÿ ∂πÃ£Õ ‘turn a steering wheel ’ with a tablecloth ’
Õ¡»Ä∏ÿ/⁄¡Õ¡»Ä∏ÿ ∂πÀÉ™ ‘wave one¢s hand ’ »ÃÉ¥Œπ∏ÿ ƒ◊Å∂ÿ¿ ‘slam a door ’
These collocations, many of which involve body parts, function to some extent as fixed
phrases in Russian. Here are a few of them presented in context:
ÔŒÇ ÕÄ¤π∏ ∂πÀÄÕ… : ƒ¡ ÃÄƒŒœ ∏≈∫Å!

[They-NOM wave hands-INST:
h ands-INST: well all-right you-DAT!]
you-DAT!]
They wave their hands : that’s enough!
ÔŒ ∑∏œÖÃ ÀaÀ ¥¡∂¡ÃÇ∏…À, Œ≈ Õœ« ƒ◊ÇŒπ∏ÿ Œ… ∂πÀÉ™ Œ… Œ… Œœ«É™ .

[He-NOM stood like paralytic-NOM, not was-able move neither arm-INST neither
leg-INST.]
He stood like a paralytic, unable to move either an arm or a leg .
ÔŒÄ ¥œÀ¡⁄ÄÃ¡ ¥ÄÃÿ√≈Õ Œ¡ Œ¡ ◊⁄Ã£∏Œπ¿ ¥Ãœ›ÄƒÀπ, œ∏ Àœ∏É∂œ™, À∂π∏Ö ¥∂œ¥ÅÃÃ≈∂œÕ ,

œ∏ƒ≈ÃÖÃ∑µ ◊≈∂∏œÃ£∏.
[She-NOM showed finger-INST on take-off pad-ACC, from fr om which-GEN, spinning
propeller-INST,
propeller-INST, separated helicopter-NOM.]
She pointed her finger at the helipad, from which the helicopter, spinning its propel-
ler , was taking off.
The last example above contains two instances of this type of instrumental, one a fixed
collocation (¥œÀ¡⁄ÄÃ¡ ¥ÄÃÿ√≈Õ ‘pointed
‘pointed her finger ’), and one a relatively novel use (À∂π∏Ö
¥∂œ¥ÅÃÃ≈∂œÕ ‘spinning
‘spinning its propeller ’). Whether in a fixed collocation or in a more novel use
of INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS to identify an item necessary to an action, the instrumental marks
the object through which the action is realized. Slamming takes place by means of a door ,
turning is actualized on the steering wheel , waving is done with the hand , etc. Here are a
few more examples to demonstrate the versatility of this meaning of the instrumental case: cas e:
ÔŒÇ …Œœ«ƒÄ ◊Ÿ»Éƒµ∏ ◊œ ƒ◊œ∂ … ∑¡ƒÖ∏∑µ Œ¡ ÃÄ◊œfiÀπ ¥œƒŸ¤Ä∏ÿ ∑◊Å÷…Õ

◊É⁄ƒπ»œÕ .
[They-NOM sometimes go-out in yard-ACC and sit on bench-ACC breathe fresh
air-INST.]
They sometimes go out in the yard and sit on the bench to breathe the fresh air .
‰Å◊œfiÀ¡ ∫Å«¡Ã¡ ◊ Àœ∂É∏≈ŒÿÀœ™ â∫œfiÀ≈, ∏∂µ∑ÃÄ ∑Õ≈¤ŒáÕ… Àœ∑ÇfiÀ¡Õ… , À¡fiÄÃ¡

ÀÑÀÃπ.
[Girl-NOM ran in short skirt-LOC, shook cute braids-INST, rocked doll-ACC.]
The girl ran in a short little skirt, shook her cute little braids , and rocked her doll.
ÔŒÄ ∑÷…ÕÄ≈∏ ⁄π∫ÄÕ… ∑…«¡∂Å∏π,

∑…«¡∂Å∏π, ›£ÃÀ¡≈∏ ⁄¡÷…«ÄÃÀœ™ … … ⁄¡∏Ö«…◊¡≈∏∑µ.
[She-NOM presses teeth-INST cigarette-ACC, flicks lighter-INST and takes-drag.]
She grips the cigarette with her teeth , flicks the lighter , and takes a drag.
In this next example, the nose indicates a direction for action in such a vivid way that no
verb (hold, point, move?) is needed:
ÛÃÅƒπ¿›…≈ ¥µ∏ÿ ƒŒ≈™ ƒÖƒµ ÎÉÃµ Ã≈÷Ç∏ ∫≈⁄ÕÉÃ◊ŒŸ™, ŒÉ∑œÕ ◊ ◊ ¥œ∏œÃÉÀ.

[Following five-ACC days-GEN uncle Kolya-NOM lies silent-NOM, nose-INST
in ceiling-ACC.]
For the next five days uncle Kolya lies silently, with his nose pointing toward the
ceiling.
When Russians play chess, they of course move by means of the playing pieces, so it is
normal to use an expression like …ƒ∏Ç ∆≈∂⁄£Õ [walk
[walk queen-INST] °move the queen ¢. Here
is an example of this type of INSTRUMENTAL : A MEANS in sentences describing a woman apply-
ing cosmetics:
ÔŒÄ ¥∂œ◊≈ÃÄ ∂É⁄œ◊œ™ ÀÇ∑∏œfiÀœ™ ÉÀœÃœ

ÉÀœÃœ «ÃÄ⁄.
[She-NOM drew pink brush-INST around eyes-GEN.]
She drew a pink brush around her eyes.
An item can also use its own self as an instrument to realize an action:
ñ∏œ ¥∂≈ƒ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ≈∏ ∑œ∫É™ …∑ÀÃ¿fiÅŒ…≈.

…∑ÀÃ¿fiÅŒ…≈.
[That-NOM represents self-INST exception-ACC.]
That in itself represents an exception.
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 7—Questions, adverbs, groups

Often an activity is not facilitated by an instrument, but it is brought about more abstractly
by some means. Here¢s a simple, very common example; you can think of o f it as meaning By
‘By
what means can I help you?’ There is no actual instrument involved, but there is something
that should serve as a catalyst for action:
˛≈Õ µ
µ Õœ«Ñ ◊¡Õ ¥œÕÉfiÿ?
[What-INST I-NOM can you-DAT
you-DAT help?]
How can I help you?
Note that in this and many of the examples of INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS, it is possible to apply
the question How? Similar to the adverbs of time and À∂π«ÉÕ listed above, the use of the
Adverbs instrumental to describe how an action is performed has become so conventional that for
expressing
INSTRUMENTAL: A
some words the instrumental case form is considered an adverb of manner; here are some
MEANS. examples:
πÀ∂ÄƒÀœ™ stealthily
∫≈«ÉÕ at a run
¤Ä«œÕ at a walk
¥≈¤ÀÉÕ on foot
¥œÃ⁄ÀÉÕ at a crawl
◊≈∂»ÉÕ on horseback
∂Ä⁄œÕ at once
∏¡™ÀÉÕ secretly
À∂π«ÉÕ around
In this example, the adverb ∫≈«ÉÕ ‘at a run ’ depicts motion so vividly that the speaker
doesn’t even bother using a verb to describe her movements:
ß≈«ÉÕ ƒœ
ƒœ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏Ÿ, »◊¡∏Ä¿ ∑ÑÕÀπ … ∫≈«ÉÕ ÷≈ ÷≈ ƒœ ∂¡⁄ƒ≈◊ÄÃÀ….
[Run-INST to room-GEN, grab purse-ACC and run-INST also to cloak-room-GEN.]
I run to the room, grab my purse, and run again to the cloak-room.
It is worth noting that this meaning of manner also motivates the use of fi≈Õ [what-INST]
[what-INST] INSTRUMENTAL: A
°how, by what means; than’ and ∏eÕ [that-INST]
[that-INST] °by that means’ with adverbs and com- MEANS with
comparatives.
parative forms, as we see in the following common phrases:
ÏÑfi¤≈ ¥É⁄ƒŒœ, fi≈Õ Œ…Àœ«ƒÄ.

Œ…Àœ«ƒÄ.
[Better late, what-INST never.]
Better late than never.
˛≈Õ ∫ÉÃÿ¤≈, ∏≈Õ ÃÑfi¤≈.

ÃÑfi¤≈.
[What-INST more/bigger, that-INST better.]
The more/bigger, the better.
One way of describing how something is done is by measuring the quantities involved; a INSTRUMENTAL: A
number or unit of measurement gives us this use of the instrumental,
instru mental, which is similar to the MEANS with
quantities.
English use of by with numerals:
ı÷Å Œ≈ ƒ≈∑Ö∏À¡Õ… , À¡À ¥∂Å÷ƒ≈, ∑É∏ŒµÕ… ⁄¡ ⁄¡ Œ≈⁄¡ÀÉŒŒŸ™ ¥≈∂≈»Éƒ «∂¡ŒÇ√Ÿ

⁄¡ƒÅ∂÷…◊¡¿∏ Œ¡∂π¤Ç∏≈Ã≈™ ¥œ«∂¡ŒÇfiŒ…À….
[Already not tens-INST, like before, hundreds-INST for illegal crossing-ACC bor-
der-GEN detain violators-ACC border-guards-NOM.]
Border guards are not detaining violators for illegal border crossing by the tens any
more like they used to, but by the hundreds .
This use of the instrumental is common in the metaphorical domain of mathematics, where
one multiplies one number by another, as in (note unusual stress):
˚Å∑∏ÿ¿ ¥µ∏ÿ
¥µ∏ÿ — ∏∂Çƒ√¡∏ÿ.
[Six-INST five-NOM — thirty-NOM.]
Six times five is thirty.
thirty.
The same quantification of participants in an action can be expressed with words naming
groups marked by INSTRUMENTAL : A MEANS. A common phrase based on this idea is ƒÅÃ¡∏ÿ
fi∏É-∏œ ◊∑≈™ ∑≈Õÿ£™ [do
[do something-ACC all family-INST] ‘do something all toge
togethe
therr , as a
family ’. Here’s an example to demonstrate this usage:
ÔŒ Œ≈ ¥≈∂≈Œœ∑ÇÃ Å⁄ƒ…∏ÿ ◊ ÃÇ∆∏≈ ÀœÕ¥ÄŒ…≈™ , œ∑∏¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ⁄ÄÕÀŒπ∏œÕ

¥∂œ∑∏∂ÄŒ∑∏◊≈ ∑ Œ≈⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕŸÕ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀœÕ.
[He-NOM not endure ride in elevator-LOC group-INST, stay in closed space-LOC
with unfamiliar person-INST
pers on-INST.]
.]
He couldn’t stand riding in an elevator with other people (as part of a group) , stay-
ing in a closed space with an unfamiliar person.
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 8—Person or object under control

INSTRUMENTAL: A Textbooks often give lists of verbs that govern
gove rn the instrumental case, like ÀœÕÄŒƒœ◊¡∏ÿ
MEANS with °command¢ and ∂πÀœ◊œƒÇ∏ÿ °lead, direct¢. Now it should be easy for you to see why verbs
words meaning
domination. with these meanings have instrumental objects. Just as the chess pieces are instruments of
players, so too can human beings serve as pawns to their leaders. Indeed government and
leadership cannot happen without there being someone to govern. The underlings are the
conduit for domination, which is realized through them. The very fact that we can use the
words pawns, conduit,
conduit, through in the sentences above should prove
pr ove to you that the concept
is not impossibly foreign. Russian has taken this fairly natural concept of power requiring a
relationship to the powerless and made it a convention. This covers verbs with meanings
such as °manipulate¢ as well. Here are more words you should expect to see with INSTRUMEN-
TAL: A MEANS:
Âxpressions of governance
g overnance and leadership
leade rship associated with INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS
‘lead’ ‘conduct (a musical group)’ ‘manage’

◊≈∂»œ◊Éƒ…∏ÿ ƒ…∂…÷Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ∂¡∑¥œ∂µ÷Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∂¡∑¥œ∂µƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ
ƒ…∂…÷Ç∂œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘conducting’ ∂¡∑¥œ∂µ÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘managing, manage-
‘manage’ ment’
⁄¡◊Åƒœ◊¡∏ÿ ‘use’
⁄¡◊Åƒœ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘managing, manage- ¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/◊œ∑¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ ‘lead, direct’
ment’ ¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡Œ…≈
¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘use’ ∂πÀœ◊œƒÇ∏ÿ
⁄¡◊Åƒπ¿›…™ ‘manager’ ∂πÀœ◊Éƒ∑∏◊œ ‘leadership, guidance’
‘govern’
‘abuse’ ¥∂Ä◊…∏ÿ ‘govern, administer, manage’
⁄Ãœπ¥œ∏∂≈∫ÃÖ∏ÿ/⁄Ãœπ¥œ∏∂≈∫Ç∏ÿ ¥∂¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘governing, government’ π¥∂¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ
⁄Ãœπ¥œ∏∂≈∫ÃÅŒ…≈
⁄Ãœπ¥œ∏∂≈∫ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘abuse’ π¥∂¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘governing, govern-
‘lead’ ment’
‘command’ ¥∂≈ƒ◊œƒÇ∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ
ÀœÕÄŒƒœ◊¡∏ÿ ¥∂≈ƒ◊œƒÇ∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈
¥∂≈ƒ◊œƒÇ∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘leading’
ÀœÕÄŒƒœ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘commanding’
The concept of governing and having control works for both people and things. Here are a
couple of sentences so that you can see these words in action:
ê∂Õ…… ∫Ÿ◊Ä¿∏ ∂Ä⁄ŒŸ≈; ◊∑£ ⁄¡◊Ç∑…∏ œ∏ ∏œ«É, À∏œ ÇÕ… ÀœÕÄŒƒπ≈∏.

ÀœÕÄŒƒπ≈∏.
[Armies-NOM are various-NOM; everything-NOM depends from f rom that-GEN, who-
NOM them-INST commands.]
There are different kinds of armies; everything depends on who commands them .
˜Ä¤≈ ∆…ŒÄŒ∑œ◊œ≈ ¥œÃœ÷ÅŒ…≈ π¥∂Éfi…∏∑µ, Å∑Ã… Œ¡Ñfi…∏≈∑ÿ ÃÑfi¤≈ π¥∂¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ

◊Ä¤…Õ ∫¿ƒ÷Å∏œÕ .
◊Ä¤…Õ ∫¿ƒ÷Å∏œÕ
[Your
[Your financial situation-NOM becomes-stronger,
becomes-stron ger, if learn better manage your bud-
b ud-
get-INST.]
Your financial situation will become stronger
stronge r if you learn how to manage your bud-
get better.
better.
Instrumental:
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 9—Person or object possessed

If items governed are the instruments of their governors, then it does not take a large INSTRUMENTAL: A
mental leap to view them as possessions. The connection between ±having≤ and ±having MEANS with
words meaning
control over≤ is a natural one. And indeed, there are a number
numbe r of Russian words that express
expre ss possession.
possession and require the use of the instrumental case for the object possessed. Here are
some examples:
Expressions of possession associated
ass ociated with INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS
‘possess’ ‘possess’ ‘have at one’s disposal’

◊Ã¡ƒÅ∏ÿ œ∫Ã¡ƒÄ∏ÿ ∂¡∑¥œÃ¡«Ä∏ÿ
◊Ã¡ƒÅŒ…≈ ‘possession’ œ∫Ã¡ƒÄŒ…≈ ‘possession’
‘have control of’ ‘take possession of’

◊œ∂Éfi¡∏ÿ œ◊Ã¡ƒ≈◊Ä∏ÿ/œ◊Ã¡ƒÅ∏ÿ
◊œ∂Éfi¡Œ…≈ ‘controlling’ œ◊Ã¡ƒ≈◊ÄŒ…≈ ‘taking possession of’
Of course not all words meaning °possess¢

°posse ss¢ have instrumental objects. The verb …ÕÅ∏ÿ °have’
uses the accusative, and the most normal way to say °have’ in Russian is by using the π +
GEN ≈∑∏ÿ + NOM construction, which literally meansmean s °by someone there is’. However, all
of the words that use the instrumental imply a possession
possess ion that involves more than just ±hav-
ing”; they actually equate ±having” with ±having control over”. Here are some examples so
that you can see how these words are used in the context of sentences:
ÌŸ Œ≈ ∂¡∑¥œÃ¡«Ä≈Õ ∏¡ÀÇÕ… ∑∂Åƒ∑∏◊¡Õ… .

[We-NOM not have-at-disposal such means-INST.]
We don’t have the means at our disposal. / We don’t have that kind of money .
ìŒ œ∫Ã¡ƒÄÃ À∂¡∑Ç◊ŸÕ ŒÇ⁄À…Õ ∫¡∂…∏ÉŒœÕ πƒ…◊Ç∏≈ÃÿŒœ«œ

πƒ…◊Ç∏≈ÃÿŒœ«œ ∏ÅÕ∫∂¡.
[He-NOM possessed a beautiful deep baritone-INST surprising timbre-GEN.]
He possessed a beautiful deep baritone of surprising timbre.
È ◊œ∏ Ì¡∂Ñ∑≈™ œ◊Ã¡ƒÅÃœ
œ◊Ã¡ƒÅÃœ fiÑ◊∑∏◊œ ∏∂≈◊É«….
[And then Marusya-INST took-possession feeling-NOM alarm-GEN.]
And then a feeling of alarm took possession of Marusya .
Sharing is a special kind of possession,

of possession, and certainly involves power and control. The Rus-
sian word ƒ≈ÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒ≈ÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ °share’ also uses the instrumental case, as we see in this
example:
˜∑≈ ÕŸ ¥œ Éfi≈∂≈ƒ… ƒ≈ÃÇÃ…∑ÿ ŒÉ◊œ™ …Œ∆œ∂ÕÄ√…≈™ .

[All we-NOM along line-DAT
line-DAT shared new information-INST.]
We all in turn shared new information .
There are a few other words involving the manipulation of possessions which you should
expect to see with the instrumental, among them:
Expressions of exchange associated
asso ciated with INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS
‘trade’ ‘sacrifice, give up’ ‘supply, provide’

∏œ∂«œ◊Ä∏ÿ ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ∑Œ¡∫÷Ä∏ÿ/∑Œ¡∫ƒÇ∏ÿ
∏œ∂«É◊≈√ ‘merchant, trader’ ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈/¥œ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈ ∑Œ¡∫÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘supply, supplying’
∏œ∂«É◊Ãµ ‘trade, commerce’ ‘sacrificing/sacrifice’
‘exchange’
‘waive, forgo’ Õ≈ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ
¥œ∑∏π¥Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑∏π¥Ç∏ÿ∑µ
Filling and occupying are also a kind of manipulation, and can involve the body and the
mind as well:
Expressions of filling and occupying
occup ying associated with INSTRUMENTAL:
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS
‘be/get sick with’ ‘be occupied with, study’ ‘get filled up with’
∫œÃÅ∏ÿ/⁄¡∫œÃÅ∏ÿ ⁄¡Œ…ÕÄ∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡¥œÃŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ/Œ¡¥ÉÃŒ…∏ÿ∑µ
∫ÉÃ≈Œ ‘sick’ ⁄¡ŒÖ∏…≈ ‘occupation, studies’
‘suffer from’
‘be filled with’ ∑∏∂¡ƒÄ∏ÿ
…∑¥œÃŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ/…∑¥ÉÃŒ…∏ÿ∑µ
¥ÉÃœŒ ‘full of’
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 10—Positive/negative evaluation

INSTRUMENTAL: A We will need to make one more mental leap in order to finish out our tour of the conduit
MEANS with meaning of INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS, and we can rely on what we know about English to help he lp
words meaning
positive and us once again. Remember that in English we can use the word enjoy as a synonym for have
negative (at one’s disposal) . So we can say things like Judy Garland
Garland enjoyed
enjoyed tremendous popularity or I
tremendous popularity
evaluation. hope to enjoy good health for many years to come or Bill Gates enjoys both fame and
fortune. In a certain sense, one has to have something in order to appreciate it. However,
this evaluation can be both positive or negative, and Russian takes advantage of both of
these options. Here are some words that use the instrumental in this meaning:
Expressions of enjoyment and strong emotion associated
‘be indignant at’ ‘be delighted with’ ‘abhor, disdain’
◊œ⁄Õπ›Ä∏ÿ∑µ/◊œ⁄Õπ∏Ç∏ÿ∑µ ◊œ∑∏œ∂«Ä∏ÿ∑µ «Œπ¤Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ«Œπ¤Ä∏ÿ∑µ
◊œ⁄Õπ›£Œ ‘indignant at’
◊œ⁄Õπ›ÅŒ…≈ ‘indignation at’ ‘be carried away by, admire’ ‘be proud of’
◊œ∑»…›Ä∏ÿ∑µ/◊œ∑»…∏Ç∏ÿ∑µ «œ∂ƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ
◊œ∑»…›ÅŒ…≈ ‘delight, admiration’ «œ∂ƒ ‘proud of’
Instrumental:
Instrumental: a means 1 1 33
Expressions of enjoyment and strong

s trong emotion associated
‘be satisfied with’ ‘enjoy’ ‘be mad about, get carried away with’
ƒœ◊ÉÃÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/ Œ¡∑Ã¡÷ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ π◊Ã≈ÀÄ∏ÿ∑µ/π◊ÃÅfiÿ∑µ
πƒœ◊ÉÃÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡∑Ã¡÷ƒÅŒ…≈ ‘enjoyment’ π◊Ã≈fiÅŒ…≈ ‘passion for, enthusiasm
ƒœ◊ÉÃ≈Œ ‘satisfied with’ for’
ƒœ◊ÉÃÿ∑∏◊œ ‘satisfaction with’ ‘be fascinated by’
¥Ã≈ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ ‘boast of’
‘value’ »◊¡ÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ»◊¡ÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ
ƒœ∂œ÷Ç∏ÿ ‘despise’
¥∂≈Œ≈∫∂≈«Ä∏ÿ
‘be interested’
…Œ∏≈∂≈∑œ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ
These examples will give you an idea of how these words are used:
ˆÇ⁄Œÿ¿ ∑◊œÅ™ µ µ ◊ É∫›≈Õ-∏œ ƒœ◊ÉÃ≈Œ.

[Life own-INST I-NOM in general-LOC satisfied-NOM.]
In general I am satisfied with my life .
Ç¤π›…≈ Œ≈ Éfi≈Œÿ ƒœ∂œ÷Ä∏ ∑◊œÅ™ ∂¡∫É∏œ™ .

[Writing-NOM not very value own work-INST
wor k-INST.] .]
People who write do not really value their work .
ÔŒ π◊Ã£À∑µ ◊Ÿ∂Ä›…◊¡Œ…≈Õ «∂…∫É◊.

[He-NOM became-mad-about cultivating-INST mushrooms-GEN.]
He became mad about cultivating mushrooms.
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 11—The passive agent

The examples we have seen of the conduit meaning of INSTRUMENTAL : A MEANS are based
on this model: a nominative subject + an active verb form + an instrumental conduit +
whatever else is in the sentence. The crucial item here is the active verb; this doesn’t neces-
sarily mean that any real activity
ac tivity is going on, it just means that the verb is not passive. You
You
can think of active as being the default mode for most verbs, where the nominative subject
serves as the energy source for the verb. When you have a passive verb, the nominative
subject is not the energy source for the verb. Active is about doing something. Passive is
about something being done, by someone or something else, the passive agent agent . Given what
we already know about the instrumental case, it is no surprise that Russians use it to mark INSTRUMENTAL: A
MEANS can mark
the passive agent, since it is the someone or something by means of which the verbal action a passive agent.
takes place. The construction that we are going to be looking at now contains the following
elements: a nominative subject + a passive verb form + an instrumental passive agent +
whatever else is in the sentence.
-∑µ/-∑ÿ some- Russian has two ways to express passive verbal action: either by adding -∑µ/-∑ÿ to the
times indicates verb or by using passive participles (past passive participles are the most common and are
passive, passive
participles formed from verbs by adding -Œ or -∏ and act like adjectives; here are some examples:
always indicate ∑ƒÅÃ¡ŒŒŸ™ °done¢, ÀÑ¥Ã≈ŒŒŸ™ °bought¢, œ∏À∂á∏Ÿ™ °opened¢). Unfortunately -∑µ/-∑ÿ is
passive. not a reliable indicator of passive verb forms, but it can alert you to the possibility that you
might be looking at a passive verb. When you have a past passive participle, on the other
hand, you can be certain that you have a passive
pa ssive verb form. In general, -∑µ/-∑ÿ
-∑µ /-∑ÿ will be used
with imperfective verbs, whereas the past passive participle will be used with perfective
Comparison of verbs.
passive and Sometimes there is an obvious correspondence between the active and passive voices.
active.
For example, we can talk about students reading books in a variety of ways: Û∏πƒÅŒ∏Ÿ
fi…∏Ä¿∏ Ü∏… ÀŒÇ«… [Students-NOM read these books-ACC] °Students read these books’, or
ñ∏… ÀŒÇ«… fi…∏Ä¿∏∑µ ∑∏πƒÅŒ∏¡Õ… [These [These books-NOM are-read students-INST] °These
books are read by students ¢, or ñ∏… ÀŒÇ«… ∫áÃ… ¥∂œfiÇ∏¡ŒŸ ∑∏πƒÅŒ∏¡Õ… [These [These books-
NOM were read students-INST] °These books were read by students ¢, or even ñ∏… ÀŒÇ«…,
fi…∏Ä≈ÕŸ≈ ∑∏πƒÅŒ∏¡Õ… [These [These books-NOM, read students-INST] °These books, read by
students ¢. In examples like this it is clear that the instrumental
instrumen tal passive agent plays the same
role as the nominative subject in the corresponding active sentence. This correspondence
will not always be so clear, but it is the conceptual motive for the use of the instrumental
with passive verb forms. Here are some typical examples employing passive verb forms:
È ƒÄÃÿ¤≈ ◊∑£ Ü∏œ ◊œ∑¥∂…Œ…ÕÄÃœ∑ÿ ŒÄÕ… Ã…¤ÿ Ã…¤ÿ …⁄ƒ≈◊Ä∏≈Ãÿ∑À….

[And further all this-NOM was-perceived
wa s-perceived us-INST only scoffingly.]
scoffingly.]
And what¢s more, all this was perceived by us only scoffingly.
scoffingly.
ñ∏… ƒ≈ÀÃ¡∂Ä√…… Œ≈ ¥œƒ∏◊≈∂÷ƒÄÃ…∑ÿ À¡ÀÇÕ…-Ã…∫œ ∆ÄÀ∏¡Õ… .

[These declarations-NOM not were-confirmed any facts-INST.]
These declarations were not confirmed by any facts whatsoever .
· ∏≈Ã≈◊Ç⁄œ∂ π Œ¡∑ ≈∑∏ÿ — ∑∏Ä∂Ÿ™ <<Î˜Ó-49>>, ∫∂É¤≈ŒŒŸ™ ∏£∏≈™ ÛÉŒ≈™ .

[But television-NOM by us-GEN is — old KVN-49-NOM, thrown-NOM aunt Sonya-
INST.]
But we do have a television — an old KVN-49 thrown out by aunt Sonya .
˜¥≈∂◊á≈ “œ⁄ÉŒœ◊¡µ ƒŸ∂Ä” Œ¡ƒ ·Œ∏Ä∂À∏…Àœ™ ∫ŸÃÄ œ∫Œ¡∂Ñ÷≈Œ¡ ∑¥≈√…¡ÃÇ∑∏¡Õ…

◊ 1981 «œƒÑ.
[First “ozone hole”-NOM above Antarctica-INST was discovered-NOM special-
ists-INST in 1981 year-LOC.]
The “ozone hole” above Antarctica was first discovered by specialists in 1981.
ÚÑ∫≈Œ∑ ∂…∑œ◊ÄÃ ∫≈⁄ÑÕŒŸ» ∑◊œ≈«É ◊∂ÅÕ≈Œ…, ÌπŒÀ ∑¡Õ ∫áÃ œƒ≈∂÷ÇÕ

Õ¡Œ…¡ÀÄÃÿŒœ™ ƒ≈¥∂Å∑∑…≈™.
[Rubens-NOM drew madmen-ACC own time-GEN, Munch himself-NOM was af-
flicted-NOM manic depression-INST
depress ion-INST.]
.]
Rubens drew the madmen of his time, and Munch was himself afflicted by manic
depression .
There are a few ways in which the conduit and passive agent type of instrumental overlap. Ambiguity
On the one hand, it is fairly common for adjectives to be used to express being in a certain between conduit
and passive
state, and this is something that they share with past passive participles (which are, after all, agent uses of
adjectives derived from verbs) and many -∑µ/-∑ÿ verbs. Take an example like: INSTRUMENTAL: A
MEANS.
£∏∂ ∑…Õ¥¡∏Çfi≈Œ ∑◊œÅ™ Ç∑À∂≈ŒŒœ∑∏ÿ¿ .

[Pyotr-NOM likeable-NOM own sincerity-INST.]
sincerity-INST.]
Pyotr is likeable for his sincerity .
Is Pyotr using his sincerity as a tool to make himself likeable, or is sincerity the agent in
bringing about his state of likeableness? It probably doesn¢t matter. On the other hand,
sometimes even when you have a passive verb form, an instrumental item can identify
either an instrument or an agent, and sometimes you can¢t tell for sure.
Ó¡ ∑À¡ÕÿÅ ∑…ƒÇ∏ ÷ÅŒ›…Œ¡, œÀÑ∏¡ŒŒ¡µ fi£∂Œœ™ ¤ÄÃÿ¿ .

[On bench-LOC sits woman-NOM, wrapped-NOM black shawl-INST.]
On the bench sits a woman wrapped in a black shawl .
Here the shawl is almost certainly not the agent, but an instrument, the conduit for an act of
wrapping carried out by the woman herself or someone else. But what about this example:
ÔŒÇ œ∫fl≈ƒ…Œ≈Œá É∫›…Õ «É∂≈Õ .

[They-NOM united-NOM shared grief-INST.]
They are united by shared grief .
Have they (or someone else) performed the uniting by using shared grief (as a conduit ), or
is shared grief the agent that has united them? Once again, it doesn¢t really matter. One of
the beauties of language is that there is room for ambiguity and overlap.
INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS 12—An agent with no subject

You may have noticed that Russian can form
for m sentences without subjects. With the raw INSTRUMENTAL: A
force use of INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS, you get sentences based on the model of ±something MEANS can
express raw
happened by means of X ≤, where X is the instrumental item, but there is no agent in sight. force in an event
The effect is rather similar to the conduit reading of the example with shared grief just with no agent.
above, but raw force uses active instead of passive verb forms, and the verb forms are
neuter singular, the ±default mode≤ for verbs that have no subject. Raw force is typically Smells and drafts
used to express the production of smells, movements of air, and other agentless (and fre- as raw forces
expressed by
quently disastrous) acts of God. The most common verb to use the instrumental this way is INSTRUMENTAL: A
¥Ä»Œπ∏ÿ °smell¢, as in: MEANS.
Ä»Ãœ «œ∂Öfi…Õ »ÃÅ∫œÕ …⁄ …⁄ ∏É∑∏≈∂¡.

[Smelled hot bread-INST from toaster-GEN.]
There was a smell of hot bread from the toaster.
The verbs Œ≈∑∏Ç and œ∏ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ can both mean °reek, stink¢ and work the same way; so one
could say œ∏ Œ≈£ Œ≈∑£∏/œ∏ƒ¡£∏ ◊ÉƒÀœ™ [from
[from her-GEN reeks/stinks vodka-INST] °she reeks/
stinks of vodka ¢. This construction also works for drafts of air, as in: œ∏ ∂≈ÀÇ ¥œ∏µŒÑÃœ
¥∂œ»ÃÄƒœ™ [from
[from river-GEN wafted chill-INST] °a chill came off the river¢ and can be used
metaphorically as in the common expression
express ion ◊Å≈∏ ◊≈∑ŒÉ™ [blows
[blows spring-INST] ° spring
spring is in
the air¢.
Acts of God as Perhaps the most peculiar use of the raw force meaning is the one that expresses the
raw forces ±acts of God≤ referred to above. These subjectless sentences can have an accusative object,
expressed by
INSTRUMENTAL: A
and are usually translated into English with passive forms. Here are some examples:
MEANS.
ÌÄÃÿfi…À¡ ⁄¡ƒ¡◊ÇÃœ ‹Ã≈À∏∂ÇfiÀœ™ .

[Boy-ACC ran-over commuter-train-INST.]
commuter-train-INST.]
The boy was run over by a commuter train .
Ëœ∏Ç∏≈ ⁄Œ¡∏ÿ, fi∏œ fiÑ◊∑∏◊π≈∏ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ, Àœ«ƒÄ ≈«É ¥≈∂≈÷…«Ä≈∏ ¤¡∂œ◊É™ ÕÉÃŒ…≈™ ?
[Want know, what-ACC feels person-NOM, when him-ACC burns ball lightning-
INST?]
Do you want to know what a person feels when he is burned by ball lightning ?
ÏÉƒÀπ ¥≈∂≈◊≈∂ŒÑÃœ ◊œÃŒÉ™ .

[Boat-ACC overturned wave-INST.]
wave-INST.]
The boat was overturned by a wave .
INSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL 1—Being, becoming, seeming

Relation of INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS is devoted to em-
INSTRUMENTAL: A powering Russians to express how an item
MEANS to the
other uses of the can cause or facilitate the action of a verb.
instrumental. The remaining uses of the instrumental, IN- I
STRUMENTAL: A LABEL, INSTRUMENTAL : AN AD-
JUNCT, and INSTRUMENTAL : A LANDMARK, re-
late the instrumental item not to a verb, but
to another item. The type of relationship, INSTRUMENTAL :: A LABEL (circle labeled I)
however, remains the same. The instrumen- is juxtaposed with another item (other circle)
tal is something peripheral in relation to something else: an accessory, a companion, or a
backgrounded landmark.
INSTRUMENTAL: A Although a label can be permanent, it doesn¢t have to be, and is often associated with a
LABEL with non- certain period of time for which it is valid. A label tells you how to categorize something,
permanent
labels. what set of things it belongs to. Very
Very often INSTRUMENTAL : A LABEL is used with verbs mean-
ing °be¢ or °become¢ to describe labels with a varying degree of impermanence:
Ó≈ ∑œÕŒ≈◊Ä¿∑ÿ ◊ ∏œÕ, fi∏œ ∏œ∏ ∂œÕÄŒ ∫ŸÃ ¥¡∂Éƒ…≈™ .

[Not doubt in that-LOC, that that novel-NOM was parody-INST.]
I do not doubt that that novel was a parody .
Instrumental:: a label 1 37
‚Ñƒπfi… ∂≈◊œÃ¿√…œŒÅ∂œÕ , œŒ Õ≈fi∏ÄÃ ƒœ∫Ç∏ÿ∑µ ∑¥∂¡◊≈ƒÃÇ◊œ∑∏….

[Being revolutionary-INST, he-NOM dreamed achieve justice-GEN.]
Being a revolutionary , he dreamed of achieving justice.
‚≈ƒÄ ◊ ∏œÕ, fi∏œ »œ∂É¤…™ ¥…∑Ä∏≈Ãÿ, ∂≈¤Ç◊ ∑∏¡∏ÿ ◊≈ÃÇÀ…Õ , ¥≈∂≈∑∏¡£∏ ∫Ÿ∏ÿ
»œ∂É¤…Õ .
[Trouble-NOM in that-LOC, that good writer-NOM, having-decided become great-
INST, stops be good-INST
g ood-INST.]
.]
The trouble is that a good writer, once he has decided to become great , stops being
good .
ÔŒ ∑∏¡Ã ∆¡ŒÄ∏…ÀœÕ ¥πŒÀ∏πÄ√…….
¥πŒÀ∏πÄ√…….
[He-NOM became fanatic-INST punctuation-GEN.]
He became a punctuation fanatic .
Note that even oneself can behave like a label. In English we can say things like Just be
yourself or He¢s not acting like himself this
this morning , and Russians also use this concept of
a self that can be viewed from various perspectives:
Ó≈ ÕÉ÷≈∏ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ œƒŒœ◊∂≈ÕÅŒŒœ ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ∑œ∫É™ … … Œ¡»œƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ∂ÖƒœÕ.

[Not can person-NOM simultaneously be self-INST and be-located beside.]
A person cannot simultaneously be himself and be outside of himself.
We also have the sense that when something is true to its label (rather than using it as a
disguise), then it is a genuine article. The Russian saying ƒ∂Ñ÷∫¡ ƒ∂Ñ÷∫œ™ , ¡ ∑ÃÑ÷∫¡
∑ÃÑ÷∫œ™ [friendship-NOM
[friendship-NOM friendship-INST, but service-NOM service-INST] °friendship
is friendship , but work is work ¢ captures the idea that friendship is all about friendship, just
as work is all about work; the two items are pure and cannot be mixed together. Perhaps the
closest English equivalent would be Let’s not mix business with pleasure .
There are many words that serve more or less as synonyms of °be¢ and °become¢ and INSTRUMENTAL: A
share this construction of NOMINATIVE: A NAME + verb + INSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL, and all roughly LABEL with
words meaning
mean °X is a Y¢, where X is a specific item, and Y is the category used to label it. Here are ‘be’, ‘become’.
some of these words:
Expressions of being and becoming
be coming associated with INSTRUMENTAL::
INSTRUMENTAL:: A LABEL
‘behave oneself as’ ‘appear, be mentioned as’ ‘turn into’

◊≈∑∏Ç ∑≈∫Ö ⁄ŒÄfi…∏ÿ∑µ œ∫œ∂Äfi…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∫≈∂ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ
‘look like’ ‘seem, appear’ ‘turn out to be’

◊á«Ãµƒ≈∏ÿ À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ
‘grow up to be’ ‘be named’ ‘stay, remain, continue to be’

◊á∂¡∑∏… Œ¡⁄Ÿ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/Œ¡⁄◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ œ∑∏¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/œ∑∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ
Expressions of being and becoming associated with INSTRUMENTAL::

INSTRUMENTAL:: A LABEL (continued)
‘die (as)’ ‘proclaim, report oneself (as)’ ‘get a job (as)’

¥œ«Ç∫Œπ∏ÿ ∑À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ π∑∏∂Ä…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/π∑∏∂É…∏ÿ∑µ
‘pretend to be’ ‘serve (as)’ ‘be listed (as)’

¥∂≈ƒ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂≈ƒ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ ∑Ãπ÷Ç∏ÿ fiÇ∑Ã…∏ÿ∑µ
‘pretend to be’ ‘be known (as), pass for’ ‘feel (like)’

¥∂…∏◊œ∂Ö∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂…∏◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ∑µ ∑ÃŸ∏ÿ/¥∂œ∑Ãá∏ÿ fiÑ◊∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œfiÑ◊∑∏◊œ◊
fiÑ◊∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œfiÑ◊∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ
¡∏ÿ ∑≈∫Ö
‘work (as)’ ‘be’ ‘be’

∂¡∫É∏¡∏ÿ ∑œ∑∏œÖ∏ÿ µ◊ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ
‘be born (as)’ ‘be considered’

∂œƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ∑fi…∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ
Here are a few examples of these verbs being used to apply the INSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL:
˙¡ ∑Ñ∏À… ∑œ∑∏œÖŒ…≈ ∫œÃÿŒÉ«œ Œ≈⁄Œ¡fiÇ∏≈ÃÿŒœ Õ≈ŒÖ≈∏∑µ ∏œ ◊ ÃÑfi¤π¿, ∏œ ◊

»Ñƒ¤π¿ ∑∏É∂œŒπ, Œœ É∫›¡µ À¡∂∏ÇŒ¡ œ∑∏¡£∏∑µ Œ≈…⁄ÕÅŒŒœ ∏µ÷£Ãœ™ .
[Beyond day-ACC condition-NOM patient-GEN imperceptibly changes tha t in bet-
ter-ACC, that in worse side-ACC, but general picture-NOM remains invariably se-
rious-INST.]
In the course of a day the patient’s condition changes imperceptibly alternately for
the better and for the worse, but the general picture remains invariably serious .
œfi≈ÕÑ µ ∑ ∏¡ÀÇÕ ◊œ∏ Ã…√ÉÕ Œ≈ ∂œƒ…ÃÄ∑ÿ Õπ÷fiÇŒœ™ ?

[Why I-NOM with such-INST here face-INST not born man-INST?]
With a face like this, why wasn’t I born a man?
‚Ä™∂œŒ ¥œ«Ç∫ ∑∂¡◊ŒÇ∏≈ÃÿŒœ ÕœÃœƒáÕ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀœÕ.

[Byron-NOM died relatively young
youn g person-INST.]
Byron died a relatively young man .
INSTRUMENTAL: A When a label is applied metaphorically, INSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL has the power to invoke
LABEL used to a comparison, stating that °X
° X is like a Y¢, in cases where we know that X cannot literally be
mean ‘is like.’
a Y.
Y. The next two examples were inspired by a visit to the zoo, where the author found
f ound that
the animals reminded him of various people:
Ù…«∂ ∫ŸÃ ¥∂…πÀ∂Ä¤≈ŒŒœ™ ÀÉ¥…≈™ Û∏ÄÃ…Œ¡.

Û∏ÄÃ…Œ¡.
[Tiger-NOM was made-over copy-INST Stalin-GEN.]
The tiger was a made-over copy of Stalin.
Instrumental:: an label 2 39
Ô∂¡Œ«π∏ÄŒ« ◊á«Ãµƒ≈Ã ∑∏¡∂Å¿›…Õ ¡À∏£∂œÕ , ⁄¡ ¥Ã≈fiÄÕ… π Àœ∏É∂œ«œ ∫Ñ∂Œ¡µ

÷…⁄Œÿ.
[Orangutang-NOM looked-like aging actor-INST, behind shoulders-INST by whom-
GEN stormy life-NOM.]
The orangutang looked like an aging actor with a stormy life behind him.
INSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL can be applied even when there is no triggering word. Note its
use in the following two examples, where it has a meaning similar to English ‘like’ or ‘as’:
˜œÀ∂Ñ« Œ≈«É ⁄á∫À…Õ «œÃπ∫áÕ ∏πÕÄŒœÕ ¥ÃŸ◊£∏

¥ÃŸ◊£∏ ƒŸÕ.
[Around him-GEN quivering blue cloud-INST floats smoke-NOM.]
Smoke floats around him in the form of a quivering blue cloud .
ÔƒŒœ∑≈ÃÿfiÄŒ≈ Œ¡¤ÃÇ ≈«É Õ£∂∏◊ŸÕ .

[Fellow-villagers-NOM found him-ACC dead-INST.]
His fellow villagers found him dead .
Consistent with the construction in the last example above,

abo ve, it is common for verbs with INSTRUMENTAL: A
meanings like °consider¢, °choose¢, °make¢ to apply the INSTRUMENTAL : A LABEL to the items LABEL with
words meaning
marked as their accusative direct objects. Here are a few examples to show you how this ‘apply a label’.
works:
ÌÉ÷≈∏ ∫Ÿ∏ÿ œŒ ◊œ⁄ÿÕ£∏ ∏≈∫Ö Œ¡ ∂¡∫É∏π Àœ∂∂ÅÀ∏œ∂œÕ .

[May be he-NOM will-take you-ACC on work-ACC proof-reader-INST.]
Maybe he will give you a job as a proof-reader .
Ù≈Ã≈◊Çƒ≈Œ…≈ ƒÅÃ¡≈∏ ÕÇ∂ ¥ÃÉ∑À…Õ … … ¥∂…Õ…∏Ç◊ŒŸÕ .

[Television-NOM
[Television-NOM makes world-ACC
wo rld-ACC flat-INST and primitive-INST.]
primitive-INST.]
Television makes the world flat and
and primitive .
˜∂¡fi Œ¡⁄◊ÄÃ fiÑƒœÕ ∏œ,

∏œ, fi∏œ ∑≈Õ…ƒ≈∑µ∏…¤≈∑∏…ÃÅ∏Œ…™ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ, ¥≈∂≈Œ£∑¤…™
40-Õ…ŒÑ∏Œπ¿ ÀÃ…ŒÇfi≈∑Àπ¿ ∑Õ≈∂∏ÿ, ÷…◊£∏ π÷Å ƒ◊≈ Œ≈ƒÅÃ….
[Doctor-NOM named miracle-INST that-ACC, that seventy-six-year-old man-NOM,
experienced-NOM 40-minute clinical death-ACC, lives already two weeks-ACC.]
The doctor called it a miracle that a seventy-six-year-old man who had been clini-
cally dead for 40 minutes, has survived for two weeks thus far.
ÛÃÑfi¡™ Ü∏œ∏ ∑¥≈√…¡ÃÇ∑∏Ÿ ƒœ ∑…» ¥œ∂ ∑fi…∏Ä¿∏ Œ≈∫Ÿ◊ÄÃŸÕ .

[Case this-ACC specialists-NOM to this time-GENT consider unprecedented-INST.]
Specialists consider this case to be unprecedented .
Among the words that use this structure of [NOMINATIVE: A NAME + verb + ACCUSATIVE: A
DIRECTION + INSTRUMENTAL : A LABEL], you will find the following:
Words meaning ‘apply a label to an item’ associated with INSTRUMENTAL::

INSTRUMENTAL:: A LABEL
‘imagine (as)’ ‘elect (as)’ ‘declare, announce’

◊œœ∫∂¡÷Ä∏ÿ/◊œœ∫∂¡⁄Ç∏ÿ …⁄∫…∂Ä∏ÿ/…⁄∫∂Ä∏ÿ œ∫flµ◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/œ∫flµ◊Ç∏ÿ
‘select (as)’ ‘depict, portray, represent (as)’ ‘recognize (as)’

◊Ÿ∫…∂Ä∏ÿ/◊á∫∂¡∏ÿ …⁄œ∫∂¡÷Ä∏ÿ/…⁄œ∫∂¡⁄Ç∏ÿ ¥∂…⁄Œ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/¥∂…⁄ŒÄ∏ÿ
‘make’ ‘appoint, nominate (as)’ ‘consider’

ƒÅÃ¡∏ÿ/∑ƒÅÃ¡∏ÿ Œ¡⁄Œ¡fiÄ∏ÿ/Œ¡⁄ŒÄfi…∏ÿ ∑fi…∏Ä∏ÿ
‘find (as)’ ‘name’

⁄¡∑∏¡◊Ä∏ÿ/⁄¡∑∏Ä∏ÿ Œ¡⁄Ÿ◊Ä∏ÿ/Œ¡⁄◊Ä∏ÿ
INSTRUMENTAL: AN ADJUNCT 1 — Companions

INSTRUMENTAL: AN It is no accident that the two relationships expressed in English by
ADJUNCT with ∑
‘with’.
the word with can both be translated using the instrumental case in
Russian. È◊ÄŒ ∂Å⁄¡Ã »ÃÅ∫ Œœ÷ÉÕ [Ivan-NOM
[Ivan-NOM cut bread-ACC knife-
INST] °Ivan cut bread with a knife ¢ is of course an example of INSTRU-
MENTAL: A MEANS, whereas Û≈∑∏∂Ä «œ◊œ∂ÇÃ¡ ∑ È◊ÄŒœÕ [Sister-NOM
[Sister-NOM
talked with Ivan-INST] °Sister was talking with Ivan ¢ is an example of
INSTRUMENTAL : AN ADJUNCT. Russian is more fastidious than English,
reserving the use of the preposition ∑ °with¢ only for INSTRUMENTAL : AN
ADJUNCT to introduce an accomplice, companion, or other peripheral
adjunct to an item of more central importance.
∑ + INSTRUMEN- Just about any activity that a person engages in can become a joint
project when there is someone else to share it with, as we see in these
I
TAL: AN ADJUNCT
with companions.
examples:
ÔŒÄ ¥∂≈ƒ¥œfi…∏ÄÃ¡ ∏Ç»π¿ ÷…⁄Œÿ ∑ ÕÑ÷≈Õ … ƒ◊πÕÖ ƒ≈∏ÿÕÇ .

[She-NOM preferred quiet life-ACC with husband-INST and
two children-INST
children- INST.]
.] INSTRUMENTAL :: AN
She preferred a quiet life with her husband and two children . ADJUNCT (circle
labeled I) is an
adjunct of another
œƒfi£∂À…◊¡≈∏∑µ, fi∏œ ∑π›≈∑∏◊Ñ¿∏ ◊œ⁄ÕÉ÷Œœ∑∏… ƒÃµ item (other circle)
ÕŒœ«œ∑∏œ∂ÉŒŒ≈«œ ∑œ∏∂ÑƒŒ…fi≈∑∏◊¡ ∑ Ìœ∑À◊É™ … ƒÃµ
∂¡⁄◊Ç∏…µ ∏œ∂«É◊Ÿ» ÀœŒ∏ÄÀ∏œ◊.
[Emphasizes, that exist opportunities-NOM for multi-lateral collaboration-GEN with
Moscow-INST and for development-GEN commercial contacts-GEN.]
It should be emphasized that there exist opportunities for multi-lateral collaboration
∑ + INSTRUMENTAL: with Moscow and for the development of commercial contacts.
AN ADJUNCT with
interpersonal
relationships. Many activities that are part of interpersonal relationships require a pa rtner to engage with .
All of the words below can use ∑ °with¢ to name such a partner:
Instrumental:: an adjunct 1 41
Expressions of engagement associated with INSTRUMENTAL::

INSTRUMENTAL:: AN ADJUNCT
‘converse’ ‘fight’ ‘communicate, get in contact, be

∫≈∑Åƒœ◊¡∏ÿ ∑ ƒ∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒ∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ
ƒ∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒ∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ ∑ associated’
∫≈∑Åƒ¡ ∑ ‘conversation’ ƒ∂ÄÀ¡ ∑ ‘fight’ ∑◊Ö⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∑◊µ⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ
∑◊Ö⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∑◊µ⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ ∑
∑◊Ö⁄ÿ ∑ ‘association, contact’
‘struggle, fight’ ‘become acquainted’
∫œ∂É∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ…∏ÿ∑µ
⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ…∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘agree’
∫œ∂ÿ∫Ä ∑ ‘struggle, fight’ ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ ∑ ‘acquainted’ ∑œ«Ã¡¤Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∑œ«Ã¡∑Ç∏ÿ∑µ
∑œ«Ã¡¤Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∑œ«Ã¡∑Ç∏ÿ∑µ ∑
(short forms only) ∑œ«ÃÄ∑…≈ ∑ ‘agreement’
‘see (each other)’ ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ∑∏◊œ ∑ ‘acquaintance’
◊Çƒ≈∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘compete’
‘associate, be friendly’ ∑œ∂≈◊Œœ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ
∑œ∂≈◊Œœ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ ∑
‘wage war’ œ∫›Ä∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ∑œ∂≈◊Œœ◊ÄŒ…≈
∑œ∂≈◊Œœ◊ÄŒ…≈ ∑ ‘competition’
◊œ≈◊Ä∏ÿ ∑ œ∫›ÅŒ…≈ ∑ ‘associating, association’
◊œ™ŒÄ ∑ ‘war’ ‘argue’
‘correspond (exchange letters)’ ∑∑É∂…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑∑É∂…∏ÿ∑µ
∑∑É∂…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑∑É∂…∏ÿ∑µ ∑
‘romp, play’ ¥≈∂≈¥Ç∑Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ∑∑É∂¡ ∑ ‘argument’
◊œ⁄Ç∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ◊œ⁄Ç∏ÿ∑µ
◊œ⁄Ç∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ◊œ⁄Ç∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ¥≈∂≈¥Ç∑À¡ ∑‘correspondence (ex-
◊œ⁄ŒÖ ∑ ‘romp(ing), play(ing)’ change of letters)’ ‘collide with, run into, encounter’
∑∏ÄÃÀ…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∑∏œÃÀŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ
∑∏ÄÃÀ…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∑∏œÃÀŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ ∑
‘meet’ ‘say farewell’ ∑∏œÃÀŒœ◊ÅŒ…≈
∑∏œÃÀŒœ◊ÅŒ…≈ ∑ ‘collision’
◊∑∏∂≈fiÄ∏ÿ∑µ/◊∑∏∂Å∏…∏ÿ∑µ
◊∑∏∂≈fiÄ∏ÿ∑µ/◊∑∏∂Å∏…∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ¥∂œ›Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂œ∑∏Ç∏ÿ∑µ
¥∂œ›Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂œ∑∏Ç∏ÿ∑µ ∑
◊∑∏∂Åfi¡ ∑ ‘meeting’ ¥∂œ›ÅŒ…≈ ∑ ‘saying farewell’
‘share’ ‘converse’
ƒ≈ÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ∂¡⁄«œ◊Ä∂…◊¡∏ÿ
∂¡⁄«œ◊Ä∂…◊¡∏ÿ ∑
∂¡⁄«œ◊É∂ ∑ ‘conversation’
‘come to an agreement, make an ar-
rangement’ ‘settle accounts’
ƒœ«œ◊Ä∂…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/ƒœ«œ◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ∑µ
ƒœ«œ◊Ä∂…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/ƒœ«œ◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ∂¡∑∑fiÇ∏Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∂¡∑∑fi…∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ
∂¡∑∑fiÇ∏Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∂¡∑∑fi…∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ ∑
ƒœ«œ◊É∂ ∑ ‘agreement, arrangement’
The following examples illustrate the use of INSTRUMENTAL : AN ADJUNCT with these words:
Ò Ã¿∫Ãâ ◊Åfi≈∂ ¥Ö∏Œ…√Ÿ: ÕÉ÷Œœ ¥œ∑…ƒÅ∏ÿ ¥œƒÉÃÿ¤≈ ⁄¡ ∑∏œÃÉÕ, ¥œ◊œ⁄Ç∏ÿ∑µ

∑ ∂≈∫Ö∏¡Õ… , πÃœ÷Ç∏ÿ …» Œ¡ ¥œÃfi¡∑Ä ¥É⁄÷≈.
[I-NOM love evening-ACC Friday-GEN: possible sit longer behind table-INST,
play with kids-INST, put-to-bed them-ACC on half-hour-ACC later.]
I love Friday evening: I can
c an sit a while longer at the table, play with the kids , and put
them to bed a half hour later.
œ ∂Éƒπ ∑◊œÅ™ ∂¡∫É∏Ÿ µ À¡÷ƒœƒŒÅ◊Œœ ∑∏ÄÃÀ…◊¡¿∑ÿ ∑ Ã¿ƒÿÕÇ, ¥œ∑∏∂¡ƒÄ◊¤…Õ…

œ∏ πÀÑ∑œ◊ ÷…◊É∏ŒŸ».
[Along nature-DAT own work-GEN I-NOM daily encounter with people-INST,
suffered-INST from bites-GEN animals-GEN.]
Due to the nature of my work I daily encounter peopl
peoplee who
who have
have suf fered animal
suf fered
bites.
Îœ«ƒÄ Ó¡¥œÃ≈ÉŒ ¥∂œ∑ŒÑÃ∑µ … ∂≈¤ÇÃ ¥∂œƒœÃ÷Ä∏ÿ ∫œ™, ∏œ π◊Çƒ≈Ã, fi∏œ ◊œ≈◊Ä∏ÿ

Œ≈ ∑ À≈Õ .
[When Napoleon-NOM woke-up and decided continue battle-ACC, then saw, that
wage-war not with who-INST.]
who-INST.]
When Napoleon woke up and decided to continue the battle, then he saw that there
was no one to wage war with.
INSTRUMENTAL: AN ADJUNCT 2 — Idioms and other uses

Idiomatic uses of Russian uses the idiom ÕŸ ∑ + INST (literally °we with so-and-so ¢) to express so-and-
° so-and-
∑ + INSTRUMEN- so and I¢. This seems to involve a politeness strategy similar to that imposed in English,
TAL: AN ADJUNCT.
where we consider it improper to say I and Anna
A nna, but are supposed to say Anna and I in-
in-
stead. In Russian, instead of inverting to be polite, you include the partner by saying °we¢ in
place of °I¢: ÕŸ ∑ êŒŒœ™ [we-NOM
[we-NOM with Anna-INST] ‘ Anna Anna and I’. Here is an example of
the ÕŸ ∑ + INST idiom where ÕŸ appears in the dative case as Œ¡Õ:
ÔƒŒÄ÷ƒŸ ÌÑ∑µ ⁄¡«ÃµŒÑÃ¡ À Œ¡Õ ∑ ÷≈ŒÉ™ .

[Once Musya-NOM glanced-in to us-DAT
us-DAT with wife-INST
wife-I NST.]
.]
Once Musya stopped by to see my wife and me.
One idiomatic use of ∑ + INSTRUMENTAL : AN ADJUNCT has an exact parallel in English:
˛∏œ ∑ ∏œ∫É™ ?
[What-NOM with you-INST?]
What’s with you ?
The phrase ¥œ⁄ƒ∂¡◊ÃÖ¿ ◊¡∑/∏≈∫Ö ∑ + INSTRUMENTAL: AN ADJUNCT, literally ‘I congratu-

late you with’, motivates another idiomatic construction used for greetings on the occasion
of holidays and events. The first part of the phrase is rarely heard, leaving just the preposi-
tion ∑ + INST. Here is a table of common greetings:
Û ƒŒ£Õ ÄŒ
ÄŒ«≈Ã¡! Happy Name’s Day !
Û ƒŒ£Õ ∂œ
∂œ÷ƒÅŒ…µ! Happy Birthday !
Û Ã£«À…Õ ¥Ä∂œÕ ! Have a nice bath !
Û ŒÉ◊ŸÕ «ÉƒœÕ ! Happy New Year !
Û ¥∂Ä⁄ƒŒ…ÀœÕ ! Happy Holiday !
Û ¥∂…fi¡›ÅŒ…≈Õ ! Congratulations on receiving Holy Communion !
Û Úœ÷ƒ≈∑∏◊ÉÕ ! Merry Christmas !
As the idioms with holidays above show, the use of the preposition ∑ °with¢ is not lim-
ited to human companions; it can be used with objects, abstractions, and attributes, much as
with is used in English. Here are some examples:
Instrumental:: a landmark 1 43
ÔŒÄ fi∏œ-∏œ ¥∂œƒÅÃ¡Ã¡ ∑ ◊œÃœ∑ÄÕ… . ∑ + INSTRUMEN-

[She-NOM something-ACC with hair-INST.] TAL: AN ADJUNCT
with objects.
She did something with her hair .
ÔƒŒÄ÷ƒŸ œŒ ◊œ⁄◊∂¡›ÄÃ∑µ …⁄ œ◊œ›ŒÉ«œ Õ¡«¡⁄ÇŒ¡ ∑œ ∑◊£ÀÃœ™ ◊ ◊ ¡◊É∑ÿÀ≈ —

À∂Ñ¥Œœ™ …
… À∂Ñ«Ãœ™ , À¡À ∆π∏∫ÉÃÿŒŸ™ Õµfi.
[Once he-NOM returned from grocery store-GEN with beet-INST in shopping-bag-
LOC — big-INST and round-INST
roun d-INST,, like soccer ball-NOM.]
Once he came back from the grocery store with a beet in his shopping bag — big
and round like a soccer ball.
Óœ ◊ Œ≈™ ◊∑£ Ü∏œ À¡ÀÇÕ-∏œ É∫∂¡⁄œÕ ∑œ◊Õ≈›ÄÃœ∑ÿ — Œ¡Ç◊Œœ∑∏ÿ ∑ √…ŒÇ⁄ÕœÕ , ∑ + INSTRUMEN-

πÕ ∑ «ÃÑ¥œ∑∏ÿ¿ … … fiÅ∑∏Œœ∑∏ÿ ∑ ∏µ«œ∏ÅŒ…≈Õ À À ◊∂¡Œÿâ. TAL: AN ADJUNCT
with abstrac-
[But in her-LOC all this-NOM some manner-INST was-combined — naivete-NOM tions.
with cynicism-INST, intelligence-NOM with stupidity-INST and honesty-NOM with
tendency-INST to lying-DAT.]
But somehow all these things were combined in her — naivete with cynicism , intel-
ligence with stupidity , and honesty with a tendency to lie.
∂…∂Éƒ¡ ∑ Ç∑∏…ŒŒœ ¥œ∑Ã≈◊œÅŒŒœ™ ›Åƒ∂œ∑∏ÿ¿ ∂¡⁄«πÃÖÃ¡∑ÿ.

∂¡⁄«πÃÖÃ¡∑ÿ.
[Nature-NOM with truly post-war generosity-INST blossomed-forth.]
Nature was blossoming forth with true post-war generosity .
Ú¡∫É∏¡Ã¡ ∏ÉÃÿÀœ œƒŒÄ ÀÄ∑∑¡, … ◊ƒœÃÿ Õ¡«¡⁄ÇŒ¡ ∏≈ÀÃÄ Éfi≈∂≈ƒÿ, À¡À ∂≈ÀÄ ∑ ∑ + INSTRUMEN-
…⁄«Ç∫¡Õ… … … …⁄ÃÑfi…Œ¡Õ… … … œ∏◊≈∏◊Ã£ŒŒŸÕ… ∂πfi≈™ÀÄÕ…. TAL: AN ADJUNCT
with attributes.
[Worked
[Worked only one cash-register-NOM, and along store-GEN flowed line-NOM, like
river-NOM with twists-INST and turns-INST and branched streams-INST.]
Only one cash register was open, and a line flowed around
a round the store, like a river with
twists and turns and little branching streams .
INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK 1—¥Å∂≈ƒ ‘in front of, before’

Five Russian prepositions are used with the INSTRUMENTAL : A LANDMARK to describe the Overview of
peripheral location of one item in alignment with another item or items. Two of these prepo- INSTRUMENTAL: A
LANDMARK.
sitions view this alignment in a horizontal plane: ¥Å∂≈ƒ ‘in front of’ and ⁄¡ ‘behind’. Two
more are exactly parallel to these, but view the alignment in a vertical plane: Œ¡ƒ ‘above’
and ¥œƒ ‘below’. The fifth preposition, ÕÅ÷ƒπ ‘between, among’ uses two or more items to
establish the alignment independent of any geographic orientation.
In terms of physical location, ¥Å∂≈ƒ ‘in front of ’ + INSTRUMENTAL : A LANDMARK identifies ¥Å∂≈ƒ +
an item that serves as a peripheral landmark for another item. In this example, the adminis- INSTRUMENTAL: A
LANDMARK ‘in
tration building serves as a peripheral landmark for the square where students’ pass ions are front of, before’
seething: in the domain of
space.
‰◊¡ ƒŒµ Œ¡ ¥ÃÉ›¡ƒ… ¥Å∂≈ƒ ⁄ƒÄŒ…≈Õ

¡ƒÕ…Œ…∑∏∂Ä√…… «É∂œƒ¡ À…¥ÅÃ… ∑∏∂Ä∑∏… —
ƒ≈ÕœŒ∑∏∂Ç∂œ◊¡Ã… ∑∏πƒÅŒ∏Ÿ.
[Two
[Two days-ACC on square-LOC in-front-of build- I
ing-INST administration-GEN city-GEN seethed
passions-NOM — demonstrated students-NOM.]
For two days passions seethed on the square in
front of the municipal administration building —
the students were demonstrating.
¥Å∂≈ƒ + In the domain of time, ¥Å∂≈ƒ means ‘before, until such

INSTRUMENTAL: A time as’, and can be used directly with the landmark time
LANDMARK ‘in
front of, before’ in the instrumental, or with the fixed phrase ¥Å∂≈ƒ ∏≈Õ, I
in the domain of À¡À [before that-INST, how] ‘before’, as illustrated in these
time. two examples, where the meeting and the loss of contact
serve as temporal landmarks for the announcement of
health and for wandering in the Alaskan hinterland: INSTRUMENTAL :: A LANDMARK
(circle or circles labeled I) is in a
“Ó…À¡ÀÇ» œ∑∏Ä∏Àœ◊ ∫œÃÅ⁄Œ… Œ≈∏”, œ∏ÕÅ∏…Ã proximate relationship to
◊fi≈∂Ä ¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏ ¥Å∂≈ƒ ◊∑∏∂Åfi≈™ ∑ ¥∂≈ÕÿÅ∂- another item (small circle)
Õ…ŒÇ∑∏∂œÕ.
[“No remains-GEN illness-GEN no”, remarked yesterday president-NOM before
meeting-INST with prime-minister-INST.]
prime-minister-INST.]
“I show no signs of illness,” remarked the president yesterday before his meeting
with the prime minister.
Óœ∂◊Å÷∑À…™ ¥π∏≈¤Å∑∏◊≈ŒŒ…À ƒ◊¡ ÕÅ∑µ√¡ ¥∂œ◊£Ã ◊ √≈Œ∏∂ÄÃÿŒŸ» ∂¡™ÉŒ¡»

·ÃÖ∑À…, ¥Å∂≈ƒ ∏≈Õ , À¡À ∑◊µ⁄ÿ ∑ Œ…Õ Œ≈œ÷Çƒ¡ŒŒœ ¥∂≈∂◊¡ÃÄ∑ÿ.
[Norwegian traveler-NOM two months-ACC spent in central regions-LOC
regions- LOC Alaska-
Alaska-
GEN, before that-INST, how contact-NOM with him-INST unexpectedly was-bro-
ken-off.]
The Norwegian traveler spent two months in the central regions of Alaska before
contact with him was suddenly broken off.
¥Å∂≈ƒ + Å∂≈ƒ is frequently deployed in the domain of morality and justice, where it designates a
INSTRUMENTAL: A position in terms of merits and obligations. The first example below describes a moral
LANDMARK in the
domain of achievement, the following ones refer to legal and financial obligations, respectively.
morality and
justice. ˜ ∑œœ∫›ÅŒ…… ¥∂≈∑∑-∑ÃÑ÷∫Ÿ ¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏¡ «œ◊œ∂Ç∏∑µ, fi∏œ «œ∑¥œƒÇŒ ÎπÃ…ÀÉ◊
“πƒœ∑∏É≈Œ ◊Ÿ∑ÉÀœ™ Œ¡«∂ÄƒŸ ⁄¡ ⁄¡∑ÃÑ«… ¥Å∂≈ƒ «œ∑πƒÄ∂∑∏◊œÕ ”. ”.
[In report-LOC press-service-GEN president-GEN says, that Mr. Kulikov-NOM
“awarded-NOM high award-GEN for services-ACC before state-INST.”]
In the president’s press report it says that Mr. Kulikov “has received an exalted
award for his service to the state .”
ÔÃ…Õ¥Ç™∑À…™ fi≈Õ¥…ÉŒ ◊ «∂Å∫Ã≈ Œ¡ À¡ŒÉ‹ ∑Ãœ◊ÄÀ ÌÇ»¡Ã ÌÄ∂∏…À¡Œ ◊ ∑ÀÉ∂œÕ

◊∂ÅÕ≈Œ… ¥∂≈ƒ∑∏ÄŒ≈∏ ¥Å∂≈ƒ ∑πƒÉÕ .
[Olympic champion-NOM in rowing-LOC on canoe-LOC Slovak Michal Martikan-
NOM in soon time-LOC appear before court-INST.]
Olympic canoeing champion Slovak Michal Martikan will soon appear in court .
∂≈ÕÿÅ∂-Õ…ŒÇ∑∏∂ œ∏ÕÅ∏…Ã, fi∏œ ◊ Œ¡∑∏œÖ›≈≈ ◊∂ÅÕµ ∆Ç∂Õ¡ “Ù¡∏ŒÅ∆∏ÿ” Œ≈

…ÕÅ≈∏ ƒœÃ«É◊ ¥Å∂≈ƒ ∆≈ƒ≈∂ÄÃÿŒŸÕ ∫¿ƒ÷Å∏œÕ .
[Prime-minister-NOM noted, that in present time-ACC company “Tatneft’”-NOM
no have debts-GEN before federal budget-INST.]
The prime-minister noted that at the present time the “Tatneft’” company is not
indebted to the federal budget .
Here is an example of a self-imposed obligation:
˜á∑∏¡◊À¡ ÛÃœ◊Ä√Àœ™ ∂≈∑¥Ñ∫Ã…À… ∑∏Ä◊…∏ ¥Å∂≈ƒ ∑œ∫É™ √≈Ãÿ œ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ…∏ÿ

∂œ∑∑Ç™∑À…» ¥∂≈ƒ¥∂…Œ…ÕÄ∏≈Ã≈™ ∑ ÜÀ∑¥œ∂∏ŒŸÕ… ◊œ⁄ÕÉ÷Œœ∑∏µÕ… ÛÃœ◊ÄÀ…….
[Exhibition-NOM Slovak Republic-GEN places before self-INST goal-ACC acquaint
Russian entrepreneurs-ACC with export opportunities-INST Slovakia-GEN.]
The Slovak Republic’s exhibit is setting itself the goal of acquainting Russian entre-
preneurs with Slovakia’s export opportunities.
INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK 2—⁄¡ ‘beyond, behind’

˙¡ + INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK indicates a spatial alignment that is the opposite of ⁄¡ + INSTRUMEN-
¥Å∂≈ƒ. The landmark is an item that is between us and another item which is ‘behind’ or TAL: A LANDMARK
‘beyond, behind’.
‘beyond’ it. Here are a couple of examples of ⁄¡ used to locate items in space.
ÓÄ¤≈Õπ ∑œ∑Åƒπ ¥œœ∫≈›ÄÃ… ⁄¡ À◊¡∂∏Ç∂π ◊∑≈«É Ã…¤ÿ ƒÅ◊µ∏ÿ Õ…ÃÃ…ÉŒœ◊

∂π∫ÃÅ™, ⁄¡∏É ◊⁄¡ÕÅŒ ¥∂≈ƒÃœ÷ÇÃ… ÷…∏ÿ ◊ ∑◊œ£ πƒœ◊ÉÃÿ∑∏◊…≈ Œ¡ ƒÄfi≈ ⁄¡
«É∂œƒœÕ .
[Our neighbor-DAT promised for apartment-ACC all-GEN only nine-ACC millions-
GEN rubles-GEN, but in-exchange offered live in own pleasure-ACC at dacha-
LOC beyond city-INST.]
city-INST.]
They promised our neighbor only nine million rubles for his apar tment, but in return
they offered him a life of pleasure in a dacha outside of town .
˙¡ ◊œ∂É∏¡Õ… ÷ÅŒ›…Œπ
÷ÅŒ›…Œπ ◊á∏œÃÀŒπÃ… …⁄ Õ¡¤ÇŒŸ … ∑À∂áÃ…∑ÿ.
[Beyond gate-INST woman-ACC pushed-out from car-GEN and hid.]
On the other side of the gate they pushed the woman out of the car and hid.
The notion that ⁄¡ identifies a barrier between us and another item is capitalized on in the
Russian translation of ‘You can’t see the forest for the trees ’, ˙¡ ƒ≈∂Å◊ÿµÕ… Œ≈
Œ≈ ◊…ƒÄ∏ÿ ÃÅ∑¡
[Beyond trees-INST not see forest-GEN].
There are two spatial uses of ⁄¡ that are especially worth noting. One is ⁄¡ ∂πÃ£Õ [be-
[be-
hind wheel-INST] ‘behind the (steering) wheel ’, and the other is ⁄¡ ∑∏œÃÉÕ [behind
[behind table-
INST] ‘at the table (while eating a meal) .’
˛Ñ◊∑∏◊œ◊¡Ãœ∑ÿ, fi∏œ ⁄¡ ∂πÃ£Õ ∑…ƒÅÃ ∑π¥≈∂ÕÅŒ, ◊Ã¡ƒÅ¿›…™ Õ¡¤ÇŒœ™, À¡À

Àœ◊∫É™ Õπ∑∏ÄŒ«œÕ.
[Felt, that behind wheel-INST sat superman-NOM, commanding-NOM car-INST,
like cowboy-NOM mustang-INST.]
One got the feeling that there was a superman sitting behind the wheel who was
controlling the car like a cowboy controls a mustang.
˙¡ ∑∏œÃÉÕ ∑…ƒÇÕ
∑…ƒÇÕ ƒÉÃ«œ, ≈ƒÇÕ Œ≈ ∑¥≈¤Ä.
[Behind table-INST sit long, eat not hurrying.]
We sit for a long time at the table , eating without hurrying.
The ⁄¡ ∑∏œÃÉÕ construction
construction above motivates ⁄¡ œ∫ÅƒœÕ [behind
[behind lunch-INST] ‘during lunch ’,
where the spatial location is juxtaposed with a given time.
⁄¡ + INSTRUMEN- Just as we use ‘behind’ with the word ‘follow’, so do Russians associate
as sociate ⁄¡ + INSTRUMEN-
TAL: A LANDMARK TAL: A LANDMARK with following. The following examples demonstrate this use in physical
‘following after’.
movement through space, in sequential
sequen tial action along the dimension of time, and in the meta-
phorical domain of verification:
Ûœ∫ÄÀ… ∫≈«Ñ∏ ⁄¡ ⁄◊Å∂≈Õ .

[Dogs-NOM run following beast-INST.]
The dogs are running after the beast .
ÔŒ ÀÑ∂…∏ ∑…«¡∂Å∏π ⁄¡ ∑…«¡∂Å∏œ™ .

[He-NOM smokes cigarette-ACC following cigarette-INST.]
He smokes one cigarette after another .
·∫œŒ≈ÕÅŒ∏Œπ¿ ¥ÃÄ∏π ⁄¡ ¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡Œ…≈ ∏≈Ã≈∆ÉŒœÕ ◊ŒÉ∑µ∏ Œ≈ ¥œ⁄ƒŒÅ≈ ƒ≈∑Ö∏œ«œ

fi…∑ÃÄ ÕÅ∑µ√¡, ∑ÃÅƒπ¿›≈«œ ⁄¡ ÕÅ∑µ√≈Õ ¥∂≈ƒœ∑∏¡◊ÃÅŒ…µ
¥∂≈ƒœ∑∏¡◊ÃÅŒ…µ π∑ÃÑ«….
[Subscription fee-ACC for use-ACC telephone-INST enter not later tenth number-
GEN month-GEN, following-GEN behind month-INST rendering-GEN service-
GEN.]
They enter the subscription fee for telephone
telephon e use no later than the tenth of the month
following the month in which the service was rendered.
Û 1 µŒ◊¡∂Ö ◊œ ◊∑£Õ ∂≈«…ÉŒ≈ ◊◊Éƒ…∏∑µ ÷£∑∏À…™ ÀœŒ∏∂ÉÃÿ ⁄¡ ÀÄfi≈∑∏◊œÕ

¡ÃÀœ«ÉÃÿŒœ™ ¥∂œƒÑÀ√……, ≈£ ¥∂œ…⁄◊Éƒ∑∏◊œÕ , »∂¡ŒÅŒ…≈Õ , … ∂≈¡Ã…⁄Ä√…≈™ .
[From first-GEN January-GEN in all region-LOC is-introduced strict control-NOM
following quality-INST alcohol production-GEN, its manufacture-INST, storage-
INST, and sale-INST.]
Throughout the region beginning January 1, strict control is being introduce d on the
quality of alcohol production, its manufacture , storage , and sale .
In English ‘following’ is synonymous with ‘going after’ something, and we can ‘go after ’ ⁄¡ + INSTRUMEN-
something in order to get it; in Russian ⁄¡ + INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK can likewise be used TAL: A LANDMARK
‘fetch’.
to mean ‘fetch’:
Ú≈¤ÇÃ… ∑ƒÅÃ¡∏ÿ …Õ≈ŒÇŒ…Àπ ¥∂…Ö∏ŒŸ™ ∑¿∂¥∂Ç⁄ … ¥œÅ»¡Ã… ⁄¡ ƒÅ◊œfiÀ¡Õ… …

ƒœ¥œÃŒÇ∏≈ÃÿŒœ™ ◊á¥…◊Àœ™ .
[Decided make birthday-boy-DAT
birthday-boy-DAT pleasant surprise-ACC and rode fetch
fe tch girls-INST
and supplementary drink-INST.]
They decided to give the birthday boy a nice surprise and went to get some girls and
something more to drink .
Ò ⁄¡™ƒÑ ⁄¡ ∏œ∫É™ ◊ ◊ ¤ÀÉÃπ.

[I-NOM go-by fetch you-INST in school-ACC.]
I’ll come to pick you up at school.
INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK 3—Œ¡ƒ ‘above’

In the vertical plane, Œ¡ƒ locates an item ‘above’ another item. The use of this preposi- Œ¡ƒ + INSTRU-
tion in the doman of space is just what we would expect: MENTAL: A
LANDMARK
‘above’.
Ô⁄ÉŒœ◊¡µ ƒŸ∂Ä Œ¡ƒ ·Œ∏Ä∂À∏…Àœ™ ƒœ∑∏Ç«Ã¡
ƒœ∑∏Ç«Ã¡ ∂≈ÀÉ∂ƒŒŸ» ∂¡⁄ÕÅ∂œ◊.
[Ozone hole-NOM above Antarctica-INST reached record proportions-GEN.]
The ozone hole above Antarctica has reached record proportions.
˜ ŒÅ∫≈ Œ¡ƒ Ïœ∑-êŒƒ÷≈Ã≈∑œÕ ≈ƒ◊Ä

≈ƒ◊Ä Œ≈ ∑∏œÃÀŒÑÃ…∑ÿ ƒ◊¡ ∑¡ÕœÃ£∏¡.
∑ ¡ÕœÃ£∏¡.
[In sky-LOC above Los-Angeles-INST barely not collided two airplanes-NOM.]
Two airplanes almost collided in the sky above Los Angeles .
∂œ ∑≈Õÿâ ÁÄŒƒ… «œ◊œ∂Ö∏, fi∏œ Œ¡ƒ Œ≈™ «œ∂Ç∏

«œ∂Ç∏ Œ≈∑fi¡∑∏ÃÇ◊¡µ ⁄◊≈⁄ƒÄ.
[About family-ACC Gandhi say, that above it-INST burns unlucky star-NOM.]
They say about the Gandhi family that an unlucky star burns above it .
As with English ‘above’, Œ¡ƒ identifies a vantage point that has certain implications. It is a
location from which one can make observations:
Îœ∂∂≈∑¥œŒƒÅŒ∏ ¥œ¥∂œ∑ÇÃ ¥∂œ∆Å∑∑œ∂¡ Ï≈◊…Œ∑ÉŒ¡ ¥œƒ≈ÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ ∑◊œÇÕ…

Œ¡∫Ã¿ƒÅŒ…µÕ… Œ¡ƒ ¥œ◊≈ƒÅŒ…≈Õ «œ∂œƒ∑ÀÉ«œ
«œ∂œƒ∑ÀÉ«œ Œ¡∑≈ÃÅŒ…µ ◊ ∂Ä⁄ŒŸ≈ «ÉƒŸ, ‹¥É»…
… ∂≈÷ÇÕŸ.
[Correspondent-NOM
[Correspondent-NOM asked professor Levinson-ACC share own observations-INST
above behavior-INST city population-GEN in various years-ACC, epochs-ACC and
regimes-ACC.]
The correspondent asked Professor Levinson to share his observations of the behav-
ior of the city’s population in various years, epochs, and regimes.
Œ¡ƒ + INSTRU- In English we can ‘look down at someone’ from a higher vantage point of superiority; Rus-
MENTAL: A sian uses this idea to motivate the expression ∑Õ≈Ö∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡ƒ + INSTRUMENTAL : A LANDMARK
LANDMARK can
express derision. ‘laugh at’, as illustrated in this example:
ÛŒ¡fiÄÃ¡ Œ¡ƒ Œ…Õ ∑Õ≈ÖÃ…∑ÿ,

∑Õ≈ÖÃ…∑ÿ, ¥œ∏ÉÕ ∑∏ÄÃ… œ∏Õ≈fiÄ∏ÿ π∑¥Å»… ◊ …∑ÀÑ∑∑∏◊≈, ¡ ◊
ÀœŒ√Å ÀœŒ√É◊ ¥œ⁄◊ÉÃ…Ã… œ∏À∂á∏ÿ “‰œÕ »πƒÉ÷Œ…Àœ◊”.
[At-first above him-INST laughed, then started notice successes-ACC in art-LOC,
and in end-LOC ends-GEN allowed open “House-ACC artists-GEN”.]
At first they laughed at him, but then they started to notice his successes in art, and
finally they allowed him to open a “House of Artists.”
Œ¡ƒ + INSTRU- A position ‘above’ an item facilitates manipulation and control. Notice the parallels to
MENTAL: A vertical relationships in English translations of
o f ∂¡∫É∏¡∏ÿ Œ¡ƒ ‘work on’ and ÀœŒ∏∂ÉÃÿ Œ¡ƒ
LANDMARK can
express work ‘control over’ in these examples:
‘on’ and control
‘over’. ∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏ ¡À∏Ç◊Œœ ∂¡∫É∏¡≈∏ Œ¡ƒ ∆œ∂Õ…∂œ◊ÄŒ…≈Õ ∑∏∂πÀ∏Ñ∂Ÿ
∑∏∂πÀ∏Ñ∂Ÿ ¥∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊¡.
[President-NOM actively works above formation-INST structure-GEN government-
GEN.]
The president is actively working on the formation of the structure of the govern-
ment.
˜ ¡¥∂ÅÃ≈ ◊ Ìœ∑À◊Å ∑œ∑∏œÇ∏∑µ Ì≈÷ƒπŒ¡∂ÉƒŒ¡µ ÀœŒ∆≈∂ÅŒ√…µ ¥œ

∑œ∏∂ÑƒŒ…fi≈∑∏◊π ∑ Úœ∑∑Ç≈™ ◊ É∫Ã¡∑∏… ÀœŒ∏∂ÉÃµ Œ¡ƒ Œ¡∂ÀÉ∏…À¡Õ… .
[In April-LOC in Moscow-LOC takes-place International conference-NOM along
collaboration-DAT with Russia-INST in area-LOC control-GEN above narcotics-
INST.]
In April in Moscow there is an International Conference on Collaboration with Rus-
sia in the area of narcotics control.
Control over an item can likewise be wielded by legal or governmental authority, as in

the following two examples:
˜fi≈∂Ä ◊ ‰ÅÃ… Œ¡fi¡Ã∑Ö ∑πƒ Œ¡ƒ ∫á◊¤…Õ ¥∂≈Õÿ≈∂-Õ…ŒÇ∑∏∂œÕ

¥∂≈Õÿ≈∂-Õ…ŒÇ∑∏∂œÕ íŒƒ…….
íŒƒ…….
[Yesterday
[Yesterday in Delhi-LOC began legal-proceedings-NOM
legal-pr oceedings-NOM above former prime-min-
ister-INST India-GEN.]
Legal proceedings against the former prime minister of India began in Delhi ye
yester-
ster-
day.
ß¡ÃÿÕÉŒ∏ √ÅÃœ≈ ƒ≈∑µ∏…ÃÅ∏…≈ ∫≈⁄∂¡⁄ƒÅÃÿŒœ √¡∂ÇÃ Œ¡ƒ ∂Ñ∑∑Àœ™ ¥œÜ⁄…≈™ .

[Balmont-NOM whole decade-ACC indivisibly was-tsar above Russian poetry-
INST.]
For a whole decade, Balmont reigned over Russian poetry unchallenged.
INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK 4—¥œƒ ‘under

‘under’’
Opposing Œ¡ƒ in the vertical plane is ¥œƒ ‘under’. Once again we will look first at ¥œƒ + INSTRU-
examples of how this preposition indicates physical locations: MENTAL: A
LANDMARK
‘under’.
Ù…«∂ ¥œ«Ç∫ ¥œƒ ÀœÃ£∑¡Õ… Ã≈∑œ◊É⁄¡.
Ã≈∑œ◊É⁄¡.
[Tiger-NOM died under wheels-INST lumber-truck-GEN.]
The tiger died under the wheels of the lumber truck.
œ ŒÅÀœ∏œ∂ŸÕ ∑◊Åƒ≈Œ…µÕ, ¥œƒ œ∫ÃÉÕÀ¡Õ… ⁄ƒÄŒ…™ ⁄ƒÄŒ…™ ◊∑£ ≈›£ Œ¡»Éƒµ∏∑µ ÉÀœÃœ

ƒ◊¡ƒ√¡∏Ç ∑≈ÕÅ™.
[Along certain reports-DAT, under wreckage-INST buildings-GEN all still are-lo-
cated about twenty families-GEN.]
According to certain reports, there are still about twenty families under the wreck-
age of the buildings.
Because cities were traditionally built on hills and locations outside them were at lower
elevations, the preposition ¥œƒ with the name of a city indicates a position outside or on the
outskirts of town:
˛≈∏á∂≈ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ¡ ¥œ«Ç∫Ã… ◊ ∂≈⁄πÃÿ∏Ä∏≈ ¡◊…¡À¡∏¡∑∏∂É∆Ÿ, ¥∂œ…⁄¤Åƒ¤≈™ ◊fi≈∂Ä

¥œƒ ÙÑÃœ™ .
[Four people-NOM died in result-LOC aviation-catastrophe-GEN took-place-GEN
yesterday under
u nder Tula-INST.]
Tula-INST.]
Four people died as a result of the aviation catastrophe which took place outside of
Tula yesterday
yesterd ay..
Just as Œ¡ƒ gave us the perspective of control ‘over’, ¥œƒ can conversely describe being ¥œƒ + INSTRU-
‘under’ control: MENTAL: A
LANDMARK can
express
ÛœÃƒÄ∏Ÿ ¥œƒ ÀœÕÄŒƒœ◊¡Œ…≈Õ ¥œÃÀÉ◊Œ…À¡ œ◊Ã¡ƒÅÃ… ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…Õ π«œÃÀÉÕ subordination,
∂≈∑¥Ñ∫Ã…À… ·∫»Ä⁄……, Œ¡»œƒÇ◊¤…Õ∑µ ¥œƒ ÀœŒ∏∂ÉÃ≈Õ «∂π⁄ÇŒ∑À…» protection, and
both covert and
∆œ∂Õ…∂œ◊ÄŒ…™. overt identities.
[Soldiers-NOM under command-INST lieutenant-GEN took-possession last corner-
INST republic-GEN Abkhazia-GEN located-INST under control-INST Georgian
units-GEN.]
Soldiers under the command of the lieutenant took possession of the last corner of
the Republic of Abhxazia that was under the control of Georgian military units.
˜ Œ¡∑∏œÖ›≈≈ ◊∂ÅÕµ ∫¡ŒÀÇ∂ œ∑∏¡£∏∑µ ¥œƒ ƒœÕÄ¤Œ…Õ ¡∂Å∑∏œÕ .

[In present time-ACC banker-NOM remains under house arrest-INST.]
At the present time the banker remains under house arrest .
Being ‘under’ an item can have its benefits, since this location implies a relationship of
protection, as in these examples:
Ô∏ŒáŒ≈ Õπ⁄Å™ ∫Ñƒ≈∏ Œ¡»œƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ¥œƒ ¥œÀ∂œ◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œÕ ¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏¡.

¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏¡.
[From-henceforth museum-NOM will be-located under protection-INST president-
GEN.]
From henceforth the museum will be under the protection of the president.
˜á∑∏¡◊À¡ ¥∂œ»Éƒ…∏ ¥œƒ ¥¡∏∂œŒÄ÷≈Õ ¥Å∂◊œ«œ ◊…√≈-¥∂≈ÕÿÅ∂¡ ßœ∂Ç∑¡

Ó≈Õ√É◊¡.
[Exhibit-NOM takes-place under patronage-INST first vice-premier Boris Nemtsov-
GEN.]
The exhibit is taking place under the patronage of the first vice-premier Boris
Nemtsov.
One can also go ‘under’ cover by taking on a disguise:
Á∂π⁄ÇŒ∑À¡µ ∑∏œ∂œŒÄ ∑∑ŸÃÄ≈∏∑µ Œ¡ ◊œ⁄ÕÉ÷Œœ∑∏ÿ ¥≈∂≈ƒ◊…÷ÅŒ…µ ¥œƒ ◊ÇƒœÕ

◊œ≈ŒŒœ∑ÃÑ÷¡›…» ŒÅÀ…» ∫¡ŒƒÇ∏∑À…» «∂Ñ¥¥.
[Georgian side-NOM cites on possibility-ACC travel-GEN under guise-INST ser-
vicemen-GEN certain bandit groups-GEN.]
The Georgian side cites the possibility that some groups of bandits are traveling
under the guise of military servicemen.
More innocently ¥œƒ can indicate the name given to buildings, organizations,
organizations, and events,
as in this example:
˜fi≈∂Ä ◊ ß≈∂ÃÇŒ≈ œ∏À∂áÃ∑µ ∆≈∑∏…◊ÄÃÿ ¥œƒ Œ¡⁄◊ÄŒ…≈Õ “˜œÃ¤Å∫ŒŸ™

“˜œÃ¤Å∫ŒŸ™ Ã≈∑”.
[Yesterday
[Yesterday in Berlin-LOC opened festival-NOM under title-INST “Magical forest”-
NOM.]
A festival entitled “Magical Forest” opened yesterday in Berlin.
INSTRUMENTAL: A LANDMARK 5—ÕÅ÷ƒπ ‘between, among’

ÕÅ÷ƒπ + The preposition ÕÅ÷ƒπ ‘between, among’ is used in spatial and metaphorical domains
INSTRUMENTAL: A in ways very similar to its English counterparts. Here are a few examples:
LANDMARK
‘between’.
œ ∆≈ƒ≈∂ÄÃÿŒŸÕ ¡◊…¡√…ÉŒŒŸÕ ¥∂Ä◊…Ã¡Õ, ∂¡∑∑∏œÖŒ…≈ ÕÅ÷ƒπ Ã≈∏Ä∏≈ÃÿŒŸÕ…
œ∫flÅÀ∏¡Õ… ƒœÃ÷ŒÉ
ƒœÃ÷ŒÉ ∑œ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ Œ≈ ÕÅŒ≈≈ 6,5 ÀÕ.
[Along federal aviation rules-D·Ù, distance-NOM between flying objects-INST
must be not less 6.5 km-GEN.]
According to federal aviation rules, the distance between flying objects must not be
less than 6.5 km.
ñÀ∑¥œ∂∏Œœ-ÇÕ¥œ∂∏ŒŸ™ ∫¡ŒÀ Ò¥ÉŒ…… ◊áƒ≈Ã…Ã 200 Õ…ÃÃ…ÉŒœ◊ ƒÉÃÃ¡∂œ◊ ƒÃµ

∑œ⁄ƒÄŒ…µ Õ…À∂œ◊œÃŒÉ◊œ™ ∏≈Ã≈∆ÉŒŒœ™ ∑◊Ö⁄… ÕÅ÷ƒπ Ìœ∑À◊É™ … … Ë¡∫Ä∂œ◊∑ÀœÕ .
[Export-import bank-NOM Japan-GEN allocated 200-ACC million-GEN dollars-
Epilogue 51
GEN for creation-GEN microwave telephone link-GEN between Moscow-INST

and Khabarovsk-INST
Khabarovsk -INST.].]
The export-import bank of Japan allocated 200 million dollars to create a micro-
wave telephone link between Moscow and Khabarovsk .
Á≈∂ÕÄŒ∑À…™ ∫πŒƒ≈∑∏Ä« ∂¡∏…∆…√Ç∂œ◊¡Ã ◊fi≈∂Ä ∑œ«Ã¡¤ÅŒ…≈ œ ¥¡∂∏Œ£∂∑∏◊≈ …

∑œ∏∂ÑƒŒ…fi≈∑∏◊≈ ÕÅ÷ƒπ Â◊∂œ¥Å™∑À…Õ ∑œâ⁄œÕ … … Úœ∑∑Ç≈™ .
[German Bundestag-NOM ratified yesterday agreement-ACC about partnership-
LOC and collaboration-LOC between European Union-INST and Russia-INST.]
Yesterday the German Bundestag ratified an agreement on partnership and collabo-
ration between the European Union and Russia .
This last example demonstrates both an idiomatic usage, ÕÅ÷ƒπ ∏≈Õ [between

[between that-
INST] ‘meanwhile’, and the ‘among’ meaning
mean ing that is present when the preposition refers to
more than two items:
ÌÅ÷ƒπ ∏≈ Õ , ∂¡∑¥∂≈ƒ≈ÃÅŒ…≈ œ∫Ö⁄¡ŒŒœ∑∏≈™ ÕÅ÷ƒπ ⁄¡Õ≈∑∏Ç∏≈ÃµÕ…

∂πÀœ◊œƒÇ∏≈Ãµ ¡¥¥¡∂Ä∏¡ ¥∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊¡ ≈›£ Œ≈ ⁄¡◊≈∂¤ÇÃœ∑ÿ.
[Between that-INST, assignment-NOM responsibilities-GEN among deputies-INST
leader-GEN apparatus-GEN government-GEN still not completed.]
Meanwhile the assignment of responsibilities among the deputy leaders of the or-
gans of government has not yet been completed.
EPILOGUE
The meaning of the word instrumental is transparent to us, and it’s a good name for this
case because Russians use it not only for instruments, but for a variety of items that are
instrumental to whatever a sentence describes: a path for motion, a way to do something, a
time to do it, the agent or cause of an event, the category something falls in, a companion or
opponent, a landmark for locating something. As promised in the Preliminaries, we have
seen that time is understood as a kind of metaphorical space, and so are many other abstract
domains. WeWe will explore similar extensions of our experience
exper ience from physical space to other
realms in all the remaining chapters. This survey of the instrumental case has also given us
a peek into the conceptual world of Russian. It is a world where life is a journey, where
power is wielded by manipulating those who are subject to it, where possession is a special
type of control, where enjoyment and disdain are special types of possession, where disas-
ter can have a means without having a cause, where obligations are something people stand
in front of, where power is up and submission is down. Most of these ideas are familiar
from the conceptual structure of English; even the ideas that strike us as foreign make s ense
in the overall structure of the instrumental case, because even though the instrumental is
quite complex, all the parts fit together to make a coherent
coh erent whole. Understanding the whole
helps you orient to the individual meanings of the instrumental because you have a struc-
ture to relate those meanings to. Even if you don’t memorize all the meanings r ight off, you
will now have a “feel” for the instrumental, and you’ll be surprised how well your new-
found intuitions will serve you.
52 The Accusative Case
ACCUSATIVE
ACCUSATIVE Forms

nouns ÀÉÕŒ¡∏π ÀÉÕŒ¡∏Ÿ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ Œ≈ƒÅÃ…
= GEN if animate = GEN if animate
-ÿ: °talent¢
singular plural
∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏ÿ ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏…
nouns ƒ◊œ∂ ƒ◊œ∂á «◊œ⁄ƒÿ «◊É⁄ƒ…
= GEN
GEN if ani
animate
mate = GENGEN if ani
anima
matte = GE
GEN ifif an
animat
imatee = GE
GEN ifif an
animat
imatee
nouns ∏ÅÃœ ∏≈ÃÄ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…≈ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µ
¥Å∂◊π¿ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ™ ¥Å∂◊œ≈ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ≈
soft type: °last¢
¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ¿¿ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈≈ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…≈
Õ≈ŒÖ Œ¡∑ ∏≈∫Ö ◊¡∑
(Œ)≈£ (Œ)≈«É (Œ)≈«É (Œ)Ç»
Àœ«É fi∏œ ∑≈∫Ö
°this¢
Ü∏π Ü∏œ∏ Ü∏œ Ü∏…
Ü∏œ«œ if
if animate Ü∏…» if animate
°all, every¢
◊∑¿ ◊e∑ÿ ◊∑£ ◊∑≈
◊∑≈«É if
if animate ◊∑ ≈» if animate
°my¢
Õœâ Õœ™ Õœ£ ÕœÇ
Õœ≈«É if
if animate Õœ Ç» if animate
°our¢
ŒÄ¤π Œ¡ ¤ ŒÄ¤≈ ŒÄ¤…
ŒÄ¤≈«œ if
if animate ŒÄ¤…» if animate
Numerals °one¢
œƒŒÑ œƒÇŒ œƒŒÉ œƒŒÇ
œƒŒœ«É if if animate œƒŒÇ» if animate
ƒ◊≈ /ƒ◊¡ ∏∂… fi≈∏á∂≈ ¥µ∏ÿ
ƒ◊π» if
if animate ∏∂£» if
i f animate fi≈∏Ÿ∂£» if animate
Prologue 53
ACCUSATIVE: A A DESTINATION
The accusative network:
A DESTINATION
A DIMENSION
AN ENDPOINT
PROLOGUE
An apt subtitle for this chapter would be “Toward, down, and at the bottom of a slippery An overview of
slope.” The accusative case can do all three things: it can take you to a place (toward a the accusative
case.
slippery slope = ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION), it can take you along a place (down a slippery
slope = ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION), and it can take you to the end of a place (to the bottom of
a slippery slope = ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT). Just as running up to, sliding down, and getting
to the bottom of a slippery slope can be all folded into one continuous action, the three
meanings of the accusative are really all parts of a continuum without precise boundaries
between them. And the accusative is itself a slippery slope.
Above all else, the accusative describes a destination, and this is equally true for all of
its meanings. The relations between the three meanings of the accusative are noticeably
different from those that we see in the other cases with multiple meanings (the nominative,
instrumental, dative, and genitive). Rather than being relatively discrete and independent
(but related), the meanings of the accusative are like the nesting parts of a Õ¡∏∂£¤À¡ doll.
The basic meaning of ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION is the biggest, least specific meaning; it The meanings of
does not analyze its object in any way2. An item marked by ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION is just the accusative
case are
a destination, its structure is of no particular interest. ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION, however, increasingly
focuses on a destination extended through time, space, or some other dimension. ACCUSA- specific,
TIVE: AN ENDPOINT takes this concept even further, focusing specifically on the endpoint of a identifying
identifying first a
destination in
destination extended through some dimension; you might think of it as a destination (end- general, then
point) within a destination. Overall, you can visualize the accusative meanings as a mega- extension along a
phone or a telescope, with ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION at the wide end, ACCUSATIVE: AN END- dimension, and
then an endpoint.
POINT at the narrow end, and ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION in between. The accusative operates on
a scale from general to specific, and the boundaries between submeanings are rather dif-
fuse.
The distribution Another hallmark of the accusative case is the way it deploys prepositions. With all
of prepositions other cases, each preposition is associated with only one submeaning. Not so the accusa-
among the
meanings of the tive. It is not uncommon for prepositions to use two or even all three meanings of the
accusative case. accusative. This table will give you some idea of how versatile prepositions are in the accu-
sative case, and the individual uses of each will be discussed below.
Distribution of prepositions among the meanings of the accusative case
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION ACCUSATIVE:: A DIMENSION ACCUSATIVE:: AN ENDPOINT
◊ ‘to, in, into; on, at; for’ ◊ ‘in, during; like’ ◊ ‘in, at; at the end of ’
Œ¡ ‘to, on, onto; on, at; for’ Œ¡ ‘for, lasting; to’
⁄¡ ‘behind; for’ ⁄¡ ‘during’ ⁄¡ ‘away; by the end of ’
œ ‘against’ œ ‘with’
¥œ ‘up to; after, to get’ ¥œ ‘through; each’
¥œƒ ‘u‘under, toward; for use as
as’ ¥œƒ ‘l‘like; to the tune of’
¥∂œ ‘for’ ¥∂œ ‘about’
∑ ‘approximately’
∑À◊œ⁄ÿ ‘through’
fiÅ∂≈⁄ ‘through’ fiÅ∂≈⁄ ‘across, after; in, at the end of ’
We often spend so much time learning the prepositions in Russian that we neglect the fact
that it also has postpositions. Just as a preposition is a word that comes be fore other words,
a postposition is a word that comes after other words. All the postpositions associated with
the accusative case are used to express time with ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT, and appear in the
last section of this chapter.
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 1—◊ ‘in, into’

ACCUSATIVE : A ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION operates in four domains:
DESTINATION with space, time, action, and purpose. In the spatial domain AC-
space, time,
action, and CUSATIVE: A DESTINATION is ¡ destination of physical motion;
purpose. in terms of time it is a temporal destination, a time when
something happens; in the domain of action it is the desti-
A
nation of a verbal activity — what we usually call the directdire ct
object; and in the domain of purpose its meaning is roughly
rough ly
equivalent to the English word for . A force (arrow) arrives at an
ACCUSATIVE : A In the domain of space, ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION al- ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION
DESTINATION in ways requires a preposition to tell us what sort of trajectory (circle labeled A)
the domain of
space is explored is envisioned. The prepositions that can appear here are: ◊ ‘to, into’, Œ¡ ‘to, onto’, ⁄¡ ‘to the
in sections 1-6. far/back side of ’, œ ‘against’, ¥œ ‘up to; after, to get’, ¥œƒ ‘to the underside of, approaching’,
◊ + ACCUSATIVE : A and ¥∂œ ‘for’. We will look at each preposition, including its metaphorical uses, in turn.
DESTINATION in Physical movement through space in the direction of or entering something is the most
the domain of basic use of ◊ expressing ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION.
space means ‘in,
into’.
Accusative: a destination 1 55
Ï…¤ÿ 7 ¥∂œ√ÅŒ∏œ◊ Ã¿ƒÅ™ ◊á∂¡⁄…Ã… ÷≈ÃÄŒ…≈ ◊á≈»¡∏ÿ ◊á ≈»¡∏ÿ ◊ ƒ∂π«Ç≈ Õ≈∑∏Ä .

[Only 7-NOM percent-GEN people-GEN expressed desire-ACC move to other
places-ACC.]
Only 7 percent of the people expressed a desire to move to other places .
ñ∏¡ ƒÅ◊π¤À¡ ∂ÄŒÿ¤≈ πfiÇÃ¡∑ÿ ◊ …» ÀÃÄ∑∑≈, ¡ ¥œ∏ÉÕ ¥≈∂≈¤ÃÄ ◊ ƒ∂π«Ñ¿ ¤ÀÉÃπ .

[That girl-NOM earlier studied in their class-LOC, but later transferred to another
school-ACC.]
That girl used to study in their class, but later she transferred to another school .
ÌÄÕ¡ ¥œ¥ÄÃ¡ ◊ ∑πÕ¡∑¤Åƒ¤…™ ƒÉÕ .

[Mama-NOM wound-up in lunatic asylum-ACC.]
Mama wound up in a lunatic asylum .
The last example shows that Russian will often express the idea of moving toward a desti- ◊ + ACCUSATIVE : A
nation even when the equivalent English doesn’t. Here’s another typical example: DESTINATION with
motion in
Russian,
Ò ∂¡⁄ƒÅÃ¡∑ÿ … Ã≈«ÃÄ ◊ ¥œ∑∏ÅÃÿ . conceived of as
[I-NOM got-undressed and lay-down in bed-ACC.] location in
English.
I got undressed and lay down in bed .
Many kinds of motion, large and small, may be conceived of as showing direction. Here are
some examples that you might not expect to use the accusative, given the way we think of
them in English. Still, they do show directed motion, and thus the logic of using ACCUSATIVE:
A DESTINATION is justified.
πƒÄ∂ ◊ «∂πƒÿ , ∑∏πfiÄ∏ÿ ◊ ƒ◊≈∂ÿ

[blow-NOM to chest-ACC, knock to door-ACC]
a blow to the chest , to knock on a door
Ò À¡À ∑πÕ¡∑¤Åƒ¤…™ ⁄¡»ÃÉ¥¡Ã ◊ Ã¡ƒÉ¤… .

[I-NOM like crazy-person-NOM began-clapping to palms-ACC.]
I started clapping my hands like a crazy person.
Of course, in addition to moving oneself, one can also move other objects to accusative
destinations, as in the following example:
˜¡Œ Áœ« œ∏∂Å⁄¡Ã ∑≈∫Å Ñ»œ … œ∏ƒÄÃ ◊ ∫œ∂ƒÅÃÿ .

[Van
[Van Gogh-NOM cut-off self-DAT
self-DAT ear-ACC and sent to brothel-ACC.]
Van Gogh cut off his ear and sent it to the brothel .
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION is also used when the motion is more imaginary than actual, as in ◊ + ACCUSATIVE : A
the following to examples: DESTINATION with
metaphorical
motion.
˜ Ò¥ÉŒ…… ◊∑£ fiÄ›≈ ⁄◊πfiÇ∏ ÃÉ⁄πŒ«: Ô∏∫∂É∑…Õ Â◊∂É¥π, ◊≈∂Œ£Õ∑µ ◊ ê⁄…¿ .

[In Japan-LOC all more-frequently sounds slogan-NOM: Cast-away Europe-ACC,
return to Asia-ACC.]
In Japan one more and more frequently hears the slogan: Let’s cast off Europe and
return to Asia .
ñ∏œ ƒœÃ÷ŒÉ ∑Œµ∏ÿ œ∑Œœ◊ŒÉ≈ ¥∂≈¥Ö∏∑∏◊…≈ Œ¡ ¥π∏Ç ⁄Ä¥¡ƒŒŸ» …Œ◊≈∑∏Ç√…™ ◊

ŒÄ¤π ‹ÀœŒÉÕ…Àπ .
[This-NOM should remove primary barrier-ACC on path-LOC western investments-
GEN to our economy-ACC.]
This should remove the primary barrier on the path leading western investments
into our economy .
Vision is conceived of as moving along a path from the eyes to what they perceive. We
therefore look at something using ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION.
ÔŒ ≈™ ¥œ∑Õœ∏∂ÅÃ ◊ «Ã¡⁄Ä .
[He-NOM her-DAT
her-DAT looked into eyes-ACC.]
He looked into her eyes .
Just as light travels, so do sound

so und and telephone signals, motivating the use of the accusative
with verbs like ⁄◊œŒÇ∏ÿ ‘call’:
ÔŒ ⁄◊œŒÇÃ ◊ ∂¡⁄ÃÇfiŒŸ≈ œ∂«¡Œ…⁄Ä√…… .

[He-NOM called to various organizations-ACC.]
He called various organizations .
Idiomatic uses of There are also some idiomatic uses of ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION; here are some common
◊ + ACCUSATIVE : examples:
A DESTINATION .
ñ∏œ ◊ ¥Å∂◊π¿ Éfi≈∂≈ƒÿ ¥∂œ∫ÃÅÕ¡

¥∂œ∫ÃÅÕ¡ ¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏¡.
[This-NOM in first line-ACC problem-NOM president-GEN.]
In the first place this is the president’s problem.
ñ∏œ ÕÉ÷≈∏ π∑ÇÃ…∏ÿ À∂Ç∏…Àπ ◊ Äƒ∂≈∑ ¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏¡.

¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏¡.
[This-NOM can intensify criticism-ACC in address-ACC president-GEN.]
This can intensify the criticism directed toward the president.
‰◊¡ «Éƒ¡ Œ¡⁄Äƒ µ ¥œ∑≈∏ÇÃ Ü∏œ∏ «É∂œƒ … ∫πÀ◊ÄÃÿŒœ ◊Ã¿∫ÇÃ∑µ ◊ Œ≈«É .

[Two years-ACC ago I-NOM visited that city-ACC and literally fell-in-love to it-
ACC.]
Two years ago I visited that city and literally fell in love with it .
◊ + ACCUSATIVE :
A DESTINATION
expresses Sometimes movement can also cause a change in the object itself, as in hair, which via
changes of state. movement goes from a free state to one in which it forms a braid:
ı Å∏… ∫áÃ… ƒÃÇŒŒŸ≈ ∫ÅÃŸ≈ ◊ÉÃœ∑Ÿ, Àœ∏É∂Ÿ≈ œŒ ⁄¡¥Ã≈∏ÄÃ ∑⁄Äƒ… ◊ ÀÉ∑π .

[By Petya-GEN were long white hairs-NOM, which-ACC he-NOM wove in-back
to braid-ACC.]
Petya had long white hair which he wove into a braid in back.
This sort of movement as a transformation inspires a metaphorical usage of ACCUSATIVE: A

DESTINATION in which objects move from one state of existence to another, as in the follow-
ing three examples:
ÈŒœ«ƒÄ Ã¿∫É◊ÿ ¥≈∂≈»Éƒ…∏ ◊ ŒÅŒ¡◊…∑∏ÿ .

[Sometimes love-NOM passes to hatred-ACC.]
Sometimes love turns into hatred .
Ú≈ƒÄÀ∏œ∂ ¥≈∂≈…Õ≈Œœ◊ÄÃ ∑◊œ£ …⁄ƒÄ∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ ◊ “Ó≈◊Çƒ…Õπ¿ ÀŒÇ«π” .

[Editor-NOM renamed his publishing-house-ACC to “Invisible book”-ACC.]
The editor renamed his publishing house “The Invisible Book.”
Û ¥ÉÕœ›ÿ¿ ∑◊≈∏œ◊á» ‹∆∆ÅÀ∏œ◊ ⁄ƒÄŒ…≈ ÌÁı ¥∂≈◊∂¡∏ÇÃœ∑ÿ ◊ ∫Ä¤Œ¿ Î∂≈ÕÃÖ. Î∂≈ÕÃÖ.

[With help-INST light effects-GEN building-NOM MGU-GEN turned to tower-
ACC Kremlin-GEN.]
With the help of light effects the MGU building turned into a tower of the Kremlin.
In the abstract domain of mathematics, a “destination” is a factor involved in multiplica- ◊ + ACCUSATIVE : A

tion, motivating this common use of ◊ + ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION: DESTINATION
expresses
multiplication.
˙¡ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…≈ ¥µ∏ÿ Ã≈∏ ¥∂≈∑∏Ñ¥Œœ∑∏ÿ π◊≈ÃÇfi…Ã¡∑ÿ ¥œfi∏Ç ◊ fi≈∏á∂≈ ∂Ä⁄¡ .
[In past five-ACC years-GEN crime-rate-NOM
crime-rate-NOM increased nearly in four times-ACC.]
In the past five years the crime rate has nearly quadrupled .
There is one use of the preposition ◊ with ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION that refers exclusively ◊ + ACCUSATIVE : A
to people who are taking on an identity or joining a group. The most common example is DESTINATION
expresses joining
…ƒ∏Ç/Å»¡∏ÿ ◊ «É∑∏… [go [go to guests-ACC] ‘go on a visit ’ (where the subject takes on the a group — note
identity of a guest); but you will encounter other examples like ◊áƒ◊…Œπ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ∂πÀœ◊œƒÇ∏
∂πÀœ◊œƒÇ∏≈Ã…
≈Ã… that animates are
[be-promoted to managers-ACC] ‘be promoted to manager ’, and …«∂Ä∏ÿ ◊ ÀÉ¤À…-Õá¤À… not marked with
the genitive-
[play to cats-mice-ACC] ‘play cat-and-mouse ’. What is very strange about this use of the accusative form.
accusative is that even though the items marked with the accusative tend to be plural and
animate, there is no use of the genitive-accusative. That is because this use of ACCUSATIVE: A
DESTINATION is a historical throw-back — it dates from a time before the genitive-accusative
spread to the plural, back when all plural accusatives looked like the inanimate accusa tives
of today. So that is why you see «É∑∏… instead of «œ∑∏Å™, ∂πÀœ◊œƒÇ∏≈Ã… instead of
∂πÀœ◊œƒÇ∏≈Ã≈™, and ÀÉ¤À…-Õá¤À… instead of ÀÉ¤≈À-Õá¤≈À. Here is a contextualized
example:
ÏÉ∂¡ ¥œ∑∏π¥ÇÃ¡ ◊ πfi≈ŒÇ√Ÿ À À Õ¡Œ…Àâ∂¤≈.

[Lora-NOM entered
entere d to apprentices-ACC to manicurist-DAT
manicurist-DAT.]
Lora joined (became one of) the manicurist’s apprentices .
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 2—Œ¡ ‘to, on, onto’

Œ¡ + ACCUSATIVE : The behavior of Œ¡ is very similar to that of ◊. The only difference is that ◊ can imply
A DESTINATION in entering the accusative object, whereas Œ¡ treats it like a two-dimensional surface. See the
the domain of
space means ‘to, chapter on the locative case for a list of common “Œ¡ words”, including ones we wouldn’t
on, onto’. think of as surfaces in English. Like ◊, Œ¡ is often used to describe
desc ribe the destination to which
objects move or are moved:
ÌÄÃ≈ŒÿÀ¡µ ⁄Õ≈Ö ◊Ã≈⁄ÄÃ¡ Œ¡ «œ∂Öfi…™ ÀÄÕ≈Œÿ … … ¥œƒŒ…ÕÄÃ¡ «ÉÃœ◊π.

[Small snake-NOM crawled-up on hot stone-ACC and lifted head-ACC.]
The small snake crawled up on the hot stone and lifted its head.
Ò ¥∂…fi£∑Ÿ◊¡¿∑ÿ, ¥œÃœ÷Ç◊ ¤¥ÇÃÿÀ… Œ¡ πÕŸ◊ÄÃÿŒ…À ¥œƒ ¥œƒ ⁄Å∂À¡ÃœÕ.

[I-NOM brush-hair, having-laid hairpins-ACC on sink-ACC under mirror-INST.]
I brush my hair, having laid the hairpins on the sink under
under the mirror.
ÔŒ π∑ÅÃ∑µ Œ¡ ∑É∫∑∏◊≈ŒŒŸ≈ œfiÀÇ .

[He-NOM sat-down on own glasses-ACC.]
He sat down on his own glasses .
Œ¡ + ACCUSATIVE : Sometimes the motion involved is more imaginary than real:

A DESTINATION
with metaphori-
cal motion. ÛÃÇ¤ÀœÕ ∂ÄŒœ œ∏¥∂¡◊ÃÖ≈∏ œŒ Úœ∑∑Ç¿ Œ¡ ƒŒœ Õœ∂∑ÀÉ≈ !
[Too early sends he-NOM Russia-ACC to bottom sea-ACC!]
It’s too early for him to be sending Russia to the bottom of the sea !
As we saw above, vision is understood as directed motion, motivating the use of Œ¡ with
things that can be looked upon or at:
Ò ∑Õœ∏∂â Œ¡ ≈£ ÃÇfi…Àœ, «ÃÄƒ≈ŒÿÀœ≈ … … œ◊ÄÃÿŒœ≈ , À¡À µÇfiÀœ.

[I-NOM look on her face-ACC, smooth and oval-ACC, like an egg-NOM.]
I look at her face, smooth and oval like an egg.
The fact that there is a direction indicated, even if there is no actual motion, is often suffi-
cient to trigger the ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION meaning:
∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏ ¥∂œ◊Éƒ…∏ ¥œÃÇ∏…Àπ, Œ¡¥∂Ä◊Ã≈ŒŒπ¿ Œ¡ ¥œƒƒ≈∂÷ÄŒ…≈ ∏Å∑ŒŸ» ∏Å∑ŒŸ» ∑◊Ö⁄≈™

∑ Î…∏Ä≈Õ.
[President-NOM conduct policy-ACC, directed-ACC on support-ACC close ties-
GEN with China-INST.]
China-INST.]
The president is setting policy aimed at supporting close ties with China.
Idiomatic uses of This idea of energy rather than actual objects moving toward a destination inspires further
Œ¡ + ACCUSATIVE : uses of Œ¡, which function to some degree as fixed phrases. Here are a few typical ex-
A DESTINATION.
amples:
ÁÉ∂ÿÀ…™ Œ…Àœ«ƒÄ Œ≈ ¥∂≈∏≈Œƒœ◊ÄÃ Œ¡ ∂œÃÿ “◊≈∂»É◊Œœ«œ

“◊≈∂»É◊Œœ«œ ∑πƒÿÇ” Ã…∏≈∂¡∏Ñ∂Ÿ.
[Gorky-NOM never not aspired/claimed on role-ACC “supreme judge”-GEN lit-
erature-GEN.]
Gorky never claimed to be the “supreme judge” of literature.
˜≈∂œÖ∏Œœ, ◊≈ÃÇÀ…≈ Ãâƒ… …ÕÅ¿∏ ¥∂Ä◊œ Œ¡ œ∑É∫Ÿ≈ ¥∂…∑∏∂Ä∑∏…µ …

¥∂≈ƒ¥œfi∏ÅŒ…µ .
[Probably great people-NOM have right-ACC on peculiar passions-ACC and pref-
erences-ACC.]
Great people probably have a right to their peculiar passions and preferences .
˜ œ∏◊Å∏ Œ¡ ¥∂≈ƒÃœ÷ÅŒ…≈ ÁÉ∂ÿÀœ«œ
ÁÉ∂ÿÀœ«œ ¥∂…Å»¡∏ÿ „◊≈∏Ä≈◊¡ Œ¡¥…∑ÄÃ¡ ≈ÕÑ ◊∏œ∂É≈
¥…∑ÿÕÉ.
[In answer-ACC on suggestion-ACC
suggestion- ACC Gorky-GEN come T Tsvetaeva-
svetaeva-NOM
NOM wrote him-
DAT second letter-ACC.]
In answer to Gorky’s suggestion to come, Tsvetaeva wrote him a second letter.
letter.
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 3—⁄¡ ‘beyond, behind’

The preposition ⁄¡ takes an object beyond or behind its destination; this is clearly ex- ⁄¡ + ACCUSATIVE :
pressed in concrete examples: A DESTINATION in
the domain of
space means
˜≈fi≈∂ÅÃœ … ∑ÉÃŒ√≈ ⁄¡ÀÄ∏Ÿ◊¡Ãœ∑ÿ ⁄¡ «œ∂…⁄ÉŒ∏ . ‘behind, to the
[Night-fell and sun-NOM rolled-away behind horizon-ACC.] far/back side of’.
Night was falling and the sun was rolling away behind the horizon .
Ï£∏fi…À ∑»◊¡∏ÇÃ ≈«É, ⁄¡◊£Ã ≈ÕÑ ∂ÑÀπ ⁄Ä ∑¥…Œπ , ¥œ◊¡ÃÇÃ Œ¡ ⁄ÅÕÃ¿, ¡ ∑¡Õ ∑≈Ã
∑◊Å∂»π.
[Pilot-NOM grabbed him-ACC, put him-DAT arm-ACC behind back-ACC, threw-
down on ground-ACC, and self-NOM sat on-top.]
The pilot grabbed him, put his arm behind
b ehind his back , threw him to the ground and sat
s at
on top of him.
Sitting down is of course also a movement toward a destination, and there are important Idiomatic uses of
idioms associated with this idea, such as: ∑≈∑∏ÿ ⁄¡ ∑∏œÃ [sit-down
[sit-down behind table-ACC] ‘sit ⁄¡ + ACCUSATIVE :
A DESTINATION.
down at the table ’ and ∑≈∑∏ÿ ⁄¡ ∂πÃÿ [sit-down
[sit-down behind steering-wheel-ACC] ‘take the wheel ’.
The first one seems odd because in English we talk about being at , not behind , tables. The
insistence on mentioning sitting when assuming control of a car will likewise strike us as
odd, though the logic behind it is clear. Less clear is the idiomatic use of ⁄¡ to express
marriage for women; a man “marries on” a woman at the altar (using the construction
÷≈ŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡ — see the chapter on the locative case),
case) , but a woman “goes behind” her man
(since this book is about grammar, let’s leave the explanation to the cultural historians):
Ù£∏µ í∂¡ ◊á¤Ã¡ ⁄ÄÕπ÷ ⁄¡ ¡Õ≈∂…ÀÄŒ√¡ .

[Aunt Ira-NOM went-out married behind American-ACC.]
Aunt Ira got married to an American .
Another common idiomatic use is ⁄¡ «∂¡ŒÇ√π [behind

[behind border-ACC] ‘abroad ’, as in this
example:
Â›£ Àœ«ƒÄ µ ◊ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ™ ∂¡⁄ ¥œÅ»¡Ã¡ ∑œ ∑◊œÇÕ… ∆ÇÃÿÕ¡Õ… ⁄¡ «∂¡ŒÇ√π , ∫ŸÃÄ

¥œ∂¡÷≈ŒÄ Œ≈¡ƒ≈À◊Ä∏Œœ∑∏ÿ¿ ◊œ∑¥∂…Ö∏…µ ⁄¡∂π∫Å÷Œœ™ ¡πƒ…∏É∂…≈™.
[Still when I-NOM in first time-ACC rode with own films-INST behind border-
ACC, was shocked-NOM inadequacy-INST perception-GEN foreign audience-
INST.]
Even the first time I went abroad with my films, I was shocked at the inadequate
reception of foreign audiences.
⁄¡ + ACCUSATIVE : When one object goes behind another it can get caught there or use
us e that position to restrain
A DESTINATION the other object (remember the pilot in the example above). You will often see ⁄¡ plus
expresses
grabbing or ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION used to mean grabbing or holding. Common examples involve
holding. hands, as in ◊⁄Ö∏ÿ∑µ ⁄Ä ∂πÀπ [take
[take behind hand-ACC] ‘join hands ’ and ◊≈∑∏Ç ⁄Ä ∂πÀπ [lead
[lead
behind hand-ACC] ‘lead by the hand ’,’, but grabbing and holding can be invoked
invok ed in a variety
of situations, as illustrated in the following two examples:
ÔŒ ¥œƒœ¤£Ã À Õ¡¤ÇŒ≈, ◊⁄µÃ ⁄¡ ⁄ÄƒŒ…™ ∫ÄÕ¥≈∂ , œ∏œ∂◊ÄÃ ⁄ÄƒŒ…≈ ÀœÃ£∑¡ œ∏

⁄≈ÕÃÇ, ¥œ∏ÉÕ ¥œ∑∏Ä◊…Ã … π¤£Ã.
[He-NOM approached to car-DAT
car-DAT, took behind back bumper-ACC, tore-away back
wheels-ACC from ground-GEN, then placed and left.]
He walked up to the car, took it by the back bumper , tore the back wheels off the
ground, then put it down and walked away.
œÃ…√Å™∑À…≈ À∂Å¥Àœ ƒ≈∂÷ÄÃ… ≈«É ⁄¡ ¥ÃÅfi… .

[Policemen-NOM firmly held him-ACC behind shoulders-ACC.]
The policemen held him firmly by the shoulders .
⁄¡ + ACCUSATIVE : Placing one thing behind another can also be the first step in replacing or exchanging items;
A DESTINATION the most common transaction of this kind is the receipt of goods or services in exchange for
expresses
replacing or money (here the use of ⁄¡ is very similar to its use meaning ‘for’ in the domain of purpose):
exchanging.
·Œ«Ã…fiÄŒ≈ ¥∂…œ∫∂≈ÃÇ ƒÉfiÀπ ⁄¡ ÕÇ⁄≈∂Œπ¿ ¥ÃÄ∏π π π 17-ÃÅ∏Œ≈™ √Ÿ«ÄŒÀ….
[English-people-NOM obtained daughter-ACC for wretched sum-ACC by 17-year-
old gypsy-GEN.]
The English [couple] obtained a daughter from a 17-year-old
17-y ear-old gypsy girl for a wretched
sum.
⁄¡ + ACCUSATIVE :
A DESTINATION
means ‘more Finally,
Finally, in the metaphorical space of numbers, ⁄¡ can name a number that is exceeded,
e xceeded, as in:
than’. Œ¡∫∂¡ÃÉ∑ÿ ⁄¡ ∑É∏Œ¿ ÷≈ÃÄ¿›…»
÷≈ÃÄ¿›…» [gathered beyond hundred-ACC interested-parties-GEN]
interested-parties-GEN]
‘more than a hundred interested parties gathered’.
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 4—œ ‘against’

The preposition œ, like Œ¡, treats the accusative object as a surface, but it requires that œ + ACCUSATIVE : A
contact be made and that there be some kind
k ind of force or pressure,
pressur e, usually involving leaning DESTINATION in
the domain of
on or striking the object. space means
‘against’.
ß∂¡ÃÄ …» ⁄¡ ƒÃÇŒŒŸ™ ∂É⁄œ◊Ÿ™ »◊œ∑∏ … ∑ ∂¡⁄ÕÄ»π ∫ÇÃ¡ «œÃœ◊É™ œ √≈ÕÅŒ∏ŒŸ™
¥œÃ .
[Took
[Took them-ACC beyond long pink tail-ACC and from sweep-GEN
s weep-GEN beat head-INST
against cement floor-ACC.]
She took them by their long pink tail and with all her might beat their head against
the cement floor .
¸Ã≈À∏∂œÕ≈»ÄŒ…À ∂¡∑∑À¡⁄ÄÃ, fi∏œ ÉÀœÃœ fi≈∏Ÿ∂£» fi¡∑É◊ π∏∂Ä ¥œ∑Ãá¤¡Ã…∑ÿ

∑ÇÃÿŒŸ≈ πƒÄ∂Ÿ œ ÀÉ∂¥π∑ Àœ∂¡∫ÃÖ.
Àœ∂¡∫ÃÖ.
[Electromechanic-NOM said, that around four hours-GEN morning-GEN were-heard
strong blows-NOM against hull-ACC ship-GEN.]
The electromechanic said that heavy blows against the hull of the ship were heard at
about four in the morning.
Ô + ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION also provides the structure for the idiom ∫œÀ É ∫œÀ [side-
[side-
NOM against side-ACC] ‘side by side ’.
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 5—¥œ ‘up to’

Most frequently ¥œ with the accusative means ‘up to’ a certain point. Some activity is ¥œ + ACCUSATIVE :
A DESTINATION in
progressing through some space, and the accusative item is its destination, the place where
the domain of
it stops. space means ‘up
to; after, to get’.
‚áÃœ œfi≈◊ÇƒŒœ, fi∏œ ≈«É ƒ≈ƒ ¥∂…◊áÀ ∑∏œÖ∏ÿ ¥œ ÀœÃÅŒœ ◊ ◊ Œ¡◊É⁄≈ … ¤π∂œ◊Ä∏ÿ
Ãœ¥Ä∏œ™.
[Was obvious, that his grandfather-NOM accustomed stand up-to knee-ACC in
manure-LOC and stoke shovel-INST.]
It was obvious that his grandfather was used to standing up to his knees in manure
and heaving a shovel.
The next two examples demonstrate metaphorical extensions: the arranging of meet-
ings is an activity which has six as its stopping point/destination, and writing is an activity
which has eighty pages as its destination (note that this meaning overlaps with the use of ¥œ
+ ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION meaning ‘each’).
‰…∂ÅÀ∏œ∂π Œ¡⁄Œ¡fiÄÃ… ≈÷≈ƒŒÅ◊Œœ ¥œ ¤≈∑∏ÿ ƒ≈Ãœ◊á»

ƒ≈Ãœ◊á» ∑◊…ƒÄŒ…™.
[Director-DAT
[Director-DAT arranged daily up-to six-ACC business meetings-GEN.]
They were arranging up to six business meetings a day for the director.
ñ∏œ∏ ÷π∂Œ¡ÃÇ∑∏ ¥…∑ÄÃ ¥œ ◊É∑≈Õÿƒ≈∑µ∏ ∑∏∂¡ŒÇ√

∑∏∂¡ŒÇ√ ◊ ƒ≈Œÿ.
[That journalist-NOM wrote up-to eighty-ACC pages-GEN in day-ACC.]
That journalist wrote up to eighty pages a day.
The use of ¥œ to mean ‘after, to get’ is fairly infrequent, and sounds archaic to most Rus-
sians. It can also be paraphrased as ‘to fetch’, as in …ƒ∏Ç ¥œ Ö«œƒŸ [to-go
[to-go after/to get/to
fetch strawberries-ACC] ‘to go get strawberries ’.
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 6—¥œƒ ‘under

‘under’’
¥œƒ + ACCUSA- The preposition ¥œƒ expresses a destination ‘under’ an item. Here’s a concrete illustra-
TIVE: A DESTINA- tion of how it is used:
TION in the
domain of space
means ‘under’. Ó¡ ∏¡£÷Œœ™ ∏∂Ä∑∑≈ ¥œ«Ç∫ ∏…«∂, ¥œ¥Ä◊¤…™ ¥œƒ ÀœÃ£∑¡ ¥∂œ≈⁄÷Ä◊¤≈«œ
¥∂œ≈⁄÷Ä◊¤≈«œ Ã≈∑œ◊É⁄¡.
[On taiga route-LOC died tiger-NOM, fallen-NOM under wheels-ACC passed log-
ging-truck-GEN.]
A tiger that fell under the wheels of a passing logging truck died on the taiga road.
More frequently ¥œƒ is used to describe the creation of metaphorical relationships, often
involving power, as in this newspaper headline:
ÚÑ∑∑À…≈ ¥œ«∂¡ŒÇfiŒ…À… ◊ Á∂Ñ⁄…… ◊⁄Ö∏Ÿ ¥œƒ Œ¡∫Ã¿ƒÅŒ…≈

[Russian border-guards-NOM
border-guards- NOM in Georgia-LOC
Georgia-LOC taken-NOM under observation-ACC]
Russian border guards are put under observation in Georgia
This last example is of ‘under’-handed financing, involving the attraction of investments

with a promise of state-owned stocks:
∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ «œ∏É◊œ ∂¡∑∑Õœ∏∂Å∏ÿ ◊œ¥∂É∑ ¥∂…◊Ã≈fiÅŒ…µ …Œ◊≈∑∏Ç√…™ ¥œƒ

«¡∂ÄŒ∏…¿ ÄÀ√…™
ÄÀ√…™ Û∫≈∂≈«Ä∏≈ÃÿŒœ«œ ∫ÄŒÀ¡, ¥∂…Œ¡ƒÃ≈÷Ä›…» «œ∑πƒÄ∂∑∏◊π.
[Government-NOM prepared-NOM examine question-ACC attraction-GEN invest-
ments-GEN under guarantee-ACC shares-GEN Savings bank-GEN, belonging-GEN
belonging-GEN
state-DAT.]
The government is prepared to examine the question of how investments were so-
licited by means of a guarantee of Savings Bank shares that belong to the state.
Similar to ¥œƒ «¡∂ÄŒ∏…¿ is

is the common phrase ¥œƒ ⁄¡ÃÉ« [under
[under pledge-ACC] ‘on the
security of’.
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 7—Destinations in time

ACCUSATIVE : A If a destination in space is the point where something goes, then a destination in time is
DESTINATION in the point when something happens.
the domain of
time.
Both ◊ and Œ¡ are deployed for this meaning, which is very common, especially for ◊ and Œ¡ +
days and times of day: ACCUSATIVE : A
DESTINATION in
the domain
Îπ∂∑ ƒÉÃÃ¡∂¡ ◊ ¥Ö∏Œ…√π ŒÅ∑ÀœÃÿÀœ
ŒÅ∑ÀœÃÿÀœ ∑ŒÇ⁄…Ã∑µ. of time
[Exchange-rate-NOM dollar-GEN to Friday-ACC somewhat declined.] means ‘on, at’.
The exchange rate for the dollar declined somewhat on Friday .
˜ ∑≈Õÿ fi¡∑É◊
fi¡∑É◊ ◊Åfi≈∂¡ œŒÄ ∑∏œÖÃ¡ ◊É⁄Ã≈ ≈«É ƒÉÕ¡ ◊ fi£Õ-∏œ ÕÉƒŒœÕ, Ö∂ÀœÕ …
Àœ◊Ä∂ŒœÕ.
[To seven-ACC hours-GEN evening-GEN she-NOM stood next-to his house-GEN
in something fashionable, bright and insidious-LOC.]
At seven o’clock in the evening she was standing next to his house in something
fashionable, bright, and insidious.
Ó¡ ∑ÃÅƒπ¿›…™ ƒ≈Œÿ ¥É∑Ã≈
¥É∑Ã≈ ¥œƒ¥…∑ÄŒ…µ ÀœŒ∏∂ÄÀ∏¡ Œ¡fi¡ÃÄ∑ÿ œ∏¥∂Ä◊À¡ «∂Ñ⁄œ◊.
[On next day-ACC after signing-GEN contract-GEN began shipment-NOM freight-
GEN.]
Shipment of freight began the day after the contract was signed.
Both ◊ and Œ¡ are used with ∂¡⁄ [time-ACC]

[time-ACC] in time expressions such as: ◊ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ™ ∂¡⁄ ‘ ‘the
first time ’, ◊ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…™ ∂¡⁄ ‘ ‘the last time ’, Œ¡ Ü∏œ∏ ∂¡⁄ ‘ ‘this/that time ’. Here’s an example:
∂≈ƒ◊á∫œ∂ŒŸ™ ¤∏¡∫ ¥œ∑∏¡∂Ä≈∏∑µ œ¥∂œ∏≈∑∏œ◊Ä∏ÿ ∂≈⁄πÃÿ∏Ä∏Ÿ ◊á∫œ∂œ◊, ∏≈Õ

∫ÉÃ≈≈ fi∏œ Œ¡ Ü∏œ∏ ∂¡⁄ ∫áÃœ
∫áÃœ ⁄¡∆…À∑Ç∂œ◊¡Œœ Œ≈ÕÄÃœ Œ¡∂π¤ÅŒ…™.
[Election staff-NOM tries protest results-ACC elections-GEN,
elections- GEN, that-INST more that
on this time-ACC was recorded-NOM not-few violations-GEN.]
The election staff will try to protest the election results, especially since this time
quite a number of violations were recorded.
The preposition ¥œ preserves its meaning of ‘up to’ in the domain of time, as thes e examples ¥œ + ACCUSATIVE :
demonstrate: A DESTINATION in
the domain
of time means
Ùá∑µfi… Ã¿ƒÅ™ ¥œÀœÃÅŒ…µ ŒÄ¤…» ∂œƒÇ∏≈Ã≈™ ¥œ ¥µ∏ÿƒ≈∑Ö∏ Ã≈∏ Ã≈∏ ÷ÇÃ… ◊ÕÅ∑∏≈, ‘up to’.
Œœ ¥∂… Ü∏œÕ Œ≈∂ÅƒÀœ ∫áÃ… ¡∫∑œÃâ∏Œœ fiπ÷ÇÕ… ƒ∂π« ƒ∂Ñ«π Ã¿ƒÿÕÇ.
[Thousands-NOM people-GEN generation-GEN our parents-GEN up-to fifty-ACC
years-GEN lived together, but at this-LOC not-infrequently were aboslutely alien-
INST friend-NOM
friend- NOM friend-DA
friend- DAT
T people-INST.]
Thousands of people of our parents’ generation lived together for up to fifty years,
but still were not infrequently absolutely estranged from each other.
Û ∑≈∂≈ƒÇŒŸ µŒ◊¡∂Ö ¥œ ÀœŒÅ√ ∆≈◊∂¡ÃÖ

∆≈◊∂¡ÃÖ ◊œœ∂π÷£ŒŒŸÕ… œ∏∂Öƒ¡Õ… …∑Ã¡ÕÇ∑∏œ◊
πŒ…fi∏É÷≈Œœ ∑◊á¤≈ 600 ÕÇ∂ŒŸ» «∂Ä÷ƒ¡Œ, ◊ÀÃ¿fiÄµ ∑∏¡∂…ÀÉ◊ … ƒ≈∏Å™.
[From middle-GEN January-GEN up-to end-ACC February-GEN armed divisions-
INST Islamists-GEN destroyed-NOM more 600 peaceful citizens-GEN, including
old-people-GEN and children-GEN.]
From the middle of January through the end of February more than 600 peaceful
citizens, including children and the elderly, were killed by armed divisions of Islam-
ists.
¥œƒ + ACCUSA- Parallel to its spatial uses, ¥œƒ can indicate a time approaching another set time (note how
TIVE: A DESTINA-
TION in the
we also express directed motion in English by using toward in this way):
domain of time
means ‘toward’. ˜œ⁄◊∂¡›Äµ∑ÿ ¥œƒ Ñ∏∂œ , œŒÄ «œ◊œ∂ÇÃ¡ ∑≈∫Å: ÃÄƒŒœ, œ∫œ™ƒ£∏∑µ. ˛∏É-Œ…∫πƒÿ
¥∂…ƒÑÕ¡¿ ◊ ∏¡À∑Ç.
[Returning under morning-ACC, she-NOM said self-DAT: okay, work-out. Some-
thing-ACC think-up in taxi-LOC.]
Returning toward morning , she said to herself:
h erself: okay, things will work out. I’ll think
something up in the taxi.
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 8—The direct object

ACCUSATIVE : A Thus far we have traveled through the domains of space and time in search of destina-
DESTINATION in
the domain of
tions. What happens if we enter the domain of action? Where will we find the destination of
action expresses the activity expressed by the verb in a sentence? The answer is something traditionally
the direct object. called the direct object. Here is the logic that ties it to the ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION. Imagine
any sentence with both an agent (something that does something) and a patient (something
that has something done to it). The patient is the direct object, and it is in the accusative case
because the action moves along a path from the agent to the patient. For example, let’s take
I for
for the agent, pushed for the action, and button for the patient. Result: I pushed the button ,
where the button is the direct object of the verb. Of course in Russian it will appear in the
accusative case, and here is what it looks like:
Ò Œ¡÷ÄÃ ∫œÃÿ¤Ñ¿ À∂Ñ«Ãπ¿ ÀŒÉ¥Àπ ÃÇ∆∏¡. ÃÇ∆∏¡.

[I-NOM pressed big round button-ACC elevator-GEN.]
I pressed the elevator’s big round button .
This formula will work for just about any verb (except the ones that govern the instrumen-
tal, dative, or genitive for some special reason explained in those chapters), even verbs that
don’t involve any real “action”.
˜≈∂∏œÃ£∏ ¥œ¤£Ã ◊◊Å∂», π◊Ã≈ÀÄµ ⁄¡ ∑œ∫É™ ßÉŒƒ¡ .

[Helicopter-NOM went up, dragging behind self-INST Bond-ACC.]
The helicopter went up, dragging Bond behind
behind it.
ÎÄ÷ƒŸ™ ∏∂πƒÖ›…™∑µ ∑œƒÅ∂÷…∏ ∏∂œÇ» .

[Each worker-NOM supports three-ACC.]
Each worker supports three people .
ÓÉ◊Ÿ™ ƒœÀπÕÅŒ∏ ¥∂≈ƒ¥œÃa«Ä≈∏ œ∏À∂á∏…≈ Œ¡√…œŒÄÃÿŒŸ»

Œ¡√…œŒÄÃÿŒŸ» … Õ≈÷ƒπŒ¡∂ÉƒŒŸ»
∂áŒÀœ◊.
[New document-NOM proposes opening-ACC national and international markets-
GEN.]
The new document proposes the opening of national and international markets.
˛≈∏á∂≈ ∑¥É∂ŒŸ» É∑∏∂œ◊¡ …ÕÅ¿∏ ◊Ä÷Œœ≈ ⁄Œ¡fiÅŒ…≈ ƒÃµ ƒÃµ ∫≈⁄œ¥Ä∑Œœ∑∏… Úœ∑∑Ç….

[Four disputed islands-NOM have important meaning-ACC for security-GEN Rus-
sia-GEN.]
The four disputed islands are important for Russia’s security.
Ò ◊£Ã ƒ◊œ™ŒÑ¿ ÷…⁄Œÿ .

[I-NOM led double life-ACC.]
I led a double life .
Ùhanks to the fact that the direct object is marked with the accusative case
cas e (and thus distinct ACCUSATIVE : A
from the nominative agent/subject), the subject, verb, and direct object can be presented in DESTINATION as
the direct object
just about
abou t any order. Here are a few
f ew examples of word
wor d orders
orde rs that won’t usually work in doesn’t always
English (at least not with active verbs): come after the
verb.
˜…∏ÄÃ…À¡ Ã¿∫ÇÃ…
Ã¿∫ÇÃ… É∫¡ ∂œƒÇ∏≈Ãµ, ƒ◊≈ ∫Ä∫π¤À…, ¥∂¡∫Ä∫π¤À¡, … ƒ◊¡ ƒÅƒπ¤À….
[Vitalik-ACC loved both parents-NOM, two grandmothers-NOM, great-grand-
mother-NOM, and two grandfathers-NOM.]
Vitalik was
was loved by both parents, two grandmothers, a great-grandmother, and two
grandfathers.
Û◊œâ ƒ◊π»ÀÉÕŒ¡∏Œπ¿ À◊¡∂∏Ç∂π œŒÄ œŒÄ ∑ƒ¡ÃÄ ◊Œ¡£Õ.

[Own two-room apartment-ACC she-NOM let-out to-rent.]
She rented out her two-room apartment .
˙¡◊Ç∑∏Œ…À… ∑fi…∏Ä¿∏, fi∏œ ÷ÅŒ›…Œ ¥∂…◊Ã≈ÀÄ¿∏

¥∂…◊Ã≈ÀÄ¿∏ ◊ ∫œ«¡fiÄ» …» ƒÅŒÿ«….
[Envious-people-NOM think, that women-ACC attract in rich-men-LOC their
money-NOM.]
Envious people think that what attracts women about rich men is their money.
It is possible to have an accusative

a ccusative direct object even when we tamper a bit with the rest of ACCUSATIVE : A
the sentence structure. For example, sometimes the subject might appear in the dative case DESTINATION as
the direct object
(for more about such datives, see the following chapter): can appear
without a
Î¡∫…ŒÅ∏π Õ…ŒÇ∑∏∂œ◊ ¥œ∂Ñfi≈Œœ ∂¡⁄∂¡∫É∏¡∏ÿ ∏Å»Œ…Àœ-‹ÀœŒœÕÇfi≈∑Àœ≈ nominative
subject.
œ∫œ∑Œœ◊ÄŒ…≈ ¥∂œÅÀ∏¡.
¥∂œÅÀ∏¡.
[Cabinet-DAT ministers-GEN charged work-out technical-economic basis-ACC
project-GEN.]
The cabinet of ministers has been charged with working out the technical and eco-
nomic basis of the project.
Often in Russian we simply use a plural verb with no subject to express a generic “they”.
Here the subject is implied even though we can’t see it, and the direct object stays in the
accusative case, just as we would expect it to:
≈fiÄÃÿŒœ, Œœ ∏≈» , À∏œ ∑fiÄ∑∏Ã…◊ ◊ ∫∂ÄÀ≈, ¥ÉÃŒœ∑∏ÿ¿ …«Œœ∂Ç∂π¿∏.

[Sadly, but those-ACC, who-NOM happy-NOM in marriage-LOC, completely ig-
nore.]
It’s unfortunate, but people who are happy in marriage are utterly ignored.
˜œ∏ π÷ ¥œÇ∑∏…Œ≈ ∂Å÷π∏ ÀÑ∂…√π , Œ≈∑Ñ›π¿ ⁄œÃœ∏á≈ Ö™√¡ !

Œ≈∑Ñ›π¿ ⁄œÃœ∏á≈ Ö™√¡
[Well already indeed slaughter hen-ACC, laying-ACC golden eggs-ACC!]
Well now they really are killing
k illing the goose that lays the golden eggs !
The first of these two sentences is based on the structure …«Œœ∂Ç∂π¿∏ ∏≈» ‘[they]
‘[they] ignore
those [people] ’; these two words are inverted and the clause about
abou t who is happy in marriage
is inserted to explain what ∏≈» refers
refers to. The second sentence contains two examples of
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION in the domain of action: one is the hen (with no subject), and the
other is the golden eggs (with the hen as the subject).
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 9—Objects without subjects

ACCUSATIVE : A It is possible to have sentences
sentence s without even an implied subject, in which case the verb
DESTINATION as shows “default” agreement of neuter singular. This is required for certain verbs (usually
the direct object
can appear
involving feeling sick), and some examples (like the one with the barn below) are clearly
without any parallel with the “raw force” type of INSTRUMENTAL : A MEANS (minus the instrumental itself;
subject at all. note that the accusative items in the “raw force” instrumental examples are all direct ob-
jects, too).
too) . The verbs most frequenty
fre quenty encountered
en countered in this construction are ⁄Œœ∫Ç∏ÿ ‘have
the chills’, ∂◊¡∏ÿ ‘vomit’, ∏œ¤ŒÇ∏ÿ ‘feel nauseated’, and ∏∂µ∑∏Ç ‘shake, have the shivers’.
The following examples demonstrate how these verbs are used in context:
È Àœ«ƒÄ ⁄¡⁄◊≈ŒÅÃ ⁄◊œŒÉÀ Œ¡ œ∫Åƒ … ◊∑≈ ∂œƒÇ∏≈Ã… ∑∏œÃ¥ÇÃ…∑ÿ π ÃÅ∑∏Œ…√Ÿ, œŒ

¥ÉŒµÃ, fi∏œ Ü∏œ ⁄ŒÄfi…∏, … ≈«É ∑∏ÄÃœ
∑∏ÄÃœ ∂◊¡∏ÿ ∫π∏≈∂∫∂ÉƒœÕ.
[And when rang bell-NOM on lunch-ACC and all parents-NOM crowded by stair-
case-GEN, he-NOM understood, what-ACC this-NOM means, and him-ACC be-
gan vomit sandwich-INST
sandwich- INST.]
.]
And when the lunch bell rang and all the parents crowded around the staircase, he
understood what it meant and he began to throw up his sandwich.
˜¡∑ Œ≈ ∏œ¤ŒÇ∏ œ∏ ∏œ«É, fi∏œ ˛≈fiŒÖ ∑fi…∏Ä≈∏∑µ ∏≈∂∂…∏É∂…≈™ Úœ∑∑Ç…, ¡ ∏¡Õ

∂≈«πÃÖ∂Œœ ¥œ»…›Ä¿∏ … π∫…◊Ä¿∏ Ã¿ƒÅ™?
[You-ACC not feel-nauseated from that-GEN, that Chechnya-NOM is-considered
territory-INST Russia-GEN, but there regularly capture and kill people-ACC?]
It doesn’t make you sick that Chechnya is considered a Russian
Rus sian territory, but people
are being captured and killed there?
¡∑∑¡÷Ç∂œ◊ ∏∂µ∑£∏
∏∂µ∑£∏ ÕÅŒÿ¤≈, fi≈Õ ◊ ƒ∂π«Ç»
ƒ∂π«Ç » Õ¡¤ÇŒ¡».
[Passengers-ACC shakes less, than in other vehicles-LOC.]
Passengers get shaken less than in other vehicles.
As the last example with the shaken passengers above suggests, it is also possible just to
name the patient of some (usually damaging) action, and leave the agent anonymous, as in
this statement of arson:
Û¡∂Ä™ ⁄¡÷«ÃÉ.
⁄¡÷«ÃÉ.
[Barn-ACC set-on-fire.]
The barn was set on fire.
Another variant is to leave the verb in the infinitive form, again without a subject, as in:
Îπ∂∑ …Œ∏≈Œ∑Ç◊Œœ™
…Œ∏≈Œ∑Ç◊Œœ™ ∏≈∂¡¥Ç… ∂≈¤≈ŒÉ ¥∂œƒÉÃ÷…∏ÿ.
[Course-ACC intensive therapy-GEN decided continue.]
It was decided to continue the course of intensive therapy.
ther apy.
Finally, one can even dispense with the verb entirely, provided it can be retrieved from
context, as in this expression which you might hear when someone offers their hand to help
you up a steep path (where Œ¡ is an interjection, not a preposition):
Ó¡ ∂ÑÀπ !
[Here hand-ACC!]
Here, take my hand !
ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION 10—Destinations of purpose

Now we move to a more nebulous realm, that of the wishes, wants, and hopes that make ACCUSATIVE : A
DESTINATION in
up the human will. Moving the will in a certain direction means using it as a cause to
the domain of
produce a desired effect. Here we see ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION fleshed out as an object purpose.
toward which an agent is directing its will, its sense of purpose. Usually this takes the form
of somebody doing something for something or somebody (and perhaps for a reason ). This
kind of ‘for’ is most commonly expressed by the preposition Œ¡, though ◊, ⁄¡, and less
frequently ¥œƒ and ¥∂œ are deployed for this purpose.
In this first example, the purpose of Moscow’s taking action is the defense of one of its ◊ + ACCUSATIVE : A
citizens; Moscow is obliged to do something for him: DESTINATION in
the domain of
purpose means
Úœ∑∑Ç™∑À…™ «∂¡÷ƒ¡ŒÇŒ ¥∂≈∑∏π¥ÃÅŒ…µ Œ≈ ∑œ◊≈∂¤ÇÃ, … Ìœ∑À◊Ä œ∫Ö⁄¡Œ¡ ‘for’.
◊á∑∏π¥…∏ÿ ◊ ≈«É ⁄¡›Ç∏π .
[Russian citizen-NOM crime-GEN not committed, and Moscow-NOM obliged-NOM
act for his defense-ACC.]
The Russian citizen has not committed any crime, and Moscow is obliged to act in
his defense .
Œ¡ + ACCUSATIVE : The next two examples illustrate the use of Œ¡ in this domain. In the first one the purpose of
A DESTINATION in action is destruction. The second example is actually two examples in one, containing a
the domain of
purpose means budget designated for the following year , as well as money allocated for the purposes of
‘for’. public well-being .
ÓÅÀœ∏œ∂Ÿ≈ Õ¡ŒÿÖÀ… Œ≈ ¥≈∂≈ŒÉ∑µ∏ fiπ÷É«œ ∑œ◊≈∂¤ÅŒ∑∏◊¡ … ƒÅ™∑∏◊π¿∏ Œ¡ ≈«É

…∑∏∂≈∫ÃÅŒ…≈ .
[Certain maniacs-NOM not endure strange perfection-GEN and act for its destruc-
tion-ACC.]
Certain maniacs cannot endure others’ perfection and work to destroy it .
˜ ∫¿ƒ÷Å∏≈ Œ¡ ∫Ñƒπ›…™ «œƒ ¥∂≈ƒπ∑ÕÉ∏∂≈Œœ

¥∂≈ƒπ∑ÕÉ∏∂≈Œœ π◊≈Ã…fiÅŒ…≈ ∂¡∑»Éƒœ◊ Œ¡ ∑œ√…ÄÃÿŒŸ≈
ŒÑ÷ƒŸ , ⁄ƒ∂¡◊œœ»∂¡ŒÅŒ…≈ … … œ∫∂¡⁄œ◊ÄŒ…≈ .
[In budget-LOC for future year-ACC envisaged increase-NOM expenses-GEN for
social needs-ACC, public health-ACC and education-ACC.]
An increase in the expenses for social needs , public health , and education is envis-
aged in next year ’s budget.
A common use of Œ¡ expresses the purposeful act of answering a question. There is a con-
struction in which both Œ¡ and ◊ act in this domain, namely ◊ œ∏◊Å∏ Œ¡
Œ¡ + ACC [in answer-
ACC to + ACC] ‘in answer to’, and we also commonly see just Œ¡ + ACC following the
verb œ∏◊≈fiÄ∏ÿ/œ∏◊Å∏…∏ÿ, as in this example:
Ó≈ Õœ«Ñ œ∏◊Å∏…∏ÿ Œ¡ ≈«É ◊œ¥∂É∑ .

[Not can answer on his question-ACC.]
I cannot answer his question .
On occasion you may see examples with Œ¡ that involve a transaction similar to that de-
scribed under ⁄¡ below:
Ó¡ ∑∂Åƒ∑∏◊¡ µ¥ÉŒ∑Àœ«œ
µ¥ÉŒ∑Àœ«œ ¥∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊¡ ∫Ñƒ≈∏ ¥œ∑∏∂É≈Œœ ŒÉ◊œ≈ ⁄ƒÄŒ…≈ ¤ÀÉÃŸ
∫Ç⁄Œ≈∑¡.
[For funds-ACC Japanese government-GEN will-be built-NOM new building-NOM
school-GEN business-GEN.]
A new building for the business school will be built with funds from the Japanese
government.
⁄¡ + ACCUSATIVE : The use of ⁄¡ can mean ‘for’ in the sense of ‘in support of’; in asking for a vote one might
A DESTINATION say À∏œ ⁄¡, ¡ À∏œ ¥∂É∏…◊? [who-NOM for and who-NOM against?] ‘who’s in favor and
in the domain
of purpose who’s opposed?’, where ⁄¡ implies Œ¡¤ ¥Ã¡Œ, ŒÄ¤≈«œ ¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏¡ [our [our plan-ACC, presi-
means ‘for’. dent-ACC] ‘our plan, our president ’, etc. One can also express other emotional or moral
relationships in this way, as in feeling shame for, on account of something or someone:
ÌŒ≈ ∑∏áƒŒœ ⁄¡ ∂œ∑∑Ç™∑Àœ≈ œ∂Ñ÷…≈ !

[Me-DAT
[Me-DAT shameful for Russian weaponry-ACC!]
I’m ashamed of Russian weaponry
weaponry !
Accusative: a dimension 1 69
Very frequently, however, ⁄¡ inspires the concept of exchange,

ex change, getting this for that , fighting
for something , being punished for something , or paying for something . We have already
seen ⁄¡ play this role in expressing transactions when we looked at the spatial destinations
above.
ÎÄ÷≈∏∑µ Õ¡Ãœ◊≈∂œÖ∏ŒŸÕ, fi∏É∫Ÿ ∏¡ÀÉ™ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ ¥Ã¡ŒÇ∂œ◊¡Ã ∫œ∂É∏ÿ∑µ ⁄¡

¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏∑Àœ≈ À∂Å∑Ãœ .
[Seems unlikely-INST, that such person-NOM planned fight for president’s seat-
ACC.]
It seems unlikely that such a person would plan to fight for the president’ seat .
president’ s seat
ßÑƒπ∏ Ã… π Œ¡∑ Àœ«ƒÄ-Œ…∫πƒÿ Œ¡ÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ ⁄¡ ◊∂¡fiÅ∫ŒŸ≈ ¥∂≈∑∏π¥ÃÅŒ…µ … œ¤Ç∫À… ?

[Will whether by us-GEN someday punish for medical crimes-ACC and errors-
ACC?]
Will people someday be punished in our country for medical crimes and errors ?
ˆπ∂Œ¡ÃÇ∑∏Ÿ ⁄¡¥Ã¡∏ÇÃ… ¤∏∂¡∆ ⁄¡ Œ≈⁄¡ÀÉŒŒœ≈ ¥∂≈∫Ÿ◊ÄŒ…≈ ◊ ¥œ«∂¡ŒÇfiŒœ™

¥œÃœ∑Å.
[Journalists-NOM paid fine-ACC for illegal stay-ACC in border zone-LOC.]
The journalists paid a fine for staying illegally in the border zone.
When the preposition ¥œƒ is used in the domain of purpose, it means ‘for use as’, and ¥œƒ + ACCUSA-
TIVE: A DESTINA-
involves designing or redesigning something to serve a given function, as in this example:
TION in the
domain of
ÔƒŒÄÀœ ¥É∑Ã≈ ∂≈◊œÃâ√…… √Å∂Àœ◊ÿ ¥≈∂≈ƒÅÃ¡Ã… ¥œƒ À∂≈Õ¡∏É∂…™ . purpose means
[However after revolution-GEN church-ACC remade under crematorium-ACC.] ‘for use as’.
However after the revolution they remodeled the church to serve as a crematorium .
The use of the preposition ¥∂œ is also relatively restricted in the domain of purpose. It is ¥∂œ + ACCUSA-
part of the fixed phrase
phras e ∑œ»∂¡ŒÇ∏ÿ ¥∂œ fi£∂ŒŸ™ ƒ≈Œÿ [save
[save for black day-ACC] ‘save for a TIVE: A DESTINA-
TION in the
rainy day ’ and often occurs in the negative with the pronoun Œ¡∑ ‘us’, as in this example: domain of
purpose means
ñ∏… ÃÄÀœÕ∑∏◊¡ — Œ≈ ¥∂œ Œ¡∑ . ‘for’.
[These delicacies-NOM — not for us-ACC.]
These delicacies aren’t for us .
ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION 1—
Distance and duration ACCUSATIVE : A
A DIMENSION is
invoked in the
domains of
The hallmark of the ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION is that the distance and
action of the verb extends over some dimension. The duration, size
domains invoked by ACCUSATIVE : A DIMENSION can be and capacity,
A force (arrow) moves through comparison, and
an ACCUSATIVE:: A DIMENSION grouped as follows: distance and duration, size and ca- performance of
(circle labeled A) pacity, comparison, and perfomance of activities. Each activities.
grouping will be examined in turn below.
ACCUSATIVE : A There’s a Russian proverb that nicely illustrates the distance and duration uses of AC-
DIMENSION in the
CUSATIVE: A DIMENSION:
domain of
distance and
duration. ˆ…⁄Œÿ ¥∂œ÷Ç∏ÿ
¥∂œ÷Ç∏ÿ Œ≈ ¥ÉÃ≈ ¥≈∂≈™∏Ç.
¥≈∂≈™∏Ç.
[Life-ACC live-through not field-ACC walk-across.]
Living through life isn’t like walking across a field /
/ Life ’s no bed of roses.
Here life is understood as a stretch of time with a beginning and an a n end (and punctuated by
trials and tribulations), and living is an activity that stretches all along this time period. The
field is a bounded space, and walking extends along the distance from one edge of it to the
other. Both the life and the field provide dimensions that guide activities.
Although examples of distance are by no means rare, you will encounter many more
examples of duration, which can be expressed both without prepositions and with them: ◊,
⁄¡, Œ¡, and ¥œ.
The following four sentences illustrate duration without prepositions. The first two con-
tain obvious cues, such as the idiomatic expression ¥∂œ◊≈∑∏Ç ◊∂ÅÕµ ‘spend ‘spend time ’ and the
verb ƒÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘last’. The other two show that duration can be expressed for any activity
(walking) or state (being).
ÌŸ ∑ Œ…Õ œ∫µ⁄Ä∏≈ÃÿŒœ ≈›£ ∂¡⁄ ∑»Éƒ…Õ ◊ ∂≈∑∏œ∂ÄŒ … œ¥Ö∏ÿ ¥∂≈À∂Ä∑Œœ

¥∂œ◊≈ƒ£Õ ◊∂ÅÕµ ◊ƒ◊œ£Õ.
◊ƒ◊œ£Õ.
[We-NOM
[We-NOM with him-INST surely still one-time-ACC
one- time-ACC go to restaurant-ACC
restaura nt-ACC and again
splendidly conduct time-ACC together.]
Surely he and I will go once more to a restaurant and again have a splendid time
together.
Ó¡∂ÀœÕÄŒ…µ ¥œfi∏Ç Œ≈…⁄Ã≈fiÇÕ¡, … Å∑Ã… ∂≈ÕÇ∑∑…µ ƒÃÇ∏∑µ ƒ◊¡-∏∂… «Éƒ¡ , ∏œ

Ü∏œ π÷Å »œ∂É¤…™ ∂≈⁄πÃÿ∏Ä∏.
[Drug-addiction-NOM almost incurable-NOM and if remission-NOM lasts two-
three years-ACC, then that-NOM already good result-NOM.]
Drug addiction is almost incurable, and if a remission lasts two or three years , then
that’s a pretty good result.
·Õ≈∂…ÀÄŒ≈√ Àπ¥ÇÃ Ü∏… ∑¡¥œ«Ç ◊ ∑¥œ∂∏Ç◊ŒœÕ Õ¡«¡⁄ÇŒ≈ … »œƒÇÃ ◊ Œ…» ¥œ

«œ∂ÄÕ Ã≈∏ ¥µ∏ÿ ÇÃ…
ÇÃ… ¤≈∑∏ÿ .
[American-NOM bought these boots-ACC in sport store-LOC
store -LOC and walked in them-
LOC along mountains-DAT
mountains-DAT years-GEN five-ACC or six-ACC.]
An American bought these boots in a sporting goods store and walked around the
mountains in them for about five or six years.
µ∏ÿ ƒ≈∑µ∏…ÃÅ∏…™
ƒ≈∑µ∏…ÃÅ∏…™ Ò¥ÉŒ…µ ∫ŸÃÄ ◊Å∂ŒŸÕ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒœ◊¡∏≈Ã≈Õ Û˚·.
[Five-ACC decades-GEN Japan-NOM was loyal follower-INST USA-GEN.]
For five decades Japan was the USA’s
USA’s loyal follower.
Accusativ
Accusative::
e:: a dimension
dimension 1 71
Sometimes the duration is made up of small discontinuous

disco ntinuous pieces of time, usually indicated
by the use of words like ÀÄ÷ƒŸ™ ‘every’ and ∂¡⁄ ‘time’, as in «œ◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ ∑∏œ ∂¡⁄ ∂¡⁄ [say
hundred-ACC times-GEN] ‘say a hundred times’, and as in this example:
ë∑Ã… ∏Ÿ Ãâ∫…¤ÿ Õ≈ŒÖ, ∏œ«ƒÄ ⁄¡fiÅÕ ÕŸ ÀÄ÷ƒŸ™ ƒ≈Œÿ ∂¡∑∑∏¡£Õ∑µ?

∂¡∑∑∏¡£Õ∑µ?
[If you-NOM love me-ACC, then why we-NOM every day-ACC break-up?]
If you love me, then why do we break up every day ?
With the preposition ◊, duration is usually expressed

expresse d in terms of ◊∂ÅÕµ/◊∂≈Õ≈ŒÄ ‘time(s)’ ◊ + ACCUSATIVE : A
or «ÉƒŸ ‘years’, as in the following two examples: DIMENSION in the
domain of
duration means
Û¡∏Ç∂¡ ◊œ ◊∑≈ ◊∂≈Õ≈ŒÄ …∑¥á∏Ÿ◊¡Ã¡
…∑¥á∏Ÿ◊¡Ã¡ Œ≈ƒœ∫∂œ÷≈ÃÄ∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ ◊Ã¡∑∏Å™ … ◊œ ◊∑≈ ‘in, during’.
◊∂≈Õ≈ŒÄ ¥…∏ÄÃ¡∑ÿ
¥…∏ÄÃ¡∑ÿ «œ∂Öfi≈™ ¥œƒƒÅ∂÷Àœ™ ¥Ñ∫Ã…À….
[Satire-NOM in all times-ACC experienced disfavor-ACC authorities-GEN and in
all times-ACC been-nourished ardent support-INST public-GEN.]
Satire has at all times experienced the disfavor of the authorities and at all times
been nourished by the ardent support of the public.
˜ ∏≈ «ÉƒŸ ◊∑≈Õ
◊∑≈Õ Œ≈ »◊¡∏ÄÃœ Œ¡ÃÇfiŒŸ» ƒÅŒ≈«.
[In those years-ACC
year s-ACC all-DAT
all-DAT not sufficed available money-GEN.]
In those years everyone had a shortage of available money.
Probably the most common use of ◊ + ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION in the domain of time is with
the word ∂¡⁄ ‘time’ to express frequency, as in ∂¡⁄ ◊ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ [time-ACC
[time-ACC in week-ACC]
‘once a week ’, ∏∂… ∂Ä⁄¡ ◊ ÕÅ∑µ√ [three
[three times-ACC in month-ACC] ‘three times a month ’.
Like ◊, Œ¡ can also identify a duration, specifically one during which something is done,
or how long the results should last, usually translatable into English as ‘for’ or ‘lasting’. Œ¡ + ACCUSATIVE :
Thus in Russian you can come on a visit Œ¡ œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ [for [for one week-ACC] ‘for one A DIMENSION in
the domain of
week ’, and one can also engage in an activity for a specified period of time, as in this ex- duration means
ample: ‘for, lasting’.
˜∂¡fiÇ Œ¡∑∏Ä…◊¡¿∏ Œ¡ ∑Àœ∂Å™¤≈Õ π»Éƒ≈ ◊ É∏¥π∑À Œ≈ ÕÅŒ≈≈ fi≈Õ Œ¡ ∏∂Çƒ√¡∏ÿ

ƒŒ≈™.
[Doctors-NOM insist on fastest departure-LOC
departure- LOC in vacation-ACC not less than last-
ing thirty days-ACC.]
The doctors insist that he immediately take a vacation lasting at least thirty days.
The preposition ⁄¡ can mean ‘during, in the course of’, as we see in these two examples: ⁄¡ + ACCUSATIVE :
A DIMENSION in
the domain of
˙¡ Ü∏œ∏ ÕÅ∑µ√ Œ…Àœ«É
Œ…Àœ«É ◊ ŒÄ¤≈Õ ƒÉÕ≈ Œ≈ »œ∂œŒÇÃ…. duration means
[During that month-ACC no one-ACC in our house-LOC not buried.] ‘during’.
During that month no one in our house was buried.
˙¡ ∑Ñ∏À… ∑œ∑∏œÖŒ…≈
∑œ∑∏œÖŒ…≈ ∫œÃÿŒÉ«œ Œ≈⁄Œ¡fiÇ∏≈ÃÿŒœ Õ≈ŒÖ≈∏∑µ ∏œ ◊ ÃÑfi¤π¿, ∏œ ◊
»Ñƒ¤π¿ ∑∏É∂œŒπ.
[During twenty-four-hours-ACC condition-NOM patient-GEN imperceptibly
changes now to better-ACC, now to worse side-ACC.]
In the course of twenty-four hours the patient’s condition changes imperceptibly,
getting better and worse by turns.
¥œ + ACCUSATIVE : The meaning of ¥œ in this context is usually best translated as ‘through’:

A DIMENSION in
the domain of
duration means
Û µŒ◊¡∂Ö ¥œ Õ¡™ ◊Ÿ
◊Ÿ ∫Ñƒ≈∏≈ ◊ œÃ…Õ¥Ç™∑Àœ™ ∆É∂Õ≈.
‘through’. [From January-GEN through May-ACC you-NOM will-be in olympic form-LOC.]
From January through May you will be in olympic form.
ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION 2—Size and capacity

ACCUSATIVE : A In the domain of size and capacity, some feature of an object is measured against a
DIMENSION in the standardized scale (often units of weight and measure)
measu re) or against another object or objects.
domain of size
and capacity You will usually have a preposition here (◊ is most frequent, Œ¡ and ¥œ are possible, and œ
usually requires is rather rare), followed by the ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION marking the scale, units, or object
a preposition.
preposition. along which size or capacity are measured.
◊ + ACCUSATIVE : A Here are typical examples expressing weight and size:
DIMENSION in the
domain of size
and capacity ÔƒÇŒ …⁄ ∑ÃœŒÉ◊ — ∏∂£»ÃÅ∏Œ…™ Ú¡ƒ÷Ä ◊Å∑œÕ ◊ 850 85 0 À…Ãœ«∂ÄÕÕœ◊ —
expresses a ◊œ∑¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡Ã∑µ ¥∂œ«ÑÃÀœ™, fi∏É∫Ÿ ⁄¡«ÃµŒÑ∏ÿ ◊ ¥œ∑ÑƒŒπ¿ ÃÄ◊Àπ.
number [One-NOM of elephants-GEN — three-year-old Rajah-NOM weight-INST in 850-
of units.
ACC kilograms-GEN — took-advantage outing-INST, to take-peek to china shop-
ACC.]
One of the elephants — three-year-old Rajah, weighing 850 kilograms
kilograms — took ad-
vantage of the outing to take a peek into a china shop.
Û∂Ä⁄π ∫∂œ∑Ä≈∏∑µ ◊ «Ã¡⁄Ä ◊¡«ÉŒfi…À ◊ ƒ◊¡ ‹∏¡÷Ä , ∑ƒÅÃ¡ŒŒŸ™ ◊ êŒ«Ã……

Œ≈⁄¡ƒÉÃ«œ ƒœ ¥Å∂◊œ™ Õ…∂œ◊É™ ◊œ™Œá.
[Immediately throws in eyes-ACC wagon-NOM in two stories-ACC, made-NOM
in England-LOC not-long before first world war-GEN.]
Suddenly there appears a two-story wagon, made in England not long before the
first World War.
War.
The preposition ◊ can also be used to tell us the amount by which things differ:
Û∏Ä∂Ÿ™ ÀÑ∂∑ œ∏ ŒÉ◊œ«œ œ∏Ã…fiÄ≈∏∑µ ∂É◊Œœ ◊ ∏á∑µfiπ ∂¡⁄. ∂¡⁄.

[Old rate-NOM from new-GEN differs exactly in thousand-ACC times-GEN.]
The old rate is exactly a thousand times more than the new one.
Accusative:: a dimension 3 73
In this domain, Œ¡ can tell us how big an item is in phrases like: ∏≈Ä∏∂ Œ¡ ¥µ∏ÿ∑É∏ Õ≈∑∏ Õ≈∑∏ Œ¡ + ACCUSATIVE :
A DIMENSION in
[theater-NOM
[theater-NOM on five-hundred-ACC places-GEN] ‘a five-hundred
five-hundred -seat theater’, œ∫Ã…«Ä√…µ the domain of
Œ¡ ∑∏œ ∂π∫ÃÅ™
∂π∫ÃÅ™ [obligation-NOM on hundred-ACC rubles-GEN] ‘a one-hundred -ruble ob- size and capacity
ligation’, ÀÉÕŒ¡∏¡ Œ¡ ƒ◊œÇ» [room-NOM
[room-NOM on two-ACC] ‘a room for two ’. expresses a
number of units.
Like ◊, Œ¡ can measure the amount by which it differs from fr om some other object. Here you
will usually see a comparative adjective (like ∫ÉÃÿ¤≈ ‘bigger’,
‘bigger ’, ÕÅŒÿ¤≈ ‘smaller’, Àœ∂Éfi≈
‘shorter’)
‘shorter ’) or a verb indicating exceeding or failing to reach some mark, plus the preposition
Œ¡:
˜ ¥œŒ≈ƒÅÃÿŒ…À Àπ∂∑ ƒÉÃÃ¡∂¡ ⁄¡∆…À∑Ç∂œ◊¡Œ Œ¡ Ñ∂œ◊Œ≈ 2017 ∂π∫ÃÅ™, fi∏œ Œ¡

¥µ∏ÿ ∂π∫ÃÅ™
∂π∫ÃÅ™ ◊á¤≈ ¥∂≈ƒŸƒÑ›≈«œ ¥œÀ¡⁄Ä∏≈Ãµ.
[To Monday-ACC exchange-rate-NOM dollar-GEN fixed-NOM on level-LOC 2017
rubles-GEN, what-NOM to five-ACC rubles higher previous indicator-GEN.]
On Monday the exchange rate for the dollar is fixed at the level of 2017 rubles,
which is five rubles higher than the previous indicator.
Ò œ¥œ⁄ƒÄÃ¡ Œ¡ ¥µ∏ŒÄƒ√¡∏ÿ Õ…ŒÑ∏.
Õ…ŒÑ∏.
[I-NOM got-late on fifteen-ACC minutes-GEN.]
I was fifteen minutes late.
In this domain the preposition ¥œ refers to a distribution such that each of a series of items ¥œ + ACCUSATIVE :
is assigned the same amount. In the following example the value of two rubles is assigned A DIMENSION in
the domain of
to each kilo of mimosa: size and capacity
expresses an
˜ ÛÉfi… Õ…ÕÉ⁄π ÕÉ÷Œœ ¥∂œƒÄ∏ÿ ¥œ ƒ◊¡ ∂π∫ÃÖ ⁄¡ ⁄¡ œƒÇŒ À…Ãœ«∂ÄÕÕ. amount per item.
[In Sochi-LOC mimosa-ACC possible sell along two rubles-ACC for one kilogram-
ACC.]
In Sochi you can sell mimosa for two rubles a kilo.
The use of the preposition œ in the domain of size and capacity

ca pacity is rare and archaic, but here œ + ACCUSATIVE : A
are two phrases to give you an idea of what it looks like: …⁄∫Ñ¤À¡ œ∫ œƒŒÉ œÀœŒ√Å [hut- [hut- DIMENSION in the
domain of size
NOM with one window-ACC] ‘a hut with just one little window ’, À∂ŸÃÿ√É œ ∏∂… ∑∏π¥ÅŒÿÀ… and capacity
[porch-NOM with three steps-ACC] ‘a porch with just three little steps ’. means ‘with’.
A very common use of ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION deals with financial rather than physical ACCUSATIVE : A
dimensions, here the cost of an item is presented in the accusative
accus ative with no preposition. This DIMENSION in the
domain of size
meaning of the accusative is most frequently associated with the verb ∑∏É…∏ÿ ‘cost’, al- and capacity
though, as this example illustrates, other verbs can occasionally serve this purpose: expresses cost.
Ô∫áfiŒœ ¥≈∂≈◊á¥π∑À ÀÄ∂∏œfiÀ… ∑∏É…∏ ¥µ∏ÿƒ≈∑Ö∏ ƒÉÃÃ¡∂œ◊, ƒÉÃÃ¡∂œ◊, ∑Å∂◊…∑Œ¡µ ¥ÃÄ∏¡

∑œ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ≈∏ ∑∏œ ¥µ∏ÿƒ≈∑Ö∏ ƒÉÃÃ¡∂œ◊.
ƒÉÃÃ¡∂œ◊.
[Usually reissue-NOM card-GEN costs fifty-ACC dollars, service fee-NOM comes-
to hundred fifty-ACC dollars-GEN.]
Usually the reissue of a card costs fifty dollars, and the service fee comes to one
hundred and fifty dollars.
ACCUSATIVE : A
DIMENSION in the ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION 3—Comparison
domain of
comparison
always requires a The measurement of one thing against another in and of itself implies a comparison of
preposition. the thing measured with some standard. It is perhaps no surprise that comparison is an
◊ + ACCUSATIVE : A important component of the ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION, and that comparison can be made in
DIMENSION in the many different ways.
domain of The use of ◊ in the domain of comparison is rather marginal, but one does come across
comparison
indicates a examples such as ∫πÕÄ«¡ ◊ ÀÃÅ∏œfiÀπ [paper-NOM
[paper-NOM like square-ACC] graph
‘graph paper’ and
characteristic. â∫À¡ ◊ ¥œÃÉ∑Àπ [skirt-NOM in stripe-ACC] ‘a striped skirt.
¥œ»É÷ Œ¡ + In comparing objects according to their various characteristics to determine whether
ACCUSATIVE : A
DIMENSION in the
they are similar to each other, the accusative object is used as a standard, along which
domain of another object is measured in a metaphorical sense. The most common example of this useus e
comparison of ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION is the phrase ¥œ»É÷ Œ¡ ‘looks like, resembling’:
means ‘resem-
bling’.
Ëœ∏Ç∏≈ ⁄Œ¡∏ÿ, Œ¡ Àœ«É ◊Ÿ
◊Ÿ ¥œ»É÷…? Ó¡ ∂¡⁄∫Ç∏π¿ ¥¡∂¡Ã…fiÉÕ
¥¡∂¡Ã…fiÉÕ «œ∂ÇÃÃπ , Àœ∏É∂π¿
ƒÅ∂÷¡∏ ◊ ⁄œœ¥Ä∂À≈ …⁄ ÷ÄÃœ∑∏….
[Want
[Want know, to whom-ACC you-NOM resemble? To stricken-ACC paralysis-INST
pa ralysis-INST
gorilla-ACC, which-ACC keep in zoo-LOC from pity-GEN.]
Do you want to know what you look like? Like a paralyzed gorilla that they keep in
a zoo out of pity.
¥œƒ + ACCUSA- With the preposition ¥œƒ, comparison has the connotation of imitation, as in this bit of
TIVE: A DIMENSION conversation from a beauty parlor, where a woman is being offered a haircut ‘like a boy’s ’:
in the domain of
comparison
means ‘like’. Ûœ«ÃÄ∑Œœ ◊Ä¤≈Õπ Ã…√Ñ, ¥∂≈ƒÃ¡«Ä¿ ¥œƒ ÕÄÃÿfi…À¡ — — Œ≈ ◊œ⁄∂¡÷Ä≈∏≈?
[In-harmony your face-DAT, suggest under boy-ACC — not object?]
To suit your face, I suggest giving you a boy’s haircut — is that okay with you?
∑ + ACCUSATIVE : A A specialized type of comparison is approximation, and this use has its own preposition: ∑
DIMENSION in the
‘about the size/length of, approximately’.
appro ximately’. This is the only meaning that ∑ ever has when it is
domain of
comparison used with the accusative case. An easy way to recognize this use is to remember the Russ ian
means ‘approxi- rhyme for ‘Tom Thumb’, which is ÌÄÃÿfi…À ∑ ¥ÄÃÿfi…À , literally [Boy-NOM approximately
mately’. finger-ACC] ‘A boy about the size of your finger ’. Here are some contextualized examples:
Ó¡¤ ¥œ¥π«Ä™ ∫ŸÃ ∂É∑∏œÕ ∑ ÀÑ∂…√π .

[Our parrot-NOM was size-INST approximately chicken-ACC.]
Our parrot was about the size of a chicken .
ÔŒ ∑ Õ…ŒÑ∏π ¥œƒ≈∂÷ÄÃ
¥œƒ≈∂÷ÄÃ ÷≈ŒÑ ◊ œ∫flÖ∏…µ».
[He-NOM approximately minute-ACC held wife-ACC in embraces-LOC.]
He held his wife in his arms for about a minute .
Accusativ
Accusative::
e:: a dimension
dimension 4 75
ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION 4—Activities in various domains

Measurement and comparison are not the only activities that can extend along the di- ACCUSATIVE : A
mensions of an object marked as ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION. Almost any kind of activity can DIMENSION in the
domains of
behave this way, being guided or limited by the features or dimensions of the accusative various activities
object. The concept of activity extending along some defining space is abstract and meta- always requires
phorical; considering some concrete examples will help you to see how this works. a preposition.
preposition.
A very common use of this meaning is in the phrase …«∂Ä∏ÿ ◊ [play to] which is used ◊ + ACCUSATIVE : A
when we talk about playing games and sports. The name of the game or sport follows in the DIMENSION can
express games,
accusative. Let’s think for a minute about the relationship between a game or sport and beliefs, and
playing. Playing in itself is a relatively
r elatively loosely defined activity.
activity. A game or sport,
spor t, however, manner of
brings all kinds of concrete parameters with it: rules, implements used, techniques, etc. In action.
this sense the game or sport lends specific dimensions to the playing a ctivity (otherwise left
undefined).
Ó¡ ŒÉ◊œÕ ∑∏¡ƒ…ÉŒ≈ ÕÉ÷Œœ …«∂Ä∏ÿ ◊ ∂Å«∫…, ∫≈™∑∫ÉÃ, ∑œ∆∏∫ÉÃ

∑œ∆∏∫ÉÃ ...
...
[At new stadium-LOC possible play in rugby-ACC, baseball-ACC, softball-ACC...]
At the new stadium one can play rugby, baseball, softball ...
The distinction we make in English between ‘believe’ (say, ‘a story’) and ‘believe in’ (say,
‘God’) has an exact parallel in Russian. Whereas ◊Å∂…∏ÿ is usually followed by a DATIVE: A
COMPETITOR (parallel to ‘believe’), when speaking of strong convictions Russians use ◊Å∂…∏ÿ/
◊Å∂¡ ◊ + accusative: a dimension, as in ◊Å∂…∏ÿ/◊Å∂¡ ◊ ßÉ«¡ [believe/belief
[believe/belief in God-ACC]
‘believe/belief in God’ .
Here’s another example using ◊, where the activity is crying, defined by the dimension
of one voice (unison).
Óœ ¥ÃÄÀ¡∏ÿ ◊ œƒÇŒ «ÉÃœ∑ ∑ ∑ Œ…Õ Œ≈ »Éfi≈∏∑µ.

[But cry to one voice-ACC with him-INST not want-self.]
But one doesn’t feel like crying in unison with him.
The extension of an activity along a dimension can be variously expressed by all of the Œ¡ + ACCUSATIVE :
A DIMENSION in
following prepositions: Œ¡, ¥œƒ, ¥∂œ, ∑À◊œ⁄ÿ, and fiÅ∂≈⁄. Ó¡ is usually the place where the domains of
something is or happens. In this example being beautiful is something that extends along various activities
the face, but being fat extends along the figure: expresses
locations and
opinions.
ÔŒÄ ∫ŸÃÄ À∂¡∑Ç◊¡µ Œ¡ Ã…√É , Œœ ∏ÉÃ∑∏¡µ Œ¡ ∆…«Ñ∂π .
[She-NOM was beautiful-NOM to face-ACC, but fat-NOM to figure-ACC.]
She had a beautiful face , but a fat figure .
A more abstract, but very common example is the phrase Œ¡ Õœ™ (∏◊œ™, ≈£, ≈«É...) ◊⁄«Ãµƒ [to
my (your, her, his...) view-ACC] ‘in my (your, her, his...) view/opinion ’. The proposition
(whatever it is that the person believes) extends along that person’s view; in other words, it
is true for the domain of that person’s opinion. In the following example, the belief that
taking such steps will be beneficial is true for the domain of the ambassador’s opinion:
Ó¡ ◊⁄«Ãµƒ ¥œ∑ÃÄ,
¥œ∑ÃÄ, ∏¡ÀÇ≈ ¤¡«Ç ∑œ⁄ƒ¡â∏ ∫Ã¡«œ¥∂…Ö∏Œπ¿ ¡∏Õœ∑∆Å∂π ƒÃµ ∂≈¤ÅŒ…µ
∏≈∂∂…∏œ∂…ÄÃÿŒœ™ ¥∂œ∫ÃÅÕŸ.
[To view-ACC ambassador-GEN, such steps-NOM create favorable atmosphere-
ACC for solution-GEN territorial problem-GEN.]
In the ambassador’s opinion , such steps create a favorable atmosphere for solving
the territorial problem.
¥œƒ + ACCUSA- The preposition ¥œƒ indicates an activity that accompanies another one, most commonly
TIVE: A DIMENSION involving music, as in ∏¡Œ√≈◊Ä∏ÿ ¥œƒ ÕÑ⁄ŸÀπ [dance under music-ACC] ‘dance to the
in the domains
of various music ’, ¥≈∏ÿ ¥œƒ «…∏Ä∂π [sing
[sing under guitar-ACC] ‘sing along with the guitar
the guitar ’. This idea of
activities means musical accompaniment can be extended to other activities involving rhythmic sounds, as
‘to the tune of’. in this example:
œƒ ∑◊…∂Å¥π¿ ◊œ∂Àœ∏Œâ «¡∂ƒ≈∂É∫›…À¡ œ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ¿ ∑◊œÇ ∑ÑÕÀ… Œ¡ ¥œÃÑ,

¥œƒŒ…ÕÄ¿∑ÿ Œ¡◊Å∂» … ∑∂Ä⁄π ∑¡÷Ñ∑ÿ ◊ À∂Å∑Ãœ.
[Under fierce growling-ACC coat-check-man-GEN leave own bags-ACC on floor-
LOC, raise up and immediately sit in chair-ACC.]
To the tune of the coat-check man’s fierce growls I leave my bags on the floor, go
upstairs, and sit right down in a chair.
¥∂œ + ACCUSA- The preposition ¥∂œ designates dimensions for

f or activities like thinking, talking, and writing.
TIVE: A DIMENSION The domain of these cognitive and communicative activities is their topic, literally the thing
in the domains
of various that you think, talk, or write about .
activities means
‘about’. ÌŸ ◊∑£ ⁄ŒÄ≈Õ ƒ∂π« ¥∂œ ƒ∂Ñ«¡ .
[We-NOM
[We-NOM all-ACC know other-NOM for other-ACC.]
We know everything
eve rything about each other .
Ò ⁄¡∫áÃ ¥∂œ √¡∂Å◊Œπ-Ãµ«Ñ¤Àπ .

[I-NOM forgot for queen-frog-ACC.]
I forgot about the frog-queen .
∑À◊œ⁄ÿ + ÛÀ◊œ⁄ÿ refers to something that has dimensions, ‘through’ which something else (usually
ACCUSATIVE : A light or sound or the perception of something seen or heard) passes, often with some diffi-
DIMENSION in the
domains of culty or alteration, as we see in these two examples:
various activities
means ‘through’. ˙¡∂¡⁄Ç∏≈ÃÿŒ¡µ ¥œÜ∏…À¡ ◊≈ÃÇÀœ™ ÀŒÇ«… ⁄¡∑∏¡◊ÃÖ≈∏ ∑Õœ∏∂Å∏ÿ ∑À◊œ⁄ÿ ≈£ É¥∏…Àπ
Œ¡ ÕŒÉ«…≈ œ∫áƒ≈ŒŒŸ≈ ◊Å›….
[Infectious poetics-NOM great book-GEN force look through its lens-ACC on many
ordinary things-ACC.]
This great book’s captivating poetry forces us to look at a multitude of everyday
things through its lens .
Accusative:: an endpoint 1 77
Ò ≈›£ ∑Ãá¤π ∑À◊œ⁄ÿ ∑œŒ , À¡À Ãœ÷Ç∏∑µ ‰ÇÕ¡, Œœ Œ≈ Õœ«Ñ œ∏À∂á∏ÿ «Ã¡⁄Ä.
[I-NOM still hear through sleep-ACC, how goes-to-bed Dima-NOM, but not can
open eyes-ACC.]
Through the veil of sleep , I can still hear Dima going to bed, but I can’t open my
eyes.
We should also note the common Russian expression ∑Õ≈» ∑À◊œ⁄ÿ ∑Ã£⁄Ÿ [laughter-NOM
through tears-ACC] ‘laughter through tears ’, a metaphorical extension of the use of ∑À◊œ⁄ÿ
to the domain of the emotions, where one can bring forth a smile despite the trials and
tribulations of life.
˛Å∂≈⁄ likewise identifies a dimension through which something passes. The first ex- fiÅ∂≈⁄ +
ample describes a money-laundering scheme where funds are being cycled through a firm ACCUSATIVE : A
DIMENSION in the
in order to make it look like they have
hav e a legitimate origin. The firm provides the dimensions domains of
for this cycling activity: various activities
means ‘through’.
ÔŒÇ ¥∂œÀ∂Ñfi…◊¡Ã… fiÅ∂≈⁄ ∆Ç∂Õπ ∑É∏Œ…
∑É∏Œ… ∏á∑µfi ƒÉÃÃ¡∂œ◊.
[They-NOM cycled through firm-ACC hundreds-ACC thousands dollars-GEN.]
They cycled hundreds of thousands of dollars through the firm .
People can also serve this purpose when they act as go-betweens. Here Russian journalists
provide a medium for the act of conveying:
Ï…¤ÿ Œ≈ÕŒÉ«…Õ ∫œ™√ÄÕ πƒ¡£∏∑µ ¥≈∂≈ƒÄ∏ÿ fiÅ∂≈⁄ ∑ÃπfiÄ™Œœ ◊∑∏∂Åfi≈ŒŒŸ»

÷π∂Œ¡ÃÇ∑∏œ◊ ⁄¡¥Ç∑Àπ
∂œ∑∑Ç™∑À…» ÷π∂Œ¡ÃÇ∑∏œ◊ ⁄¡¥Ç∑Àπ ƒÃµ ∂Éƒ∑∏◊≈ŒŒ…Àœ◊.
[Only few soldiers-DAT manage convey through by-chance met Russian journal-
ists-ACC note-ACC for relatives-GEN.]
Only a few soldiers manage to convey a note for their relatives via Russian journal-
ists that they meet by chance.
ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT 1—Space as opposed to time

ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT is very similar to the ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION, except that it ACCUSATIVE : AN
focuses just on one part
p art of the accusative object, namely
na mely the one furthest away. The accusa- ENDPOINT is
invoked in the
tive object is thus reduced to its logical endpoint. ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT functions in only domains of space
two domains, that of space and time; how- and time.
ever, space and time actually function rather
differently from each other. Imagine your-
self standing on a certain spot at a certain
A time. Space stretches out from your spot in
all directions equally. Since all directions are
equal, they are all the same in some sense.
In other words, if some object is one meter An interval of
A force (arrow) arrives at the away from you, that fact is essentially the space indicates a
ACCUSATIVE:: AN ENDPOINT distance away.
(circle labeled A) of a domain
same regardless of the direction in which the
object lies: it will always be one meter away
from you. Time is different. It stretches away from you in exactly two directions, and those
thos e
An interval of directions are distinct from each other. One goes forward, into the future. And one goes
time indicates a backward, into the past. If an event is an hour away
a way from you, it does matter which direction
point in the
future or past. it lies in. The event will either happen in an hour or it will have happened an hour ago . We
We
don’t have any one way to say (in normal English) that an event is an hour away without
indicating that it is future or past. The same goes for Russian. In terms of space, the ACCUSA -
TIVE: AN ENDPOINT locates something as being a certain distance away (at the end of that
distance), whereas in terms of time this meaning locates things as happening later, at the
end of a certain period, or has having happened before, at or prior to the beginning of a
certain period. In this way Russian shows a par¡llelism between the two concepts that we
would express in English as I’ll see him in a week and I saw him a week ago. In either case
you have to reach one week away from where you are now to get to the point where the
action is; you are always looking at something that happens at the far end of a week.
ACCUSATIVE : AN In the domain of space, there are three prepositions that identify endpoints: ◊, ⁄¡, and
ENDPOINT in the fiÅ∂≈⁄. ˜ is relatively infrequently used to locate items at a given distance, but here is one
domain of space.
example:
◊ + ACCUSATIVE : ˜ œƒÇŒ ∑À¡fiÉÀ œŒ

œŒ œfiπ∏ÇÃ∑µ π ƒ◊Å∂….
AN ENDPOINT in [In one leap-ACC he-NOM found-self by door-GEN.]
the domain of
space means ‘in’. In one leap he was at the door.
⁄¡ + ACCUSATIVE : When ⁄¡ ‘away’ is used in the domain of space, it usually occurs in conjunction with œ∏
AN ENDPOINT in ‘from’ or ƒœ ‘to’ (which also means ‘from’ in this context), as in this example:
the domain of
space means
‘away’. ˙¡ ŒÅ∑ÀœÃÿÀœ À…ÃœÕÅ∏∂œ◊
À…ÃœÕÅ∏∂œ◊ ƒœ «É∂œƒ¡ ¡◊∏É∫π∑ ∑œ∂◊ÄÃ∑µ ∑ œ∫∂á◊¡ ◊ ∂ÅÀπ.
[Beyond several-ACC kilometers-GEN to city-GEN bus-NOM fell from precipice-
p recipice-
GEN in river-ACC.]
Several kilometers before reaching the city the bus fell off the precipice into the
river.
fiÅ∂≈⁄ + In its most simple manifestation, fiÅ∂≈⁄ ‘across’ locates something at the opposite edge of an
ACCUSATIVE : AN item as in ÀÃπ∫ — fiÅ∂≈⁄ ƒœ∂É«π [club-NOM
[club-NOM — across street-ACC] ‘the club is across the
ENDPOINT in the
domain of space street ’. Usually, however, fiÅ∂≈⁄ refers to something that is repeated in a series, such that
means ‘across, you wind up skipping over every other object, as in the common teacher’s instruction ¥…∑Ä∏ÿ
after’. fiÅ∂≈⁄ ∑∏∂ÉfiÀπ [write
[write away line-ACC] ‘skip lines /write double-spaced ’, which could be
literally interpreted as ‘go one line away and then write,
wr ite, and then repeat that pa
pattern’.
ttern’. Here’s
an example to show how this works in context:
È fiÅ∂≈⁄ ÀÄ÷ƒπ¿ ∆∂Ä⁄π ∑ÃÉ◊Œœ

∑ÃÉ◊Œœ ¥œƒfi£∂À…◊¡Ã…: ı Úœ∑∑Ç… ◊ ÀÉ∑Õœ∑≈ ◊∑£ ◊∑ £ »œ∂œ¤É.
[And across every phrase-ACC as-if emphasized: By Russia-GEN in space-LOC
all-NOM good.]
And it was as if every other sentence they were emphasizing: Everything
Everything is okay with
the Russian space program.
Accusative:: an endpoint 2 79
ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT 2—Time as opposed to space

As we saw above, time differs in important ways from space. There are furthermore ACCUSATIVE : AN
some special peculiarities about the way Russian uses ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT in time ex- ENDPOINT in the
domain of time.
pressions. In addition to the usual use of prepositions
prep ositions (◊, ⁄¡, fiÅ∂≈⁄) followed by the accusa-
tive case, you will also see the accusative
ac cusative case preceding words indicating direction of time
(these words act as postpositions triggering the accusative). This table gives an overview of
the uses, using œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿
œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ [one
[one week-ACC] ‘one week ’ as our unit of time:
Time expressions associated with ACCUSATIVE::
ACCUSATIVE:: AN ENDPOINT
time
time running
running forwa
forward:
rd: in,
in, after
after , later
later
◊ œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ [to one week-ACC] in/ by the end of a week
⁄¡ œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ [to one week-ACC] in/ by the end of a week
fiÅ∂≈⁄ (œƒŒÑ ) Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ [across (one) week-ACC] after a week, a week later;
every other week
œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ ¥œ
¥œ«œƒÖ [one week-ACC later] one week later
œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ ¥É
¥É∑Ã≈ ∏œ«É [one week-ACC after that-GEN] one week after that
œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ ∑¥
∑¥π∑∏Ö [one week-ACC later] one week later
time running backward: ago, before

œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ ƒœ
ƒœ ∏œ«É/¥Å∂
∏œ«É/¥Å∂≈ƒ
≈ƒ ∏≈Õ [one week-ACC
week-ACC until that-GEN/
that-GEN/befor
beforee that-I
that-INST]
NST] one week before that
⁄¡ œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ ƒœ
ƒœ ∏œ«É/¥Å∂≈ƒ ∏≈Õ [to one week-ACC until that-GEN/before that-INST]
that-INST] one week before that
œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ Œ¡
Œ¡⁄Äƒ [one week-ACC ago] one week ago
The preposition ◊ is often used in reference to the ages of people to say ‘at the age of X this ◊, ⁄¡, and fiÅ∂≈⁄
person did Y’; literally it means ‘at the end of so many years this person did Y’: + ACCUSATIVE : AN
ENDPOINT in the
domain of time
Ó¡¤ ƒ…∂…÷£∂ ∂œƒÇÃ∑µ ◊ ∑≈ÕÿÅ Õπ⁄ŸÀÄŒ∏œ◊
Õπ⁄Ÿ ÀÄŒ∏œ◊ … π÷Å ◊ ¥µ∏ÿ Ã≈∏
Ã≈∏ Œ¡πfiÇÃ∑µ …«∂Ä∏ÿ running forward
Œ¡ ∆œ∂∏≈¥…ÄŒœ. means ‘in, at, by
the end of’.
[Our conductor-NOM was-born in family-LOC musicians-GEN and already to five-
ACC years-GEN learned play on piano-LOC.]
Our conductor was born in a family of musicians and already at the age of five he
learned to play the piano.
The meaning of the preposition ⁄¡ is very

ve ry similar here. You
You will notice that when ⁄¡ is used
with an accusative time expression, if the sentence refers to a completed action (usually
with a perfective verb), you get focus on the endpoint, whereas if a process or state is
involved, then you have a duration (ACCUSATIVE: A DIMENSION). Here is an example of ⁄¡
expressing ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT:
˙¡ ÕÅ∑µ√ ‰ÇÕ¡
‰ÇÕ¡ ¥∂≈◊∂¡∏ÇÃ∑µ ◊ œ∫ŸÀŒœ◊ÅŒŒœ«œ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ¡.
[To month-ACC Dima-NOM transformed to ordinary person-ACC.]
By the end of a month Dima had become an ordinary person.
˛Å∂≈⁄ typically indicates a time period that elapses before something else happens:
ÔŒ ¥œ∑∏Ä◊…Ã …Õ πÃÿ∏…ÕÄ∏πÕ: ∑ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ fiÅ∂≈⁄ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ .

[He-NOM set them-DAT
them-DAT ultimatum-ACC: give-up across
acr oss week-ACC.]
He set an ultimatum for them: give up by the end of a
a week .
ßπÀ◊ÄÃÿŒœ fiÅ∂≈⁄ fi¡∑ À À Œ≈™ ¥∂…Åƒ≈∏ ∂¡∑∑∏∂ÅÃÿŒ¡µ ∫∂…«Äƒ¡.

[Literally across hour-ACC to her-DAT
her-DAT arrives firing squad-NOM.]
Literally in one hour a firing squad will arrive at her place.
When the context calls for periodic repetition (often by means of ÀÄ÷ƒŸ™ ‘every’), then
you get the temporal equivalent of what we saw with fiÅ∂≈⁄ and intervals of space: things
that happen at regular intervals of time:
˛Å∂≈⁄ ÀÄ÷ƒπ¿ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ — — Õ≈ƒ…√ÇŒ∑À…™ œ∑ÕÉ∏∂.

[Across every week-ACC — medical examination-NOM.]
There’s a medical examination every other week .
ACCUSATIVE : AN The postposition ∑¥π∑∏Ö ‘later’ (which can also be used as a preposition) gives Russian yet
ENDPOINT + another way to say ‘later’ (just as we can also say thereafter and after that ); here’s an ex-
∑¥π∑∏Ö in the
domain of time ample:
running forward
means ‘later’. ˛≈∏á∂≈ «Éƒ¡ ∑¥π∑∏Ö, ◊ 1904 «œƒÑ Œ¡ Ç«∂¡» ◊ Û≈Œ∏-ÏÑ…∑≈, ÷ÅŒ›…ŒŸ ∑∏ÄÃ…
ÕÅ∂…∏ÿ∑µ ∑ÇÃ¡Õ… ◊ ∑∏∂≈Ãÿ∫Å …⁄ ÃÑÀ¡.
[Four years-ACC later, in 1904 year-LOC at games-LOC in Saint Louis-LOC,
women-NOM started compare strengths-INST in shooting-LOC from bow-GEN.]
Four years later, in 1904 at the games in Saint Louis, women started to compare
their abilities in archery.
ar chery.
ACCUSATIVE : AN The postposition Œ¡⁄Äƒ is probably the most common Russian equivalent for ‘ago’. Here
ENDPOINT + are a couple of examples to show how it works:
Œ¡⁄Äƒ/∏œÕÑ
Œ¡⁄Äƒ in the
domain of time ÌÅ∑µ√ Œ¡⁄Äƒ
Œ¡⁄Äƒ µ ⁄¡∫áÃ¡ π Œ≈«É œfiÀÇ œ∏ ∑ÉÃŒ√¡.
running [Month-ACC ago I-NOM forgot by him-GEN glasses-ACC from sun-GEN.]
backward means
‘ago’.
month ago I forgot my sunglasses at his place.
A month
Ó≈ƒÅÃ¿ Œ¡⁄Äƒ
Œ¡⁄Äƒ µ ∑Ãá¤¡Ã¡ ¥œ ∂Äƒ…œ ¥≈∂≈ƒÄfiπ œ ∑fiÄ∑∏ÿ≈.
[Week-ACC ago I-NOM heard along radio-DAT program-ACC about happiness-
LOC.]
A week ago
ago I heard a program on the radio about happiness.
By the way, Œ¡⁄Äƒ has a variant, ∏œÕÑ Œ¡⁄Äƒ, which also means ‘ago’ and is also preceded
by ACCUSATIVE: AN ENDPOINT.
Epilogue 81
EPILOGUE
The word accusative is not very helpful in summing up this case, although you can
think of the parallel between the force of an accusation being released upon the accused and
the force of a verb being
be ing released upon an object. Accusation is indeed one kind of directed
activity,
activity, and the accusative case is all about directed activity,
activity, particularly motion. Directed
motion occupies a prominent place in the linguistic imagination of Russians, and they make
a much crisper distinction between motion and location than we do in English. It doesn’t
matter how short the trip is: even the travel
trave l of our backside to a seat or
o r the travel of hairpins
to the place we lay them on the sink is described as a movement with a destination. Just
looking at something constitutes a visual voyage. Once again our understanding of time is
patterned after how we perceive space, motivating the conclusion that if a journey has a
spatial destination, then an event has a temporal destination as well. Time is clearly con-
ceived of in Russian as a unidimensional line stretching away from us in two directions.
Change to a new state is comprehended as movement to a new location. Going to a destina-
tion behind an item can be interpreted as catching hold, replacing, or exceeding that item.
Feeling nauseated or shaken up are not activities people engage in; these are things that just
happen to us without any apparent agent. The dative case will continue this theme of forces
directed at targets, albeit in a less immediate way.
82 The Dative Case
DATIVE
DATIVE Forms
Fo rms

nouns ÀÉÕŒ¡∏e ÀÉÕŒ¡∏¡Õ Œ≈ƒÅÃ≈ Œ≈ƒÅÃµÕ
-ÿ: °talent¢
singular plural
∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏… ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏µÕ
nouns ƒ◊œ∂Ñ ƒ◊œ∂ÄÕ «◊œ⁄ƒâ «◊œ⁄ƒÖÕ
nouns ∏ÅÃπ ∏≈ÃÄÕ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…¿ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µÕ
¥Å∂◊œ™ ¥Å∂◊œÕπ ¥Å∂◊œÕπ ¥Å∂◊ŸÕ
soft type: °last¢
¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈Õπ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈Õπ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…Õ
ÕŒ≈ Œ¡Õ ∏≈∫Å ◊¡Õ

(Œ)≈™ (Œ)≈ÕÑ (Œ)≈ÕÑ (Œ)…Õ

ÀœÕÑ fi≈ÕÑ ∑≈∫Å
°this¢
Ü∏œ™ Ü∏œÕπ Ü∏œÕπ Ü∏…Õ
°all, every¢
◊∑≈™ ◊∑≈ÕÑ ◊∑≈ÕÑ ◊∑ÅÕ
°my¢
ÕœÅ™ Õœ≈ÕÑ Õœ≈ÕÑ ÕœÇÕ
°our¢
ŒÄ¤≈™ ŒÄ¤≈Õπ ŒÄ¤≈Õπ ŒÄ¤…Õ
Numerals °one¢
œƒŒÉ™ œƒŒœÕÑ œƒŒœÕÑ œƒŒÇÕ
ƒ◊πÕ ∏∂£Õ fi≈∏Ÿ∂£Õ ¥µ∏Ç
Prologue 83
DATIVE: D A RECEIVER
RECEIVER
The dative network:

AN EXPERIENCER
A RECEIVER
A COMPETITOR
PROLOGUE
Imagine for a moment that you are playing Mad Libs, and you are ar e asked to supply some
words, so you suggest flowerpot , mud puddle , and refrigerator . Then the leader of the game
reads the story: “Philanthropists are people who like to help flowerpots. Some of them are
very gullible and will believe every mud puddle they meet. These do-gooders will even
give a refrigerator their last dime.” Although they are all grammatically correct, these sen-
tences are not representative of the ordinary repertoire of English. The fun of this game in
fact consists in creating nonsensical sentences such as these. The three Mad Libs sentence s
created here are strange because there is a clash between the expectations of constructions
containing help , believe , and give and words like flowerpot , mud puddle , and refrigerator
which fail to meet these expectations. All three constructions presume that the object is
most likely to be a human being. Help is meaningless to a flowerpot because it cannot
appreciate the benefit it receives. A mud puddle doesn’t have a story to tell and cannot
inspire belief. A refrigerator cannot do anything with money, so there is no point in giving it
any. The reason that inanimate objects don’t work in these contexts is that they are inca-
pable of serving as the subjects ofo f further action. If you were to play
p lay this round of Mad Libs
in Russian, you would put all three words in the dative case because the verbs ¥œÕœ«Ä∏ÿ
‘help’, ◊Å∂…∏ÿ ‘believe’, and ƒ¡∏ÿ ‘give’ would require you to do so, but they still wouldn’t
make any more sense in Russian than in English. The dative case shows that all three con- A dative item is
texts have something in common, and as we saw above, they all share the expectation that one that can
react or exert
the dative item is capable of being a subject. This doesn’t mean that all dative items are forces of its own.
going to be human or even animate, but it does mean that when you are dealing with a
dative item, it is likely to be able to react or at least to exert forces of its own.
There are three meanings to the dative, all of which involve the dative’s capacity to An overview of
interact with its surroundings. The first two meanings are relatively passive, involving re- the dative case.
ceiving objects (DATIVE: A RECEIVER) and absorbing experiences (DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER),
whereas the third one is relatively active, involving exerting equal or superior strength in
relation to something else (DATIVE: A COMPETITOR).
84 The Dative Case
DATIVE: A RECEIVER 1—The indirect object

DATIVE: A RECIEVER involves the transfer of an
object from one thing or pperson
erson to another, as in Sally
DATIVE: A gave the book to John . The thing or person on the
RECEIVER
expresses the
receiving end (John)
( John) is marked with the dative. You
You D
indirect object. might recognize this as the indirect object (the di-
rect object, of course, is the book, marked
mar ked in the ac-
cusative). As we will see, the tricky thing about
a bout Rus-
sian is that you can sometimes have an indirect ob- A force (arrow) brings an item
(small circle) to a DATIVE: A RECEIVER
ject (DATIVE: A RECEIVER) without an obvious direct
(circle labeled D), which has the potential
object (ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION). But let’s start with to exert a force (dotted arrow)
some straightforward examples.
DATIVE: A Giving is a universal experience of human
hu man interaction, and it serves as the logical start-
RECEIVER in the ing point for the meanings of the dative. Russian has two verbs for ‘give’: ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/ƒ¡∏ÿ
context of
giving. (which can have many prefixes) and ƒ¡∂Ç∏ÿ/¥œƒ¡∂Ç∏ÿ, and the following examples illus-
trate their use with the dative:
‰œ∂…ÄŒ œ∫»Éƒ…∏ ∑◊œÇ» πfi≈Œ…ÀÉ◊, ∂¡⁄ƒ¡£∏ …Õ ŒÉ∏Ÿ. ŒÉ∏Ÿ.

[Dorian-NOM walk-around own pupils-ACC, gives-out them-DAT music-ACC.]
Dorian makes the rounds of his pupils, handing out music to them .
ÈƒÅµ ∫ŸÃÄ ÕœÖ, µ ∑¡ÕÄ ¥œƒ¡∂ÇÃ¡ ≈£ ∑◊œ≈ÕÑ Œ¡fiÄÃÿŒ…Àπ .

[Idea-NOM was mine-NOM, I myself-NOM gave it-ACC own boss-DAT
boss-DAT.]
The idea was mine, I gave it to my boss myself.
You can see that these sentences have parallel structures, as indicated in this table:
subject verb indirect object direct object

Dorian hands out to pupils music
I gave to my boss the idea
The indirect You can also see that both the pupils and the boss are much more
mor e than passive destinations
object can act as for the music and the idea. In both instances we presume that they are going to do some-
the subject for a
further action. thing with what they have received: the pupils are probably
proba bly going to play the music on their
instruments, and the boss is probably going to implement the idea. Even if they fail to do
anything, the fact that they could do something is crucial here.
DATIVE: A Giving need not involve tangible objects. In English we can offer more abstract, meta-
RECEIVER inthe phorical “gifts”, such as chances and opportunities, and the same goes for Russian:
context of
metaphorical
giving. ÂÕÑ ƒÄÃ…
ƒÄÃ… ¤¡Œ∑ ◊á¥Ã¡∏…∏ÿ ƒœÃ«Ç ¥œ À∂≈ƒÇ∏¡Õ.
[Him-DAT
[Him-DAT gave chance-ACC pay-off debts-ACC
debts- ACC along credits-DAT
credits-DAT.]
They gave him the chance to pay off his debts on credit.
Dative: a receiver 1 85
ÛÕ≈Ö∑ÿ, ÕŸ ¤…∂œÀÉ œ∏À∂Ÿ◊Ä≈Õ ∂œ∏, Œ¡¥∂µ«Äµ ◊∑≈ Õá¤√Ÿ Ã…√Ä, … ƒ¡£Õ

◊œ⁄ÕÉ÷Œœ∑∏ÿ ¥ÉÃŒœ∑∏ÿ¿ ∂¡∑∑ÃÄ∫…∏ÿ∑µ ƒ∂π«ÇÕ Õá¤√¡Õ .
[Laughing, we-NOM widely open mouth-ACC, tensing all muscles-ACC face-GEN,
and give opportunity-ACC completely relax
re lax other muscles-DA
muscles- DATT.]
When we laugh, we open wide our mouth, tensing all the muscles in our face, and
we give our other muscles an opportunity to completely relax.
Acts of transferring objects from one party to another are ar e fairly widespread; in Ânglish, for Words meaning
example we can send , offer , supply , and deliver things to other people. We can even extend ‘transfer’ or
‘make available’
this idea of making something available to someone to words like buy (She bought me a trigger DATIVE: A
ticket) and show (He showed me his report card). These words aren’t really synonyms of RECEIVER.
give , but they share the same basic conceptual
conce ptual structure, and it is no surprise that in Russian
words like these will also have dative indirect objects, as we see in the following table and
examples:
Expressions of
o f giving associated with DATIVE:
DATIVE: A RECEIVER
‘return’ ‘send, dispatch’ ‘send’

◊œ⁄◊∂¡›Ä∏ÿ/◊œ⁄◊∂¡∏Ç∏ÿ/◊≈∂ŒÑ∏ÿ œ∏¥∂¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/œ∏¥∂Ä◊…∏ÿ ¥œ∑ŸÃÄ∏ÿ/¥œ∑ÃÄ∏ÿ
¥œ∑áÃÀ¡ ‘sending; parcel’
‘deliver, entrust’ ‘pass, convey’
◊∂πfiÄ∏ÿ/◊∂πfiÇ∏ÿ ¥≈∂≈ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/¥≈∂≈ƒÄ∏ÿ ‘offer’
◊∂πfiÅŒ…≈ ‘delivery’ ¥≈∂≈ƒÄfi¡ ‘passing; broadcast’ ¥∂≈ƒÃ¡«Ä∏ÿ/¥∂≈ƒÃœ÷Ç∏ÿ
¥∂≈ƒÃœ÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘offer’
‘give out, issue’ ‘show’
◊Ÿƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/◊áƒ¡∏ÿ ¥œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ ‘grant’
◊áƒ¡fi¡ ‘issue’ ¥œÀ¡⁄ÄŒ…≈ ‘testimony, evidence’ ¥∂≈ƒœ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/¥∂≈ƒœ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ
¥∂≈ƒœ∑∏¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈
¥∂≈ƒœ∑∏¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘grant(ing)’
‘give’ ‘buy’
ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/ƒ¡∏ÿ ¥œÀπ¥Ä∏ÿ/Àπ¥Ç∏ÿ ‘bring’
¥∂…Œœ∑Ç∏ÿ/¥∂…Œ≈∑∏Ç
‘give as a gift’ ‘entrust’ ¥∂…Œœ¤ÅŒ…≈ ‘bringing’
ƒ¡∂Ç∏ÿ/¥œƒ¡∂Ç∏ÿ ¥œ∂πfiÄ∏ÿ/¥œ∂πfiÇ∏ÿ
ƒ¡∂ÅŒ…≈ ‘giving’ ‘sell’
¥œƒÄ∂œÀ ‘gift’ ‘dedicate’ ¥∂œƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/¥∂œƒÄ∏ÿ
¥œ∑◊µ›Ä∏ÿ/¥œ∑◊µ∏Ç∏ÿ ¥∂œƒÄ÷¡ ‘sale’
‘bequeath’ ¥œ∑◊µ›ÅŒ…≈, ‘dedication’
⁄¡◊≈›Ä∏ÿ ‘hand out, distribute’
‘supply’ ∂¡⁄ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/∂¡⁄ƒÄ∏ÿ
‘render’ ¥œ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/¥œ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ ∂¡⁄ƒÄfi¡ ‘distribution’
œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ/œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ ¥œ∑∏Ä◊À¡ ‘supply, delivery’
‘hand over, surrender’
‘leave (for)’ ∑ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/∑ƒ¡∏ÿ
œ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/œ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ ∑ƒÄfi¡ ‘handing over, surrender’
86 The Dative Case
DATIVE: A Ä∂∏…µ ÕœŒ¡∂»Ç∑∏œ◊ Œ¡¥∂Ä◊…Ã¡ ¥…∑ÿÕÉ ¡Œ«ÃÇ™∑ÀœÕπ ¥∂ÇŒ√π ¸ƒ◊Ä∂ƒπ ∑

RECEIVER inthe ¥∂É∑ÿ∫œ™ ∑∏¡∏ÿ ‹∑∏ÉŒ∑À…Õ Àœ∂œÃ£Õ.
context of
transfer. [Party-NOM monarchists-GEN sent letter-ACC English prince Edward-DAT with
request-INST become Estonian King-INST.]
The monarchist party sent a letter to the English Prince Edward with a request that
he become King of Estonia.
Î…∏Ä™ ¥œ∑∏¡◊ÃÖÃ È∂ÄŒπ ÀœÕ¥œŒÅŒ∏Ÿ,

ÀœÕ¥œŒÅŒ∏Ÿ, Àœ∏É∂Ÿ≈ ÕÉ«π∏ ∫Ÿ∏ÿ …∑¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡ŒŸ
ƒÃµ ∑œ⁄ƒÄŒ…µ Öƒ≈∂Œœ«œ œ∂Ñ÷…µ.
[China-NOM supplied Iran-DAT components-ACC, which-NOM can be used-NOM
for creation-GEN nuclear weapons-GEN.]
China supplied components to Iran that can be used to create nuclear weapons.
DATIVE: A Transfer of objects with a variety of verbs also lends itself to abstract, metaphorical usage.
RECEIVER in
the Granting status and selling your soul involve a transfer that is more fictive than actual, but
context of
metaphorical still the connection with giving is clear:
transfer.
ÔŒ ∏ÄÀ÷≈ ¥∂≈ƒÃœ÷ÇÃ ¥∂≈ƒœ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ ◊œ∑∏œfiŒœ≈◊∂œ¥Å™∑À…Õ ∑∏∂ÄŒ¡Õ ∑∏Ä∏π∑
Œ¡∫Ã¿ƒÄ∏≈Ã≈™ ¥∂… ˙¡¥¡ƒŒœ≈◊∂œ¥Å™∑ÀœÕ ∑œâ⁄≈.
[He-NOM also suggested grant
g rant East-European countries-DA
cou ntries-DATT status-ACC observ-
ers-GEN at West-European union-LOC.]
He also suggested granting the East European countries the status of observers in
the West
West European union.
˜∑≈ ƒÑ¤π ƒÿÖ◊œÃπ ¥∂œƒ¡â∏,

¥∂œƒ¡â∏, ¡ µ ¥œƒ¡∂ÇÃ ∫≈∑¥ÃÄ∏Œœ.
[Everyone-NOM soul-ACC devil-DAT sell, but I-NOM gave for-free.]
Everyone sells their soul to the devil , but I gave mine for free.
DATIVE: A Another way to give someone something is by creating the gift for the person. If I say
RECEIVER inthe I’ll bake you a cake for your birthday , I’m promising to bring the cake into existence so that
context of
creation. you will receive it; in Russian you would be the DATIVE: A RECEIVER. All kinds of words
involving making things can be recruited for this purpose, such as building, cooking, sew-
ing, etc. Here’s an example:
Û≈∫Å œŒÄ
œŒÄ Œ…fi≈«É Œ≈ ¥œ∑∏∂É…Ã¡.
[Self-DAT
[Self-DAT she-NOM nothing-GEN not built.]
She didn’t build anything for herself .
DATIVE: A The force of the dative case is so strong that the role of DATIVE: A RECEIVER comes through
RECEIVER inthe loud and clear even when there is no word indicating giving at all, as in this example:
absence ‘give’.
Ó¡∑ÃÅƒŒ…À…, ∏∂… ∫∂Ä∏¡ … ∑≈∑∏∂Ä, ¥≈∂≈∂π«ÄÃ…∑ÿ, œ∫∑π÷ƒÄµ

œ∫∑π÷ ƒÄµ fi∏œ — ÀœÕÑ .
[Heirs-NOM, three brothers-NOM and sister-NOM cussed-each-other-out, discuss-
ing what-NOM who-DAT.]
The heirs, three brothers and a sister, cussed each other out while discussing what
would go/be given to whom .
You will also recognize this verb-less construction in the formulaic phrase ÛÃÄ◊¡ ßÉ«π
[Glory-NOM God-D·Ù] ‘Glory to God ’.
DATIVE: A RECEIVER 2—Indirect objects without direct objects

The remaining uses of the DATIVE: A RECEIVER submeaning are not indirect objects in the DATIVE: A
classic sense because they don’t have any ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION direct objects. How- RECEIVER can
express the
ever, they do involve the transfer of something to a receiver, even if that something is not indirect object
explicitly named in the accusative case, and for this reason we can think of these uses as without a direct
being very close relatives to the indirect object.
o bject. Usually the “missing” direct objects can be object.
found in the meaning of the trigger word; for example, verbs of o f communication all involve
the transfer of a signal
signa l to a receiver, and these verbs take the dative case.
c ase. When you make a “Missing” direct
contribution to a worthy cause, it is not necessary to specify that you gave them money, we objects include
signals, money
still understand the charitable organization as the receiver even when the money is not and gifts, and the
mentioned. It is also possible for something to bring itself to a receiver, in which case the self.
“missing” direct object is the subject of the sentence.
s entence. Each of these types ofo f indirect objects
will be taken up below.
There is quite a selection of words that express delivering signals to receivers. For DATIVE: A
convenience they can be broken down into two groups: those that involve talking and those RECEIVER in the
context of giving
that do not. In most instances you can
c an easily recover the “missing” direct
direc t object by restating signals.
these words as ‘give a signal to X’, where
whe re the signal is the direct object and X is the DATIVE:
A RECEIVER. Because the signal is already
alre ady implicit in the word, we can skip right over it and
go directly to the receiver. This table contains some of the communication words associated
with the dative that you are likely to encounter:
Expressions of
o f communication associated with DATIVE:
DATIVE: A RECEIVER
communication: talking
‘thanks to’ ‘call’ ‘explain’
∫Ã¡«œƒ¡∂Ö ⁄◊œŒÇ∏ÿ/¥œ⁄◊œŒÇ∏ÿ œ∫flµ∑ŒÖ∏ÿ/œ∫flµ∑ŒÇ∏ÿ
⁄◊œŒÉÀ ‘call’
‘order’ ‘answer’
◊≈ÃÅ∏ÿ/¥œ◊≈ÃÅ∏ÿ ‘flatter’ œ∏◊≈fiÄ∏ÿ/œ∏◊Å∏…∏ÿ
Ãÿ∑∏…∏ÿ/¥œÃÿ∑∏Ç∏ÿ œ∏◊Å∏ ‘answer’
‘say ◊Ÿ to’
◊áÀ¡∏ÿ ‘pray’ ‘say yes to’
◊áÀ¡Œ…≈ ‘saying ◊Ÿ to’ ÕœÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œÕœÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ ¥œƒƒÄÀ…◊¡∏ÿ/¥œƒƒÄÀŒπ∏ÿ
ÕœÃÇ∏◊¡ ‘prayer’ ¥œƒƒÄÀ…◊¡Œ…≈ ‘saying yes to’
‘speak, tell’ ÕœÃÅ∫≈Œ ‘prayer service’
«œ◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ/∑À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ ‘order’
ÕœÃÖ›…™∑µ ‘person who is praying’
¥∂…ÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ/¥∂…À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ
‘threaten’ ‘remind’ ¥∂…À¡⁄ÄŒ…≈ ‘order’
«∂œ⁄Ç∏ÿ/¥∂…«∂œ⁄Ç∏ÿ Œ¡¥œÕ…ŒÄ∏ÿ/Œ¡¥ÉÕŒ…∏ÿ
π«∂É⁄¡ ‘threat’ ‘protest’
Œ¡¥œÕ…ŒÄŒ…≈ ‘reminder’
¥∂œ∏≈∑∏œ◊Ä∏ÿ
‘promise’ ¥∂œ∏Å∑∏ ‘protest’
œ∫≈›Ä∏ÿ
88 The Dative Case
Expressions of communication associated with DATIVE:

DATIVE: A RECEIVER (continued)
communication: talking
‘report, inform’ ‘say ∏Ÿ to’ ‘read (out loud) to’
∑œœ∫›Ä∏ÿ/∑œœ∫›Ç∏ÿ ∏áÀ¡∏ÿ fi…∏Ä∏ÿ/¥∂œfi…∏Ä∏ÿ (◊∑Ãπ»)
∑œœ∫›ÅŒ…≈ ‘report, communication’ ∏áÀ¡Œ…≈ ‘saying ∏Ÿ to’
‘advise’
∑œ◊Å∏œ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œ∑œ◊Å∏œ◊¡∏ÿ
∑œ◊Å∏ ‘advice’
communication: other signals
‘applaud’ ‘write’
¡¥ÃœƒÇ∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ¥…∑Ä∏ÿ/Œ¡¥…∑Ä∏ÿ ‘signal’
¥…∑ÿÕÉ ‘letter’ ∑…«ŒÄÃ…∏ÿ
‘nod’ ∑…«Œ¡Ã…⁄Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ(∑µ)
À…◊Ä∏ÿ/À…◊ŒÑ∏ÿ ‘wink’ ∑…«ŒÄÃ ‘signal’
¥œƒÕÇ«…◊¡∏ÿ/¥œƒÕ…«ŒÑ∏ÿ
‘bow’ ¥œƒÕÇ«…◊¡Œ…≈ ‘winking’ ‘laugh’
ÀÃÄŒµ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œÀÃœŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ∑Õ≈Ö∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑Õ≈Ö∏ÿ∑µ
¥œÀÃÉŒ ‘bow’ ‘message, epistle’
¥œ∑ÃÄŒ…≈ ‘telegraph’
‘wave’ ∏≈Ã≈«∂¡∆Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ
Õ¡»Ä∏ÿ/¥œÕ¡»Ä∏ÿ ‘radio’
∂¡ƒÇ∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘smile’
‘blink, wink’ πÃŸ∫Ä∏ÿ∑µ/πÃŸ∫ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ
Õœ∂«Ä∏ÿ/Õœ∂«ŒÑ∏ÿ ‘applaud, clap’
∂πÀœ¥Ã≈∑ÀÄ∏ÿ ‘grin’
∂πÀœ¥Ã≈∑ÀÄŒ…≈ ‘applause’ π∑Õ≈»Ä∏ÿ∑µ/π∑Õ≈»ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ
The following three examples illustrate how communication words involving talking
are used with the dative:
Û≈«ÉƒŒµ œŒ Œ¡¥œÕ…ŒÄ≈∏ ÕŒ≈ : ◊ µŒ◊¡∂Å …∑¥Ÿ∏ÄŒ…µ ŒÉ◊œ«œ ∑∏≈ÀÃœ¥ÃÄ∑∏…À¡
ƒœÃ÷Œá ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ⁄¡ÀÉŒfi≈ŒŸ.
[Today he-NOM reminds me-DAT: in January-LOC tests-NOM new plexiglass-
GEN should-NOM be finished-NOM.]
Today he reminds me: the tests on the new plexiglass should be finished in January.
Janua ry.
Ò ¥œ⁄◊œŒÇÃ ⁄¡◊Åƒπ¿›≈Õπ ∑¥œ∂∏Ç◊Œœ™
∑¥œ∂∏Ç◊Œœ™ ÀÄ∆≈ƒ∂œ™.
[I-NOM called head-DAT
head-DAT athletic department-INST
d epartment-INST.]
.]
I called the head of the athletic department.
· µ œ∏◊≈fiÄ¿ ≈ÕÑ , fi∏œ µ ∏∂Äfiπ ∏ÉÃÿÀœ Œ¡ ≈ƒÑ.

[And I-NOM answer
ans wer him-DAT
him-DAT, that I-NOM spend only on food-ACC.]
And I answer him that I only spend money on food.
There are some communication verbs that do not use the dative case. ßÃ¡«œƒ¡∂Ç∏ÿ/
¥œ∫Ã¡«œƒ¡∂Ç∏ÿ ‘thank’ has an accusative direct object, but it used to take the dative, and
the preposition ∫Ã¡«œƒ¡∂Ö ‘thanks to’ still does:
Ó¡∑≈ÃÅŒ…≈ ÛÅ∂∫∑Àœ™ Ú≈∑¥Ñ∫Ã…À… ∫Ã¡«œƒ¡∂Ö ∑◊œÇÕ ¥œÃÇ∏…À¡Õ π÷Å

π÷Å ∂¡∑ÀÉÃœ∏œ
ÕÅ÷ƒπ ÄÃ≈ … ßÄŒµ-ÏÑÀœ™.
[Population-NOM
[Populatio n-NOM Serbian Republic-
Republic-GEN
GEN thanks own politicians-DAT
politicians-DAT already split-
NOM between Pale-INST and Banja-Luka-INST.]
Banja- Luka-INST.]
Thanks to its politicians the population of the Republic of Serbia is already split
between Pale and Banja-Luka.
As you see in the table above, communication through bodily gestures and electrical
signals is likewise directed to DATIVE: A RECEIVER. Here is an example so you can see the
parallel with verbs of verbal communication:
ÔŒ ¥œÀÃœŒÇÃ∑µ ¡À∏∂Ç∑≈ .
[He-NOM bowed actress-DAT.]
He bowed to the actress .
In both Russian and English there are some verbs that mean ‘give money or a gift’, such DATIVE: A
as pay and donate . Because the idea that money or a gift is involved is already part of the RECEIVER in the
context of giving
word, it doesn’t need to appear as an accusative direct object, just like the signals above. money or gifts.
Here are some of the words you can expect to see with DATIVE: A RECEIVER, along with an
example to illustrate:
Expressions of giving money associated
a ssociated with DATIVE:
DATIVE: A RECEIVER
‘donate’ ‘compensate’ ‘pay’

÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ÀœÕ¥≈Œ∑Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ¥Ã¡∏Ç∏ÿ/⁄¡¥Ã¡∏Ç∏ÿ
¥œ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈
¥œ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘donation’ ÀœÕ¥≈Œ∑Ä√…µ ‘compensation’ ¥ÃÄ∏¡, ⁄¡∂¥ÃÄ∏¡ ‘pay, wages’
‘change (money back)’
∑ƒÄfi¡
Ò ◊ ∑œ∑∏œÖŒ…… ⁄¡¥Ã¡∏Ç∏ÿ «∂Ä÷ƒ¡Œ¡Õ ⁄¡ ⁄¡ «∂≈»Ç ¥∂≈ƒŸƒÑ›…» ¥∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ã≈™.

[I-NOM in condition-LOC pay citizens-DAT
citizens-DAT for sins-ACC previous rulers-GEN.]
I am in a position to pay the citizens for the sins of their previous rulers.
DATIVE: A RECEIVER 3—Giving the self

As an alternative to presenting something to a DATIVE: A RECEIVER, the subject can simply DATIVE: A
present itself, and this can impact the receiver in two ways. The subject can physically bring RECEIVER in the
context of giving
itself to the receiver, or it can bring itself merely to the perception of the receiver, usually the self.
with verbs meaning ‘appear (in a dream)’, ‘seem’, ‘make an impression’. Here are some
words that commonly indicate the giving of the self to a DATIVE: A RECEIVER:
Expressions of appearance and
an d manifestation associated
ass ociated with DATIVE:
DATIVE: A RECEIVER
‘appear to in a dream’ ‘come to; allow oneself to ‘go to, fall to one’s lot,
«∂Å⁄…∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂…«∂Å⁄…∏ÿ∑µ be caught by’ be inherited by’
ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ƒœ∑∏¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/ƒœ∑∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ
90 The Dative Case
Expressions of appearance
a ppearance and manifestation
manifes tation associated with DATIVE:
DATIVE: A RECEIVER (contin-
‘become fixed in one’s memory’ ‘seem to’ ‘introduce oneself to’

⁄¡¥ÉÕŒ…∏ÿ∑µ À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ ¥∂≈ƒ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂≈ƒ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ
¥∂≈ƒ∑∏¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘introduction’
‘known to’ ‘appear to, haunt’
…⁄◊Å∑∏ŒŸ™ Õ≈∂Å›…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œÕ≈∂Å›…∏ÿ∑µ ‘go in front of, precede’
¥∂≈ƒ¤Å∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ
‘impress’ ‘toward’
…Õ¥œŒÇ∂œ◊¡∏ÿ Œ¡◊∑∏∂Åfiπ ‘appear to in a dream’
∑ŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂…∑ŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ
Money presents itself to receivers

receiver s in two situations in this example. In the first
f irst instance
the receiver is an individual on a payroll (who pays attention to how much is in his check),
whereas in the second one it is an anonymous firm (that will sign off on any amount of
money):
˜≈ƒÿ ⁄¡∂¥ÃÄ∏¡ ƒœ∑∏¡£∏∑µ ÀœŒÅfiŒœÕπ ¥œ∏∂≈∫Ç∏≈Ã¿ , Àœ∏É∂Ÿ™ ƒœ¥ÉƒÃ…ŒŒœ

⁄ŒÄ≈∏, ¥œÃπfiÇÃ œŒ Õ…ÃÃ…ÉŒ ÇÃ… ¥œÃÕ…ÃÃ…ÉŒ¡, ◊ ∏œ ◊∂ÅÕµ À¡À
…Œ◊≈∑∏…√…ÉŒŒŸ≈ ƒÅŒÿ«… π»Éƒµ∏ ∆Ç∂Õ≈ , Àœ∏É∂¡µ ⁄Ä¥∂œ∑∏œ ÕÉ÷≈∏ ∂¡∑¥…∑Ä∏ÿ∑µ
⁄¡ Ã¿∫É≈ ÀœÃÇfi≈∑∏◊œ ƒÅŒ≈«.
[After-all salary-NOM goes end user-DAT
user-DAT, who-NOM for-certain knows,
kn ows, received
he-NOM million-ACC or half-million-ACC,
half-million-ACC , in that time-ACC as investment money-
NOM goes firm-DAT, which-NOM simply can sign for any amount-ACC money-
GEN.]
After all a salary goes to the end user , who knows for certain whether he received a
million or half a million, whereas investment money goes to a firm which can sim-
ply sign for any amount of money.
Ultimately many verbs of motion can be used

u sed to bring the subject to a receiver;
re ceiver; the preposi-
tion Œ¡◊∑∏∂Åfiπ ‘toward, to meet’ is often used to enhance this meaning:
Ó¡◊∑∏∂Åfiπ ÕŒ≈ ∑¥≈¤Ç∏
∑¥≈¤Ç∏ ‹ÀœŒœÕÇfi≈∑À…™ œ∫œ⁄∂≈◊Ä∏≈Ãÿ.
[Toward
[Toward me-DAT
me-DAT hurries economic reviewer-NOM.]
r eviewer-NOM.]
The economic reviewer comes hurrying toward me.
‘Seeming’ and The following three examples are of the metaphoric type. In all cases the subject is
‘appearing’ presenting itself to the perception of the receiver, by making an appearance (to waking or
function as
metaphorical dreaming consciousness) or by making an impression.
extensions of
giving the self. ‰œ ∑≈«ÉƒŒµ¤Œ≈«œ ƒŒµ ÕœÖ Ã¡∫œ∂¡∏É∂…µ À¡⁄ÄÃ¡∑ÿ ÕŒ≈ ∑◊µ∏áÕ ∑◊µ∏áÕ ÕÅ∑∏œÕ.
[Until today’s day-GEN my laboratory-NOM seemed me-DAT holy place-INST.]
place-INST.]
Up to the present day my laboratory has seemed to me to be a holy place.
Dative:: an experiencer 1 91
Ó≈ƒÄ◊Œœ ≈ÕÑ ∑ŒÇÃ¡∑ÿ
∑ŒÇÃ¡∑ÿ ƒÅ◊π¤À¡ …⁄ ∑œ∑ÅƒŒ≈™ À◊¡∂∏Ç∂Ÿ.
[Recently him-DAT
him-DAT appeared-in-dream girl-NOM from next-door apartment-GEN.]
Recently the girl from the apartment next door appeared to him in a dream.
Ò ⁄¡ÕÅ∏…Ã, fi∏œ Œ¡ ÙÄ∑¿ œ∫∂¡›Ä¿∏ ◊Œ…ÕÄŒ…≈. ñ∏œ …Õ¥œŒÇ∂œ◊¡Ãœ ÕŒ≈ .

[I-NOM noticed, that on Tasya-ACC turn attention-ACC. That-NOM impressed
me-DAT.]
I noticed that people were paying attention to Tasya. That impressed me.
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 1—Benefit
Something happens to a DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER, and the dative item absorbs that experi- DATIVE: AN
ence. You
You can think of this as a diluted version of DATIVE: A RECEIVER; here the dative doesn’t EXPERIENCER
expresses an
get something, instead it gets just an experience of something. Words meaning ‘show’ and item exposed to
‘appear to’ are transitional examples, demonstrating the benefit/harm,
link between DATIVE : A RECEIVER and DATIVE : AN possession/need,
external forces,
EXPERIENCER . We
We use the dative case for experiences be- ease/difficulty, or
cause the DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER is capable of appreci-
D ating the impact of whatever action or state it is ex-
obligation/desire.
posed to. Experiences can be good and bad, thus ben-

efiting or harming the DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER. Posses-
A force (arrow) acts on a sion and need are also common experiences, and then
DATIVE :: AN EXPERIENCER (circle labeled there are many miscellaneous experiences that don’t
D), which has the potential fit into neat categories. Let’s start with the good expe-
to exert a force (dotted arrow) riences that bring benefit to the DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER.
Kindness comes in many forms, and there is a wealth DATIVE: AN
of ways in which something or someone some one can bring benefit. Here is a table of words that you EXPERIENCER in
the context of
can expect to see accompanied by DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER: benefit.
Expressions of benefit associated with DATIVE::

DATIVE:: AN EXPERIENCER
‘thankful to’ ‘please’ ‘help’
∫Ã¡«œƒÄ∂ŒŸ™ Œ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œŒ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ ¥œÕœ«Ä∏ÿ/¥œÕÉfiÿ
¥ÉÕœ›ÿ ‘help’
‘favor’ ‘allow, permit’
∫Ã¡«œ¥∂…Ö∏∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ¥œ⁄◊œÃÖ∏ÿ/¥œ⁄◊ÉÃ…∏ÿ ‘forgive, pardon’
¥œ⁄◊ÉÃ≈ŒŒŸ™ ‘permitted’ ¥∂œ›Ä∏ÿ/¥∂œ∑∏Ç∏ÿ
‘be lucky’
◊≈⁄∏Ç/¥œ◊≈⁄∏Ç ‘patronize, support’ ‘sympathize’
¥œÀ∂œ◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ∑…Õ¥¡∏…⁄Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ
‘be good for’ ¥œÀ∂œ◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊π¿›…™
¥œÀ∂œ◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊π¿›…™ ‘patron’ ∑…Õ¥¡∏Çfi≈Œ ‘nice’
«œƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ¥œÀ∂œ◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ
¥œÀ∂œ◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ ‘patronage’ ∑…Õ¥Ä∏…µ ‘sympathy’
«ÉƒŒŸ™ ∑…Õ¥¡∏…⁄Ç∂π¿›…™
∑…Õ¥¡∏…⁄Ç∂π¿›…™ ‘supporter’
‘become attractive to’
‘suit, become’ ¥œÃ¿∫Ç∏ÿ∑µ
…ƒ∏Ç
92 The Dative Case
Expressions of benefit associated with DATIVE::

DATIVE:: AN EXPERIENCER (continued)
‘serve’ ‘sympathize’ ‘useful’

∑Ãπ÷Ç∏ÿ/¥œ∑Ãπ÷Ç∏ÿ ∑œfiÑ◊∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ¥œÃÅ⁄ŒŸ™
∑ÃÑ÷∫¡/∑Ãπ÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘service’ ∑œfiÑ◊∑∏◊≈ŒŒŸ™
∑œfiÑ◊∑∏◊≈ŒŒŸ™ ‘sympathetic’ ¥ÉÃÿ⁄¡ ‘use’
∑œfiÑ◊∑∏◊…≈ ‘sympathy’
‘sympathize, condole’ ‘pleasant’
∑œ∫œÃÅ⁄Œœ◊¡∏ÿ ‘assist, facilitate’ ¥∂…Ö∏ŒŸ™
∑œ∫œÃÅ⁄Œœ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘sympathy, condo- ∑¥œ∑É∫∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ
lence’ ∑¥œ∑É∫∑∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈
∑¥œ∑É∫∑∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘assistance’ ‘convenient’
πƒÉ∫ŒŸ™
‘assist, help’ ‘please’
∑œƒÅ™∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ π«œ÷ƒÄ∏ÿ/π«œƒÇ∏ÿ
∑œƒÅ™∑∏◊…≈ ‘assistance’
Here are some examples of relatively concrete assistance given to a DATIVE : AN

EXPERIENCER:
ÔŒ ¥œ⁄◊ÉÃ…∏ ŒÄ¤≈™ Œ≈∆∏µŒÉ™ ¥∂œÕá¤Ã≈ŒŒœ∑∏… ∂≈¤Ç∏ÿ ∂≈¤Ç∏ÿ ∑◊œÇ ¥∂œ∫ÃÅÕŸ.

[He-NOM will-allow our oil industry-DAT
industry-DAT solve own problems-ACC.]
pr oblems-ACC.]
He will allow our oil industry to solve its own problems.
Û Ü∏œ«œ ÕœÕÅŒ∏¡ ¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏ ¥œÀ∂œ◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡Ã ŒÄ¤≈Õπ ÕÜ∂π .

[From that moment-GEN president-NOM supported our mayor-DAT
mayor-DAT.]
From that moment on, the president supported our mayor .
The next two examples illustrate ‘serving’ in a relatively metaphorical sense:
ì∫¡ ∫ÉÃÿ¤≈ ÷Ç⁄Œ… Ã¿∫ÇÃ… Ã…∏≈∂¡∏Ñ∂π … ÀÄ÷ƒŸ™ ¥œ-∑◊É≈Õπ, Œœ œƒ…ŒÄÀœ◊œ

¥∂Åƒ¡ŒŒœ ∑Ãπ÷ÇÃ… ≈™ .
[Both-NOM more life-GEN loved literature-ACC and each-NOM in-own-way, but
equally devotedly
de votedly served
s erved it-DAT
it-DAT.]
They both loved literature more than life itself and each one did so in their own
o wn way,
but they served it with
with equal devotion.
Ù≈Ã≈◊…⁄…ÉŒŒŸ™ ÀœÕÕ≈Œ∏Ä∏œ∂ ⁄¡ÕÅ∏…Ã, fi∏œ ƒπ»É◊Œœ«œ ∑œ◊≈∂¤ÅŒ∑∏◊¡ ÕÉ÷Œœ

ƒœ∑∏Çfiÿ ¥∂É∑∏œ ◊Å∂œ™ … ∑Ãπ÷ÅŒ…≈Õ ƒœ∫∂Ñ .
[Television commentator-NOM remarked, that spiritual perfection-GEN possible
attain simply faith-INST
f aith-INST and serving-INST good-DAT
good-DAT.]
The television commentator remarked that it is possible
poss ible to attain spiritual perfection
simply through faith and by serving good .
DATIVE: AN To express ‘like’ (any attraction weaker than full-blown love), Russian uses the verb
EXPERIENCER with meaning ‘please’ Œ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œŒ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ with the dative, and the logical structure of the
Œ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ/
¥œŒ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ
sentence is the inverse of what we have in English, so you-NOM please me-DAT, really
‘like’. means ‘I like you’. Here’s an example of how this works in Russian:
ÌŒ≈ Œ∂Ä◊µ∏ÿ∑µ
Œ∂Ä◊µ∏ÿ∑µ ∏≈, ÀœÕÑ Œ∂Ä◊Ã¿∑ÿ
Œ∂Ä◊Ã¿∑ÿ µ.
[Me-DAT
[Me-DAT please those-NOM, who-DAwho- DATT please I-NOM.]
I like
like people who like me.
The use of the verb …ƒ∏Ç with the dative to mean ‘suit, become’
bec ome’ is idiomatic, but then so Idiomatic use of
is the use of English go in phrases like go well with . In this example, age goes well with DATIVE: AN
EXPERIENCER with
Shurochka’s looks: …ƒ∏Ç to express
‘suit, become’.
ı ˚Ñ∂œfiÀ… ∫ŸÃ ∏œ∏ ∏…¥ ◊ŒÅ¤Œœ∑∏…, Àœ∏É∂œÕπ …ƒ£∏ …ƒ£∏ ◊É⁄∂¡∑∏.
[By Shurochka-GEN was that type-NOM appearance-GEN, which-DAT suits age-
NOM.]
Shurochka had the type of appearance that is
is improved by age.
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 2—Harm
Russian has a rich variety of expressions for harm inflicted upon a DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER. DATIVE: AN
Some of the most common ones are in this table. You will notice that «∂œ⁄Ç∏ÿ ‘threaten’ EXPERIENCER in
the context of
shows up both here and under verbs of communication above. This verb is just as ambigu- harm.
ous in Russian as it is in English; a threat can be construed either as a message delivered to
a DATIVE: A RECEIVER or as a physical reality endured by a DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER.
Expressions of harm associated with DATIVE::
‘oppose, object’ ‘annoy’ ‘bore’
◊œ⁄∂¡÷Ä∏ÿ/◊œ⁄∂¡⁄Ç∏ÿ ƒœ∑¡÷ƒÄ∏ÿ/ƒœ∑¡ƒÇ∏ÿ Œ¡∑ÀÑfi…∏ÿ
◊œ⁄∂¡÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘objection’
‘envy’ ‘grow hateful to’
‘in spite of, against, contrary to’ ⁄¡◊Çƒœ◊¡∏ÿ œ¥œ∑∏áÃ≈∏ÿ
◊œ¥∂≈ÀÇ
‘forbid’ ‘bore, repel’
‘hostile’ ⁄¡¥∂≈›Ä∏ÿ/⁄¡¥∂≈∏Ç∏ÿ œ∑∏œfi≈∂∏Å∏ÿ
◊∂¡÷ƒÅ∫ŒŸ™
‘betray’ ‘contradict’
‘injure, harm’ …⁄Õ≈ŒÖ∏ÿ/…⁄Õ≈ŒÇ∏ÿ ¥≈∂Åfi…∏ÿ
◊∂≈ƒÇ∏ÿ/¥œ◊∂≈ƒÇ∏ÿ …⁄ÕÅŒ¡ ‘betrayal’
◊∂ÅƒŒŸ™ ‘harmful’ ‘prefer (something else) over’
◊∂≈ƒ ‘harm’ ‘hinder, annoy’ ¥∂≈ƒ¥œfi…∏Ä∏ÿ/ ¥∂≈ƒ¥œfiÅ∑∏ÿ
Õ≈¤Ä∏ÿ/¥œÕ≈¤Ä∏ÿ
‘threaten’ ¥œÕÅ»¡ ‘hinder, annoy’ ‘hinder, interfere’
«∂œ⁄Ç∏ÿ/¥∂…«∂œ⁄Ç∏ÿ ¥∂≈¥Ö∏∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ
‘take revenge’
‘be rude to’ Õ∑∏Ç∏ÿ/œ∏œÕ∑∏Ç∏ÿ ‘oppose’
«∂π∫Ç∏ÿ/Œ¡«∂π∫Ç∏ÿ Õ≈∑∏ÿ ‘revenge’ ¥∂œ∏Ç◊…∏ÿ∑µ/ ◊œ∑¥∂œ∏Ç◊…∏ÿ∑µ
¥∂œ∏Ç◊ŒŸ™ ‘opposite, contrary’
‘be impertinent to’ ‘get on nerves of’ ¥∂œ∏…◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘opposition’
ƒ≈∂⁄Ç∏ÿ/Œ¡ƒ≈∂⁄Ç∏ÿ Œ¡ƒœ≈ƒÄ∏ÿ/Œ¡ƒœÅ∑∏ÿ
‘oppose, fight against’
¥∂œ∏…◊œ∫É∂∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ
94 The Dative Case
Expressions of harm associated with DATIVE::

‘oppose, counteract’ ‘resist, oppose’ ‘difficult’

¥∂œ∏…◊œƒÅ™∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ∑œ¥∂œ∏…◊ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ ∏∂ÑƒŒŸ™
∑œ¥∂œ∏…◊ÃÖ≈Õœ∑∏ÿ
∑œ¥∂œ∏…◊ÃÖ≈Õœ∑∏ÿ ‘resistance,
‘oppose, contrast’ opposition’ ‘alien’
¥∂œ∏…◊œ¥œ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/ fiÑ÷ƒŸ™
¥∂œ∏…◊œ¥œ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ ‘threaten’
¥∂œ∏…◊œ¥œ∑∏¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈
¥∂œ∏…◊œ¥œ∑∏¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘opposing, π«∂œ÷Ä∏ÿ ‘opposition’
contrasting’ π«∂É⁄¡ ‘threat’ œ¥¥œ⁄Ç√…µ
‘contradict’ ‘offensive’ ‘detriment’

¥∂œ∏…◊œ∂Åfi…∏ÿ œ∫ÇƒŒŸ™ π›Å∂∫
¥∂œ∏…◊œ∂Åfi…≈ ‘contradiction’
Here is an example of a physical threat to a DATIVE: EXPERIENCER, that of AIDS:
È Å∑Ã… ◊∑≈ “¥∂ÅÃ≈∑∏…” Œ¡∂ÀœÕÄŒ…… «∂œ⁄Ö∏ ÀœŒÀ∂Å∏ŒœÕπ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀπ, ∑¡ÕœÕÑ

¥∂…Œ…ÕÄ¿›≈Õπ ∂≈¤ÅŒ…≈ “∫Ÿ∏ÿ ÇÃ… Œ≈ ∫Ÿ∏ÿ”, ∏œ ÛÈ‰, ∂¡⁄Œœ∑ÇÕŸ™
«∂Ö⁄ŒŸÕ… ¤¥∂…√ÄÕ… Ãœ◊√É◊ «∂£⁄, «∂œ⁄Ç∏ Œ¡Õ ◊∑≈Õ .
[And if all “charms”-NOM drug-abuse-GEN threaten concrete person-DAT, self
receiving-DAT
receiving-DAT decision-ACC “be or not be”, then AIDS-NOM, spread-NOM dirty
syringes-INST catchers-GEN dreams-GEN, threatens us all-DATall-DAT.]
And if all the “charms” of drug abuse threaten a concrete person who himself makes
the decision “to be or not to be”, then AIDS, spread by dream-seekers’
dream-s eekers’ dirty needles,
threatens us all .
In the context of an amorous relationship, …⁄Õ≈ŒÖ∏ÿ/…⁄Õ≈ŒÇ∏ÿ refers more spec ifically to

betrayal:
È ∏π∏ ÷≈ŒÄ ∑∏ÄÃ¡ ≈ÕÑ …⁄Õ≈ŒÖ∏ÿ.

…⁄Õ≈ŒÖ∏ÿ. ∂…fi£Õ Œ≈∂¡⁄∫É∂fi…◊œ … ∫≈∑¥∂≈∂á◊Œœ.
[And here wife-NOM began him-DAT betray. Moreover promiscuously and con-
tinually.]
And then his wife began to cheat on him . And she did it promiscuously and continu-
ally.
Showing a preference for one

on e thing over another causes some harm
har m to that second thing.
In Russian the item that is negatively impacted by preference appears in the dative:
Ûœ◊∂≈ÕÅŒŒŸ™ ⁄∂Ç∏≈Ãÿ fiÄ∑∏œ ¥á¤ŒœÕπ ⁄∂ÅÃ…›π , «ƒ≈ «≈∂É… ƒ≈ÀÃ¡ÕÇ∂π¿∏

ÕœŒœÃÉ«… …⁄ ÀÃ¡∑∑Çfi≈∑À…» ¥ÿ≈∑, ¥∂≈ƒ¥œfi…∏Ä≈∏ ∑ÃÄƒÀœ≈ ¥ÅŒ…≈ ¥œ¥-⁄◊£⁄ƒ …⁄
ÁœŒÀÉŒ«¡.
[Contemporary viewer-NOM often lavish spectacle-DAT, where heroes-NOM re-
cite monologues-ACC from classical plays-GEN, prefers sweet singing-ACC pop-
stars-GEN from Hong Kong-GEN.]
The contemporary viewer often prefers the sweet singing of pop-stars from Hong
Kong over the lavish spectacle of heroes reciting monologues from classical plays.
The following two examples show harm expressed

expres sed by an adjective and a noun, both trigger-
trigge r-
ing the use of the dative:
Â™ ¥∂œ∏Ç◊≈Œ
¥∂œ∏Ç◊≈Œ ∑¡Õ ⁄◊πÀ ∏◊œ≈«É «ÉÃœ∑¡.
[Her-DAT
[Her-DAT repulsive-NOM self sound-NOM your voice-GEN.]
The very sound of your voice is repulsive to her .
Ù∂¡Õ◊Ä… ∫áÃ… œ∏Õ≈Œ≈Œá ¥œfi∏Ç 40 Ã≈∏ Œ¡⁄Äƒ, ¥œ∑ÀÉÃÿÀπ,

¥œ∑ÀÉÃÿÀπ , ¥œ ÕŒÅŒ…¿ ◊Ã¡∑∏Å™,
œŒÇ ∑œ⁄ƒ¡◊ÄÃ… ¥œÕÅ»… ∏∂ÄŒ∑¥œ∂∏ŒŸÕ ¥œ∏ÉÀ¡Õ .
[Trams-NOM were abolished-NOM almost 40-ACC years-GEN ago, since, accord-
ing opinion-DAT
opinion-DAT authorities-GEN, they-NOM created hindrances-ACC
hindra nces-ACC transporta-
tion streams-DAT.]
Trams were abolished almost 40 years ago because according to the authorities they
were a hindrance to the flow of transportation .
The preposition ◊œ¥∂≈ÀÇ ‘in spite of, against, contrary to’ is used with the dative for
adversarial relationships; here is an example of how it works:
˜ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…≈ ÕÅ∑µ√Ÿ ◊œ¥∂≈ÀÇ ∑◊œÇÕ …ƒ≈œÃœ«Çfi≈∑À…Õ π∑∏¡ŒÉ◊À¡Õ œŒ œŒ ¥œ⁄◊ÉÃ…Ã

¥∂œ◊≈∑∏Ç Ã£«Àπ¿ ‹ÀœŒœÕÇfi≈∑Àπ¿ Ã…∫≈∂¡Ã…⁄Ä√…¿ ◊ ∑∏∂¡ŒÅ.
[In last months-ACC contrary own ideological aims-DAT he-NOM allowed carry-
out light economic liberalization-ACC in country-LOC.]
Contrary to his ideological aims , he allowed a mild economic liberalization to be
carried out in the country in recent months.
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 3—Having and needing

Remember that we started our discussion of the dative with verbs meaning ‘give’. The DATIVE: AN
EXPERIENCER in
final state that the dative ultimately reaches as a result of “giving” is “having”. In this use of
the contexts of
the DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER, the dative item experiences possession and related states of possession,
having, such as availablility, having knowledge of, and need (the state when having is de- availability, and
sired). necessity.
Expressions of having and needing associated
as sociated with DATIVE::
‘belong to’ ‘suffice’ ‘known to’

¥∂…Œ¡ƒÃ≈÷Ä∏ÿ »◊¡∏Ä∏ÿ …⁄◊Å∑∏ŒŸ™
…⁄◊Å∑∏Œœ ‘known to’
‘be necessary to’ ‘sufficient’
∏∂Å∫œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ ƒœ∑∏Ä∏œfiŒŸ™ ‘possible’
ƒœ∑∏Ä∏œfiŒœ ‘sufficient(ly)’
‘sufficient(ly)’ ÕÉ÷Œœ
96 The Dative Case
Expressions of having
h aving and needing associated
as sociated with DATIVE::
‘impossible’ ‘required’ ‘characteristic of’

Œ≈◊œ⁄ÕÉ÷Œœ œ∫µ⁄Ä∏≈ÃÿŒŸ™ ∑◊É™∑∏◊≈ŒŒŸ™
œ∫µ⁄Ä∏≈ÃÿŒœ ‘required’ ∑◊É™∑∏◊≈ŒŒœ ‘characteristic
‘characteristic of’
of ’
‘need’
ŒÑ÷ŒŸ™/ŒÑ÷≈Œ ‘needed’ ‘inherent, characteristic’
ŒÑ÷Œœ; ŒÄƒœ ‘need to’ ¥∂…∑Ñ›…™
Here are some examples using the trigger words in the table to express states of having:
˜¡Õ , ∑Àœ∂Å≈ ◊∑≈«É, ¥œ∏∂Å∫π¿∏∑µ ∫ÉÃÿ¤…≈ ∑ÑÕÕŸ, fi≈Õ œ∫áfiŒœ.

[You-DA
[You-DAT T, rather all-GEN, will-be-needed larger sums-NOM, than usual.]
You will probably need larger sums of money than usual.
ÂÕÑ ƒÃµ ∂¡◊Œœ◊Å∑…µ ∑ ÕÇ∂œÕ ƒœ∑∏Ä∏œfiŒœ ƒ◊¡-∏∂… ∫ÃÇ⁄À…» fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ¡.

[Him-DAT for balance-GEN with world-INST sufficient two-three close people-
NOM.]
To keep his balance with the world he needs only two or three people to be
b e close to.
ÂÕÑ …⁄◊Å∑∏ŒŸ
…⁄◊Å∑∏ŒŸ Ã…∏≈∂¡∏Ñ∂ŒŸ≈ ∏Ä™ŒŸ ¥∂É¤Ãœ«œ … ∫Ñƒπ›≈«œ.
[Him-DAT known-NOM literary secrets-NOM past-GEN and future-GEN.]
He knows the literary secrets of the past and the future.
In English we can say that people have it in them or that they have a tendency to do some-
thing, and this tendency that they have is a characteristic; here is a Russian example that
uses this kind of logic:
ÏâƒµÕ ∑◊É™∑∏◊≈ŒŒœ
∑◊É™∑∏◊≈ŒŒœ Œ¡ƒÅµ∏ÿ∑µ … ◊Å∂…∏ÿ ◊ »œ∂É¤≈≈.
[People-DAT
[People-DAT characteristically hope and believe
b elieve in good-ACC.]
People tend to hope and to believe in good.
The most common way to express need and necessity is with ŒÑ÷ŒŸ™/ŒÑ÷≈Œ ‘needed’ or
ŒÑ÷Œœ/ŒÄƒœ ‘need to’, and similar to Œ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œŒ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ
Œ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œŒ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ ‘like’, the grammatical force
of the construction is the opposite of what we have in English. Instead of our needing
things, in Russian things are needed to us :
· ÕÉ÷≈∏, œŒÄ ◊œœ∫›Å Œ≈ Œπ÷ŒÄ ÕŒ≈ ∫ÉÃÿ¤≈,

∫ÉÃÿ¤≈, Ü∏¡ Ã¿∫É◊ÿ?
[And perhaps, it-NOM at-all not needed-NOM me-DAT me-DAT further, this love-NOM?]
And perhaps I don’t
don’t need it at all anymore, this love?
Ó¡ Õ ŒÄƒœ ∂¡∫É∏¡∏ÿ ∏¡À, fi∏É∫Ÿ ∫ŸÃ Ç⁄∫∂¡Œ ¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏, ∑¥œ∑É∫ŒŸ™

Ó¡Õ
«¡∂¡Œ∏Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ∂¡⁄◊Ç∏…≈ Úœ∑∑Ç… ¥œ ƒ≈ÕœÀ∂¡∏Çfi≈∑ÀœÕπ ¥π∏Ç.
[Us-DAT needed work thus, so-that was chosen-NOM president-NOM, capable-
NOM guarantee development-ACC
dev elopment-ACC Russia-GEN along
a long democratic path-DA
path- DAT
T.]
We have to work so that a president is chosen who is capable of guaranteeing Russia’s

development along the path
pa th to democracy.
The DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER can express possession even without a trigger word like
those in the table. Most frequently this happens with body parts which (barring catastrophic DATIVE: AN
accident) belong to the person
pers on who inhabits the body. The grammatical logic of the follow- EXPERIENCER
expresses
ing three sentences is as follows. Russian ‘the soldier
so ldier broke to him the head’ is equivalent to possession of
‘the soldier broke his head’ because he experiences having the head (and the damage thereto). body parts.
In the same way, ‘the old woman looks to me into the mouth’ is equivalent to ‘the old woman
looks at my mouth’, and ‘the woman places to me onto shoulder hand’ is equivalent to ‘the
woman places her hand on my shoulder’.
ÛœÃƒÄ∏ ¥∂œÃœÕÇÃ ≈ÕÑ «ÉÃœ◊π

«ÉÃœ◊π ∫ÃÖ»œ™.
[Soldier-NOM broke him-DAT
him-DAT head-ACC name-plate-INST.]
The soldier broke his head with the name-plate.
(By the way, the soldier broke someone else’s head, not his own. If it had been his own head,
we would see ∑≈∫Å [self-DAT]
[self-DAT] ‘himself ’ instead of ≈ÕÑ .)
.)
Û∏¡∂Ñ»¡ ∑ÕÉ∏∂…∏ ÕŒ≈ ¥∂ÖÕœ

¥∂ÖÕœ ◊ ∂œ∏ … ÷ƒ£∏ ∂¡⁄ÑÕŒœ«œ ∑œ◊Å∏¡.
[Old-woman-NOM looks me-DAT straight into mouth-ACC and waits reasonable
advice-GEN.]
The old woman looks right at my mouth and waits for reasonable advice.
ˆÅŒ›…Œ¡ ÀÃ¡ƒ£∏ ÕŒ≈ Œ¡ Œ¡ ¥Ã≈fiÉ ∂ÑÀπ »πƒÑ¿, À¡À ¥∏Çfiÿµ ÃÄ¥¡.

[Woman-NOM
[Woman-NOM places me-DAT
me-DAT onto shoulder-ACC hand thin-ACC, like bird’s foot-
NOM.]
The woman places her hand on my shoulder, and it is thin, like a bird’s foot.
˜œƒÇ∏≈Ãÿ œ∑∏¡Œœ◊ÇÃ Õ¡¤ÇŒπ, œ∏∂Å⁄¡Ã ⁄◊Å∂¿ »◊œ∑∏, »◊œ∑∏, … πÅ»¡Ã.

[Driver-NOM stopped vehicle-ACC, cut-off animal-DAT tail-ACC, and rode-away.]
The driver stopped his vehicle, cut off the animal’s tail, and drove away.
away.
The only significant exception to the rule that this kind of possession involves body parts is DATIVE: AN
the use of the DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER with the word ÀœŒÅ√; note that this is parallel to our EXPERIENCER
expresses having
use in English of to with this word as in the translation of this example: an end with
ÀœŒÅ√.
ÎœŒ√Ä ∫≈∑¥œÀÉ™∑∏◊π Œ≈ Œ≈ ◊ÇƒŒœ.
[End-GEN upset-DA
upse t-DAT T not visible.]
There’s no end to the upset in sight.
In English when we want to talk about the lack of an opportunity, we can say that DATIVE: AN
someone has no oneone to

to turn
turn to,
to, has
has nowh
nowhere
ere to go,
go, has
has noth
nothing hope for . Russian can
ing to hope EXPERIENCER
expresses not
express this state of not having a choice by putting the prefix Œ≈- on the missing item and having any
using the DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER, as in these examples: options with Œ≈-.
98 The Dative Case
Ò ¥∂œ¤Ñ ¥∂œ›ÅŒ…µ ⁄¡ …⁄ÃÇ¤Œ…≈ ¥œƒ∂É∫Œœ∑∏… ◊ œ¥…∑ÄŒ……, Œœ ÕŒ≈ ¥∂É∑∏œ ¥∂É∑∏œ

ŒÅÀœÕπ œ∫ Ü∏œÕ ∂¡∑∑À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ.
[I-NOM beg forgiveness-GEN for excessive details-ACC in description-LOC, but
me-DAT simply no-one-DAT about this-LOC tell.]
I beg your forgiveness for the excessive detail in my description, but I simply
simply don’t
have anyone to tell this to.
Ô∫≈›ÄÃ…, fi∏œ fiÅ∑∏ŒŸÕ ÃâƒµÕ ŒÅfi≈«œ

ŒÅfi≈«œ ∫œÖ∏ÿ∑µ.
[Promised, that honest people-DAT nothing-GEN fear.]
They promised that honest people have nothing to fear.
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 4—Age, environment, and emotions

DATIVE: AN This use is the grab-bag for all kinds of other experiences encountered by a DATIVE: AN
EXPERIENCER in
EXPERIENCER. The logic here is that something is happening in the outside world that is
the context of
external forces. causing a change or a feeling in the DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER. A constant force exerted by
DATIVE: AN external reality is the unrelenting march of time. As a result we age, and in Russian we
EXPERIENCER experience this process in the dative case. This is why we ask ÛÀÉÃÿÀœ ◊¡Õ Ã≈
Ã≈∏? [How-
expresses age.
many you-DAT years-GEN?] ‘How old are you ?’ and we reply ÌŒ≈ ƒ◊Äƒ√¡∏ÿ
ƒ◊Äƒ√¡∏ÿ Ã≈∏ [Me-
DAT twenty-NOM years-GEN] ‘ I I am twenty years old’. The verb …∑¥œÃŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ/
…∑¥ÉÃŒ…∏ÿ∑µ ‘complete’ is also associated with the accumulation of birthdays, as in this
example:
Ï≈«≈ŒƒÄ∂ŒœÕπ ˜ÄŒπ ÎÃÇ∫≈∂Œπ, ⁄¡◊œ≈◊Ä◊¤≈Õπ ◊ 1958 «œƒÑ ◊ Ìœ∑À◊Å ¥Å∂◊π¿

¥∂ÅÕ…¿ Œ¡ ÀÉŒÀπ∂∑≈ ÇÕ≈Œ… . È. ˛¡™ÀÉ◊∑Àœ«œ, …∑¥œÃŒÖ≈∏∑µ 60 Ã≈∏.
[Legendary Van Cliburn-DAT
Cliburn-DAT, won-DAT in 1958 year-LOC in Moscow-LOC first firs t
prize-ACC at competition-LOC name-GEN P. I. Tchaikovsky,
Tchaikovsky, completes 60-NOM
years-GEN.]
Clibur n, who won first prize at the P. I. Tchaikovsky competition
The legendary Van Cliburn,
in Moscow in 1958, is 60 years old.
DATIVE: AN Environmental conditions can induce feelings of heat and cold, as in e™ »ÉÃœƒŒœ/÷Ä∂Àœ
»ÉÃœƒŒœ/÷Ä∂Àœ
EXPERIENCER [her-DAT cold/hot] she
‘she feels cold/hot’, as well as a host of emotions, as in these examples:
expresses
exposure to
environmental ÌŒ≈ ◊Å∑≈Ãœ
◊Å∑≈Ãœ œ∏∏œ«É, fi∏œ ƒ≈Œÿ ∑ÉÃŒ≈fiŒŸ™.
and emotional [Me-DAT
[Me-DAT happily from-that, that day-NOM sunny-NOM.]
sunny -NOM.]
conditions.
I ’m
’m happy because it’s a sunny day.
˜ ∏¿∂ÅÕŒŸ» ÀÄÕ≈∂¡» œŒÇ ÷ÇÃ… ƒ∂Ñ÷Œœ. Ó¡ ◊ÉÃ≈ …Õ ∑∏ÄÃœ ∑∏ÄÃœ ∏≈∑Œœ◊Ä∏œ.

[In prison cells-LOC they-NOM lived harmoniously. At freedom-LOC them-DAT
became rather-constrained.]
They lived harmoniously in their prison cells. In freedom they began to feel con-
strained.
A common idiom is the use of ◊∑£ ∂¡◊ŒÉ, literally ‘all equal’, with the dative case to express DATIVE: AN
the feeling of indifference, as in this example: EXPERIENCER

expresses
indifference with
∂≈ƒ¥œÃÉ÷…Õ, µ ≈«É π∫ÿâ, ≈ÕÑ ∫Ñƒ≈∏ ∫Ñƒ≈∏ ◊∑£ ∂¡◊ŒÉ, «ƒ≈ µ … fi∏œ ∑œ ÕŒœ™. ◊∑£ ∂¡◊ŒÉ.
[Suppose, I-NOM him-ACC kill, him-DAT will-be all equal, where I-NOM and
what-NOM with me-INST.]
me-INST.]
Suppose I kill him, then he won’t care where I am or how I’m doing.
Another idiom for apathy is the use of the dative with Œ≈ ƒœ [not to], meaning ‘isn’t inter- DATIVE: AN
ested in/doesn’t want’: EXPERIENCER

expresses apathy
with Œ≈ ƒœ.
ßŸ◊Ä≈∏, ∏Ÿ ∂¡⁄«œ◊Ä∂…◊¡≈¤ÿ ∑ ÷ÅŒ›…Œœ™, ¥∂…◊Éƒ…¤ÿ À∂¡∑Œœ∂≈fiÇ◊Ÿ≈ ƒÉ◊œƒŸ
… π∫≈ƒÇ∏≈ÃÿŒŸ≈ ¡∂«πÕÅŒ∏Ÿ. · ≈™ Œ≈ Œ≈ ƒœ ¡∂«πÕÅŒ∏œ◊.
[Happens, you-NOM converse with woman-INST, present eloquent reasons-ACC
and convincing arguments-ACC. But her-DAT not to arguments-GEN.]
It happens that you are conversing with a woman, presenting eloquent reasons and
convincing arguments. But she is not interested in/doesn’t care about arguments.
The dative can also be used for feelings of overall well-being, and the verb ∑∏¡Œœ◊Ç∏ÿ∑µ/ DATIVE: AN
∑∏¡∏ÿ ‘become’ frequently appears when there is a change in feeling: EXPERIENCER
expresses
changes in well-
Ó¡∂ÉƒŒœÕπ ¡∂∏Ç∑∏π ô∂…¿ ˜Ã¡ƒÇÕ…∂œ◊…fiπ Ó…ÀÑÃ…Œπ Ñ∏∂œÕ 20-œ«œ Ä◊«π∑∏¡ being with
∑∏ÄÃœ »Ñ÷≈. ∑∏¡Œœ◊Ç∏ÿ∑µ/
∑∏¡∏ÿ.
[National artist Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin-DAT
Nikulin-DAT morning-INST 20th-GEN August-
GEN became worse.]
National artist Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin began feeling worse on the morning of
August 20th.
Ô∏ Ü∏œ™ ∑ƒÅÃ¡ŒŒœ™ πÃá∫À… ÕŒ≈ ∑∏¡ŒÉ◊…∏∑µ

∑∏¡ŒÉ◊…∏∑µ Œ≈ ¥œ ∑≈∫Å.
[From that artificial smile-GEN me-DAT
me-DAT becomes not along self-DAT
self-DAT.]
That artificial smile makes me feel uneasy.
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 5—Modal meanings

Experiences of difficulty or ease, as in Œ¡Õ Ü∏œ Ü∏œ ∏∂ÑƒŒœ/Ã≈«ÀÉ [us-DAT that-NOM DATIVE: AN
hard/easily] ‘that’s hard/easy for us ’ belong here, as do experiences of comprehensibility, EXPERIENCER
expresses
which overlap somewhat with the concepts of possession and availability discussed above: difficulty, ease,
obligation, and
˜¡Õ Ü∏œ
Ü∏œ Œ≈ ¥œŒÖ∏Œœ? · ÕŒ≈ Ü∏œ
Ü∏œ ¡∫∑œÃâ∏Œœ Ö∑Œœ. desire.
[You-DA
[You-DAT T that-NOM not understan
understandable?
dable? But me-D·Ù that-NOM
tha t-NOM absolutely clear.]
cle ar.]
You don’t understand it? But it’s absolutely clear to me .
With an infinitive the dative expresses mild compulsion, something on the order of English
should or ought . Here is an example to illustrate:
100 The Dative Case
Ò Œ≈ ⁄Œ¡Ã, …ƒ∏Ç ÕŒ≈ ⁄¡

⁄¡ Œ≈™ ∑ÃÅƒœÕ ÇÃ… ◊ ¥∂œ∏…◊œ¥œÃÉ÷Œπ¿ ∑∏É∂œŒπ.
[I-NOM not knew, go me-DAT behind her-INST or in opposite side-ACC.]
I didn’t know whether I should
should follow her or go in the opposite direction.
The various experiences that people can have doing things — feeling like it, having to
do it, succeeding at it — can likewise be expressed
exp ressed with the dative case, often by verbs that
have no subject. Here are some common verbs used this way, followed by some examples
(note that when these verbs have no subjects, they appear with the “default” agreement of
neuter singular):
Expressions of feeling like
like or having to associated with
with DATIVE::AN
DATIVE::AN EXPERIENCER
‘remain, be necessary’ ‘have to, happen to’ ‘feel like, want to’
œ∑∏¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/œ∑∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ ¥∂…»œƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂…™∏Ç∑ÿ »œ∏Å∏ÿ∑µ/⁄¡»œ∏Å∏ÿ∑µ
‘lie ahead, be destined to, have to’ ‘succeed’

¥∂≈ƒ∑∏œÖ∏ÿ πƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/πƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ
È ◊∂¡fiÄÕ Œ…fi≈«É
Œ…fi≈«É Œ≈ œ∑∏¡£∏∑µ, À¡À ∑œ◊≈∂¤ÅŒ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ∑◊œÇ ¥œ⁄ŒÄŒ…µ ◊ ÕÇ∂≈
⁄¡»Ã£∑∏Ÿ◊¡¿›…» ∂áŒœÀ π÷Å ∑œ◊∂≈ÕÅŒŒŸ», ∑…Œ∏≈∏Çfi≈∑À…» Œ¡∂ÀÉ∏…Àœ◊.
[And doctors-DAT
doctors-DAT nothing-GEN not remains, how perfect
pe rfect own knowledge-ACC in
world-LOC overflowing markets-ACC already modern synthetic narcotics-GEN.]
And doctors have no choice but to perfect their knowledge ofo f the world where mar-
kets are overflowing with modern synthetic narcotics.
Úœ∑∑Ç™∑À…≈ … ∆∂¡Œ√Ñ⁄∑À…≈ …Œ÷≈ŒÅ∂Ÿ ¥∂œƒ≈ÕœŒ∑∏∂Ç∂œ◊¡Ã… ¡◊∏œÕ¡∏Çfi≈∑À…™

◊≈⁄ƒ≈»Éƒ, Àœ∏É∂œÕπ ¥∂≈ƒ∑∏œÇ∏
¥∂≈ƒ∑∏œÇ∏ …∑∑ÃÅƒœ◊¡∏ÿ ¥œ◊Å∂»Œœ∑∏ÿ ÌÄ∂∑¡.
[Russian-NOM and French engineers-NOM demonstrated automatic landrover-ACC,
which-DAT
which-DAT is-destined explore surface-ACC
su rface-ACC Mars-GEN.]
Russian and French engineers demonstrated an automatic landrover which is des-
tined to explore the surface of Mars.
œ ÕŒÅŒ…¿ ‹À∑¥Å∂∏œ◊, ∂ÄŒœ ÇÃ… ¥É⁄ƒŒœ ¥∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊π, ƒÅÃ¡¿›≈Õπ ∑∏Ä◊Àπ ∑∏Ä◊Àπ

Œ¡ ∑∫Ã…÷ÅŒ…≈ ∑ Ó·ÙÔ, ¥∂…ƒ£∏∑µ ∂≈¤Ç∏ÿ∑µ πŒ…fi∏É÷…∏ÿ ∂¡ÀÅ∏Ÿ ÇÃ… ¥∂œƒÄ∏ÿ
…».
[Along opinion-DAT experts-GEN, early or late government-DAT, making-DAT
stake-ACC on rapprochement-ACC with NATO-INST, must decide destroy mis-
siles-ACC or sell them-ACC.]
According to the experts, sooner or later a government that is counting on rap-
prochement with NATO will have to decide either to destroy its missiles or to sell
them.
˜ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ≈ ∏∂… ÕÅ∑µ√¡ ◊¡Õ πƒÄ∑∏∑µ

πƒÄ∑∏∑µ …∑¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡∏ÿ ◊≈∑ÿ ∑◊œ™ ¥œ∏≈Œ√…ÄÃ.
[In first three months-ACC you-DAT will-succeed use all own potential-ACC.]
In the first three months you will succeed in making the most of all your potential.
Dative:: a competitor 1 101
˜Ç÷π, fi∏œ ÕÄÃÿfi…Àπ Œ≈ Œ≈ »Éfi≈∏∑µ …ƒ∏Ç ◊ ¤ÀÉÃπ.

[See, that boy-DAT
boy-DAT not wants go to school-ACC.]
s chool-ACC.]
I see that the boy doesn’t want to go/doesn’t feel like going to school.
DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER 6—Victims and beneficiaries

In Russian you can add -∑µ/-∑ÿ to many ordinary verbs and use the DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER DATIVE: AN
to describe how the subject is experiencing an action. The grammatical implication here is EXPERIENCER
suggests that an
that instead of the subject performing the action, the action is something that is happening activity is
to the subject. So you can say both
bo th œŒ …ÀÄ≈∏ [he-NOM hiccups] ‘he is hiccupping’ and ≈ÕÑ happening to a
…ÀÄ≈∏∑µ [him-DAT
[him-DAT hiccups] ‘he has the hiccups’; in the latter case hiccupping is something person.
that is happening to the person. In the next example it would certainly be possible to say
instead ŒÅÀœ∏œ∂Ÿ≈ ‹Õ…«∂ÄŒ∏Ÿ ÷…◊Ñ∏ ¥ÃÉ»œ [some emigrants-NOM live badly] ‘some
emigrants live badly’, but by adding
ad ding -∑µ/-∑ÿ to the verb and
a nd putting the logical subject in the
dative case, the author of this sentence implies that the emigrants are victims rather than
masters of their fate:
ÌŸ ∑Ãá¤¡Ã…, fi∏œ ŒÅÀœ∏œ∂ŸÕ ‹Õ…«∂ÄŒ∏¡Õ ÷…◊£∏∑µ ÷…◊£∏∑µ ¥ÃÉ»œ.

[We-NOM heard, that some emigrants-DA
emigran ts-DAT T lives badly.]
We heard that some emigrants are living badly.
Ultimately anything can happen to us or for us, and the dative case can be inserted into DATIVE: AN
sentences just to explain who was affected by some event. In both of the examples below, EXPERIENCER
indicates who is
the dative items could easily be removed and the sentences would be perfectly normal and affected by an
grammatical. The dative items are there to provide some extra information, telling us who event.
was impacted by the event.
Êπ∏∫ÉÃ … »œÀÀÅ™ ⁄¡Õ≈ŒÖ¿∏ ∂Ñ∑∑À…Õ ÃâƒµÕ ∂≈ÃÇ«…¿

∂≈ÃÇ«…¿ … ÀπÃÿ∏Ñ∂π.
[Soccer-NOM and hockey-NOM replace Russian people-DAT religion-ACC and
culture-ACC.]
For Russians , soccer and hockey take the place of religion and culture.
ÌŸ ¥≈∂≈«œ∂œƒÇÃ… ◊∑≈Õ ƒœ∂É«π.
ƒœ∂É«π.
[We-NOM blocked everyone-DA
everyon e-DAT T road-ACC.]
We blocked everyone’ s way.
everyone’
D ATIVE : A COMPETITOR 1 — DATIVE: A

COMPETITOR
Matching forces compares the
D actual nomina-
tive subject with
Remember that the hallmark of the dative is the dative as the
that a dative item has the potential to do some- potential subject
of a further
thing. Grammatically, this means that it can action.
A force (arrow) arrives at a
DATIVE :: A COMPETITOR (circle labeled D), which
potentially be the subject of a sentence, a role
has the potential to exert a force (dotted arrow) that is usually marked with the nominative
102 The Dative Case
DATIVE: A case. The fact that a dative item is potentially a nominative item implies a comparison
COMPETITOR
between the dative and the nominative. The uses of the DATIVE: A COMPETITOR exploit this
matches or
exceeds the comparison, for here we see the dative item in competition with a nominative item. In some
nominative instances the two items are evenly matched and participate in a symmetrical relationship as
subject in the equal competitors. In other instances the dative
da tive item exerts a force to which the nominative
force it exerts.
item submits, giving the dative an advantage over the nominative.
DATIVE: A In identifying an equal competitor, the meaning of the DATIVE: A COMPETITOR overlaps
COMPETITOR can
somewhat with the benefit meaning of DATIVE: AN EXPERIENCER, particularly if the two parties
indicate an equal
competitor. are equally engaged in a harmonious activity. Here are some words that typcially trigger the
meaning of roughly equally matched forces, as well as examples of how they are used:
Expressions of equal or matching forces associated with DATIVE:: A COMPETITOR

‘accompany (music)’ ‘withstand; be opposite (of stars)’ ‘akin to’
¡ÀÀœÕ¥¡ŒÇ∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ¥∂œ∏…◊œ∑∏œÖ∏ÿ ∑∂œƒŒÇ
¡ÀÀœÕ¥¡ŒÇ∂œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘accompani-
ment’ ‘equal’ ‘identical’
∂¡◊ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ …ƒ≈Œ∏ÇfiŒŸ™ ‘identical’
‘agreeing with’ ∂Ä◊ŒŸ™ ‘equal’ …ƒ≈Œ∏ÇfiŒœ∑∏ÿ ‘indenticalness’
∑œ«ÃÄ∑Œœ ∂¡◊Œœ∑ÇÃÿŒŸ™
∂¡◊Œœ∑ÇÃÿŒŸ™ ‘(equally) matched’
‘isomorphic’
‘correspond, be responsible to’ ‘correspond’ …⁄œÕÉ∂∆ŒŸ™
œ∏◊≈fiÄ∏ÿ ∑œœ∏◊Å∏∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ …⁄œÕÉ∂∆Œœ∑∏ÿ ‘isomorphism’
∑œœ∏◊Å∏∑∏◊π¿›…™
∑œœ∏◊Å∏∑∏◊π¿›…™ ‘corresponding,
‘sing along’ appropriate’ ‘orthogonal’
¥œƒ¥≈◊Ä∏ÿ ∑œœ∏◊Å∏∑∏◊…≈ ‘correspondence’ œ∂∏œ«œŒÄÃŒŸ™
œ∂∏œ«œŒÄÃŒŸ™ ‘orthogonal’
¥œƒ¥≈◊ÄŒ…≈ ‘singing along’
‘accompany’ ‘similar’
‘precede’ ∑œ¥Ñ∏∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ¥œƒÉ∫ŒŸ™ ‘similar’
¥∂≈ƒ¤Å∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ
¥∂≈ƒ¤Å∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘precede’ ∑œ¥Ñ∏∑∏◊…≈ ‘accompaniment’
¥∂≈ƒ¤Å∑∏◊…≈ ‘precession’ ‘in harmony with’
∑œ⁄◊ÑfiŒŸ™ ‘in harmony with’
Û…∑∏ÅÕ¡ ∫≈⁄œ¥Ä∑Œœ∑∏… Œ¡ ¡◊…¡ÃÇŒ…µ» Ü∏…» ∑∏∂¡Œ Œ≈ œ∏◊≈fiÄ≈∏ Õ≈÷ƒπŒ¡∂ÉƒŒŸÕ

∑∏¡ŒƒÄ∂∏¡Õ .
[System-NOM security-GEN on airlines-LOC those countries-GEN not corresponds
international standards-DAT.]
The security system used by the airlines of those countries does not correspond to
international standards .
Ô∏Œœ¤ÅŒ…µ ÕÅ÷ƒπ ∑∏∂ÄŒ¡Õ… Œ≈ ∑œœ∏◊Å∏∑∏◊π¿∏ ◊œ⁄ÕÉ÷Œœ∑∏µÕ .

[Relations-NOM between countries-INST not correspond possibilities-DAT
possibilities-DAT.]
The relations between the countries are not what they could be .
Â«É ‹∑∏Å∏…À¡ ∑œ⁄◊ÑfiŒ¡ ÷≈Ã≈⁄Œœƒœ∂É÷Œœ™ À¡∏¡∑∏∂É∆≈ .

[His aesthetics-NOM in-harmony-with-NOM railroad catastrophe-DAT
catastrophe-DAT.]
He has the aesthetics of a train wreck .
DATIVE: A COMPETITOR 2—Submission to a greater force

Submission has many entailments, among them belief and obedience. If you submit DATIVE: A
yourself to someone, you will trust this person, you will fall under the influence of this COMPETITOR can
indicate a
person, being surprised and amazed at their acts, and you will follow where they lead, competitor with
possibly to the point of imitating them. In Russian, you will surrender yourself to a dative an advantage.
item, a competitor with an advantage.
Expressions of submission associated
assoc iated with DATIVE::
DATIVE:: A COMPETITOR
‘believe’ ‘give in to’ ‘rejoice at’

◊Å∂…∏ÿ/¥œ◊Å∂…∏ÿ ¥œƒƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ∂Äƒœ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∫∂Äƒœ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ
◊Å∂ŒŸ™ ‘loyal’
◊Å∂Œœ∑∏ÿ ‘faithfulness, loyalty’ ‘be subject to’ ‘surrender, yield to’
¥œƒÃ≈÷Ä∏ÿ ∑ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∑ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ
‘marvel at’ ¥œƒÃ≈÷Ä›…™ ‘subject to’
ƒ…◊Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘follow’
‘imitate’ ∑ÃÅƒœ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œ∑ÃÅƒœ◊¡∏ÿ
‘trust’ ¥œƒ∂¡÷Ä∏ÿ ∑ÃÅƒœ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘movement, proceeding’
ƒœ◊≈∂Ö∏ÿ(∑µ)/ ƒœ◊Å∂…∏fl(∑µ) ¥œƒ∂¡÷ÄŒ…≈ ‘imitation’
ƒœ◊Å∂…≈ ‘trust’ ‘be surprised at’
‘submit to, obey’ πƒ…◊ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ/πƒ…◊Ç∏ÿ∑µ
‘owe, be obligated to’ ¥œƒfi…ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒfi…ŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ
ƒÉÃ÷≈Œ ¥œƒfi…Œ£ŒŒŸ™ ‘subordinate to’ ‘be similar, assimilate’
¥œƒfi…ŒÅŒ…≈ ‘subordination, subjec- π¥œƒœ∫ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ/π¥œƒÉ∫…∏ÿ∑µ
‘obey’ tion’ ¥œƒÉ∫ŒŸ™ ‘similar’
¥œ◊…Œœ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ π¥œƒœ∫ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘likening, comparison’
¥œ◊…Œœ◊ÅŒ…≈
¥œ◊…Œœ◊ÅŒ…≈ ‘obedience’ ‘worship’
¥œÀÃœŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ ‘yield to’
‘undergo, be subject to’ ¥œÀÃœŒÅŒ…≈ ‘worship’ π∑∏π¥Ä∏ÿ/π∑∏π¥Ç∏ÿ
¥œƒ◊≈∂«Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒ◊Å∂«Œπ∏ÿ∑µ π∑∏Ñ¥À¡ ‘concession, compromise’
¥œƒ◊Å∂÷≈ŒŒŸ™ ‘subject to’ ‘submit to, obey’
¥œƒ◊≈∂÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘liability to’ ¥œÀœ∂Ö∏ÿ∑µ/¥œÀœ∂Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘study’
¥œÀÉ∂ŒŸ™ ‘obedient to’ πfiÇ∏ÿ∑µ/Œ¡πfiÇ∏ÿ∑µ
πfiÄ›…™∑µ ‘student’
These first three examples illustrate subordination in its more ordinary aspects:
œÃÇ∏…À¡ ¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏¡ ¥œƒ◊Å∂«Ã¡∑ÿ ◊Œœ◊ÿ ∂Å⁄Àœ™ À∂Ç∏…À≈ À∂Ç∏…À≈ Œ¡

Œ¡ ¥∂É¤Ãœ™ Œ≈ƒÅÃ≈.
[Policy-NOM president-GEN subjected again sharp criticism-DAT on last week-
LOC.]
The president’s policy was subjected to sharp criticism again last week.
ÙÉÃÿÀœ ⁄ƒœ∂É◊Ÿ≈ Ãâƒ… ◊ ∑œ∑∏œÖŒ…… ◊á™∏… …⁄ ƒπ¤Å◊Œœ«œ ¥œ∏∂µ∑ÅŒ…µ, ¡

¥∑…»Çfi≈∑À… ∫œÃÿŒá≈ ¥œƒƒ¡â∏∑µ Ü∏œÕπ , ƒœ»Éƒµ∏ ƒœ ∫≈⁄ÑÕ…µ … ... ¥∂œµ◊ÃÖ¿∏
∑≈∫Ö ◊ ∏◊É∂fi≈∑∏◊≈.
[Only healthy people-NOM in condition-LOC come-out from emotional shock-GEN,
but emotionally ill-NOM give-in this-DAT, reach to insanity-GEN and ... express
self-ACC in artwork -LOC.]
104 The Dative Case
Only healthy people have the capacity to overcome emotional shock, but the men-
tally ill give in to it , go insane, and ... express themselves in works of art.
Ò ¥œƒfi…ŒÇÃ∑µ ≈∑∏Å∑∏◊≈ŒŒœÕπ
≈∑∏Å∑∏◊≈ŒŒœÕπ »Éƒπ ÷Ç⁄Œ….
÷Ç⁄Œ….
[I-NOM gave-in natural course-DAT
course-DAT life-GEN.]
I gave in to the natural course of life.
Yielding
Yielding one’s beliefs and emotions is specifically illustrated in the following two examples:
ßÄ∫π¤À¡ ∂Äƒœ∑∏Œœ À…◊Ä≈∏, œŒÄ ◊Å∂…∏ ÀÄ÷ƒœÕπ Õœ≈ÕÑ ∑ÃÉ◊π .

[Grandmother-NOM joyously nods,
nod s, she-NOM believes
be lieves every my word-DAT
word-DAT.]
Grandmother nods joyously, she believes my every word .
ÔŒÄ Œ…Àœ«ƒÄ Œ≈ πƒ…◊ÃÖÃ¡∑ÿ ∏œÕÑ , fi∏œ œŒ ¥œfi∏Ç Œ≈ Œπ÷ƒÄ≈∏∑µ ◊œ ∑Œ≈.

[She-NOM never not surprised that-DAT, that he-NOM almost not need in sleep-
LOC.]
She was never surprised by the fact that he hardly needed any sleep.
DATIVE: A COMPETITOR 3—À ‘to, toward’

À and ¥œ The two prefixes most commonly associated with the dative case, À ‘to, toward’ and ¥œ
describe motion ‘along, according to’, both use the DATIVE: A COMPETITOR. In both instances, the preposition
subordinate
subordinate to
DATIVE: A
points us toward something that can exert influence, guiding the nominative subject’s ac-
COMPETITOR. tion. Approach, as opposed to arrival, implies some level of subordination. When you reach
À + DATIVE: A a destination by means of À + DAT
DAT, you will have to interact with it rather than just arriving
COMPETITOR ‘to, at it. Remember that the primary use of À is to indicate an approach
ap proach to a human destination,
toward’.
as opposed to arrival at a non-human destination, for which we use ◊ or Œ¡ and the accusa-
À + DATIVE: A tive case. Compare the three sentences in the table below:
COMPETITOR is
used with human
destinations. some non-human destinations require ◊ + ACC
‰œfiÿ ¥œ¤ÃÄ ◊ ¤ÀÉÃπ.
[Daughter-NOM went in school-ACC.]
My daughter went to school.
some non-human destinations require Œ¡ + ACC

‰œfiÿ ¥œ¤ÃÄ Œ¡ ¥Éfi∏π.
[Daughter-NOM went on post-office-ACC.]
My daughter went to the post-office.
all human destinations require À + DAT

‰œfiÿ ¥œ¤ÃÄ À ◊∂¡fiÑ .
[Daughter-NOM went to doctor-DAT.]
My daughter went to the doctor .
Here is a naturally-occurring use of À with a human destination:
ÔŒ ƒ≈Ãœ◊Ç∏œ ¥œƒ»œƒÇÃ Àœ ÕŒ≈ .

[He-NOM in-business-like-manner
in-business -like-manner approached
appr oached to me-DAT
me-DAT.]
He approached me in a business-like manner.
Cities and countries are often personified

pers onified or used to represent the people
pe ople that live there, and Personification
in these instances they will trigger the use of À as well. Notice how Washington
Washington and Russia of non-human
destinations with
serve this purpose in the following two examples: À + DATIVE: A
COMPETITOR.
Úœ∑∑Ç™∑À…™ ¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏ ≈›£ ÕÉ÷≈∏ œ∫∂¡∏Ç∏ÿ∑µ À ˜¡¤…Œ«∏ÉŒπ ∑ ∑ ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡Œ…≈Õ

ƒœ¥Ã¡∏Ç∏ÿ ⁄¡ ·ÃÖ∑Àπ.
[Russian president-NOM
presiden t-NOM still can turn to Washington-DA
Washington-DAT T with demand-INST ad-
ditionally-pay for Alaska-ACC.]
The Russian president can still turn to Washington and demand further payment for
Alaska.
˜œ Ê∂ÄŒ√…… Œ¡∂¡∑∏Ä≈∏ …Œ∏≈∂Å∑ À Úœ∑∑Ç… .

[In France-LOC
France- LOC grows interest-NOM
interes t-NOM to Russia-DAT
Russia-DAT.]
In France there is a growing interest in Russia .
One of the important distinctions between a non-human destination and a human one is that À + DATIVE: A
when we arrive at a person, we do not enter or otherwise physically encroach upon them, COMPETITOR with
non-human
we just come nearer, going in that person’s direction. This idea can be extended to physical destinations
locations in both space and time, as the following two examples attest: means ‘toward,
in the direction
of’.
¡ÃÄπ, ¡∂»…¥≈ÃÄ«, ∑œ∑∏œÖ›…™ …⁄ ƒ◊π»∑É∏ ÕÅÃÀ…» œ∑∏∂œ◊É◊, ∂¡∑¥œÃÉ÷≈ŒŒŸ™
◊ 800 À…ÃœÕÅ∏∂¡» À ¿«œ-◊œ∑∏ÉÀπ œ∏ œ∏ Ê…Ã…¥¥ÇŒ, ∑∏¡Ã 185-Õ fiÃÅŒœÕ ÔÔÓ.
[Palau-NOM, archipelago-NOM, consisting-NOM from two hundred small islands-
GEN, located-NOM in 800 kilometers-LOC to south-east-DAT from Philippines-
GEN, became 185th member-INST UN-GEN.]
Palau, an archipelago consisting of two hundred small islands located 800 kilome-
ters to the southeast of the Philippines, became the 185th member of the UN.
Î œƒÇŒŒ¡ƒ√¡∏… fi¡∑ÄÕ µ µ ∫ÉÃ≈≈ ÇÃ… ÕÅŒ≈≈ ∂¡⁄œ∫∂ÄÃ∑µ ◊ ∑…∏πÄ√…….

[To
[To eleven hours-DAT
hours-DAT I-NOM more or less understood in situation-LOC.]
Toward eleven o’clock I more or less came to understand the situation.
As we have already seen with the accusative case, a destination can be conceived of in the The metaphori-
metaphorical realm of purpose, as in this example: cal use of À +
DATIVE: A
COMPETITOR with
˜ ¥∂≈ƒ…∑ÃÉ◊…… À ≈«É ∑∫É∂Œ…Àπ «œ◊œ∂ÇÃœ∑ÿ,
«œ◊œ∂ÇÃœ∑ÿ, fi∏œ œŒ ∂¡∫É∏¡≈∏ ∆∂≈⁄≈∂É◊›…ÀœÕ non-human
Œ¡ ⁄¡◊Éƒ≈. destinations to
express ‘to, for’.
[In foreword-LOC to his collected-works-DAT said, that he-NOM works milling-
machine-operator-INST at factory-LOC.]
106 The Dative Case
In the foreword to his collected works it said that he works as a milling-machine
operator at a factory.
Events frequently structure our lives, forcing us to interact with them. In the next pair of
examples, there are two events involved. One is named directly, the examinations, and
another indirectly through its location, the bed, which is where the drama of death is ex-
pected to take place.
‰Œ£Õ œŒÄ «œ∏É◊…Ã¡∑ÿ À ‹À⁄ÄÕ≈Œ¡Õ .

[Day-INST she-NOM prepared to examinations-DAT
examinations-DAT.]
During the day she prepared for the examinations .
˜ ∏œ∏ ÷≈ ƒ≈Œÿ À ¥œ∑∏ÅÃ… ∫œÃÿŒÉ«œ

∫œÃÿŒÉ«œ ¥∂…«Ã¡∑ÇÃ… ∂œƒŒá».
[In that very day-ACC to bed-DAT patient-GEN invited relatives-ACC.]
That very day they invited relatives to come to the patient’s bedside .
There are many phenomena that likewise order our existence. In the next two examples À
indicates relationships to two particularly powerful phenomena, those of economic forces
and substance abuse:
ßŸÃ œ∏À∂á∏ µ¥ÉŒ∑À…™ √≈Œ∏∂, Àœ∏É∂Ÿ™ ∫Ñƒ≈∏ «œ∏É◊…∏ÿ ÀÄƒ∂Ÿ ƒÃµ ¥≈∂≈»Éƒ¡
À ∂áŒœfiŒœ™ ‹ÀœŒÉÕ…À≈ .
[Was
[Was opened-NOM Japanese center-NOM,
ce nter-NOM, which-NOM will prepare personnel-ACC
for transition-GEN
trans ition-GEN to market economy-DA
econ omy-DAT
T.]
A Japanese center was opened to prepare personnel for the transition to a market
economy .
œ ÕŒÅŒ…¿ ◊∂¡fiÅ™, π÷Å ¥Å∂◊Ÿ≈ ¥∂É∫Ÿ Ã¿∫É«œ Œ¡∂ÀÉ∏…À¡ ÕÉ«π∏ ¥∂…◊≈∑∏Ç À

∆œ∂Õ…∂œ◊ÄŒ…¿ ¥∑…»Çfi≈∑Àœ™,
¥∑…»Çfi≈∑Àœ™, ¡ ⁄¡∏ÅÕ … ∆…⁄Çfi≈∑Àœ™ ⁄¡◊Ç∑…Õœ∑∏….
[Along opinion-DAT
opinion-DAT doctors-GEN, already first trials-NOM any narcotic-GEN can
lead to formation-DAT psychological-GEN and thereupon physical dependence-
GEN.]
In the opinion of doctors, even the first use of any narcotic can lead to the formation
of psychological, and thereupon physical, dependence.
Emotions are more abstract, but no less influential forces, and here are two examples of
how they interact with À. Note that the second one, À ∑œ÷¡ÃÅŒ…¿ ‘unfortunately ’ is so
conventional that it is used as an adverb.
Î Ñ÷¡∑π ∏π∂Å√À…»
∏π∂Å√À…» ◊Ã¡∑∏Å™ ÷Å∂∏◊œ™ ◊∑£ fiÄ›≈ ∑∏¡ŒÉ◊µ∏∑µ …Œœ∑∏∂ÄŒ√Ÿ.
[To
[To horror-DAT
horror-DAT Turkish authorities-GEN victim-INST all more-frequently
more-freq uently become
foreigners-NOM.]
To the horror of Turkish authorities, the victims are more and more frequently for-
eigners.
Ô∏œ∫∂ÄÃ…, À ∑œ÷¡ÃÅŒ…¿ , Ã…¤ÿ fi≈∏◊£∂∏π¿ fi¡∑∏ÿ.

[Removed, to regret-DAT
regret-DAT, only fourth
fou rth part-ACC.]
Unfortunately , they only removed a fourth of it.
DATIVE: A COMPETITOR 4—¥œ ‘along’

The preposition ¥œ triggers the one use of the dative case that is not particularly associ- ¥œ + DATIVE: A
ated with human beings. ‘Along’ is perhaps the translation of ¥œ that best captures its na- COMPETITOR
‘along’.
ture, since ¥œ’s job is to indicate paths. When one selects a path, one must then follow it,
submitting to its contours; thus the path exerts an influence much like that suggested by the
verbs of subordination above. This is why the use of ¥œ is classed under the DATIVE: A
COMPETITOR. Our first example is of the path taken by someone who is so happy she feels
like she is walking on air:
ñ∏œ ∑fiÄ∑∏ÿ≈ Œ≈∑ÃÉ ≈£ ¥œ ◊É⁄ƒπ»π .

[That good-fortune-NOM
good-f ortune-NOM carried her-ACC along air-DAT
air-DAT.]
That good fortune carried her through the air .
A shorter path is the area of a body part where something happened, often used when a
person is hit by something:
Ûœ∫…∂ÄÃ… ∑◊Åƒ≈Œ…µ œ ¥œ÷…ÃÉ™ ÷ÅŒ›…Œ≈, ∫≈⁄÷ÄÃœ∑∏Œœ π∫Ç∏œ™ fiÅÕ-∏œ

∏µ÷£ÃŸÕ ¥œ ⁄¡∏áÃÀπ .
[Gathered information-ACC about elderly woman-LOC, ruthlessly murdered-LOC
something heavy-INST
hea vy-INST along back-of-head-DAT
back-of-head-DAT.]
They were gathering information about
abou t an elderly woman who was ruthlessly mur-
dered when she was hit by some heavy object in the back of the head .
Electronic signals flow across telephone wires, making the telephone a path for communi-
cation, as in this example:
ÙÑ∏-∏œ Œ≈⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕŸ™ ÷ÅŒ∑À…™ «ÉÃœ∑ ¥œ ∏≈Ã≈∆ÉŒπ ¥∂≈ƒÃœ÷ÇÃ

¥∂≈ƒÃœ÷ÇÃ ¥œ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ…∏ÿ∑µ.
[Suddenly unfamiliar woman’s voice-NOM along telephone-DAT suggested get-
acquainted.]
Suddenly an unfamiliar woman’s voice on the telephone suggested that they get
acquainted.
With plural nouns, ¥œ often indicates a kind of place frequently visited, or something that ¥œ + DATIVE: A
regularly happens at a certain time or on a certain day of the week. The following two COMPETITOR with
plural places and
examples demonstrate how this works in the domains of space and time: times expresses
frequency.
˙¡∂¡∫Ä∏Ÿ◊¡≈Õ ∫ÉÃÿ¤≈ ∏á∑µfi… ◊ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿. ˛Å∂≈⁄ ƒ≈Œÿ ¥œ ∂≈∑∏œ∂ÄŒ¡Õ »Éƒ…Õ. »Éƒ…Õ.
[Earn more thousand-GEN
thousan d-GEN in week-ACC. Across day-ACC along restaurants-DA
r estaurants-DAT
T
go.]
We earn more than a thousand a week. Every other day we go to restaurants .
108 The Dative Case
œ π∏∂ÄÕ
π∏∂Ä Õ œŒ ◊ÕÅ∑∏œ «…ÕŒ¡∑∏Çfi≈∑À…» π¥∂¡÷ŒÅŒ…™ … fiÄ¤À… ÀÉ∆≈ ¥…Ã
¥œ∂∏◊Å™Œ.
[Along mornings-DAT
mornings-DAT he-NOM instead-of gymnastic exercises-GEN and cup-GEN
coffee-GEN drank portwine-ACC.]
In the mornings instead of calisthenics and a cup of coffee he would drink portwine.
¥œ + DATIVE: A Distribution of one to each also describes a path indicated by ¥œ:

COMPETITOR
expresses
distribution. Ú¡⁄Õ≈∑∏ÇÃ… Œ¡∑ ◊ «œ∑∏ÇŒ…√≈ ËÇÃ∏œŒ. œ œƒŒœÕÑ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀπ ◊ ◊ ŒÉÕ≈∂≈.
[Placed us-ACC in hotel-LOC Hilton. Along one person-DAT
person-DAT in room-LOC.]
They put us in the Hilton hotel. One person in each room.
¥œ + DATIVE: A There are many possible metaphoric paths. Here are two of the intellect. In the first ex-
COMPETITOR ample, solution must follow the contours of the issues,
issues , and in the second, an answer should
s hould
expresses
movement follow the logic of the problem.
‘along’ meta-
phoric paths. Ú≈¤ÇÃ… ∑œ⁄ƒÄ∏ÿ Õ≈÷¥∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊≈ŒŒπ¿ ÀœÕÇ∑∑…¿ ¥œ ∏œ∂«É◊œ-
‹ÀœŒœÕÇfi≈∑À…Õ ◊œ¥∂É∑¡Õ .
[Decided create intergovernmental commission-ACC along market-economy issues-
DAT.]
They decided to create an intergovernmental commission for market-economy is-
sues .
∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏ πÀÃœŒÇÃ∑µ œ∏ fi£∏À…» œ∏◊Å∏œ◊ ¥œ Ü∏œ™ ¥∂œ∫ÃÅÕ≈ .

[President-NOM avoided from precise answers-GEN along that problem-DAT
problem-DAT.]
The president avoided giving any precise answers concerning that problem .
¥œ + DATIVE: A When you follow logical paths, you are thinking or acting according to things, and ‘acc ord-
COMPETITOR ing to’ is one of the most frequent meanings of the preposition
pr eposition ¥œ. Here are a few examples
means ‘accord-
ing to’ in the to illustrate:
domain of
reason. œ ŒÄ¤≈™ …Œ∆œ∂ÕÄ√…… , œ∫∑π÷ƒÄÃœ∑ÿ π»πƒ¤ÅŒ…≈ ∑œ∑∏œÖŒ…µ ∫œÃÿŒÉ«œ.
[Along our information-DAT
information-DAT, discussed worsening-NOM state-GEN patient-GEN.]
pa tient-GEN.]
According to our information , they discussed the patient’s worsening state.
œ œ∆…√…ÄÃÿŒŸÕ ƒÄŒŒŸÕ , ¥∂œ¥ÄÃœ ∫Å⁄ ◊Å∑∏… ÉÀœÃœ 10 ∏á∑µfi fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ.

[Along official data-DAT,
data-DAT, lost without news-GEN around 10 thousand
thou sand people-GEN.]
people-GE N.]
According to official data , around 10 thousand people are missing.
œ ⁄¡µ◊ÃÅŒ…¿ ◊∂¡fiÅ™,
◊∂¡fiÅ™, ÕÄÃÿfi…À ¥∑…»Çfi≈∑À… ∑œ◊≈∂¤ÅŒŒœ ⁄ƒœ∂É◊.
[Along statement-DAT
statement-DAT doctors-GEN, boy-NOM psychologically
psy chologically completely healthy-
NOM.]
According to the doctors’
doctors ’ statement , psychologically the boy is completely healthy.
Epilogue 109
Following a certain path can also cause things to happen, as we see in this example: ¥œ + DATIVE: A
Ùœ Ã… ¥œ ÃÅŒ… , ∏œ Ã… ¥œ «≈Œ…ÄÃÿŒœ™ ∑◊œÅ™ …Œ∏πÇ√…… , Œ¡¤ ∂≈÷…∑∑£∂ Ü∏œ«œ COMPETITOR
means ‘due to’ in
…⁄∫≈÷ÄÃ. the domain of
[That whether
wheth er along laziness-DA
lazine ss-DAT,
T, that whether along
alo ng ingenious
ingeniou s own intuition-DA
intuition- DAT
T, causation.
our director-NOM that-GEN avoided.]
Whether it was due to laziness or due to his own ingenious intuition , our director
managed to avoid that.
œ participates in its share of idioms, such as ¥œ ◊∑≈™ ◊Çƒ…Õœ∑∏… [along

[along all appearance-
DAT] ‘to all appearances ’. Two of the most important idioms are ¥œ-∑◊É≈Õπ [along-own-
[along-own-
DAT]
DAT] ‘in
‘ in one’s own way ’, and ∑¡Õ ¥œ ∑≈∫Å [self-NOM
[self-NOM along self-DAT]
self-DAT] ‘in itself /on
/on its own ’,
illustrated in this example:
Û¡ÕÄ ¥œ ∑≈∫Å »Ä∂∏…µ
»Ä∂∏…µ Œ≈ …ÕÅ≈∏ ¿∂…ƒÇfi≈∑Àœ™ ∑ÇÃŸ.
[Self-NOM along self-DAT charter-NOM not has legal force-GEN.]
In itself , the charter has no legal force.
EPILOGUE
Our human capacity to perceive, appreciate, and react to the world around us is the
foundation upon which the whole of the dative case is built. It should not surprise you that
the name dative comes from the Latin word for ‘give’, since giving is the defining concept
of human interaction, be it the presentation of gifts, the giving of good and evil, or the give
and take of competition. We are never entirely passive: we take money, understand mes-
sages, interpret dreams, and struggle against the forces imposed upon us, matching or sub-
mitting to them. In Russian, as opposed to English, people see themselves as subject to
atmospheric, temporal, and emotional factors in their environment, since being hot, twenty
years old, and sad are all things that happen to people as DATIVE: EXPERIENCERS, rather than
characteristics of them (as in English). Russian insists on treating people differently from
all other items that serve as destinations, since people require the use of À + DATIVE: A COM-
PETITOR rather than ◊ or Œ¡ + ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION. Surrender can take place on a vari-
ety of levels, entailing yielding one’s behavior, beliefs, intellect, and sense of awe. The
dative case seems to dwell on the negative, for with the dative case we find more words
expressing harm than benefit, more words for relationships of submission than harmony,
many ways to express imposed obligations, and a tendency for body parts to incur damage.
Perhaps as human beings we are more adept at noticing and expressing our fustrations than
our delights.
110 The Genitive Case
GENITIVE Forms

nouns ÀÉÕŒ¡∏Ÿ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏ Œ≈ƒÅÃ… Œ≈ƒÅÃÿ
-ÿ: °talent¢
singular plural
∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏… ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏≈™
nouns ƒ◊œ∂Ä ƒ◊œ∂É◊ «◊œ⁄ƒÖ «◊œ⁄ƒÅ™
nouns ∏ÅÃ¡ ∏≈Ã ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…™
¥Å∂◊œ™ ¥Å∂◊œ«œ ¥Å∂◊œ«œ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ»
soft type: °last¢
¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈«œ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈«œ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…»
Õ≈Œµ Œ¡∑ ∏≈∫Ö ◊¡∑

(Œ)≈£ (Œ)≈«É (Œ)≈«É (Œ)…»

Àœ«É fi≈«É ∑≈∫Ö
°this¢
Ü∏œ™ Ü∏œ«œ Ü∏œ«œ Ü∏…»
°all, every¢
◊∑≈™ ◊∑≈«É ◊∑≈«É ◊∑≈»
°my¢
ÕœÅ™ Õœ≈«É Õœ≈«É ÕœÇ»
°our¢
ŒÄ¤≈™ ŒÄ¤≈«œ ŒÄ¤≈«œ ŒÄ¤…»
Numerals °one¢
œƒŒÉ™ œƒŒœ«É œƒŒœ«É œƒŒÇ»
ƒ◊π» ∏∂£» fi≈∏Ÿ∂£» ¥µ∏Ç
Prologue 111
G
GENITIVE: A SOURCE
The genitive network:

A SOURCE
A WHOLE A REFERENCE
A GOAL
PROLOGUE
Let’s start by looking at an example:
Ê…ƒÅÃÿ ÎÄ∑∏∂œ Œ¡ ¥Ö∏œÕ ∑flÅ⁄ƒ≈ ∑◊œÅ™ ÀœÕ¥Ä∂∏…… «œ◊œ∂ÇÃ «œ◊œ∂ÇÃ ∫≈⁄ πÕÉÃÀπ ¤≈∑∏ÿ

¤≈∑∏ÿ
fi¡∑É◊ …
… ∑É∂œÀ ∏∂… Õ…ŒÑ∏Ÿ, fi∏œ ƒœ∑∏É™Œœ ∂≈ÀÉ∂ƒœ◊ ÎŒÇ«… ÁÇŒŒ≈∑∑¡ .
[Fidel Castro-NOM at fifth congress-LOC own communist-party-GEN spoke with-
out pause-GEN six-ACC hours-GEN and forty-three minutes-ACC, that worthy
records-GEN Book-GEN Guinness-GEN.]
At the fifth congress of his communist party , Fidel Castro spoke without pause for
six hours and forty-three minutes, an accomplishment worthy of the Guinness Book
of Records .
Here we see six uses of the genitive case in a single sentence, one that is not even particu- The genitive case
larly long or unusual. If there were an entry for Russian case use in the Guinness Book of is the most
frequent case,
World Records, the genitive case would walk off with multiple honors, among them: has the most
prepositions,
• The genitive is the most used case in Russian. The likelihood of finding sentences forms chains,
and has the most
with six uses of any other case is relatively small. complex
• The genitive is used with over one hundred prepositions (about 40 simple preposi- meaning.
tions and 70 complex ones), vastly more than all the other cases combined.
• The genitive is the only case that forms chains of consecutive uses, as in our ex-
ample above: ƒœ∑∏É™Œœ ∂≈ÀÉ∂ƒœ◊ ÎŒÇ«… ÁÇŒŒ≈∑∑¡ [worthy records-GEN Book-
GEN Guinness-GEN], literally ‘worthy of the records of the Book of Guinness ’.
• The genitive is probably the most complex case in Russian, and the basic idea of the
gentive is perhaps the hardest to grasp.
These might look like formidable hurdles, but our strategy is to tackle the last item on the
list, the meaning of the genitive. After that, all the other “problems” will become o pportuni-
ties for easy success.
An overview of The uses of the genitive will be described in terms of four categories: GENITIVE: A SOURCE,
the genitive case. GENITIVE: A GOAL, GENITIVE: A WHOLE, and GENITIVE: A REFERENCE. The four labels used here
hint at both what the basic meaning of the genitive is and why it is so hard to make sense of
it. The genitive is by nature an elusive beast, a sort of “back-seat driver” that is always
The genitive handing off the responsibility of focusing attention to something else. When we say that
case diverts something comes from a source, we generally aren’t are n’t as interested in the source as we are in
attention to
another item. the something that comes from it. The same goes for goals; while a goal is important, what
we really care about is the person or thing that is headed for it. In the GENITIVE: A WHOLE use,
there is always another item that plays the role of the “part”, and of course when we are
talking about something that is part of a whole, we are focusing our attention on the part
more than on the whole. A reference point is something that we use to locate something
else, and in its GENITIVE: A REFERENCE use, the genitive serves as a mental address for other
things. Rather than turning focus to the item it marks, the genitive deflects our focus away
from it. It is this habit of retreating into the background that makes the genitive so hard to
pin down. Passing the buck, by the way, also makes the chaining of genitives possible,
allowing focus to bounce from one item to the next.
Looking at the labels, however, it is at first hard to understand what they have in com-
mon. After all, a source and a goal seem to be opposites, and both involve movement,
whereas whole and reference are a re static. If we compare the diagrams of the four uses,
use s, we see
that the GENITIVE: A GOAL is really the same as the GENITIVE: A SOURCE, just run in reverse, and
furthermore the GENITIVE: A WHOLE and GENITIVE: A REFERENCE are simply the two endpoints of
An abstract
GENITIVE: A SOURCE. More abstractly, we could say that all of the diagrams support the fol-
definition of the
genitive. lowing definition:
The genitive is a backgrounded item (big circle) that yields focus of attention to some-
thing else (small circle) which exists or maneuvers
maneuv ers in its proximity.
In order to make sense of this definition we will have to examine the many faces of the
genitive in action.
GENITIVE: A SOURCE 1—Going to > coming from

The GENITIVE: A SOURCE meaning is always triggered
by a preposition or word indicating removal or with-
drawal from the genitive item. All three of the preposi- G
tions particularly important in expressing this meaning
are often translated as ‘from’: …⁄, ∑, and œ∏. These three
prepositions reverse the direction of motion described
by the prepositions ◊, Œ¡, À in their meaning ‘to, to-
ward’. Here again is the table comparing ◊, Œ¡, À, this
time adding the reverse direction:
An item (small circle) departs from a
GENITIVE: A SOURCE
(circle labeled G)
Genitive: a source 2 113
GOING TO Comparison of

some non-human destinations require ◊ + ACC three GENITIVE: A
SOURCE preposi-
‰œfiÿ ¥œ¤ÃÄ ◊ ¤ÀÉÃπ. tions meaning
[Daughter-NOM went in school-ACC.] ‘from’: …⁄, ∑, and
My daughter went to school. œ∏.
some non-human destinations require Œ¡ + ACC

‰œfiÿ ¥œ¤ÃÄ Œ¡ ¥Éfi∏π.
[Daughter-NOM went on post-office-ACC.]
My daughter went to the post-office.
all human destinations require À + DAT

‰œfiÿ ¥œ¤ÃÄ À ◊∂¡fiÑ.
[Daughter-NOM went to doctor-DAT.]
My daughter went to the doctor.
COMING FROM
non-human destinations that require ◊ + ACC use …⁄ + GEN when they are sources
‰œfiÿ ¥∂…¤ÃÄ …⁄ ¤ÀÉÃŸ .
[Daughter-NOM came from school-GEN.]
My daug
daught
hter
er cam
came (hom
(home)
e) from
from school .
non-human destinations that require Œ¡ + ACC use ∑ + GEN when they are sources
‰œfiÿ ¥∂…¤ÃÄ ∑ ¥Éfi∏Ÿ .
[Daughter-NOM came from post-office-GEN.]
My daug
daught
hter
er cam
came (hom
(home)
e) from
from the post-o fice .
post-off fice
À + DAT and use œ∏ + GEN when they are sources

all human destinations require
‰œfiÿ ¥∂…¤ÃÄ œ∏ ◊∂¡fiÄ .
[Daughter-NOM came from doctor-GEN.]
My daug
daught
hter
er cam
came (hom
(home)
e) from
from the doctor .
GENITIVE: A SOURCE 2—…⁄ ‘from’

Here are some examples of the use of …⁄ to indicate a container or location from which …⁄ + GENITIVE: A
something is removed: SOURCE ‘from’.
Ó¡ ∑∏ÑÃÿµ» … À∂œ◊Ä∏… Ã≈÷ÄÃ… ◊Å›…, ◊áŒπ∏Ÿ≈ …⁄ ∑πŒƒπÀÄ .

[On chairs-LOC and bed-LOC lay things-NOM, taken-NOM from trunk-GEN.]
On the chairs and bed lay things that had been taken out of the trunk .
È⁄ ∑¡∂Äµ ◊á∫≈÷¡Ã
◊á∫≈÷¡Ã ÕÄÃÿfi…À.
[From barn-GEN ran-out boy-NOM.]
A boy ran out of the barn .
ÔŒ ¡∂»≈ÉÃœ«, Œ≈ƒÄ◊Œœ ◊≈∂ŒÑÃ∑µ …⁄ ÒÀÑ∏…… .

[He-NOM archeologist-NOM, recently
r ecently returned from Yakutia-GEN.]
Yakutia-GEN.]
He’s an archeologist, and he’s recently returned from Yakutia.
…⁄ + GENITIVE: A È⁄ can also be used metaphorically to indicate abstract objects and refer to domains other
SOURCE ‘from’ in than space. In the first of these two examples Hitchcock’s films are the source of horrors,
metaphorical
domains. and in the second charity (shown by a very self-important hairdresser) is the source (and
thereby the motive) for giving the person a seat in the beauty parlor. Note the use of English
from and out of in these examples; the metaphorical extension of the source concept is
something we share with Russian.
ÈŒœ«ƒÄ ˜Äƒ…À ⁄¡∂…∑É◊Ÿ◊¡Ã ∑◊œÇ ∑ŒŸ, ¥œ»É÷…≈ Œ¡ Ñ÷¡∑Ÿ …⁄ ∆ÇÃÿÕœ◊

Ë…fiÀÉÀ¡.
[Sometimes Vadik-NOM
Vadik-NOM drew his dreams-ACC, similar-ACC on horrors-ACC from
films-GEN Hitchcock-GEN.]
Sometimes Vadik drew pictures of his dreams, similar to horrors from Hitchcock’s
films .
Ò ¥œŒ…ÕÄ¿, fi∏œ ¥œ∑Ä÷≈Œ¡ ◊ À∂Å∑Ãœ …⁄ ÕÇÃœ∑∏… … … ◊œœ∫›Å ¥œ ∑∂¡◊ŒÅŒ…¿ ∑

¥¡∂…ÀÕÄ»≈∂¤≈™ Œ…fi≈«É Œ≈ ∑∏É¿.
[I-NOM understand, that seated-NOM to chair-ACC from charity-GEN and in-gen-
eral along comparison-DAT with
with hairdresser-INST nothing-GEN not be-worth.]
be -worth.]
I understand that I have been given a seat out of charity and that in general in com-
parison with the hairdresser I am worthless.
…⁄ + GENITIVE: A È⁄ appears in numerous fixed phrases. Perhaps the two most common ones are …∑»œƒÇ∏ÿ
SOURCE in fixed …⁄ ‘proceed from; base one’s assumptions on’ and œƒÇŒ …⁄ ‘one of [a group of things]’. Here
phrases
…∑»œƒÇ∏ÿ …⁄ is an example for each of these uses:
‘proceed from’,
œƒÇŒ …⁄ È∑»œƒÖ …⁄ ¥∂É¤Ãœ«œ É¥Ÿ∏¡ , ƒœ«ÄƒŸ◊¡¿∑ÿ, fi∏œ ...
‘one of’.
[Proceeding from past experience-GEN, guess, that...]
Based on past experience , I guess that...
ÔƒÇŒ …⁄ fiÄ∑∏œ ◊∑∏∂≈fiÄ≈ÕŸ» Õœ∏Ç◊œ◊ ≈«É ≈«É ¥∂œ…⁄◊≈ƒÅŒ…™ — ∑œŒ.

[One-NOM from frequently encountered motifs-GEN his works-GEN — sleep-
NOM.]
One of the frequently encountered motifs of his work is sleep.
…⁄-⁄¡ + GENITIVE: È⁄ forms two secondary prepositions, both of which can be used in concrete and meta-
A SOURCE ‘from phorical contexts. È⁄-⁄¡, literally means ‘from beyond’.
b eyond’. The first example below illustrates
beyond;
because of’. a concrete use, …⁄-⁄¡ ∂π∫≈÷Ä [from-beyond
[from-beyond border-GEN] ‘from abroad ’, whereas the sec-
ond is metaphorical, indicating a cause:
ı Ü∏œ™ ∆Ç∂ÕŸ ∏É÷≈ ≈∑∏ÿ ∂≈∑Ñ∂∑Ÿ …⁄-⁄¡ ∂π∫≈÷Ä .

[By this firm-GEN also are resources-NOM from-beyond border-GEN.]
This firm also has resources from abroad .
˜∂ÅÕµ œ∏ ◊∂ÅÕ≈Œ… œŒÄ ¥≈∂≈∑∏¡◊ÄÃ¡ À∂Ä∑…∏ÿ∑µ, …⁄-⁄¡ »¡Œƒ∂á , ÇÃ… …⁄-⁄¡ ∏œ«É ,
fi∏œ ¥∂œ¥¡ƒÄÃ¡ À∂Ä∑À¡, ÇÃ… Ã≈Œÿ ∫áÃœ Å»¡∏ÿ ◊ Õ¡«¡⁄ÇŒ.
[Time-NOM from time-GEN she-NOM stopped dye from-beyond depression-GEN,
or from-beyond that-GEN, that lost dye-NOM, or laziness-NOM was ride to store-
ACC.]
From time to time she would stop dyeing her hair, whether from depression , or from
the fact that there was no dye in the store, or because she just felt too lazy to go to the
store.
È⁄-¥œƒ is the other complex preposition, literally ‘from beneath’. The first example is of a …⁄-¥œƒ +
concrete use, whereas the second is idiomatic: GENITIVE: A
SOURCE ‘from
beneath’.
ÁÃÄ◊Œπ¿ œ¥É∂π ◊Ÿ∫…◊Ä¿∏ π Œ≈«É …⁄-¥œƒ Œœ« .
[Main support-ACC knock-out by him-GEN from-beneath feet-GEN.]
They are knocking his main support out from under his feet .
ÛÀœ◊œ∂œƒÄ ∑◊¡ÃÇÃ¡∑ÿ Œ¡ ∫π∏áÃÀ… …⁄-¥œƒ À≈∆Ç∂¡ , Àœ∏É∂Ÿ≈ ∑∏œÖ∏ ◊É⁄Ã≈ ¥Ã…∏á.

[Frying pan-NOM fell on bottles-ACC from-beneath kefir-GEN, which-NOM stand
next-to burner-GEN.]
The frying pan fell onto the kefir bottles that are next to the burner.
GENITIVE: A SOURCE 3—∑ ‘from’

Just as …⁄ takes us on the path reversing the direction of ◊ + ACC for something that is ∑ + GENITIVE: A
SOURCE ‘from’.
conceived of as a container, so ∑ takes us
u s on the path reversing Œ¡ + ACC for something that
is conceived of as a surface. The bee house was on the tree, the pinecone was on the ground,
and the friends were at the language department, all using Œ¡ for locations, and conse-
quently ∑ for removal from these locations.
ÔŒ ∑ŒµÃ ¥fi≈ÃÇŒŸ™ ƒÉÕ…À ∑ ƒÅ∂≈◊¡ .

[He-NOM removed bee house-ACC from tree-GEN.]
He removed the bee house from the tree .
ÔŒÄ ¥œƒŒµÃÄ ∑ ⁄≈ÕÃÇ ¤Ç¤Àπ.

¤Ç¤Àπ.
[She-NOM picked-up from ground-GEN pinecone-ACC.]
She picked up a pinecone from the ground .
∂…Ö∏≈Ã… ∑ ∆…Ã∆ÄÀ¡ Œ≈ Œ≈ ◊Œπ¤ÄÃ… ƒœ◊Å∂…µ.

[Friends-NOM from language-department-GEN not inspired confidence-GEN.]
Our friends from the language department did not inspire confidence.
Although the GENITIVE: A SOURCE preposition that is usually used with human beings is œ∏,
we do occasionally see human beings with ∑, particularly when they are viewed as a source
sou rce
of money, as in the common phrase ÛÀÉÃÿÀœ ∑ Õ≈ŒÖ ? [How-much from me-GEN?] ‘How
much do I owe you ?’, or the following example:
∑ + GENITIVE: A ∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ Œ≈ ∑œ∫…∂Ä≈∏ Œ¡ÃÉ« ∑ ¥∂œ∑∏…∏Ñ∏œÀ .

SOURCE with [Government-NOM not collects tax-ACC from prostitutes-GEN.]
human beings
when they serve The government does not collect a tax from prostitutes .
as the source of
funds. With time expressions, ∑ can be used to indicate the time when something begins. Common
∑ + GENITIVE: A examples are months and ages, as well as the fixed expression ∑ ∏≈» ¥œ∂ [from
[from those times-
SOURCE in the GEN] ‘from that time on ’. Here are three examples to illustrate:
domain of time.
Ú¡Ç∑¡ ∑ ¥µ∏Ç Ã≈∏ ÀÃÅ…Ã¡

ÀÃÅ…Ã¡ Àœ∂É∫œfiÀ… ƒÃµ ¥…ÃâÃÿ.
[Raisa-NOM from five years-GEN glued boxes-ACC for pills-GEN.]
Raisa started gluing pill boxes when she was five years old .
Û µŒ◊¡∂Ö ¥œ
¥œ Õ¡™ ◊Ÿ ∫Ñƒ≈∏≈ ◊ œÃ…Õ¥Ç™∑Àœ™ ∆É∂Õ≈.
[From January-GEN along May-ACC you-NOM will-be in olympic form-LOC.]
From January through May you will be in olympic form.
Ò ∑ ƒÅ∏∑∏◊¡ Õ≈fi∏ÄÃ
Õ≈fi∏ÄÃ œ Ã…∏≈∂¡∏Ñ∂≈.
[I-NOM from childhood-GEN dreamed about literature-LOC.]
I have dreamed about literature since childhood .
∑ + GENITIVE: A Like any other preposition, ∑ has its metaphorical uses. Here are a couple of examples to
SOURCE in whet your appetite, one involving the source serving as a motive (the han gover causing the
metaphorical
domains. gloomy mood), and the other referring to an abstract numerical realm:
ÙŸ µ◊ÃÖ≈¤ÿ∑µ, Àœ«ƒÄ ‰πƒÀÉ ∑ ¥œ»ÕÅÃÿµ —

— Õ∂ÄfiŒŸ™.
[You-NOM
[You-NOM appear, when Dudko-NOM from hangover-GEN
h angover-GEN — gloomy-NOM.]
You keep showing up when Dudko is gloomy because he’s got a hangover .
ÛÃÄ◊¡ ßÉ«π, ÕŸ Œ¡fi…ŒÄÃ… Œ≈ ∑ ŒπÃÖ .

[Glory-NOM God-DAT
God-DAT, we-NOM started not from zero-GEN.]
zer o-GEN.]
Thank God we weren’t starting from zero .
GENITIVE: A SOURCE 4—œ∏ ‘from’

œ∏ + GENITIVE: A As our table above indicates, when a human being serves as GENITIVE: A SOURCE, you can
SOURCE ‘from’. usually expect to see the preposition
prepo sition œ∏. The following example serves to illustrate both the
use of œ∏ with human sources and the fact that œ∏ is frequently used
us ed with non-human sources
as well:
œ ≈«É Ã…√Ñ µ ¥ÉŒµÃ, ∑ À¡ÀÇÕ πƒœ◊ÉÃÿ∑∏◊…≈Õ πÅ»¡Ã ∫Ÿ œŒ Œ¡ ¿« œ∏ À∂ÇÀ¡ , œ∏

∏£›… , … œ∏ ÷≈Œá .
[Along his face-DAT
face-DAT I-NOM understood, with what pleasure-INST
pleasur e-INST leave would he-
NOM to south-ACC from yell-GEN, from mother-in-law-GEN, and from wife-GEN.]
From his face I understood how glad he would be to go south, away from the yell-
ing , away from his mother -in-law , and away from his wife .
mother -in-law
Whenever location is expressed in terms of π ‘by’ + GEN (see below under GENITIVE: A œ∏ indicates
REFERENCE), removal from that place is expressed with œ∏. In Russian a person can stand π removal ‘from’ a
location marked
œÀŒÄ [by
[by window-GEN] ‘by the window ’, and removal from this position is achieved by œ∏: as π + GENITIVE: A
REFERENCE.
œfi∏Ç fi≈∏á∂≈ ¤¡«Ä ÕÉ÷Œœ ∑ƒÅÃ¡∏ÿ ◊ ¥∂œ«ÑÃÀ≈ œ∏ œÀŒÄ ƒœ ƒœ ƒ◊≈∂Ç.

[Almost four steps-ACC possible
poss ible do in walk-LOC from window-GEN to door-GEN.]
One can take almost four steps in walking from the window to the door.
The use of œ∏ with expressions of time is not particularly common, but here is an example: œ∏ + GENITIVE: A
SOURCE in the
domain of time.
˜ œ∏◊Å∏ŒœÕ ¥…∑ÿÕÅ Ïπ∏É»…Œπ œ∏ ¥Å∂◊œ«œ ÕÄµ 1926 «. ÁÉ∂ÿÀ…™ ƒ¡Ã ∫ÉÃ≈≈
∂¡⁄◊£∂Œπ∏π¿ œ√ÅŒÀπ ¥œÜ⁄…… „◊≈∏Ä≈◊œ™.
[In answer letter-LOC Lutokhin-DAT
Lutokhin-DAT from first-GEN May-GEN 1926-GEN Gorky-
NOM gave more extensive
extens ive evaluation-ACC poetry-GEN Tsvetaeva-GEN.]
In his letter of response written to Lutokhin on the first of May, 1926, Gorky gave a
more extensive evaluation of Tsvetaeva’s poetry.
In Russian dependence is expressed using the verb ⁄¡◊Ç∑≈∏ÿ (or the noun ⁄¡◊Ç∑…Õœ∑∏ÿ or œ∏ + GENITIVE: A
the adjective ⁄¡◊Ç∑…ÕŸ™) œ∏ + GEN, as in this example: SOURCE in the
fixed phrase
⁄¡◊Ç∑≈∏ÿ œ∏
˙¡¥¡ƒŒœ≈◊∂œ¥Å™∑À…≈ «œ∑πƒÄ∂∑∏◊¡ ∑ÕÉ«π∏ πÕÅŒÿ¤…∏ÿ ∑◊œâ ⁄¡◊Ç∑…Õœ∑∏ÿ œ∏ ‘depend on’.
∑∏∂¡Œ-fiÃÅŒœ◊ ÔÂÎ.
ÔÂÎ.
[West-European states-NOM can reduce their dependence-ACC from countries-
members-GEN OPEC-GEN.]
West European states can reduce
r educe their dependence on the OPEC member-countries .
Just like …⁄ and ∑, œ∏ can identify a metaphorical source in terms of a cause. In the case of œ∏ + GENITIVE: A
œ∏, this is usually the cause of illness or death, although other causes can also come into SOURCE in
metaphorical
play: domains.
Â£ Õπ÷ ÑÕ≈∂ œ∏ ∂¡⁄∂á◊¡ ∑Å∂ƒ√¡.

∑Å∂ƒ√¡.
[Her husband-NOM died from rupture-GEN heart-GEN.]
Her husband died from a heart attack .
ı∏◊≈∂÷ƒÄ¿∏, fi∏œ Ì…À≈ÃÄŒƒ÷≈Ãœ ∏ÄÀ÷≈ ∑∏∂¡ƒÄÃ œ∏ ∫≈⁄ÑÕŒŸ» Õá∑Ã≈™ .

[Claim, that Michelangelo-NOM also suffered from crazy thoughts-GEN.]
They claim that Michelangelo also suffered from crazy thoughts .
Ô∏ ⁄¡÷÷£ŒŒœ«œ ⁄¡ ⁄¡ œÀŒÉÕ ∆œŒ¡∂Ö Œ¡

Œ¡ ¥œÃÑ Àœ∑Äµ ⁄á∫À¡µ ∏≈Œÿ ∂ÄÕŸ.
[From lighted-GEN beyond window-INST lamp-GEN on floor slanting flickering
shadow-NOM windowframe-GEN.
From the lighted lamp outside the window there is a slanting, flickering shadow of
the windowframe on the floor.
GENITIVE: A SOURCE 5—Withdrawal
Words indicating In addition to prepositions, some other words trigger the use of GENITIVE: A SOURCE. Like
withdrawal the prepositions, they all indicate motions of withdrawal from the genitive item, whether
trigger the use of
GENITIVE: A
due to fear or disgust. Here is a table of the words you are likely to encounter, followed by
SOURCE. a few examples:
Expressions of fear
f ear and avoidance associated with GENITIVE: A SOURCE
‘fear’ ‘avoid’ ‘be shy’

∫œÖ∏ÿ∑µ …⁄∫≈«Ä∏ÿ/…⁄∫≈÷Ä∏ÿ ∑∏≈∑ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑∏≈∑ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ
‘abhor, have aversion’ ‘beware’ ‘shun, avoid’

«Œπ¤Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ«Œπ¤Ä∏ÿ∑µ œ∑∏≈∂≈«Ä∏ÿ∑µ/œ∑∏≈∂Åfiÿ∑µ ∑∏œ∂œŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑∏œ∂œŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ
‘shy away from’ ‘be frightened’ ‘be ashamed’

ƒ…fiÇ∏ÿ∑µ ¥π«Ä∏ÿ∑µ/…∑¥π«Ä∏ÿ∑µ ∑∏ŸƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑∏ŸƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ
‘shun, stand aloof’

fiπ÷ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ
ÔŒÄ ¥∂≈ƒ¡◊ÄÃ¡∑ÿ πƒœ◊ÉÃÿ∑∏◊…µÕ, ∂¡⁄ÑÕŒœ …⁄∫≈«Äµ Œ≈¥∂…Ö∏Œœ∑∏≈™ .

[She yielded pleasures-DA
p leasures-DAT
T, judiciously avoiding unpleasant-things-GEN.]
She abandoned herself to pleasure, judiciously avoiding unpleasant things .
ÔŒÇ ∑œ◊≈∂¤ÅŒŒœ Œ≈ ∑∏≈∑ŒÖÃ…∑ÿ ¥∂…∑Ñ∏∑∏◊…µ Ã¿ƒÅ™. Ã¿ƒÅ™.

[They-NOM completely not were-shy presence-GEN people-GEN.]
They were not the least bit shy of the
of the presence of people.
ÔŒÇ Œ≈ ◊Ã¡ƒÅÃ… ¡Œ«ÃÇ™∑À…Õ µ⁄ŸÀÉÕ … ∑∏ŸƒÇÃ…∑ÿ Ü∏œ«œ .

[They-NOM not commanded English language-INST and were-ashamed this-GEN.]
They did not know English and were ashamed of this .
GENITIVE: A GOAL 1—ƒœ ‘to’

As its name suggests, GENITIVE: A GOAL identifies an item G
that is approached. Like GENITIVE: A SOURCE , GENITIVE: A GOAL
is always triggered by a preposition or other word. By far the
most common is the preposition ƒœ ‘to’, which can be applied
ƒœ + GENITIVE: A to the domains of space and time, as well as to metaphorical
GOAL ‘to’. realms. Here are two examples of how ƒœ defines an approach
in terms of physical space:
An item (small circle) reaches a
GENITIVE:: A GOAL
(circle labeled G)
Genitive:: a goal 1 119
‰œ ∏∂¡Õ◊Äµ µ µ ƒœ¤£Ã ∫Ã¡«œ¥œÃÑfiŒœ, Œ≈∑Ö fi≈ÕœƒÄŒ ∏œ ◊ ¥∂Ä◊œ™, ∏œ ◊ ÃÅ◊œ™

∂πÀÅ.
[To
[To tram-GEN I-NOM went successfully, carrying suitcase-ACC that in right-LOC,
r ight-LOC,
that in left hand-LOC.]
I made my way to the tram successfully, carrying my suitcase first in my right hand
and then in my left.
Û∏π¥ÅŒÿÀ… Õœ≈«É ◊¡«ÉŒ¡ Œ≈ ƒœ»Éƒµ∏ ƒœ ⁄≈ÕÃÇ .

[Steps-NOM my train-car-GEN not go to ground-GEN.]
The steps of my train car do not reach the ground .
When used with time expressions, ƒœ can mean ‘before’,

‘befor e’, as in ƒœ ◊œ™Œá [before
[before war-GEN] ƒœ + GENITIVE: A
‘before the war ’, but more frequently has a meaning very
ver y similar to English ‘until’, as in ƒœ GOAL means
‘until, before’ in
∑◊…ƒÄŒ…µ [until
[until seeing-GEN] ‘goodbye (lit: until we see each other again )’. Here are a couple the domain of
of examples to show how this works in sentences: time.
É∑Ã≈ ∏∂…ƒ√¡∏Ç ¤≈∑∏Ç Ã≈∏ ∂¡⁄ÃÑÀ…, œ∏Å√ … ∑ŸŒ ∫≈∑Åƒœ◊¡Ã… ƒœ π∏∂Ä .

[After thirty-six years-GEN separation-GEN,
separa tion-GEN, father-NOM and son-NOM talked until
morning-GEN.]
After being separated for thirty-six years, father and son talked until morning .
˜áÀπ¥¡◊¤…∑ÿ ◊ ∂≈ÀÅ, oŒ Ãœ÷ÇÃ∑µ Œ¡ ∏∂¡◊Ñ … ∑¥ÄÃ ƒœ œ∫Åƒ¡ .

[Having-swum in river-LOC, he-NOM lay-down on grass-ACC and slept until lunch-
GEN.]
After taking a swim in the river, he would lie on the grass and sleep until lunch .
In relation to points in time, ƒœ performs the inverse of ∑, treating the point as a surface. ∑ + GENITIVE: A
Thus, as in the following
fo llowing example, one stretches a time line (of devotion to children’s
children ’s litera- SOURCE ... ƒœ +
GENITIVE: A GOAL
ture) from one point (the end of the twenties) to another (the end of life) by using ∑ and ƒœ means ‘from ...
in tandem: to’ in the domain
of time.
‰Å∏∑À¡µ Ã…∏≈∂¡∏Ñ∂¡ ∑ ÀœŒ√Ä 20-» «œƒÉ◊ ƒœ ÀœŒ√Ä ÷Ç⁄Œ… ÷Ç⁄Œ… ∫ŸÃÄ ≈«É Ã…√ÉÕ, ≈«É
◊…⁄Ç∏Œœ™ ÀÄ∂∏œfiÀœ™, ÇÕ≈Œ≈Õ Œ¡ÀœŒÅ√.
[Children’s
[Children ’s literature-NOM
literature -NOM from end-GEN 20’s years-GEN until end-GEN life-GEN
was his face-INST, his calling card-INST, name-INST in-the-end.]
From the late twenties until the end of his life, children’s literature was his face, his
calling card, his name really.
really.
This pairing of ∑ and ƒœ motivates the use of ƒœ with the fixed expression ƒœ ∑…»/∏≈» ¥œ∂ ƒœ + GENITIVE: A
[up-to this/that time-GEN] ‘until this/that time ’: GOAL in the fixed
expression ƒœ
∑…»/∏≈» ¥œ∂
Ôfi≈◊ÇƒŒœ, ƒœ ∑…x ¥œ∂ µ µ À¡⁄ÄÃ∑µ ≈™ ◊œ¥Ãœ›ÅŒ…≈Õ ⁄ƒœ∂É◊ÿµ … Œ¡Ç◊Œœ∑∏…. ‘until this/that
[Obviously, until this time-GEN I-NOM seemed her-DAT
her-DAT incarnation-INST health- time’.
GEN and naivete-GEN.]
Obviously until then I had seemed to her to be health and naivete incarnate.
ƒœ + GENITIVE: A Metaphorically ƒœ can describe movement into various states, such as the politico-eco-
GOAL means ‘to, nomic states in the first example below, and states of mind in the second one:
up to’ in
metaphorical
domains. Ó≈ ◊Ä÷Œœ, fi∏œ ∂≈÷ÇÕ ƒœ◊£Ã ∑∏∂¡ŒÑ ƒœ Õ≈÷ƒπŒ¡∂ÉƒŒœ™ …⁄œÃÖ√…… , ƒœ ÕÄ∑∑œ◊œ«œ
…∑»Éƒ¡ …Œ∏≈∂Å∑œ◊,
…Œ∏≈∂Å∑œ◊, ƒœ ∫≈⁄ƒÅŒ≈÷ÿµ .
[Not important, that regime-NOM led country-ACC to international
intern ational isolation-GEN,
to mass exodus-GEN interests-GEN, to pennilessness-GEN.]
It’s not important that the regime led the country
c ountry to a state of international isolation ,
mass exodus of interests, and pennilessness .
Áœ«ÅŒ¡ ÕÑfi…Ã… ÕÄŒ…µ ¥∂≈∑ÃÅƒœ◊aŒ…µ … ƒ≈¥∂Å∑∑…µ, ƒœ◊≈ƒÖ ≈«É ƒœ Õá∑Ã≈™ œ œ

∑¡Õœπ∫Ç™∑∏◊≈.
[Gaugin-ACC tormented mania-NOM persecution-GEN
persecution-GE N and depression-NOM, lead-
ing him-ACC to thoughts-GEN about suicide-LOC.]
Gaugin was tormented by persecution mania and depression, leading him to thoughts
of suicide.
Similar to the time line illustrated above, ƒœ can be used to reach points on all kinds of
scales, be they numerical or otherwise (extent of persecution, spectrum of painting styles),
as in the following examples:
‰œ ƒ◊π»∑É∏ ∏á∑µfi ∏π∂Ç∑∏œ◊ ≈÷≈«ÉƒŒœ

≈÷≈«ÉƒŒœ ¥∂…≈⁄÷Ä¿∏ ∑¿ƒÄ ¥œÃ¿∫œ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡
÷…◊É∏ŒŸ», ÷…◊Ñ›…» ◊ ≈∑∏Å∑∏◊≈ŒŒŸ» π∑ÃÉ◊…µ».
[Up-to two hundred thousand tourists-GEN yearly come here admire on animals-
ACC, living-ACC in natural conditions-LOC.]
Up to two hundred thousand tourists a year come here to admire the animals living
in natural conditions.
Óœ œŒÄ ∂≈¤ÇÃ¡ ¥∂≈∑ÃÅƒœ◊¡∏ÿ ∑◊œ≈«É ÕÑ÷¡ ƒœ ÀœŒ√Ä .

[But she-NOM decided persecute own husband-ACC to end-GEN.]
But she decided to persecute her husband to the end .
Î¡∂∏ÇŒŸ œ∏ ∑◊≈∂»∂≈¡ÃÇ⁄Õ¡ ƒœ ƒ≈ÕœŒÇ⁄Õ¡ ∂œ÷ƒÄ¿∏∑µ

∂œ÷ƒÄ¿∏∑µ ∏ÄÕ.
[Pictures-NOM from super-realism-GEN to demonism-GEN are-born there.]
Pictures from super-realism to demonism are born there.
The idiom ‰œ also participates in an idiomatic phrase used to indicate that someone is not in the mood
Œ≈ ƒœ + for something, namely DAT
DAT + Œ≈ ƒœ + GEN:
GENITIVE: A GOAL
means ‘not in
the mood for’. Óœ Ñ¤À…Œπ ∫áÃœ Œ≈ ƒœ ƒ≈∏Å™ .
[But Pushkin-DAT
Pushkin-DAT was not up-to children-GEN.]
But Pushkin wasn’t in the mood for children .
GENITIVE: A GOAL 2—ƒÃµ ‘for’ and ¥∂É∏…◊ ‘against’

In the domain of purpose, the approach involved in GENITIVE: A GOAL mades a gesture toward ƒÃµ + GENITIVE: A
the genitive item, usually offering it some kind of benefit,
b enefit, and this is done with the preposi-
prep osi- GOAL means ‘for’
in the domain of
tion ƒÃµ ‘for’. Here are some examples to illustrate: purpose.
Ò ¥…¤Ñ Œ≈ ƒÃµ ∑Ã¡◊Ç∑∏œ◊ . Ò ¥…¤Ñ ƒÃµ Œœ∂ÕÄÃÿŒŸx Ã¿ƒÅ™ .

[I-NOM write not for Slavists-GEN. I-NOM write for normal people-GEN.]
I don’t write for Slavists . I write for normal people .
Û¡Œ¡∏É∂…™ ∫ŸÃ ⁄¡À∂á∏œ«œ ∏Ç¥¡, ƒÃµ ◊Ÿ∑œÀœ¥œ∑∏Ä◊Ã≈ŒŒŸx Ã¿ƒÅ™ .

[Sanatorium-NOM was closed type-GEN, for highly-placed people-GEN.]
It was an exclusive sanatorium, for highly-placed people .
∂…ƒ£∏∑µ œ∫∂¡›Ä∏ÿ∑µ ⁄¡ ¥ÉÕœ›ÿ¿ À ƒ∂π⁄ÿÖÕ … ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕŸÕ ƒÃµ ∂≈¤ÅŒ…µ

ŒÅÀœ∏œ∂Ÿ» ¥∂œ∫ÃÅÕ.
[Is-necessary turn for help-INST to friends-DAT and acquaintances-DAT for solu-
tion-GEN certain problems-GEN.]
It is necessary to turn to friends and acquaintances in order to solve certain prob-
lems.
Similar to ƒÃµ is the preposition ∂Äƒ…, usually translated as ‘for the sake of’: ∂Äƒ… + GENITIVE:
A GOAL means
‘for the sake of’
˛∏œ ∑ ◊ÄÕ…? Ò ÷≈ ⁄ƒ≈∑ÿ ∂Äƒ… ◊¡∑ . in the domain of
[What-NOM with you-INST? I-NOM after-all here for-the-sake-of you-GEN.] purpose.
What’s with you? After all, I’m here for your sake.
An approach in the immediate vicinity of some person or thing can also be an act of ¥∂É∏…◊ +
aggression directed against GENITIVE: A GOAL, and this is expressed by means of the preposi- GENITIVE: A GOAL
means ‘against’
tion ¥∂É∏…◊ ‘against’: in the domain of
purpose.
Îœ«ƒÄ ∫ŸÃÄ À¡Õ¥ÄŒ…µ ¥∂É∏…◊ ◊⁄Ö∏œfiŒ…fi≈∑∏◊¡ , í«œ∂ÿ ∂…∑œ◊ÄÃ À∂¡∑Œœ∂É÷≈«œ
◊⁄Ö∏œfiŒ…À¡.
[When was campaign-NOM against bribery-GEN, Igor-NOM drew red-faced bribe-
taker-ACC.]
When there was a campaign against bribery , Igor drew a picture of a red-faced
bribe-taker.
ÔŒÇ Ç›π∏ ∑∂Åƒ∑∏◊¡ Œ≈ ∏ÉÃÿÀœ ¥∂É∏…◊ ◊Ç∂π∑¡ , Œœ … ƒÃµ π¥∂œ›ÅŒ…µ ⁄¡›Ç∏ŒŸ»

∆ÑŒÀ√…™ ŒÄ¤≈«œ œ∂«¡ŒÇ⁄Õ¡.
[They-NOM seek means-GEN not only against virus-GEN, but also for simplifica-
tion-GEN defense functions-GEN our body-GEN.]
They are looking for something not only to fight the virus , but also to simplify our
body’s defense functions.
¥∂É∏…◊ + Less frequently ¥∂É∏…◊ can be interpreted concretely as mere location opposite rather than
GENITIVE: A GOAL actual opposition, as in this example:
means ‘opposite’
in the domain of
space. ∂É∏…◊ ÀÉ∂¥π∑¡ ÷«Ã…
÷«Ã… Àœ∑∏£∂, Œ¡◊Å∂Œœ≈, ∑÷…«ÄÃ… Œ≈ŒÑ÷ŒŸ™ xÃ¡Õ.
[Opposite building-GEN burned bonfire-ACC, probably, burned unneeded trash-
ACC.]
Opposite the building they burned a bonfire; they were probably burning unneeded
trash.
÷¡Ãÿ/÷ÄÃÀœ + Finally, ÷¡Ãÿ/÷ÄÃÀœ ‘regret, pity’ that can be used in impersonal expressions with the
GENITIVE: A genitive (or accusative):
WHOLE to express
‘regret, pity’.
Ò Ã¿∫Ãâ ƒÅ∏∑À…≈ «œÃœ∑Ä, … ÕŒ≈ ¥∂… Ü∏œÕ ∫Ÿ◊Ä≈∏ Œ≈◊Ÿ∂¡⁄ÇÕœ ÷¡Ãÿ ∑◊œÅ™
π»œƒÖ›≈™ ÷Ç⁄Œ… .
[I-NOM love children’s voices-ACC, and me-DAT
me-DAT at this-LOC is inexpressibly
inexp ressibly re-
gret own slipping-away life-GEN.]
I love children’s voices, and when I hear them I feel inexpressible regret for my own
life which is slipping away .
GENITIVE: A GOAL 3—Actual approach

Words meaning There are two groups of words associated with GENITIVE: A GOAL. For the first group, the
‘get’, ‘approach’goal is actual, and it is touched, held to, acquired, desired, or deserved, in which case the
and ‘desire’ can
trigger GENITIVE:use of the genitive case is obligatory. For the second group, the goal is potential, and it is
A GOAL.sought, expected, or hoped for, in which case the use of the genitive is optional. We will
look at each group in turn.
Words meaning ‘get’, ‘approach’,
‘approach ’, ‘desire’ associated with GENITIVE:: A GOAL
‘hold to’ ‘worthy’ ‘touch; concern’
ƒ≈∂÷Ä∏ÿ∑µ ƒœ∑∏É™ŒŸ™ À¡∑Ä∏ÿ∑µ/Àœ∑ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ
‘get, obtain’ ‘desire, wish’ ‘listen to; obey’

ƒœ∫…◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/ƒœ∫Ç∏ÿ∑µ ÷≈ÃÄ∏ÿ/¥œ÷≈ÃÄ∏ÿ ∑ÃÑ¤¡∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑ÃÑ¤¡∏ÿ∑µ
‘attain, reach’ ‘deserve, merit’ ‘be worth, deserve’

ƒœ∑∏…«Ä∏ÿ/ƒœ∑∏Ç«Œπ∏ÿ/ƒœ∑∏Çfiÿ ⁄¡∑ÃÑ÷…◊¡∏ÿ/⁄¡∑Ãπ÷Ç∏ÿ ∑∏É…∏ÿ
‘receive, be awarded’
πƒœ∑∏Ä…◊¡∏ÿ/πƒœ∑∏É…∏ÿ
Here are a few examples to whet your appetite:
Î¡À ◊Ÿ ƒœ∑∏Ç«Ã… ∏¡ÀÉ«œ Œ∂Ä◊∑∏◊≈ŒŒœ«œ ∑œ◊≈∂¤ÅŒ∑∏◊¡ ?

[How you-NOM attained such moral perfection-GEN?]
How have you attained such moral perfection ?
OŒ ◊∑∏¡£∏, œ∏»Éƒ…∏ À œÀŒÑ. ÎÄ÷≈∏∑µ, µ ƒœ∫ÇÃ¡∑ÿ ∑◊œ≈«É —
— ≈ÕÑ Œ≈¥∂…Ö∏Œœ.
[He-NOM gets-up, walks to window-DAT. Seems, I-NOM got own-GEN — him-

DAT unpleasant.]
He gets up and goes to the window. It seems that I have gotten what I want — he is
uncomfortable.
˙¡ƒÄfi¡ Ã…∏≈∂¡∏Ñ∂Ÿ ∑œ∑∏œÇ∏ ◊ ∏œÕ, fi∏É∫Ÿ ¥œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ ◊∑≈», Àœ«É œ∫áfiŒœ

¥∂≈⁄…∂Ä¿∏, Ã¿ƒÿÕÇ, ƒœ∑∏É™ŒŸÕ… π◊¡÷ÅŒ…µ … … ÷ÄÃœ∑∏… .
[Task-NOM literature-GEN consists in that-LOC, in-order show everyone-ACC,
who-ACC usually despise, people-INST, worthy-INST respect-GEN and pity-GEN.]
Literature’s task consists of depicting all people who are despised as people who are
worthy of respect and pity .
As the table suggests, À¡∑Ä∏ÿ∑µ/Àœ∑ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ can indicate both physical ‘touching’, as in the
first example below, as well as touching in the intellectual realm, usually rendered in En-
glish as ‘concerning’, as in the second example:
ÔŒÇ À¡À ∫Ñƒ∏œ ∏¡Œ√≈◊ÄÃ… À¡ÀÉ™-∏œ ÕÅƒÃ≈ŒŒŸ™ ∏ÄŒ≈√ ◊ À∂Ä∑Œœ™ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏≈ …

Œ≈ À¡∑ÄÃ…∑ÿ ¥ÉÃ¡ .
[They-NOM as if danced some slow dance-ACC in red room-LOC
r oom-LOC and not touched
floor-GEN.]
It was as if they were dancing some slow dance in a red
r ed room and were not touching
the floor .
‰∂π«Ç≈ ¥∂œ∏œÀÉÃŸ À¡∑Ä¿∏∑µ ∑œ∏∂ÑƒŒ…fi≈∑∏◊¡ ◊ ◊ É∫Ã¡∑∏… Öƒ≈∂Œœ™ ‹Œ≈∂«Å∏…À…

… ∫≈⁄œ¥Ä∑Œœ∑∏….
[Other protocols-NOM touch collaboration-GEN in area-LOC nuclear energy-GEN
and security-GEN.]
Other protocols concern collaboration in the area of nuclear energy and security.
The verb ÷≈ÃÄ∏ÿ/¥œ÷≈ÃÄ∏ÿ ‘wish’ is an essential but often invisible ingredient in many
salutations. A complete sentence such as Ò ÷≈ÃÄ¿ ◊¡Õ π∑¥Å»¡ [I-NOM
[I-NOM wish you-DAT The invisible
success-GEN] ‘I wish you success ’ shows the underlying structure of these expressions. role of ÷≈ÃÄ∏ÿ/
¥œ÷≈ÃÄ∏ÿ ‘wish’
Usually this formula is abbreviated, leaving only the thing being wished in the genitive in salutations
case. Here are some common phrases that are built this way: using GENITIVE: A
GOAL.
˜∑≈«É ƒÉ∫∂œ«œ/ÃÑfi¤≈«œ ! [All good/best-GEN!] All the best !

∂…Ö∏Œœ«œ ¡¥¥≈∏Ç∏¡ ! [Pleasant ap
appetite-GEN!] Bon appetit !
Û¥œÀÉ™Œœ™ ŒÉfi… ! [Calm night-GEN!] Good night !
Ûfi¡∑∏ÃÇ◊œ«œ ¥π∏Ç ! [Happy trip-GEN!] Have a good trip !
GENITIVE: A GOAL 4—Hypothetical approach

The difference between the words that require the GENITIVE: A GOAL, and those that can
use either the genitive or the accusative boils down to a difference between the status of the
item that might be marked with the genitive. The verbs
verb s that require the genitive also tend to
GENITIVE: A GOAL require that their object be something we know exists or can identify. You cannot attain a
is used for
hypothetical
non-existent goal, nor can you touch something that isn’t there. But you can look for some-
items, and thing or wait for something regardless of whether the object of your quest exists. Snow
ACCUSATIVE : A White sang “Some day my prince will come” before she ever met him, and indeed before
DESTINATION is
used for specific she even knew that such a person really existed. She was waiting for a dream, and got lucky.
items. The words that can take either the genitive or the accusative leave the door open for this
possibility.
possibility. When the item being sought
so ught is relatively non-specific, the genitive is used; when
whe n
a specific item is sought, it will appear in the accusative.
Words that can govern GENITIVE:: A GOAL or ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION
‘wait for’ ‘expect’ ‘demand, require’
÷ƒÄ∏ÿ œ÷…ƒÄ∏ÿ ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡∏ÿ
‘seek’ ‘request’ ‘want; feel like’

…∑ÀÄ∏ÿ ¥∂œ∑Ç∏ÿ/¥œ¥∂œ∑Ç∏ÿ »œ∏Å∏ÿ/⁄¡»œ∏Å∏ÿ
»œ∏Å∏ÿ∑µ/⁄¡»œ∏Å∏ÿ∑µ
The following table should give you some insight into how these verbs are used. Boris is a
dreamer like Snow White; he knows that he wants some things, but doesn’t necessarily
know exactly what they are. His brother Gleb is after
a fter specific items he can positively iden-
tify.
Comparison of GENITIVE:: A GOAL and ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION
ßœ∂Ç∑ ÷ƒ£∏ ¡◊∏É∫π∑¡ . [Boris-NOM waits bus-GEN.] Boris is waiting for a bus .
(Boris isn’ t picky. He needs to get away from where he is. He’ll take any bus
bus that comes.)
ÁÃ≈∫ ÷ƒ£∏ ¡◊∏É∫π∑. [Gleb-NOM waits bus-ACC.] Gleb is waiting for the bus.
(Gleb knows which bus he wants to take and is waiting for that one.)
ßœ∂Ç∑ Ç›≈∏ ÕÅ∑∏¡ . [Boris-NOM seeks place-GEN.] Boris is looking for a job .
(Boris is unemployed; any job commensurate with his qualifications will do.)
ÁÃ≈∫
ÁÃ≈∫ Ç›≈
Ç›≈∏∏ ∑◊œ£
∑◊œ£ ÕÅ∑
ÕÅ∑∏œ
∏œ ◊ ⁄ÄÃ
⁄ÄÃ≈.
≈. [Gle
[Gleb-
b-NO
NOM
M seek
seekss own
own plac
place-
e-AC
ACC
C in hal
hall-
l-LO
LOC.
C.]] Gleb
Gleb is look
lookin
ingg for
for his
his sea
seat.
t.
(Gleb has a ticket, and he is trying to find the seat that matches the number printed on it.)
Of course, real examples aren’t ordinarily so clear-cut. Here are a couple to illustrate:
˛≈«É µ
µ ÷ƒπ ÀÄ÷ƒŸ™ ∂¡⁄, œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡µ∑ÿ ◊ Œ≈⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕœÕ ÕÅ∑∏≈?
[What-GEN I-NOM wait every time-ACC, finding-self in unfamiliar place-LOC?]
What is it that I wait for every time I find myself in an unfamiliar place?
ˆ…⁄Œÿ, Àœ∏É∂π¿ ÕŸ ◊≈ÃÇ, ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡Ã¡ ⁄Œ¡fiÇ∏≈ÃÿŒŸx ∂¡∑xÉƒœ◊ .

[Life-NOM, which-ACC we-NOM led, required considerable expenditures-GEN.]
The life we led required considerable expenditures .
Genitive:: a whole 1 125
GENITIVE: A WHOLE 1—‘Of’,
1—‘Of ’, possession, and color
In this submeaning the genitive is a whole of GENITIVE: A
G which something else is a part. This accounts for all WHOLE can
express ‘of’ and
the uses of the genitive that can be translated as ‘of’, numerical
as well as numerical quantifications indicating quantification.
amounts of things.
By far the most common use of the genitive is
An item (small circle) is a part of a what we call its “bare case” usage, where it is not
GENITIVE:: A WHOLE (circle labeled G) triggered by any other word. In this pristine state the
genitive can indicate possessors, wholes (in relation
r elation
to parts), and other kinds of ‘having’ relationships that can motivate a meaning of ‘of’.
Perhaps the most basic use of GENITIVE: A WHOLE is to identify wholes that parts belong GENITIVE: A WHOLE
to. In the physical realm we have parts of discrete
disc rete objects (floors of buildings), as in the first
f irst expresses parts
‘of’ wholes.
example below. More abstractly one could say that realities are parts of the world, as in the
second example. In the domain of time, hours are parts of the morning, day, evening, or
night, motivating the use of π∏∂Ä [morning-GEN] ‘in the morning’, ƒŒµ [day-GEN] ‘in the
afternoon’, ◊Åfi≈∂¡ [evening-GEN] ‘in the evening’, and ŒÉfi… [night-GEN] ‘in the night’,
as illustrated in the third example.
Ìá ⁄¡Œ…ÕÄ≈Õ √ÅÃŸ™ ‹∏Ä÷ «…«ÄŒ∏∑Àœ«œ Œ≈∫œ∑À∂£∫¡ ±Îœ∂◊Å∏.≤ ±Îœ∂◊Å∏.≤

[We-NOM occupy whole floor-ACC giant skyscraper-GEN “Corvette”.]
We occupy a whole floor of the giant Corvette skyscraper .
‰¡◊Ä™∏≈ ∏∂Å⁄◊œ ◊⁄«ÃÖŒ≈Õ Œ¡ ∂≈ÄÃ…… ∑œ◊∂≈ÕÅŒŒœ«œ ÕÇ∂¡ .

[Let’s soberly glance on realities-ACC modern world-GEN.]
Let’s take a sober look at the realities of the modern world .
˜ ∑≈Õÿ fi¡∑É◊ ◊Åfi≈∂¡ œŒÄ

œŒÄ ∑∏œÖÃ¡ ◊É⁄Ã≈ ≈«É ƒÉÕ¡.
[In seven-ACC hours-GEN evening-GEN she-NOM stood next-to his house-GEN.]
At seven o’clock in the evening she was standing next to his house.
Since a part belongs to a whole, it can also be thought of as a possession of the whole, and GENITIVE: A WHOLE
GENITIVE: A WHOLE is often used for this meaning, translatable into English with either the expresses
possession.
possessive form in ’s, or with of , as in these examples:
Ó≈ ¥œ◊∏œ∂Ç∏≈ œ¤Ç∫Àπ ¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏¡.

[Not repeat error-ACC president-GEN.]
Don’t repeat the pres
president’ s error.
ident’
Ò ◊œœ∫›Å Ã¿∫Ãâ πfiÄ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ◊ ÷Ç⁄Œ… ƒ∂π«Ç» Ã¿ƒÅ™ : ∑◊Ä∏¡∏ÿ, ∑œ◊Å∏œ◊¡∏ÿ,

Ã≈fiÇ∏ÿ.
[I-NOM in-general love participate in life-LOC other people-GEN: do-match-mak-
ing, advise, heal.]
In general I love to participate in othe people’’ s lives/in the life of other people :
otherr people
match-making, advising, and healing.
ÔŒ Œ¡¤£Ã ¥œ⁄◊œŒÉÀ ÕÄÕœŒ∏¡ ◊ ◊ ∂¡™ÉŒ≈ ◊ÅfiŒœ™ Õ≈∂⁄Ãœ∏á .

[He-NOM found vertebra-ACC mammoth-GEN in region-LOC eternal frost-GEN.]
He found the vertebra of a mammoth in the permafrost region.
GENITIVE: A The second use of the genitive in last example above, literally translatable as ‘the region of
WHOLE expresses eternal frost ’, demonstrates another meaning of ‘of’,
‘of ’, namely belonging to a category,
category, being
membership in a
category. of a type. Here are some examples:
Ó≈ƒÄ∂œÕ µ …∑¥á∏Ÿ◊¡Ã fiÑ◊∑∏◊œ ∑∏∂Äx¡ .

[Not-without-reason I-NOM experienced feeling-ACC fear-GEN.]
It is not without reason that I experienced a feeling of fear .
Ó¡ƒÅ¿∑ÿ, ∏á ◊á∂¡∑∏≈¤ÿ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀœÕ ∫œÃÿ¤É™ ƒπ¤Ç .

[Hope, you-NOM grow-up person-INST big soul-GEN.]
I hope that you grow up to be a person with a big soul .
‚áÃ ⁄Ä¥¡x ƒœ∂œ«É«œ œƒ≈ÀœÃÉŒ¡ ◊ ◊ ÃÇ∆∏≈.

[Was
[Was smell-NOM expensive eau-de-cologne-GEN
eau -de-cologne-GEN in elevator-LOC.]
There was the smell of expensive eau-de-cologne in the elevator.
GENITIVE: A Russian characteristically uses the GENITIVE: A WHOLE to describe colors of objects, using the
WHOLE describes logic of the English phrase a horse
horse of a dif ferent color :
ferent color
color.
ÔŒ Œœ∑ÇÃ «ÄÃ∑∏πÀ ∫ÅÃœ«œ √◊Å∏¡ .

[He-NOM wore tie-ACC white color-GEN.]
He wore a white tie.
GENITIVE: A WHOLE 2—Events, idioms, and chains

GENITIVE: A The items that participate in an event (subject, object, action) are related to each other;
WHOLE expresses in English this relationship is expressed by of , and in Russian by the GENITIVE: A WHOLE. In
participation in
an event. this first example, the event is a man is planning to publish some books . This event links the
publication to the books:
ÔŒ ¥Ã¡ŒÇ∂œ◊¡Ã …⁄ƒÄŒ…≈ ∑fl≈ƒÉ∫ŒŸx ƒÅ∏∑À…x ÀŒ…« .

[He-NOM planned publication-ACC edible children’s books-GEN.]
He planned the publication of edibl
ediblee childr
children’ books .
en’ s books
In this next example the event is unofficial literature exists , with the entailment that exist-
ence is an attribute of unofficial literature:
Ò π÷Å ∏œ«ƒÄ ⁄Œ¡Ã œ ∑π›≈∑∏◊œ◊ÄŒ…… Œ≈œ∆…√…ÄÃÿŒœ™ Ã…∏≈∂¡∏Ñ∂Ÿ .

[I-NOM already then knew about existence-LOC unofficial literature-GEN.]
At that time I already knew about the existence of unof fical literatur
literaturee .
The event mentally ill people have produced creations likewise links the creations to the
people:
˜∑£ ∫ÉÃÿ¤≈ »œ⁄Ö≈◊ Õπ⁄Å≈◊, «¡Ã≈∂Å™ … À∂Ç∏…Àœ◊ «œ∏É◊Ÿ ∂¡∑∑ÕÄ∏∂…◊¡∏ÿ

∏◊œ∂ÅŒ…µ ¥∑…»Çfi≈∑À… ∫œÃÿŒá» Ã¿ƒÅ™ À¡À À¡À …∑ÀÑ∑∑∏◊œ.
[All-NOM more proprietors-GEN museums-GEN, galleries-GEN and critics-GEN
ready-NOM consider creations-ACC mentally ill people-GEN as art-ACC.]
More and more proprietors of museums and galleries, as well as critics, are re ady to
consider the creations of mentally
mentally ill people as art.
The bare use of GENITIVE: A WHOLE appears in some idiomatic expressions, such as fi≈«É GENITIVE: A
[what-GEN] ‘why’, ◊∑≈«É [all-GEN]
[all-GEN] ‘in all,all, altogeth
altogether
er , just, only ’, ∑◊œ≈«É ∂Éƒ¡ [own
just, only [own type- WHOLE in
idiomatic
GEN] ‘in it’s own itself ’, and fi∏œ ŒÉ◊œ«œ/…Œ∏≈∂Å∑Œœ«œ , etc. [what-NOM new/
own way , all to itself expressions.
interesting, etc.-GEN] ‘what’s/is anything new/interesting , etc.’, as illustrated in the follow-
ing examples (the first of which laments the dangers of narcotics):
ÛÕ≈∂∏ÿ ÀÉ∑…∏ ÇÕ≈ŒŒœ …», ÕœÃœƒá» … ⁄ƒœ∂É◊Ÿ», ◊∑≈«É Ã…¤ÿ ∂¡⁄

¥œ¥∂É∫œ◊¡◊¤…» ⁄¡∫á∏ÿ∑µ … π÷Å Œ≈∑¥œ∑É∫ŒŸ» ÷…∏ÿ ∫≈⁄ Ü∏œ«œ ⁄¡∫Ÿ∏ÿÖ.
[Death-NOM mows precisely them-ACC, young-ACC and healthy-ACC, all-GEN
only time-ACC tried-ACC forget-self and already incapable-ACC live without this
oblivion-GEN.]
They are precisely the ones that death mows down,
d own, the young and the healthy,
healthy, who
tried just once to forget their worries and were no longer capable of living without
that oblivion.
‚ÉÀ∑, Ü∏œ, ◊ É∫›≈Õ-∏œ, ∑◊œ≈«É ∂Éƒ¡ …∑ÀÑ∑∑∏◊œ.

…∑ÀÑ∑∑∏◊œ.
[Boxing-NOM, that-NOM, in general-LOC, own type-GEN art-NOM.]
Boxing is actually an art all to itself .
Îœ«É …Œ∏≈∂≈∑Ñ¿∏ ¥∂…⁄ŒÄŒ…µ Ã…∏≈∂¡∏Ñ∂Œœ«œ Œ≈πƒÄfiŒ…À¡? ˛∏É ¥œπfiÇ∏≈ÃÿŒœ«œ

◊ ≈«É Ç∑¥œ◊≈ƒ…?
[Who-ACC interest admissions-NOM literary failure-GEN? What-NOM enlight-
ening-GEN in his confession-LOC?]
Who is interested in the admissions of a literary failure? Is there anything enlighten-
ing in his confession?
As mentioned in the introduction to this chapter, the genitive is the one case that can be The chaining
repeated to form chains. It is specifically the GENITIVE: A WHOLE in its bare case usage that capacity of
GENITIVE: A
makes this posible. Here is a chain of three consecutive genitive items: WHOLE.
OŒÇ ∫œ≈◊…ÀÇ ±Ä∂∏…… …∑ÃÄÕ∑Àœ«œ ≈ƒÇŒ∑∏◊¡ ·∆«¡Œ…∑∏ÄŒ¡ .≤ .≤

[They-NOM revolutionary-fighters-NOM “Party-GEN Islamic unity-GEN Afghani-
stan-GEN.]
They are revolutionary fighters of the “ Islamic unity party of Afghanistan ”.
GENITIVE: A WHOLE 3—Prepositions and prepositional phrases

GENITIVE: A WHOLE GENITIVE: A WHOLE is also used with the prepositions ∑∂≈ƒÇ ‘among’, ¥œ∑∂≈ƒÇ ‘in the
with the middle of’, and ◊Œπ∏∂Ç ‘inside’. Here are some examples:
prepositions
∑∂≈ƒÇ ‘among’,
¥œ∑∂≈ƒÇ ‘in the ˜ ¥≈∂≈∂á◊≈ ∑∂≈ƒÇ πfiÄ∑∏Œ…Àœ◊ ŒÄfi¡Ã…
ŒÄfi¡Ã… √…∂ÀπÃÇ∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ƒœÀπÕÅŒ∏Ÿ.
middle of’, and [In break-LOC among participants-GEN began circulate documents-ACC.]
◊Œπ∏∂Ç ‘inside’.
During the break documents began circulating among the participants .
ÔƒŒÄ÷ƒŸ ÕŸ ∑ ÕÄfi≈xœ™ ∫≈÷ÄÃ… ¥œ ÑÃ…√≈, ∏œ∂œ¥ÇÃ…∑ÿ ◊ À…ŒÉ, ¡ ¥œ∑∂≈ƒÇ

ƒœ∂É«… Ã≈÷ÄÃ
Ã≈÷ÄÃ ∂¡™ÉŒŒŸ™ ¡ÃÀœ«ÉÃ…À, Œœ Œ≈ ƒÖƒµ ÎÉÃµ, ¡ ƒ∂π«É™.
[Once we-NOM with step-mother-INST ran along street-DAT, hurried to cinema-
ACC, and in-the-middle road-GEN lay regional alcoholic-NOM,
alcoho lic-NOM, but not uncle Kolya-
NOM, but other-NOM.]
Once my step-mother and I were running down the street, hurrying to the cinema,
and in the middle of the road lay a local alcoholic, but it wasn’t
wa sn’t uncle Kolya, it was
someone else.
Û¡ÕœÃ£∏ ◊⁄◊áÃ, ¥œ∏ÉÕ ∑∏ÄÃ Œ¡∫…∂Ä∏ÿ œ∏fiÄµŒ…≈ ◊Œπ∏∂Ç ∑≈∫Ö .

[Airplane-NOM howled, then began gather despair-ACC inside self-GEN.]
The airplane howled and then began gathering despair within itself .
GENITIVE: A
WHOLE with There are dozens of prepositional phrases
phras es in Russian that function as complex prepositions
prepositional
phrases followed by the GENITIVE: A WHOLE with the meaning ‘of’. The following table displays some
means ‘of’. of the more typical phrases, and is followed by a couple of examples:
Prepositional phrases meaning
mea ning ‘of’
‘of ’ associated with GENITIVE:: A WHOLE
◊ Äƒ∂≈∑ ‘directed toward’ ◊ ∏≈fiÅŒ…≈ ‘in the course of ’

◊ ◊Çƒ≈ ‘in the form of ’ ◊ π∑ÃÉ◊…µ» ‘in the conditions of ’
◊ «∂¡ŒÇ√¡» ‘within the bounds of ’ ◊ fi≈∑∏ÿ ‘in honor of ’
◊ ƒÅÃ≈ ‘in the case of ’ ◊ fi…∑ÃÅ ‘in the number of, among’
◊ ⁄Œ¡À ‘as a mark/token of ’ ◊œ ◊∂ÅÕµ ‘in the time of, during’
◊ ÀÄfi≈∑∏◊≈ ‘in the capacity of ’ ◊œ ÇÕµ ‘in the name of ’
◊ Œ¡¥∂¡◊ÃÅŒ…… ‘in the direction of ’ ◊Œ≈ ¥∂≈ƒÅÃœ◊ ‘beyond the limits of ’
◊ É∫Ã¡∑∏… ‘in the area of ’ ◊Œ≈ ∂ÄÕœÀ ‘beyond the bounds/framework/
◊ œ∏Œ
œ∏Œœ¤
œ¤ÅŒ
ÅŒ……
…… ‘in
‘in the
the rela
relati
tion
on of,
of, wit
withh res
respe
pect
ct to’
to’ context of’
◊ ¥ÉÃÿ⁄π ‘in favor of, on behalf of ’ ⁄¡ ∑fi£∏ ‘at the expense of ’
◊ ¥∂≈ƒÅÃ¡» ‘within the limits/bounds of ’ Œ¡ œ∑Œœ◊ÄŒ…… ‘on the basis of ’
◊ ¥∂œƒœÃ÷ÅŒ…… ‘in the course of ’ Œ¡ ¥π∏Ç ‘on the path of ’
◊ ∂ÄÕÀ¡» ‘within the limits/framework of ’ ¥œ ÕÅ∂
ÕÅ∂≈ ‘ac
‘accor
cording
ding to the
the measu
easure re of,
of, as
as fa
far as’
as’
◊ ∂≈⁄πÃÿ∏Ä∏≈ ‘as a result of ’ ¥œ ¥É◊œƒπ ‘on the occasion of, concerning’
◊ ∂ÉÃ… ‘in the role of ’ ¥œ ¥∂…fiÇŒ≈ ‘by reason of ’
◊ ∑Õá∑Ã≈ ‘in the sense of, as regards’ ¥œ ∑ÃÑfi¡¿ ‘by reason of ’
◊ ∑ÃÑfi¡≈ ‘in case of ’ ¥œƒ ◊ÇƒœÕ ‘under the guise of ’
◊ ∑∆Å∂≈ ‘in the realm of ’ ¥œƒ ÇÕ≈Œ≈Õ ‘in the name of ’
Prepositional phrases meaning

mean ing ‘of’
‘of ’ associated with GENITIVE:: A WHOLE (continued)
¥œƒ Œ¡⁄◊ÄŒ…≈Õ ‘under the title of ’ ∑ ¥ÉÕœ›ÿ¿ ‘with the help of ’

¥œƒ ¥∂≈ƒÃÉ«œÕ ‘on the pretext of ’ ∑ √ÅÃÿ¿ ‘with the goal of ’
¥∂… ¥ÉÕœ›… ‘with the help of ’ ∑ ∏ÉfiÀ… ⁄∂ÅŒ…µ ‘from the point of view of ’
¥∂… ¥œ∑∂Åƒ∑∏◊≈ ‘by means of ’ ∑œ ∑∏œ∂œŒá ‘from the side of ’
¥∂… π∑ÃÉ◊…… ‘on the condition of ’ fiÅ∂≈⁄ ¥œ∑∂Åƒ∑∏◊œ ‘by means of ’
˜ ∂ÄÕÀ¡» ∂¡∫Éfi≈«œ ◊…⁄Ç∏¡ ◊ ◊ Ù≈«≈∂ÄŒ ∑œ∑∏œÖÃ¡∑ÿ ◊∑∏∂Åfi¡ ŒÄ¤≈«œ ∑¥≈√…¡ÃÇ∑∏¡

∑ ¥∂≈ƒ∑∏¡◊Ç∏≈ÃµÕ… ∫¡⁄Ç∂π¿›≈™∑µ ◊ È∂ÄŒ≈ ¡∆«ÄŒ∑Àœ™ œ¥¥œ⁄Ç√…….
[In frames-LOC working visit-GEN to Tehran-ACC took-place meeting-NOM our
specialist-GEN with representatives-INST based-GEN in Iran-LOC Afghan oppo-
sition-GEN.]
In the context of a working visit to Tehran
Tehran our specialist met with representatives
repre sentatives of
the Afghan opposition based in Iran.
˜¥≈∂◊á≈ ◊ ÀÄfi≈∑∏◊≈ ¥œÃŒœ¥∂Ä◊ŒŸ» πfiÄ∑∏Œ…Àœ◊ Õ≈÷ƒπŒ¡∂ÉƒŒœ«œ

Õ≈÷ƒπŒ¡∂ÉƒŒœ«œ ∑œ«Ã¡¤ÅŒ…µ
◊á∑∏π¥…Ã… ¥µ∏ŒÄƒ√¡∏ÿ ∫á◊¤…» ∑œ◊Å∏∑À…» ∂≈∑¥Ñ∫Ã…À.
[For-the-first-time in capacity-LOC full-fledged participants-GEN international
agreement-GEN acted fifteen-NOM former Soviet republics-GEN.]
For the first time the fifteen former Soviet republics acted in the capacity of full-
fledged participants in an international agreement.
GENITIVE: A WHOLE 4—Numerals and quantifiers

A part of a whole can also be interpreted as an amount of the whole. In this use, the GENITIVE: A
gentive is viewed as a set of objects or as a substance, and portions of the genitive item are WHOLE expresses
quantification
measured out. This accounts for the use of GENITIVE: A WHOLE with numerals, with words with numerals,
meaning ‘add’, ‘subtract’, ‘full’, ‘enough’, as well as partitive uses. quantifiers, and
Numerals come in many types. There are integers, fractions, and indefinite numerals in partitive
expressions.
such as ∑ÀÉÃÿÀœ ‘how many’, ŒÅ∑ÀœÃÿÀœ ‘some’, ∑∏ÉÃÿÀœ ‘so many’, ÕŒÉ«œ ‘many/much’ ,
Œ≈ÕŒÉ«œ ‘not many/much’, ÕÄÃœ ‘few/little’, ∫ÉÃÿ¤≈ ‘more’, ÕÅŒÿ¤≈ ‘fewer/less’ Œ≈ÕÄÃœ
‘not a few’, and many other words indicating amounts. In this sampling of quantifiers with
GENITIVE: A WHOLE, note that the quantifier and the quantified (in the genitive) do not have to
appear next to each other in a sentence; in the third and fourth examples the genitive item
quantified is the first word, whereas the quantifier is the last:
Ò œ¥œ⁄ƒÄÃ¡ Œ¡ ¥µ∏ŒÄƒ√¡∏ÿ Õ…ŒÑ∏ .

[I-NOM got-late on fifteen-ACC minutes-GEN.]
I was fifteen minutes late.
ÔŒ ¥≈Ã ¥∂É∑∏œ, «∂ÉÕÀœ, ÕœŒœ∏ÉŒŒœ, Œœ ◊ Ü∏œÕ ∫áÃœ ∑∏ÉÃÿÀœ ¥∂µÕœ∏á , ∑∏ÉÃÿÀœ

Õπ÷∑ÀÉ™ Ç∑À∂≈ŒŒœ∑∏… , ∫≈⁄⁄¡›Ç∏Œœ∑∏… .
[He-NOM sang simply, loudly, in-monotone, but in that-LOC was so-much-NOM
straightforwardness-GEN, so-much-NOM masculine sincerity-GEN, vulnerability-
GEN.]
His singing was simple, loud, and monotonous, but in it there was so much straight-
forwardness , so much masculine sincerity and vulnerability .
ˆ≈ÃÄ¿›…x œ∫πfiÄ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ µ¥ÉŒ∑ÀœÕ √ÅŒ∏∂≈ œÀ¡⁄ÄÃœ∑ÿ fi∂≈⁄◊ŸfiÄ™Œœ ÕŒÉ«œ.

[Desiring-GEN study in Japanese center-LOC turned-out exceedingly many-NOM.]
The number of people desiring to study at the Japanese center turned out to be ex-
ceedingly large.
Ó¡∂Éƒπ ∑∏¡Œœ◊ÇÃœ∑ÿ
∑∏¡Œœ◊ÇÃœ∑ÿ ◊∑£ ∫ÉÃÿ¤≈.
[People-GEN became all-NOM more.]
More and more people were there.
The inversion of Although Russian does have words like ¥∂…∫Ã…⁄Ç∏≈ÃÿŒœ ‘approximately’, you can achieve
a numeral and a similar effect merely by inverting a numeral and the quantified
qu antified genitive item. An approxi-
GENITIVE: A
WHOLE expresses
mate number of items is cited in the example below:
approximation.
È» ∫áÃœ
∫áÃœ ¤∏πÀ ¥µ∏ÿƒ≈∑Ö∏.
¥µ∏ÿƒ≈∑Ö∏.
[They-GEN was items-GEN fifty-NOM.]
There were approximately fifty of them .
GENITIVE: A WHOLE 5—‘Some’
The partitive use It is not uncommon for the genitive to signal quantification without a numeral or other
of GENITIVE: A word to express the amount. The “default” amount is usually equivalent to English some
WHOLE means
‘some’.
(often called the “partitive” meaning in textbooks), and with perfective verbs and certain
nouns referring to substances the so-called
s o-called “second genitive” ending (in -π/-¿) is used, as in
the first example
ex ample below.
Ò ◊á¥…Ã fiÄ¿ , Àœ∏É∂Ÿ™ ⁄¡À¡⁄ÄÃ ¥œ ∏≈Ã≈∆ÉŒπ.

[I-NOM drank-up tea-GEN, which-NOM ordered order ed along telephone-DA
telephone -DAT
T.]
I drank up the tea that I ordered by phone.
—· ◊ÉƒÀ¡ ≈∑∏ÿ ∏¡Õ? —Â∑∏ÿ. —‰¡◊Ä™ ÃÑfi¤≈ ◊ÉƒÀ… ◊á¥ÿ≈Õ.

◊á¥ÿ≈Õ.
[—And vodka-NOM is there? —Is. —Give better vodka-GEN drink-up.]
—And do they have vodka there? —Yes.
—Yes. —Let’s drink (some) vodka instead.
—A Ñ∏∂œÕ œŒÄ «œ◊œ∂Ç∏, ∫≈⁄ ∏≈∫Ö Œ≈ Õœ«Ñ. —· ∏Ÿ fi∏œ? —Óπ, π∑¥œÀÉ…Ã, ƒÅŒ≈«
ƒ¡Ã...
[—And morning-INST she-NOM says, without you-GEN not can. —And you-NOM
what-ACC? —Well,
—Well, calmed, money-GEN
mone y-GEN gave...]
—And in the morning she says, I can’t go on without you. —And what did you say?
—Well,
—Well, I calmed her down, gave her some money .
The genitive can have a quantitative meaning in the presence of a variety of words that
express having or manipulating an amount
amoun t of something. Some of these words are listed in
the table and illustrated in the examples below:
Words expressing quantities associated with GENITIVE:: A WHOLE
‘sufficent quantity’ ‘collect, pick up’ ‘increase, add’

ƒœ∑∏Ä∏œÀ Œ¡∫…∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ/Œ¡∫∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ ¥∂…∫¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ(∑µ)/¥∂…∫Ä◊…∏ÿ(∑µ)
ƒœ∑∏Ä∏œfiŒœ ‘enough’
‘eat/have one’s fill’ ‘decrease, subtract’
‘become filled’ Œ¡≈ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ/Œ¡Å∑∏ÿ∑µ π∫¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ(∑µ)/π∫Ä◊…∏ÿ(∑µ)
…∑¥œÃŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ/…∑¥ÉÃŒ…∏ÿ∑µ
…∑¥ÉÃŒ≈ŒŒŸ™ ‘full’ ‘full’ ‘be enough’
¥ÉÃŒŸ™ »◊¡∏Ä∏ÿ/»◊¡∏Ç∏ÿ
ÔŒÄ ∫∂œ∑ÄÃ¡ Œ≈¥œŒÖ∏ŒŸ≈, ⁄¡«ÄƒœfiŒŸ≈ ∆∂Ä⁄Ÿ, …∑¥ÉÃŒ≈ŒŒŸ≈ À¡ÀÉ«œ-∏œ

¥œ∏¡™ŒÉ«œ ∑Õá∑Ã¡ .
[She-NOM flung incomprehensible, mysterious phrases-ACC, filled-ACC some
secret meaning-GEN.]
She flung incomprehensible, mysterious phrases, filled with some secret meaning .
ÔŒ Œ¡∫∂ÄÃ∑µ x∂Ä∫∂œ∑∏… … … ∑¥∂œ∑ÇÃ: ¥œfi≈ÕÑ?

[He-NOM collected courage-GEN and asked: Why?]
He collected his courage and asked: Why?
‚πÀ◊ÄÃÿŒœ ƒ◊¡ ƒŒµ Œ¡⁄Äƒ µ ⁄¡¥π∑∏ÇÃ ÀÄ∂∏œfiÀπ ◊ ∫¡ŒÀœÕÄ∏ … œ∫Œ¡∂Ñ÷…Ã, fi∏œ

Œ¡ Õœ£Õ ∑fi≈∏Ñ ⁄Ä «œƒ Œ≈ ∏ÉÃÿÀœ Œ≈ ¥∂…∫Ä◊…Ãœ∑ÿ ¥∂…fi…∏Ä¿›…x∑µ ÕŒ≈
¥∂œ√ÅŒ∏œ◊ , Œœ ƒÄ÷≈ ÕœÇx À∂É◊ŒŸx ∑π›Å∑∏◊≈ŒŒœ π∫Ä◊…Ãœ∑ÿ.
[Literally two days-ACC ago I-NOM put card-ACC in automated-teller-ACC and
discovered, that on my account-LOC in year-ACC not only not increased owed-
GEN me-DAT
me-DAT percents-GEN, but even my own-GEN significantly decreased.]
decreas ed.]
Just two days ago I put my card into the automated teller and discovered that in the
course of a year not only had the percentage owed me on my account not been
added, but even my own money had significantly decreased.
ÔŒÄ Œ…Àœ«ƒÄ Œ≈ ⁄¡ƒÑÕŸ◊¡Ã¡∑ÿ Œ¡ƒ ∏≈Õ, x◊Ä∏…∏ Ã… π Œ≈£ ∑…Ã … ⁄ƒœ∂É◊ÿµ Œ¡

œ∑π›≈∑∏◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ∑◊œÇx ¥ÃÄŒœ◊ … fi∏œ ∫Ñƒ≈∏ ¥œ∏ÉÕ.
[She-NOM never not thought above that-INST, is-enough whether by her-GEN
strengths-GEN and health-GEN on realization-ACC own plans-GEN and what-NOM
will-be afterward.]
She never thought about whether she had enough strength and health to realize her
plans and what would happen afterward.
GENITIVE: A REFERENCE 1—Dates and other reference points

GENITIVE: A In the fourth and final meaning of the genitive, the
REFERENCE serves
as a reference
focus of our attention is located near the genitive item, G
point for from which it is separated. This combination of prox-
expressions of imity and separation allows the genitive to serve as a
lack and reference point in the domains of time and space and
comparison.
on scales of qualitative and quantitative assessment. In
the domain of time, the most frequent use of the GENITIVE:
GENITIVE: A A REFERENCE is with dates. Note that the genitive is only
REFERENCE used for a date when something happens, in other words An item (small circle) is in the
expresses dates. proximity of a GENITIVE:: A REFERENCE
here the genitive item serves as a temporal reference
point for an event: (circle labeled G)
Ó¡ ¥∂≈∑∑-ÀœŒ∆≈∂ÅŒ√……, ∑œ∑∏œÖ◊¤≈™∑µ ∏∂Å∏ÿ≈«œ ƒ≈À¡∫∂Ö,

ƒ≈À¡∫∂Ö, ¤Ã¡ ∂≈fiÿ œ ÕÅ∂¡»,
¥∂≈ƒ¥∂…Œ…ÕÄ≈ÕŸ» ¥∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œÕ Úœ∑∑Ç… ƒÃµ π∑Àœ∂ÅŒ…µ ‹ÀœŒœÕÇfi≈∑À…»
∂≈∆É∂Õ.
[On press-conference-LOC took-place-LOC third-GEN December-GEN, went talk-
NOM about measures-LOC undertaken-LOC government-INST Russia-GEN for
acceleration-GEN economic reforms-GEN.]
At the press conference which took place on the third of December, they talked
about the measures that the Russian government has undertaken to accelerate eco-
nomic reforms.
˜œ∑ÿÕÉ«œ Ä◊«π∑∏¡ 1927 «. Ì. „◊≈∏Ä≈◊¡ ¥…∑ÄÃ¡ ∑◊œÅ™ ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕœ™ Û. Ó.

·Œƒ∂ÉŒ…Àœ◊œ™-Á¡Ãÿ¥Å∂Œ.
[Eighth-GEN August-GEN 1927 year-GEN
year- GEN M. Tsvetaeva
Tsvetaeva-NOM
-NOM wrote own acquain-
tance S. N. Andronikova-Galpern-DAT
Andronikova-Galpern-DAT.]
On the eighth of August 1927 M. Tsvetaeva wrote to her acquaintance S. N.
Andronikova-Galpern.
GENITIVE: A A large number of prepositions

preposition s locate items in both time and space with reference to GENITIVE:
REFERENCE with A REFERENCE as being without, after, before, behind, near, etc.56 A few of these
thes e prepositions
prepositions.
operate in other domains, such as similarity (Œ¡¥œƒÉ∫…≈ ‘in the likeness of’) or concepts
(◊◊…ƒÑ ‘in view of’, Œ¡∑fi£∏ ‘on the matter of’). In many instances (those marked with
asterisks) these prepositions clearly derive from earlier prepositional phrases (now written
as one word), originally with a following GENITIVE: A WHOLE meaning ‘of’; compare these
with the prepositional phrases that appear in the section
s ection on GENITIVE: A WHOLE above. These
complex prepositions can be thought of as belonging to both GENITIVE: A WHOLE and GENITIVE:
A REFERENCE.
Genitive:: a reference 1 133
Prepositions associated with GENITIVE:: A REFERENCE

(Items marked with asterisks derive from earlier preposi- À∂ÉÕ≈ ‘except, besides, aside from’
tional phrases, now written as one word.) ÕÇÕœ ‘by, past’
∫≈⁄ ‘without’ Œ¡À¡ŒÑŒ≈* ‘on the eve of ’
∫Ã…⁄ ‘near ’ Œ¡¥œƒÉ∫…≈* ‘in the likeness of ’
◊∫Ã…⁄Ç* ‘nearby’ Œ¡¥∂É∏…◊ ‘opposite’
◊◊…ƒÑ* ‘in view of ’ Œ¡∑fi£∏* ‘on the matter of ’
◊ƒœÃÿ* ‘along’ ÉÀœÃœ ‘around; approximately’
◊⁄¡ÕÅŒ* ‘in place of ’ ¥ÉƒÃ≈ ‘beside’
◊ÕÅ∑∏œ* ‘in place of ’ ¥œ⁄¡ƒÇ* ‘behind’
◊Œ≈ ‘outside of ’ ¥œÕÇÕœ ‘aside from’
◊É⁄Ã≈ ‘near’ ¥œ¥≈∂£À* ‘across’
◊œÀ∂Ñ«* ‘around’ ¥É∑Ã≈ ‘after ’
◊¥≈∂≈ƒÇ* ‘in front of ’ ¥∂Å÷ƒ≈ ‘before’
◊∂Éƒ≈* ‘like’ ∑◊≈∂»* ‘over, above’
π ‘near, at, by’
The following examples display some of these prepositions:
Óœ ∫≈⁄ ∂Ç∑À¡ Œ…fi≈«É
Œ…fi≈«É √ÅŒŒœ«œ Œ≈ ∑ƒÅÃ¡≈¤ÿ.
[But without risk-GEN nothing valuable-GEN not do.]
But you can’t do anything of value without risk .
∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏œÕ ıÀ∂¡ÇŒŸ ¥∂ÇŒµ∏œ ∂≈¤ÅŒ…≈ œ ¥∂œ◊≈ƒÅŒ…… ∂≈«…∑∏∂Ä√……

◊≈∂ŒÑ◊¤…x∑µ ¥É∑Ã≈ ‹◊¡ÀπÄ√…… 1986
1986 «Éƒ¡ Ã¿ƒÅ™ … …x ¥∂œ¥Ç∑À≈ ◊ Œ¡∑≈Ã£ŒŒŸ»
¥ÑŒÀ∏¡x, ∂¡∑¥œÃÉ÷≈ŒŒŸx ◊∫Ã…⁄Ç ⁄ÉŒŸ .
[Government-INST Ukraine-GEN taken-NOM decision-NOM about carrying-out-
LOC registration-GEN returned-GEN after evacuation-GEN
evacuation- GEN 1986 year-GEN people-
GEN and their residence-registration-LOC in settled points-LOC, located-LOC near
zone-GEN.]
A decision has been made by the government of Ukraine about registering people
who returned afer the 1986 evacuation and awarding them residence in settlements
near the zone .
œ ∫πÃÿ◊Ä∂π ◊ƒÉÃÿ ÷£Ã∏Ÿx ∑À¡ÕÅ≈À , Õ…Õœ «Ç¥∑œ◊Ÿx π∂Œ ¤¡«Ä≈∏ ¤¡«Ä≈∏ Œ≈∫œÃÿ¤É«œ

∂É∑∏¡ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ.
[Along boulevard-DAT along yellow benches-GEN, past plaster urns-GEN strides
small stature-GEN person-NOM.]
Down the boulevard, along the yellow benches , past the plaster urns , strides a per-
son of small stature.
±ˆ…⁄Œÿ ¥∂≈À∂Ä∑Œ¡ … πƒ…◊Ç∏≈ÃÿŒ¡!≤ — À¡À ◊œ∑ÀÃ…√ÄÃ ∏œ◊Ä∂…› Ì¡µÀÉ◊∑À…™

Œ¡À¡ŒÑŒ≈ ∑¡Õœπ∫Ç™∑∏◊¡ .
[“Life-NOM wonderful-NOM and amazing-NOM!” — as exclaimed comrade
Mayakovsky-NOM on-the-eve suicide-GEN.]
“Life is wonderful and amazing!” — as comrade Mayakovsky was exclaiming on
the eve of his suicide .
The idiomatic The genitive appears in an idiomatic expression that belongs among the GENITIVE: A REFER-
expression Õ≈÷ ENCE prepositions, Õ≈÷ ƒ◊π» ÷≈∂Œœ◊É◊ , literally ‘between two millstones ’:
ƒ◊π» ÷≈∂Œœ◊É◊
‘between a rock
and a hard Îœ«ƒÄ ∑¡Õ π÷Å ŒÄfi¡Ã ¥œ¥Ç∑Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ, ¥œ¥ÄÃ µ Õ≈÷ ƒ◊πx ÷≈∂Œœ◊É◊ — ÕÅ÷ƒπ
place’. ¥∂Ä◊ƒœ™ … ÃÉ÷ÿ¿.
[When self-NOM already began write, fell I-NOM between two millstones-GEN
— between truth-INST and falsehood-INST.]
When I myself began to write, I fell between a rock and a hard place — between
truth and falsehood.
GENITIVE: A REFERENCE 2—π ‘by’

π + GENITIVE: A The use of the preposition π could be a subchapter
su bchapter to itself. ı can be variously deployed
REFERENCE means in the domains of space, possession, and causation. In its basic spatial use, π simply means
‘by, near’ in the
domain of space. ‘by’ or ‘near’:
ı ƒ◊≈∂Ç ∑…ƒÇ∏
∑…ƒÇ∏ Õ…∑∑ ÊÇÃÃ…¥∑ … ◊Ö÷≈∏.
[By door-GEN sits Miss Phillips-NOM and knits.]
Miss Phillips sits by the door and knits.
π + GENITIVE: A By far the most common use of π is in the Russian construction that expresses ‘have’, π
REFERENCE possessor-GEN + (≈∑∏ÿ) + possession-NOM, literally ‘by the possessor is a possession’,
expresses
possession. usually understood as ‘the possessor has a possession’. Here is an example:
Î∂ÉÕ≈ ◊¡∑, π ∑≈ÕÿÇ π∫Ç∏œ™

π∫Ç∏œ™ ∫áÃ… ƒ∂π⁄ÿÖ ÇÃ… xœ∂É¤…≈ ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕŸ≈?
[Aside-from you-GEN, by family-GEN deceased-GEN were friends-NOM or good
acquaintances-NOM?]
Aside from you, did the family of the deceased have any friends or close acquaintan-
ac quaintan-
ces?
A similar constuction is used for pain and other sensations coming from body parts (which
are our inalienable possessions):
˜ƒ∂π« µ ⁄¡ÕÅ∏…Ã, fi∏œ π Õ≈ŒÖ ∏∂µ∑Ñ∏∑µ

∏∂µ∑Ñ∏∑µ ∂ÑÀ….
[Suddenly I-NOM noticed, that by me-GEN shake hands-NOM.]
Suddenly I noticed that my hands were shaking.
π + GENITIVE: A When the genitive item is a person, π + GENITIVE: A REFERENCE can mean ‘at so-and so’ s
REFERENCE with place ’, as in this example:
people expresses
‘at so-and so’s
place’. ÌÅ∑µ√ Œ¡⁄Äƒ µ ⁄¡∫áÃ¡ π Œ≈«É œfiÀÇ
œfiÀÇ œ∏ ∑ÉÃŒ√¡.
[Month-ACC ago I-NOM forgot by him-GEN glasses-ACC from sun-GEN.]
A month ago I forgot my sunglasses at his place .
Genitive:: a reference 3 135
This construction can also be used to express causation, in other words, having someone do The causative
something for you. In this example: ‘doing my hair π someone-GEN’ = ‘having someone do use of π +
GENITIVE: A
my hair’: REFERENCE with
people.
ÌŒ≈ ∫≈⁄∂¡⁄ÃÇfiŒœ, π Àœ«É ¥∂…fi£∑Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ,
¥∂…fi£∑Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ, µ ¥œ∏ÉÕ ◊∑£ ∂¡◊ŒÉ ¥≈∂≈ƒÅÃ¡¿ ¥œ-
∑◊É≈Õπ.
[Me-DAT indifferent, by who-GEN do-hair, I-NOM afterward all same redo in-
own-way.]
I don’t care who does my hair, afterward I redo it my own way anyway.
GENITIVE: A REFERENCE 3—Lack
As we have already seen above under GENITIVE: A WHOLE, the genitive case in Russian is GENITIVE: A
associated with quantification. The separation aspect of GENITIVE: A REFERENCE is here inter- REFERENCE with
negation
preted as negative quantification, or lack, a use commonly called the “genitive of negation”. expresses lack.
Note that separation does not necessarily
necess arily imply non-existence, it just means that the genitive
item isn’t available. In the first example below there is of course no denial that the American
way of life exists, but the hearer is separated from it by a lack of experience:
˜Ÿ ¥∂É∑∏œ Œ≈ ⁄ŒÄ≈∏≈ ¡Õ≈∂…ÀÄŒ∑Àœ™ ÷Ç⁄Œ… .

[You-NOM
[You-NOM simply not know American life-GEN.]
You simply don’t know (anything about) life in America .
Here are a few more typical examples of the GENITIVE: A REFERENCE with negated verbs.
Notice that the genitive item can be either the subject of the sentence (as in the first two
examples) or the direct object (as in the last two):
˜ ∏œ ÷≈ ◊∂ÅÕµ ◊ fiÄ∑∏ŒœÕ ∑ÅÀ∏œ∂≈ Œ…À¡ÀÇ» ⁄¡∫¡∑∏É◊œÀ ŒÅ ŒÅ ∫ŸÃœ.

[In that same time-ACC in private sector-LOC no-kind strikes-GEN not was.]
At the same time there were no strikes in the private sector.
Îœ«ƒÄ µ ƒœ∫∂ÄÃ∑µ ƒœ π«ÃÄ — ≈£ Œ…«ƒÅ

Œ…«ƒÅ ŒÅ ∫ŸÃœ.
[When I-NOM reached to corner-GEN — she-GEN nowhere not was.]
When I reached the corner — she wasn’t anywhere.
ÌÉ÷Œœ ∫áÃœ ƒœ«¡ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ, fi∏œ ∑ÇÃÿŒœ«œ ◊¥≈fi¡∏ÃÅŒ…µ µ µ Œ≈ ¥∂œ…⁄◊£Ã.

[Possible was surmise, that strong impression-GEN I-NOM not made.]
One could surmise that I did not make a strong impression .
Ô∑∏¡ŒÄ◊Ã…◊¡¿∑ÿ ¥≈∂≈ƒ ∂…∑ÑŒÀ¡Õ…, Œ…fi≈«É Œ≈ ◊Ç÷π, À∂ÉÕ≈ fi£∂Œœ-∫ÅÃŸ»

¥Ö∏≈Œ.
[Stop in-front drawings-INST, nothing-GEN not see, aside-from black-white spots-
GEN.]
I stop in front of the drawings,
d rawings, but I don’t see anything except black and white spots.
The following table lists some words in Russian that express the concept ‘lack’ and are
associated with the use of the GENITIVE: A REFERENCE:
Expressions of lacking associated with GENITIVE:: A REFERENCE
‘deficit’ ‘be deprived’ ‘be lacking’

ƒ≈∆…√Ç∏ Ã…¤Ä∏ÿ∑µ/Ã…¤Ç∏ÿ∑µ Œ≈ƒœ∑∏¡◊Ä∏ÿ/Œ≈ƒœ∑∏Ä∏ÿ
Ã…¤£ŒŒŸ™ ‘deprived’ Œ≈ƒœ∑∏Ä∏œÀ ‘lack’
‘deprive’
Ã…¤Ä∏ÿ/Ã…¤Ç∏ÿ ‘shortage’
Œe»◊Ä∏À¡
Here are a couple of examples for orientation:
Ô∫áfiŒ¡µ ŒÄ¤¡ ÷Ç⁄Œÿ ∫ŸÃÄ Ã…¤≈ŒÄ ◊∑≈™ Ü∏œ™ ∂É∑Àœ¤…, À¡⁄Ä◊¤≈™∑µ

∏≈¡∏∂ÄÃÿŒœ™, ¥∂≈ƒŒ¡⁄ŒÄfi≈Œœ™ …∑ÀÃ¿fiÇ∏≈ÃÿŒœ ƒÃµ ∑fi¡∑∏ÃÇ◊œ™ Õ…ŒÑ∏Ÿ.
[Ordinary our life-NOM was deprived-NOM all this luxury-GEN, seeming-GEN
theatrical-INST, set-aside-INST exclusively for happy minute-GEN.]
Our ordinary life was deprived of all this seemed theatrical, and was
this luxury , which seemed
set aside exclusively for a happy time.
38 ¥∂œ√ÅŒ∏œ◊ (∫ÉÃÿ¤≈ ∏∂Å∏…!) Õœ∑À◊…fiÅ™ ∑Å∏π¿∏ Œ¡ Œ≈x◊Ä∏Àπ Œ≈ Õ¡«¡⁄ÇŒœ◊ …

∂≈∑∏œ∂ÄŒœ◊ , ¡ «œ∂œƒ∑ÀÇx ∏π¡ÃÅ∏œ◊ .
[38-NOM percent-GEN (more third-GEN!) Muscovites-GEN complain on short-
age-ACC not stores-GEN and restaurants-GEN, but municipal toilets-GEN.]
38 percent (more than a third!) of Muscovites complain of a lack not of stores and
restaurants , but of municipal toilets .
GENITIVE: A REFERENCE 4—Comparison
GENITIVE: A Finally, distance gives you a perspective for comparing items separated along various
REFERENCE in scales of measure. GENITIVE: A REFERENCE allows you to examine the difference between the
making
comparisons. genitive item (which is held as the standard) and another item in a comparison. This moti-
vates the use of the genitive with comparative adjectives and adverbs in cons tructions of the
type: other item + comparative + standard-GEN, meaning ‘the other item is better/longer/
stronger, etc. than the genitive item ’. Here are some examples:
ì∫›≈≈ ƒÅÃœ ƒœÃ÷ŒÉ ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ◊á¤≈ ÃÇfiŒŸ» …Œ∏≈∂Å∑œ◊ .

[Common cause-NOM should be higher personal interests-GEN.]
The common cause should be higher (priority) than personal interests .
ÁÃÑ¥œ ƒ≈∂÷Ä∏ÿ ◊ ¥œÕ≈›ÅŒ…… ∫ÉÃÿ¤≈ œƒŒÉ™ À¡∂∏ÇŒŸ Ú≈Õ∫∂ÄŒƒ∏¡. Ú≈Õ∫∂ÄŒƒ∏¡.

[Stupid keep in room-LOC more one picture-GEN Rembrandt-GEN.]
It is stupid to keep more than one of Rembrandt’s pictures in the room.
Epilogue 137
≈Ã œŒ, ◊œ⁄ÕÉ÷Œœ, … xÑ÷≈ ⁄Ä¥¡ƒŒŸx ¥≈◊√É◊, Œœ ∏∂Ö∑∑µ ∑…ÃÿŒÅ≈.

[Sang he-NOM, perhaps, even worse Western singers-GEN, but shook stronger.]
Perhaps he did sing worse than Western singers , but he shook more.
Áœƒ ∫Ñƒ≈∏ ÃÑfi¤≈ ¥∂≈ƒŸƒÑ›≈«œ .

[Year-NOM
[Year-NOM will-be better previous-GEN.]
This year will be better than the previous one .
EPILOGUE
The word genitive is related to generation and genesis , and all these words are derived
from the Latin and Greek roots meaning ‘give birth’. Indeed giving birth is the means by
which living creatures such as ourselves serve as sources for more
mor e of our kind. The genitive
case continues the theme of the role of human beings that was so prominent in our discus-
sion of the dative case. People get special treatment in the system of preposition and case
combinations to express ‘going to’, ‘being at’, and ‘coming from’. Not only do we humans
require À + DAT
DAT when we are destinations, but as locations we demand π + GEN and when
we are places of departure
depa rture we are the objects of œ∏ + GEN. Location π + GEN ‘at’ a person
per son
can motivate a variety of interpretations, among them possession,
pos session, being at someone’s place,
or having that someone do something. Physical movement from and to items can be meta-
phorically extended to express human
hu man beings’ emotional withdrawal from and attraction to
things through fear, disgust, desire, or expectation. Russian even asks us whether we can
identify the object of our desire,
desire , thus grammatically capturing that very human dilemma of
knowing that we want something but not knowing exactly what that something is. The
genitive case is also very concerned with quantity in terms of amounts, deficiency, and
comparison. In the current age of quantification, when we are all threatened with being
reduced to statistics and identification numbers, it is curious to note that the Russian genitive
integrates an appreciation of our distinctive human qualities with a focus on numerical
concepts.
138 The Locative Case
LOCATIVE
LOCATIVE Forms
F orms

nouns ÀÉÕŒ¡∏≈ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏¡» Œ≈ƒÅÃ≈ Œ≈ƒÅÃµ»
-ÿ: °talent¢
singular plural
∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏… ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏µ»
nouns ƒ◊œ∂Å ƒ◊œ∂Ä» «◊œ⁄ƒÅ «◊œ⁄ƒÖ»
nouns ∏ÅÃ≈ ∏≈ÃÄ» ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…… ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µ»
¥Å∂◊œ™ ¥Å∂◊œÕ ¥Å∂◊œÕ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ»
soft type: °last¢
¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈Õ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈Õ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…»
ÕŒ≈ Œ¡∑ ∏≈∫Å ◊¡∑

(Œ)≈™ (Œ)£Õ (Œ)£Õ (Œ)…»

ÀœÕ fi£Õ ∑≈∫Å
°this¢
Ü∏œ™ Ü∏œÕ Ü∏œÕ Ü∏…»
°all, every¢
◊∑≈™ ◊∑£Õ ◊∑£Õ ◊∑≈»
°my¢
ÕœÅ™ Õœ£Õ Õœ£Õ ÕœÇ»
°our¢
ŒÄ¤≈™ ŒÄ¤≈Õ ŒÄ¤≈Õ ŒÄ¤…»
Numerals °one¢
œƒŒÉ™ œƒŒÉÕ œƒŒÉÕ œƒŒÇ»
ƒ◊π» ∏∂£» fi≈∏Ÿ∂£» ¥µ∏Ç
Locative: a place 1 139
L
LOCATIVE: A PLACE
PROLOGUE
LOCATIVE: A PLACE is a setting, locating an item in space, time, or a metaphorical domain. An overview of
The locative is the only case in Russian that always requires a preposition, and is therefore the locative case.
often called the “prepositional case”. Five prepositions are associated with LOCATIVE: A PLACE:
◊ ‘in’, Œ¡ ‘on’, ¥∂… ‘at’, œ ‘about’, and ¥œ ‘upon, after ’. The uses of ◊, Œ¡, and ¥∂… are based
upon human experience of physical location in the domain of our three-dimensional envi-
ronment. The domain of the preposition œ is topics of thought or discourse, things that we
think, talk, and write about. The use of the preposition ¥œ with the locative is relatively rare.
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 1—◊ ‘in’

˜ ‘in’ is by far the most common preposition used
with the locative, and in its basic sense it identifies an L ◊ + LOCATIVE: A
enclosed place in three-dimensional space,
spa ce, a container. PLACE means ‘in’
a container.
This place can be defined by boundaries, such as the
walls of apartments, houses, an elevator, or even a
plastic bag (as in the examples below), or it can be an
enveloping substance (in this case, manure): An item (small circle) is in a
LOCATIVE: A PLACE (circle labeled L)
ÔŒ ∑fi…∏Ä≈∏, fi∏œ ◊ À◊¡∂∏Ç∂¡» Õœ∑À◊…fiÅ™
Õœ∑À◊…fiÅ™
⁄…ÕÉ™ ∏≈¥ÃÅ≈, fi≈Õ ◊ ∏œÀÇ™∑À…» ƒœÕÄ» , «ƒ≈ Œ≈∏ √≈Œ∏∂ÄÃÿŒœ«œ œ∏œ¥ÃÅŒ…µ.
[He-NOM thinks, that in apartments-LOC Muscovites-GEN winter-INST warmer,
than in Tokyo houses-LOC, where not central heating-GEN.]
He thinks that in winter it is warmer in Muscovites’ apartments than it is in Tokyo
houses , where there is no central heating.
ÔŒ Œ≈ ¥≈∂≈Œœ∑ÇÃ Å⁄ƒ…∏ÿ ◊ ÃÇ∆∏≈ ÀœÕ¥ÄŒ…≈™, œ∑∏¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ⁄ÄÕÀŒπ∏œÕ

¥∂œ∑∏∂ÄŒ∑∏◊≈ ∑ ∑ Œ≈⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕŸÕ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀœÕ.
[He-NOM not endured ride in elevator-LOC group-INST, stay in closed space-LOC
with uknown person-INST.]
per son-INST.]
He could not endure riding in an elevator with others, staying in a closed space with
an unknown person.
ÔŒ ¥∂œÕ£∂⁄, À¡À ∑◊≈÷≈Õœ∂É÷≈ŒŸ™ É◊œ› ◊ √≈ÃÃœ∆ÄŒ≈ .

[He-NOM froze, like fresh-frozen vegetable-NOM in cellophane-LOC.]
He was frozen, like a flash-frozen vegetable in cellophane .
‚áÃœ œfi≈◊ÇƒŒœ, fi∏œ œŒ ⁄¡Œ…ÕÄ≈∏∑µ ÑÕ∑∏◊≈ŒŒŸÕ ∏∂πƒÉÕ, … œfi≈◊ÇƒŒœ, fi∏œ

≈«É ƒ≈ƒ ¥∂…◊áÀ ∑∏œÖ∏ÿ ¥œ ÀœÃÅŒœ ◊ Œ¡◊É⁄≈ … … ¤π∂œ◊Ä∏ÿ Ãœ¥Ä∏œ™.
[Was obvious, that he-NOM is-occupied intellectual work-INST, and obvious, that
his grandfather-NOM accustomed stand up-to knee-ACC in manure-LOC and heave
shovel-INST.]
It was obvious that he does intellectual work, and obvious that his grandfather is
used to standing in manure up to his knees and heaving a shovel.
The container referred to by ◊ in physical

ph ysical space need not have physical or fixed
fixe d boundaries.
Consider the political boundaries we project upon cities and countries, or the temporary
container created by folding the fingers toward the palm, as in the following examples:
ÌÄÃÿfi…À… ◊œ ◊∑≈» ∑∏∂ÄŒ¡» œƒ…ŒÄÀœ◊œ

œƒ…ŒÄÀœ◊œ Œ≈ »œ∏Ö∏ »œƒÇ∏ÿ ◊ ¤ÀÉÃπ.
[Boys-NOM in all countries-LOC equally not want go to school-ACC.]
Boys in all countries equally dislike going to school.
‰œ ∏∂¡Õ◊Äµ µ ƒœ¤£Ã ∫Ã¡«œ¥œÃÑfiŒœ, Œ≈∑Ö fi≈ÕœƒÄŒ ∏œ ◊ ¥∂Ä◊œ™ , ∏œ ◊ ÃÅ◊œ™

∂πÀÅ .
[To
[To tram-GEN I-NOM went successfully, carrying suitcase-ACC that in right-LOC,
that in left hand-LOC.]
I made my way to the tram successfully, carrying my suitcase first in my right hand
and then in my left .
◊ + LOCATIVE: A Clothing serves as a container for the body, inspiring the use of ◊ to express wearing, which
PLACE expresses can be extended even to other worn items, such as glasses and beards. Here’s a typical
wearing.
example with clothing, one with a clear parallel in English:
ÔŒÄ ∑∏œÖÃ¡ ◊ ∑∏œ∂œŒÅ, ◊ Àœ∂É∏ÀœÕ ¥¡Ãÿ∏É , …⁄ Àœ∏É∂œ«œ ƒ¡◊ŒÉ ◊á∂œ∑Ã¡.

[She-NOM stood in side-LOC, in short coat-LOC, from which-GEN long-ago out-
grew.]
She stood to one side, in a short coat which she had long ago outgrown.
The idiomatic The preposition ◊ followed by a unit of distance constitutes an idiomatic expression trans-
use of ◊ + latable as ‘at a distance of’. Here is an example:
LOCATIVE : A PLACE
meaning ‘at a
distance of’. ¡ÃÄπ, ¡∂»…¥≈ÃÄ«, ∑œ∑∏œÖ›…™ …⁄ ƒ◊π»∑É∏ ÕÅÃÀ…» œ∑∏∂œ◊É◊, ∂¡∑¥œÃÉ÷≈ŒŒŸ™
◊ 800 À…ÃœÕÅ∏∂¡» À À â«œ-◊œ∑∏ÉÀπ œ∏ Ê…Ã…¥¥ÇŒ, ∑∏¡Ã 185-Õ fiÃÅŒœÕ ÔÔÓ.
[Palau-NOM, archipelago-NOM, consisting-NOM from two-hundred small islands-
GEN, located-NOM in 800 kilometers-LOC to south-east from Philippines-GEN,
became 185th member-INST UN-GEN.]
Palau, an archipelago consisting of two hundred small islands located at a distance
of 800 kilometers to the south-east of the Philippines, became
bec ame the 185th member of
the UN.
When implemented in the domain of time, ◊ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE tends to be associated with ◊ + LOCATIVE : A
extended periods of time ‘in’ which events can be located, and the use is indeed very similar PLACE means ‘in’
in the domain of
to the temporal use of ‘in’ in English: time.
ÎÄ÷≈∏∑µ Õ¡Ãœ◊≈∂œÖ∏ŒŸÕ, fi∏É∫Ÿ œŒ ¥Ã¡ŒÇ∂œ◊¡Ã ◊ ∫Ñƒπ›≈Õ ∫œ∂É∏ÿ∑µ ⁄¡

¥∂≈⁄…ƒÅŒ∏∑Àœ≈ À∂Å∑Ãœ.
[Seems unlikely-INST, that he-NOM planned in future-LOC fight for president’s
seat-ACC.]
It seems unlikely that he was planning in the future to fight for the president’s seat.
˜ ƒÅ∏∑∏◊≈ œŒÄ π∏◊≈∂÷ƒÄÃ¡, fi∏œ ≈£ Õa∏ÿ Œ≈ π∫É∂›…√¡ ◊ Õ¡«¡⁄ÇŒ≈, ¡

À…Œœ¡À∏∂Ç∑¡.
[In childhood-LOC she-NOM claimed, that her mother-NOM not cleaning-lady-
NOM in store-LOC, but movie-actress-NOM.]
In her childhood she claimed that her mother was not a cleaning lady in a store,
s tore, but
a movie actress.
Â›£ œƒÇŒ √≈Œ∏∂ ∫ŸÃ œ∏À∂á∏ ◊ Œœµ∫∂Å ◊ ◊ Ë¡∫Ä∂œ◊∑À≈.

[Yet
[Yet one center-NOM was opened-NOM in November-LOC in Khabarovsk-LOC.]
Another center was opened in November in Khabarovsk.
˜ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE can operate in many other domains, all of which are understood as ◊ + LOCATIVE : A
metaphorical spaces. Marriage is a state of being which one can be ‘in’, as seen in the first PLACE means ‘in’
in metaphorical
example below. The numerical domain locates the position of inflation in the second ex- domains.
ample. The third sentence contains two examples of abstract locations, one is an emotional
state of passion, and the other is a group of people constituting the diplomatic corps.
≈fiÄÃÿŒœ, Œœ ∏≈», À∏œ ∑fiÄ∑∏Ã…◊ ◊ ∫∂ÄÀ≈ , ¥ÉÃŒœ∑∏ÿ¿ …«Œœ∂Ç∂π¿∏.

[Unfortunately, but those-ACC, who-NOM happy-NOM in marriage-LOC com-
pletely ignore.]
It’s unfortunate, but those who are happy in marriage are completely ignored.
ÈŒ∆ÃÖ√…µ ◊ «œƒœ◊ÉÕ …∑fi…∑ÃÅŒ…… ƒœ∑∏Ç«Ã¡

ƒœ∑∏Ç«Ã¡ 120 ¥∂œ√ÅŒ∏œ◊.
[Inflation in annual calculation-LOC reached 120 percent-GEN.]
In the annual calculation inflation reached 120 percent.
˜ ¥∂…∑∏∂Ä∑∏…… À À ÕÑ⁄ŸÀ≈ œŒ, ¥œ÷ÄÃπ™, Ã…ƒÇ∂π≈∏ ◊ ƒ…¥ÃœÕ¡∏Çfi≈∑ÀœÕ ÀÉ∂¥π∑≈.

[In passion-LOC
passion -LOC to music-DAT
music-DAT he-NOM, probably, leads in diplomatic corps-LOC.]
corps- LOC.]
In his passion for music he is probably the leader in the diplomatic corps .
In the chapter on the accusative case it was noted that certain nouns referring to people
with verbs meaning ‘go, join, play the role of’
of ’ have a special idiomatic accusative plural that
looks just like the nominative plural, such as ¥œ™∏Ç ◊ «É∑∏… [go in guests-ACC] ‘go for a
visit’, ¥œ™∏Ç ◊ ∑œÃƒÄ∏Ÿ [go in soldiers-ACC] ‘become a soldier’. There are parallel idioms
for expressing the state of being a guest,
gu est, a soldier, etc. that use the locative plural; the most
The idiomatic common of these is ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ◊ «œ∑∏Ö» [be

[be in guests-LOC] ‘be visiting ’ (literally ‘be a guest ’ at
use of ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ◊ someone’s place).
«œ∑∏Ö» ‘be
‘be
visiting’.
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 2—Words that trigger ◊; the 2nd locative
A large number of words in Russian are typically followed by the preposition
pr eposition ◊ + LOCA-
TIVE: A PLACE. Some of them have obvious parallels
par allels to English phrases, but many do not and
some might seem altogether counter-intuitive. Here is a list of ◊ + LOC phrases you can
expect to encounter:
Words that can trigger ◊ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE
‘assure of’ ‘refuse, deny’ ‘lucky with’

⁄¡◊≈∂Ö∏ÿ/⁄¡◊Å∂…∏ÿ
⁄¡◊≈∂Ö∏ÿ/⁄¡◊Å∂…∏ÿ ◊ œ∏ÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ/œ∏À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ
œ∏ÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ/œ∏À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ ◊ ∑fi¡∑∏ÃÇ◊Ÿ™ ◊
⁄¡◊≈∂ÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘assurance of’ œ∏ÀÄ⁄ ◊ ‘refusal of’ ∑fiÄ∑∏ÿ≈ ◊ ‘luck with’
‘consist, lie in’ ‘give an account of, report on’ ‘convince (oneself) of’
⁄¡ÀÃ¿fiÄ∏ÿ∑µ/⁄¡ÀÃ¿fiÇ∏ÿ∑µ
⁄¡ÀÃ¿fiÄ∏ÿ∑µ/⁄¡ÀÃ¿fiÇ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ œ∏fiÇ∏Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∏fi…∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ
œ∏fiÇ∏Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∏fi…∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ ◊ π∫≈÷ƒÄ∏ÿ(∑µ)/π∫≈ƒÇ∏ÿ(∑µ) ◊
œ∏fi£∏ ◊ ‘account of, report on’ π∫≈÷ƒÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘conviction’
‘get tangled up in, get involved in’
⁄¡¥Ñ∏Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/⁄¡¥Ñ∏¡∏ÿ∑µ
⁄¡¥Ñ∏Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/⁄¡¥Ñ∏¡∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘suspect of’ ‘certainty about’
¥œƒœ⁄∂≈◊Ä∏ÿ/⁄¡¥œƒÉ⁄∂…∏ÿ
¥œƒœ⁄∂≈◊Ä∏ÿ/⁄¡¥œƒÉ⁄∂…∏ÿ ◊ π◊Å∂≈ŒŒœ∑∏ÿ ◊
‘confusion’ ¥œƒœ⁄∂ÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘suspicion of’ π◊Å∂≈Œ ◊ ‘certain of’
¥Ñ∏¡Œ…√¡ ◊
‘need of’ ‘successful with’
‘excel in’ ¥œ∏∂Å∫Œœ∑∏fl ◊ πƒÄfiÃ…◊Ÿ™ ◊
…⁄œ›∂Ö∏ÿ∑µ/…⁄œ›∂Ç∏ÿ∑µ
…⁄œ›∂Ö∏ÿ∑µ/…⁄œ›∂Ç∏ÿ∑µ ◊ πƒÄfi¡ ◊ ‘success with’
…⁄œ›∂ÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘refinement in’ ‘confess to’
¥∂…⁄Œ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂…⁄ŒÄ∏ÿ∑µ
¥∂…⁄Œ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂…⁄ŒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘assure oneself of’
‘clever at’ ¥∂…⁄ŒÄŒ…≈ ◊ ‘confession of’ πƒœ∑∏œ◊≈∂Ö∏ÿ∑µ/πƒœ∑∏œ◊Å∂…∏ÿ∑µ ◊
ÃÉ◊À…™ ◊ πƒœ∑∏œ◊≈∂ÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘attestation of’
ÃÉ◊Àœ∑∏ÿ ◊ ‘cleverness in’ ‘understand’
∂¡⁄œ∫∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∂¡⁄∫…∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ
∂¡⁄œ∫∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∂¡⁄∫…∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘reproach because of’
‘need’ π¥∂≈ÀÄ∏fl/π¥∂≈ÀŒÑ∏ÿ
π¥∂≈ÀÄ∏fl/π¥∂≈ÀŒÑ∏ÿ ◊
Œπ÷ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘be disappointed in’ π¥∂£À ◊ ‘reproach for’
Œπ÷ƒÄ ◊ ‘need of’ ∂¡⁄œfi¡∂É◊Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/
∂¡⁄œfi¡∂œ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ
∂¡⁄œfi¡∂œ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘succeed, make progress in’
‘accuse of, charge with’ ∂¡⁄œfi¡∂œ◊ÄŒ…≈ ◊ ‘disappointment π∑¥≈◊Ä∏ÿ/π∑¥Å∏ÿ ◊
œ∫◊…ŒÖ∏ÿ/œ∫◊…ŒÇ∏ÿ
œ∫◊…ŒÖ∏ÿ/œ∫◊…ŒÇ∏ÿ ◊ in’ π∑¥≈◊ÄŒ…≈ ◊ ‘progress in’
œ∫◊…ŒÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘accusation of’
‘confess to’ ‘success in’
‘be deceived, disappointed in’ ∑œ⁄Œ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∑œ⁄ŒÄ∏ÿ∑µ
∑œ⁄Œ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∑œ⁄ŒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ π∑¥Å»(…) ◊
œ∫ÕÄŒŸ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∫Õ¡ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ
œ∫ÕÄŒŸ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∫Õ¡ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ ◊
‘doubt’ ‘participate in’
‘find oneself in’ ∑œÕŒ≈◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ ◊ πfiÄ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ◊
œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ
œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ∑œÕŒÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘doubt of’ πfiÄ∑∏◊π¿›…™ ◊ ‘participant in’
πfiÄ∑∏…≈ ◊ ‘participation in’
‘experienced in’ ‘consist in, lie in, be’
É¥Ÿ∏ŒŸ™ ◊ ∑œ∑∏œÖ∏ÿ ◊ ‘be counted among’
É¥Ÿ∏ ◊ ‘experience in’ fiÇ∑Ã…∏ÿ∑µ ◊
Here are some examples of how these phrases work in real sentences:
ÔŒÄ Œ…Àœ«ƒÄ Œ≈ πƒ…◊ÃÖÃ¡∑ÿ ∏œÕÑ, fi∏œ œŒ ¥œfi∏Ç Œ≈ Œπ÷ƒÄ≈∏∑µ ◊œ ∑Œ≈ .

[She-NOM never not be-surprised that-DAT
that-DAT, that he-NOM almost not need in sleep-
LOC.]
It never surprised her that he hardly needed any sleep .
ÎÄ÷ƒŸ™ ƒ≈Œÿ µ œ∫◊…ŒÖÃ ≈£ ◊ ∑ÕÅ∂∏ŒŸ» «∂≈»Ä» .

[Every day-ACC I-NOM accused her-ACC in mortal sins-LOC.]
Every day I accused her of mortal sins .
ÛŒ¡fiÄÃ¡ Œ¡ƒ Œ…Õ ∑Õ≈ÖÃ…∑ÿ, ¥œ∏ÉÕ ∑∏ÄÃ… œ∏Õ≈fiÄ∏ÿ π∑¥Å»… ◊ ¥∑…»…¡∏∂Ç… …

…∑ÀÑ∑∑∏◊≈ , ¡ ◊ ÀœŒ√Å ÀœŒ√É◊ ¥œ⁄◊ÉÃ…Ã… œ∏À∂á∏ÿ “‰œÕ »πƒÉ÷Œ…Àœ◊”.
[At-first above him-INST laughed, then started notice successes-ACC in psychia-
try-LOC and art-LOC, and in end-LOC ends-GEN allowed open “House-ACC art-
ists-GEN”.]
At first people laughed at him, but then they started to notice his successes in psy-
chiatry and in art , and finally they allowed him to open a “House of Artists”.
ÁÉ∂ÿÀ…™ œÀ¡⁄ÄÃ∑µ ◊ ◊≈∑ÿÕÄ Œ≈ÃÉ◊ÀœÕ ¥œÃœ÷ÅŒ…… : ¡∑∏≈∂ŒÄÀ Õœ« ⁄¡¥œƒÉ⁄∂…∏ÿ

≈«É ◊ Œ≈Ç∑À∂≈ŒŒœ∑∏… .
[Gorky-NOM found-self in very awkward position-LOC: Pasternak-NOM could
suspect him-ACC in insincerity-LOC.]
Gorky found himself in a very awkward position : Pasternak could suspect him of
insincerity .
About 150 masculine nouns in Russian have an alternate locative singular ending in -Ñ/-â The second
(always stressed), sometimes called the “second locative”. The second locative only occur s locative ending
-Ñ/-â with ◊ +
with the prepositions ◊ and Œ¡, but it spans the domains of space, time, and metaphorical LOCATIVE: A
space, as we see in these three examples: PLACE.
ÛÕ≈» ◊Ÿ∂¡∫Ä∏Ÿ◊¡≈∏ ◊ Õœ⁄«Ñ fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ¡

fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ¡ ‹Œƒœ∂∆ÇŒŸ — ◊≈›≈∑∏◊Ä, Àœ∏É∂Ÿ≈
¥œ∑ŸÃÄ¿∏ ∑◊œÇ ∑…«ŒÄÃŸ Ã…Õ∆œ√Ç∏¡Õ, ¥∂œ∏…◊œ∑∏œÖ›…Õ ◊Ç∂π∑¡Õ …
…Œ∆ÅÀ√…µÕ.
[Laughter-NOM produces in brain-LOC person-GEN endorphines-ACC — sub-
stances-ACC, which-NOM send their signals-ACC lymphocytes-DAT, resisting-
DAT viruses-DAT and infections-DAT.]
Laughter creates in a person’s brain endorphines — substances which send their
signals to the lymphocytes that resist viruses and infections.
˜∑µ Ü∏¡ ∂¡∫É∏¡ ƒœÃ÷ŒÄ ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ⁄¡◊≈∂¤≈ŒÄ ◊ ∏≈ÀÑ›≈Õ «œƒÑ

∏≈ÀÑ›≈Õ «œƒÑ .
[All this work-NOM should-NOM be completed-NOM in current year-LOC.]
All this work should be completed in the current year .
Ò ¥≈∂≈ÀÄ∏Ÿ◊¡Ã¡ «ÉÃœ◊π ¥œ ¥œƒÑ¤À≈ À¡À ◊ ∫∂≈ƒÑ .

[I-NOM turned head-ACC
h ead-ACC along pillow-DA
p illow-DAT T as in delirium-LOC.]
I turned my head from side to side on the pillow as if in a delirium .
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 3—Œ¡ ‘on, at’

Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A In its basic spatial meaning, Œ¡ ‘on’ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE refers to a two-dimensional
PLACE means ‘on’ surface where something is located.
a surface.
Ó¡ ∑∏ÑÃÿµ» … … À∂œ◊Ä∏… Ã≈÷ÄÃ…
Ã≈÷ÄÃ… ◊Å›…, ◊áŒπ∏Ÿ≈ …⁄ ∑πŒƒπÀÄ, ¡ ∑πŒƒπÀÄ Œ…«ƒÅ
ŒÅ ∫ŸÃœ.
[On chairs-LOC and bed-LOC lay things-NOM, taken-out from chest-GEN, but
chest-GEN nowhere not was.]
There were things that had been taken out of the chest lying on the chairs and bed ,
but the chest was nowhere to be found.
ÌÄÕ¡ «œ◊œ∂Ç∏, fi∏œ Àœ«ƒÄ-∏œ µ ¥∂œ∑Ÿ¥ÄÃ∑µ ∑ πÃá∫Àœ™ Œ¡ Ã…√Å .

[Mom-NOM says, that once I-NOM woke-up with smile-INST on face-LOC.]
Mom says that I used to wake up with a smile on my face .
Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A Since attachment is something that happens on a surface, Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE can also be
PLACE can used to express an attachment or connection to something; notice that English ‘on’ shares
express
attachment. this capacity in this example and its translation below:
È» ∑œ∫ÄÀ¡, ÕÄÃ≈ŒÿÀ¡µ, ¥œ»É÷¡µ Œ¡ Ã…∑Ç√π, Õ≈∏ÄÃ¡∑ÿ Œ¡ √≈¥Ç , ⁄¡»Ã£∫Ÿ◊¡µ∑ÿ

ÃÄ≈Õ.
[Their dog-NOM, small-NOM, similar-NOM on vixen-ACC, dashed-about on chain-
LOC, choking bark-INST
bar k-INST.]
.]
Their small, vixen-like dog dashed about on its chain , choking on its barks.
The fact that Œ¡ does not require boundaries (whereas ◊ does), makes Œ¡ the natural
candidate for locations that are events or phenomena, or anything else that does not have
defined limits; in this use the meaning of Œ¡ is often better translated as ‘at’. However,
because there is not a perfect fit between Russian Œ¡ and English ‘at’, students are often told
to assume that all locations use ◊ + LOC, and that they must memorize a list of exceptions
that use Œ¡ instead. This is good advice, but it might also help to look at some of the catego-
ries that the so-called “Œ¡-words” tend to fall into. Here is a list representing common Œ¡-
words (other than surfaces) that might make the task of mastering their use a bit easier:
A categorization of common “Œ¡ words”
Locations that are islands, peninsulas, mountain ranges, clearings:

Œ¡ ·ÃÖ∑À≈ ‘in
‘in Alaska ’ Œ¡ ¥ÃÉ›¡ƒ… ‘in
‘in a square ’ Œ¡ ÑÃ…√≈ ‘in
‘in the street ’
Œ¡ Á¡◊Ä™µ» ‘in
‘in Hawaii ’ Œ¡ ¥œÃπÉ∑∏∂œ◊≈ ‘on
‘on a peninsula ’ Œ¡ ı∂ÄÃ≈ ‘in
‘in the Urals ’
Œ¡ Î¡◊ÀÄ⁄≈ ‘in
‘in the Caucasus ’ Œ¡ ¥œÃÖŒ≈ ‘in
‘in a clearing ’ Œ¡ ∆Å∂Õ≈ ‘at/on
‘at/on a farm ’
Œ¡ ÎÇ¥∂≈ ‘in
‘in Cyprus ’ Œ¡ ∑∏¡ƒ…ÉŒ≈ ‘at/in
‘at/in a stadium ’
Œ¡ É∑∏∂œ◊≈ ‘on
‘on an island ’
Points of embarcation for travel (passenger, freight, or mail):
Œ¡ ¡‹∂œƒ∂ÉÕ≈ ‘at
‘at an aerodrome ’ Œ¡ ◊œÀ⁄ÄÃ≈ ‘at
‘at a train station ’ Œ¡ ¥Éfi∏≈ ‘at/in
‘at/in a post
post of fice ’
Œ¡ ∫Ä⁄≈ ‘at
‘at a base ’ Œ¡ œ∑∏¡ŒÉ◊À≈ ‘at ‘at a stop (for buses Œ¡ ∑∏ÄŒ√…… ‘at/in
‘at/in a station ’
or trams)’
Events
Œ¡ ∫¡ÃÑ ‘at
‘at a ball ’ Œ¡ ÀœŒ√Å∂∏≈ ‘at
‘at a concert ’ Œ¡ ∑flÅ⁄ƒ≈ ‘at
‘at a congress ’
Œ¡ ◊á∑∏¡◊À≈ ‘at
‘at an exhibition ’ Œ¡ ∑œ∫∂ÄŒ…… ‘at/in
‘at/in a meeting ’ Œ¡ ‹À∑ÀÑ∂∑…… ‘on
‘on an excursion ’
Œ¡ ⁄¡∑≈ƒÄŒ…… ‘at/in
‘at/in a meeting ’ Œ¡ ∑¥≈À∏ÄÀÃ≈ ‘at
‘at a show ’ Œ¡ Ö∂Õ¡∂À≈ ‘at
‘at a fair ’
Œ¡ ÀœŒ∆≈∂ÅŒ√…… ‘at ‘at a conference ’
Compass points and other generalized locations:
Œ¡ ◊É⁄ƒπ»≈ ‘in
‘in the open outside ’
open air , outside Œ¡ ÕÅ∑∏≈ ‘in
‘in place ’ Œ¡ ∑ÉÃŒ√≈ ‘in
‘in the sunshine ’
Œ¡ ◊œ∑∏ÉÀ≈ ‘in
‘in the east ’ Œ¡ ∑◊Å∏≈ ‘in
‘in the world ’ Œ¡ √≈Ã…ŒÅ ‘in
‘in the vir gin lands
lands ’
Œ¡ ⁄Ä¥¡ƒ≈ ‘in
‘in the west ’ Œ¡ ∑Å◊≈∂≈ ‘in
‘in the north ’ Œ¡ â«≈ ‘in
‘in the south ’
Certain buildings, work/trade environments, and academic units:

Œ¡ ∫Ç∂÷≈ ‘at
‘at the exchange ’ Œ¡ ÀÄ∆≈ƒ∂≈ ‘in
‘in a department (of uni- Œ¡ ∑ÀÃÄƒ≈ ‘at/in
‘at/in a warehouse ’
Œ¡ ƒÄfi≈ ‘at/in
‘at/in a cottage ’ versity)’ Œ¡ ∆Ä∫∂…À≈ ‘at/in
‘at/in a factory ’
Œ¡ ⁄¡◊Éƒ≈ ‘at/in
‘at/in a factory ’ Œ¡ ¥∂≈ƒ¥∂…Ö∏…… ‘at ‘at an enterprise ’ Œ¡ ∆¡ÀπÃÿ∏Å∏≈ ‘in a department/
Œ¡ ∂áŒÀ≈ ‘at
‘at the market ’ school (of university)’
Upper floors of buildings:

Œ¡ ∫¡ÃÀÉŒ≈ ‘in
‘in the balcony (of a the- Œ¡ ¥Å∂◊œÕ, ◊∏œ∂ÉÕ,... ‹∏¡÷Å Œ¡ fi≈∂ƒ¡ÀÅ ‘in
‘in the attic ’
ater); on a balcony ’ ‘on the first, second, ... floor ’
There are a few words that can use either Œ¡ or ◊ without much difference in meaning; here
are the most common ones:
Words that can use both Œ¡ and
a nd ◊ + LOCATIVE:
LOCATIVE: A PLACE
Œ¡/◊ ƒπ¤Å ‘in
‘in one’s soul ’ Œ¡/◊ ÀÑ»Œ≈ ‘in
‘in the kitchen ’ Œ¡/◊ ¥ÉÃ≈ ‘in
‘in a field ’
Œ¡/◊ À◊¡∂∏Ç∂≈ ‘in
‘in an apartment ’ Œ¡/◊ ŒÅ∫≈ ‘in
‘in the sky ’ Œ¡/◊ ∑Å∂ƒ√≈ ‘in
‘in one’s heart ’
Œ¡/◊ ∑πƒÅ ‘at
‘at a trial ’
Here are some examples of Œ¡ used with “Œ¡-words”:
Ó¡ Ìœ∑ÀÉ◊∑Àœ™ Õ≈÷∫ÄŒÀœ◊∑Àœ™ ◊¡Ãâ∏Œœ™ ∫Ç∂÷≈ Àπ∂∑

Àπ∂∑ ƒÉÃÃ¡∂¡ Û˚· ◊ ¥Ö∏Œ…√π
ŒÅ∑ÀœÃÿÀœ ∑ŒÇ⁄…Ã∑µ.
[At Moscow inter-bank currency exchange-LOC exchange-rate-NOM dollar-GEN

USA-GEN in Friday-ACC somewhat declined.]
At the Moscow
Moscow inter
inter -bank curren
currency exchange the exchange rate for the US dollar
cy exchange
declined somewhat on Friday.
Ó¡ ⁄¡∑≈ƒÄŒ…… ¥∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊≈ŒŒŸ»
¥∂¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊≈ŒŒŸ» ƒ≈Ã≈«Ä√…™ ◊ Ìœ∑À◊Å ◊œ⁄∂œ∑ÃÇ ∏∂ÅŒ…µ ¥œ
∆…ŒÄŒ∑œ◊œ-‹ÀœŒœÕÇfi≈∑À…Õ ◊œ¥∂É∑¡Õ ÕÅ÷ƒπ ıÀ∂¡ÇŒœ™ … Úœ∑∑Ç≈™.
[At meeting-LOC government delegations-GEN in Moscow-LOC increased fric-
tion-NOM along financial-economic issues-DA
iss ues-DAT
T between Ukraine-INST and Rus-
sia-INST.]
At the meeting of government delegations in Moscow there was increased friction
between Ukraine and Russia concerning financial and economic issues.
˜ÇƒŒœ, Œ¡ ¥Éfi∏≈ fi∏É-∏œ
fi∏É-∏œ ¥≈∂≈¥Ñ∏¡Ã….
[Apparently, at post-office-LOC something-ACC mixed-up.]
Apparently they got something mixed up at the post
post of fice .
of fice
Ó¡ ∑πƒÅ π÷Å
π÷Å ¤Ã¡ œ Œ£Õ ∂≈fiÿ.
[At trial-LOC already went about it-LOC talk-NOM.]
They already talked about it at the trial .
Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A The use of Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE in the domain of time is restricted, being commonly used
PLACE in the
only with weeks and with the transitional times between day and night, as in the representa-
domain of time.
tive phrases in the table below:
Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE in time expressions
Œ¡ ¥∂É¤Ãœ™/Ü∏œ™/∫Ñƒπ›≈™
¥∂É¤Ãœ™/Ü∏œ™/∫Ñƒπ›≈™ Œ≈ƒÅÃ≈ ‘last/this/next week ’ Œ¡ ⁄¡∂Å/∂¡∑∑◊Å∏≈ ‘at dawn ’
Œ¡ ◊œ∑»Éƒ≈ ‘at sunrise ’ Œ¡ ⁄¡ÀÄ∏≈ ‘at sunset ’
Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A The use of Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE in the domain of abstract locations is also relatively
PLACE in uncommon; here is an example of how an abstract point is conceived of as a location on or
metaphorical
domains. at rather
rather than in:
ÌŒ≈ ◊ƒ∂π« ¥∂≈◊á¤≈ ◊∑≈«É ⁄¡»œ∏ÅÃœ∑ÿ Àœ∑ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ ¥∂Ä◊ŸÕ ¥Ã≈fiÉÕ ∑◊œ≈«É œ∏√Ä,
¡ ÃÅ◊ŸÕ — ∑◊œ≈«É ∑áŒ¡: ∑¥∂Ä◊¡ — ¥∂É¤Ãœ≈, ∑ÃÅ◊¡ — ∫Ñƒπ›≈≈, ¡ µ Œ¡ ÷…◊ÉÕ
∑∏áÀ≈ ƒ◊π»
ƒ◊π» ◊∂≈Õ£Œ.
[Me-DAT suddenly above all-GEN wanted touch right shoulder-INST own father-
GEN, and left-INST — own son-GEN: on-right — past-NOM, on-left — future-
NOM, and I-NOM at live juncture-LOC two times-GEN.]
Suddlenly I wanted above all else to touch my father with my right shoulder an d my
son with my left shoulder: on the right is the past, on the left, the future, and I am at
the live juncture between the two times.
4—Words that trigger
trigger Œ¡; the 2nd locative
locat ive
The number of words associated with Œ¡ + LOC is fewer than those for ◊. Many of the
resulting phrases involve means of transportation or abilities such as speaking various lan-
guages or playing musical instruments. The words you are most likely to encounter are in
this table:
Words that can trigger Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE
‘ride in (a train/a bus, etc. )’ ‘sail on (a steamboat/a canoe, etc. )’ ‘be based on’
Å⁄ƒ…∏ÿ/Å»¡∏ÿ Œ¡ (¥É≈⁄ƒ≈/¡◊∏É∫π∑≈ ) ¥ÃÄ◊¡∏ÿ/¥Ãá∏ÿ Œ¡ ( ¥¡∂œ»Éƒ≈/ œ∑ŒÉ◊Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∑Œœ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ
œ∑ŒÉ◊Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∑Œœ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡
¥œÅ⁄ƒÀ¡ Œ¡ (¥É≈⁄ƒ≈/¡◊∏É∫π∑≈ ) ‘trip fi≈ÃŒÅ )
by (train/bus, etc. )’ ‘affect, have impact on’
‘speak ( Russian/English,
Russian/English, etc. )’ œ∏∂¡÷Ä∏ÿ∑µ/œ∏∂¡⁄Ç∏ÿ∑µ
œ∏∂¡÷Ä∏ÿ∑µ/œ∏∂¡⁄Ç∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡
‘play (the piano/f
piano/flute/
lute/guit ar , etc. )’
guitar «œ◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ/∑À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ Œ¡ ( ∂Ñ∑∑ ∂Ñ ∑∑ÀœÕ
ÀœÕ / œ∏∂¡÷ÅŒ…≈ Œ¡ ‘affect, impact on’
…«∂Ä∏ÿ Œ¡ ( ∂œÖÃ≈/∆ÃÅ™∏≈/«…∏
∂œÖÃ≈/∆ÃÅ™∏≈/«…∏Ä∂≈ Ä∂≈ ) ¡Œ«ÃÇ™∑ÀœÕ µ⁄ŸÀÅ )
…«∂Ä Œ¡ ( ∂œÖÃ ≈/∆ÃÅ™∏≈/ «…∏Ä ∂≈ )
≈/∆ÃÅ ™∏≈/«…∏Ä «œ◊œ∂Ö›…™ Œ¡ ( ∂Ñ ∑∑ Àœ Õ/ ‘concentrate on’
‘playing (the piano/flute/g
piano/flute/guitar etc. )’
uitar , etc. ¡Œ«ÃÇ™∑ÀœÕ µ⁄ŸÀÅ ) ∑œ∑∂≈ƒœ∏Éfi…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/
‘speaker of ( Russian/English,
Russian/English, etc. )’ ∑œ∑∂≈ƒœ∏Éfi…∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡
‘go (ice-skating/boating,
ice-skating/boating, etc. )’
À¡∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡ (ÀœŒÿÀÄ»/ÃÉƒÀ≈ ) ‘get married to (when man takes a ‘go ( skiing/sailing,
skiing/sailing, etc. )’
À¡∏ÄŒ…≈ Œ¡ (ÀœŒÿÀÄ»/ÃÉƒÀ≈ ) ‘going wife )’ »œƒÇ∏ÿ Œ¡ (Ãá÷¡»/¥¡∂π∑Ä» )
(ice-skating/boating,
ice-skating/boating, etc. )’ ÷≈ŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡ »œƒÿ∫Ä Œ¡ (Ãá÷¡»/¥¡∂π∑Ä» ) ‘going
÷≈ŒÇ∏ÿ∫¡ Œ¡ ‘marriage to (when ( skiing/sailing,
skiing/sailing, etc. )’
‘fly in ( a plane, etc. )’ man takes a wife )’
Ã≈∏Ä∏ÿ/Ã≈∏Å∏ÿ Œ¡ (∑¡ÕœÃ£∏≈ ) ‘economize on, save on’
¥œÃ£∏ Œ¡ ( ∑¡ÕœÃ£∏≈ ) ‘flight in ( a ‘insist on’ ‹ÀœŒÉÕ…∏ÿ/∑‹ÀœŒÉÕ…∏ÿ
‹ÀœŒÉÕ…∏ÿ/∑‹ÀœŒÉÕ…∏ÿ Œ¡
plane, etc. )’ Œ¡∑∏Ä…◊¡∏ÿ/Œ¡∑∏œÖ∏ÿ
Œ¡∑∏Ä…◊¡∏ÿ/Œ¡∑∏œÖ∏ÿ Œ¡ ‹ÀœŒÉÕ…µ Œ¡ ‘economizing on’
Œ¡∑∏Ä…◊¡Œ…≈ Œ¡ ‘insistence on’
Here are a couple of sentences to demonstrate these phrases in action:
ë∑Ã… ◊ Ò¥ÉŒ…… ¥∂œ…⁄œ™ƒ£∏ ∑ÕÅŒ¡ ¥∂…œ∂…∏Å∏œ◊, Œ≈ œ∏∂¡⁄Ç∏∑µ Ã… Ü∏œ

œ∏∂…√Ä∏≈ÃÿŒœ Œ¡ œ∏Œœ¤ÅŒ…µ» ÕÅ÷ƒπ ÕÅ÷ƒπ ŒÄ¤…Õ… ∑∏∂ÄŒ¡Õ…?
[If in Japan-LOC happens change-NOM priorities-GEN, not affect whether this-
NOM negatively on relations-LOC between our countries-LOC?]
If there is a change in priorities in Japan, won’t this have a negative impact on
relations between our countries?
ÚÉƒ∑∏◊≈ŒŒ…À… ¥œ«Ç∫¤≈«œ Œ¡∑∏Ä…◊¡Ã… Œ¡ ∏œÕ , fi∏œ œŒ ∫ŸÃ ⁄¡∫Ç∏ À¡ÕŒÖÕ….

[Relatives-NOM deceased-GEN insisted on that-LOC, that he-NOM was killed-
NOM stones-INST
stones -INST.].]
The relatives of the deceased insisted that he had been stoned to death.
Some idiomatic phrases also employ Œ¡ + LOC; a representative sample of these phrases is Œ¡ + LOC: a
in the following table: place in idimatic
phrases.
Œ¡ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE in idiomatic expressions
‘(be) outside ’ ‘(be) worn around one’s neck ’ ‘(happen) the other day ’
(∫á∏ÿ) Œ¡ ƒ◊œ∂Å (∫á∏ÿ) Œ¡ ¤Å≈ (∑ÃπfiÇ∏ÿ∑µ) Œ¡ ƒŒµ»
‘(be) on pension, retired ’ ‘actually ’

(∫á∏ÿ) Œ¡ ¥ÅŒ∑…… Œ¡ ∑ÄÕœÕ ƒÅÃ≈
Words that can A few words can combine with either Œ¡ or ◊ + LOC, such as ∑¥≈√…¡Ã…⁄Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡/◊
trigger Œ¡ or ‘specialize in’ and ∑»œƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ/∑œ™∏Ç∑ÿ Œ¡/◊ ‘agree on’, both of which are illustrated with Œ¡
◊ + LOCATIVE:
A PLACE.
in the two examples below:
í«œ∂ÿ ∑¥≈√…¡Ã…⁄Ç∂π≈∏∑µ Œ¡ ƒÅ∏∑Àœ™ ◊Å∂»Œ≈™ œƒÅ÷ƒ≈ .

[Igor-NOM specializes on children’s outer wear-LOC.]
Igor specializes in children’ wear .
children’ s outer wear
Û»Éƒ…Õ∑µ Œ¡ ∏œÕ , fi∏œ ∫∂âÀ… «ÃÄ÷π µ, ¡ œŒ fi…∏Ä≈∏ ÕŒ≈ ◊∑Ãπ».

[Come-together on that-LOC, that pants-ACC iron I-NOM, and he-NOM reads me-
DAT out-loud.]
We agree that I’m to iron the pants and he’s to read to me out loud.
The second Like ◊, Œ¡ can appear with the so-called second locative ending in stressed -Ñ/-â to expres s
locative ending - locations in various domains and in the idiom Œ¡ »œƒÑ [on
[on gait-LOC] ‘while on the move ’.
Ñ/-â with Œ¡ +
LOCATIVE: A
Here are some examples:
PLACE.
ÌÇ¤¡ ◊œ¥ÇÃ ¥Å∑Œ¿ ¥∂œ ¤…ÀÄ∂ŒŸ™ «É∂œƒ ïÃ∏π Œ¡ â÷ŒœÕ ∫≈∂≈«Ñ .
[Misha-NOM wailed song-ACC about splendid town Yalta-ACC
Yalta-ACC on southern coast-
LOC.]
Misha wailed a song about the splendid town of Yalta on the southern coast .
Ï£∏fi…À œ«ÃµƒÅÃ∑µ ¥œ ∑∏œ∂œŒÄÕ, À¡À ∫Ÿ Õá∑Ã≈ŒŒœ ¥∂œ›Äµ∑ÿ ∑œ ◊∑ÅÕ, ∑ ¥ÉÃ≈Õ,

∑ ¥∂œ∑∏áÕ ƒ≈∂≈◊ÖŒŒŸÕ ∑∂Ñ∫œÕ Œ¡ À∂¡â ¥ÉÃµ. ¥ÉÃµ.
[Pilot-NOM looked-around along sides-DAT, as if mentally saying-farewell with
everything-INST, with field-INST, with simple wooden cabin-INST on edge-LOC
field-GEN.]
The pilot looked about from side to side, as if mentally saying farewell to every-
thing, the field, the simple wooden cabin at the edge of the field.
ÌÄÃÿfi…À π∑Ä÷…◊¡≈∏∑µ Œ¡ ¥œÃÑ ∑ ∑ ÀÑ∫…À¡Õ….

[Boy-NOM seats-self on floor-LOC with blocks-INST.]
The boy seats himself on the floor with the blocks.
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 5—¥∂… ‘by

‘ by,, at’
The sense of association that allows us to use Œ¡ to describe a dog on a chain is the ¥∂… + LOCATIVE:
central idea of the preposition ¥∂… ‘at’, and this idea of association gets extended to space, A PLACE means
‘by, at’ in the
time, and metaphorical domains. In the domain of space, the meaning of ¥∂… is usually best domain of space.
translated as ‘by’ or ‘at’, as in the following example:
˜ ß∂¿∑∑ÅÃ≈ œ∏À∂Ÿ◊Ä≈∏∑µ ¥œ∑∏œÖŒŒœ≈ ¥∂≈ƒ∑∏¡◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏œ Úœ∑∑Ç… ¥∂… Ó·ÙÔ .

[In Brussels-LOC opens permanent representation-NOM Russia-GEN at NATO-
LOC.]
Permanent representation for Russia is being established at NATO
NATO in
in Brussels.
If an item is permanently connected to another item, then ¥∂… can have a meaning closer to ¥∂… + LOCATIVE:
‘with’, ‘given’, or ‘having’, as in this example, where ¥ÅfiÀ¡ refers to the traditional Russian A PLACE means
‘with, having’.
stove that serves as a furnace and is attached to an exterior wall:
‰œ ÕœÇ» ¤≈∑∏ŒÄƒ√¡∏… Ã≈∏ ÕŸ ÷ÇÃ… ◊ ¥œÃπ∫¡∂ÄÀ≈ Œ¡ ∑◊Äµ», ◊ «ŒÑ∑Œœ™

ÀœÕÕπŒÄÃÀ≈, ◊ œƒŒÉ™ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏≈ ◊∏∂œ£Õ, ¥∂… ¥ÅfiÀ≈ , Œœ ∫≈⁄ ◊ÄŒŒŸ … «œ∂Öfi≈™
◊œƒá.
[To my sixteen years-GEN we-NOM lived in semi-barrack-LOC on piles-LOC, in
disgusting communal-apartment-LOC, in one room-LOC three-together, at stove-
LOC, but without bathtub-GEN and hot water-GEN.]
Until I was sixteen we lived in a semi-barrack built on pilings, in a disgu sting com-
munal apartment, all three of us in one room, with a stove , but without a bathtub or
hot water.
This use of ¥∂… is most commonly encountered in the phrase ¥∂… ∑≈∫Å [with
[with self-LOC],
which you can use to say whether you have a given thing with you at the present moment.
A condition is something that can be attached to an

a n item in metaphoric space, as in this ¥∂… + LOCATIVE:
example: A PLACE in
metaphorical
domains.
Ê≈ƒ≈∂ÄÃÿŒ¡µ À¡⁄ŒÄ ◊Ÿƒ≈ÃÖ≈∏ ∂¡∫É∏Œ…À¡Õ ¥œÃœ◊ÇŒπ ƒÅŒ≈« ◊ ∆É∂Õ≈
∫¿ƒ÷Å∏Œœ™ ∑∑ÑƒŸ, ¥∂… π∑ÃÉ◊……
π∑ÃÉ◊ …… , Å∑Ã… ∂≈«…œŒÄÃÿŒ¡µ À¡⁄ŒÄ ◊Ÿ¥ÃÄfi…◊¡≈∏
ƒ∂π«Ñ¿ ¥œÃœ◊ÇŒπ.
[Federal treasury-NOM allots workers-DAT half-ACC money-GEN in form-LOC
budgetary grant-GEN, at condition-LOC, if regional treasury-NOM pays-off other
half-ACC.]
The federal treasury allots half of the money to the workers in the form of a budget-
budge t-
ary loan, on the condition that the regional treasury pays off the other half.
Here is another example of the ‘with/given’ meaning of ¥∂… in a metaphoric domain:
ı∑∏¡Œœ◊Ç∏ÿ ÀœŒ∏ÄÀ∏ ∑ ƒ∂π«ÇÕ… Õ…∂ÄÕ… ¥∂… ŒáŒ≈¤Œ≈Õ œ∏Œœ¤ÅŒ…… À

Àœ∑ÕœŒÄ◊∏…À≈ Œ≈ πƒÄ∑∏∑µ.
[Establish contact-ACC with other worlds-INST at current attitude-LOC to space-

exploration-DAT
exploration-DAT not succeed.]
We won’t succeed in establishing contact
conta ct with other worlds given the current attitude
toward space exploration.
¥∂… + LOCATIVE: By far the most common use of ¥∂… is, however, in the domain of time, where this preposi-
A PLACE means tion temporally connects two items, giving us to understand that they are simultaneous. In
‘at, while, when’
in the domain of the first two examples below, we see that English ‘at’ can serve the same purpose as ¥∂…,
time. but often this preposition is translated with words such as ‘while’ or ‘when’, as in our third
example:
∂… ∑ÃÉ◊≈ ±Éfi≈Œÿ≤,
±Éfi≈Œÿ≤, ÕœÇ «Ã¡⁄Ä Œ¡¥ÉÃŒ…Ã…∑ÿ Œ≈¥∂œÃÇ◊¤…Õ…∑µ ∑Ã≈⁄ÄÕ….
[At word-LOC “very” my eyes-NOM filled unshed tears-INST.]
At the word “very”, my eyes filled with unshed tears.
Ò œ∏◊≈fiÄ¿ … ¥∂… Ü∏œÕ …›Ñ …›Ñ ◊ ≈£ «Ã¡⁄Ä» ◊∏œ∂É™ ∑Õá∑Ã.

[I-NOM respond and at this-LOC search in her eyes-LOC other meaning-ACC.]
I respond and at the same time search for some other meaning in her eyes.
Ûœ∫…∂Ä≈Õ∑µ ¥≈∂≈∂≈«…∑∏∂Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ∏≈Ã≈∆ÉŒ ¥∂… Œ¡∑ÃÅƒœ◊¡Œ…… À◊¡∂∏Ç∂Ÿ. À◊¡∂∏Ç∂Ÿ.

[Intend re-register telephone-ACC at inheritance-LOC apartment-GEN.]
We intend to change the registration
reg istration of the telephone when we inherit the apartment.
¥∂… + LOCATIVE: ∂… participates in two important idiomatic expressions:

express ions: ¥∂… fi£Õ [at
[at what-LOC] ‘why ’ and
A PLACE in Œ≈ ¥∂… fi£Õ [not
[not at what-LOC] ‘irrelevant ’.
idiomatic
phrases.
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 6—œ ‘about’
œ + LOCATIVE: A The primary domain of the preposition œ ‘about’ is topics for oral and written communi-
PLACE means cation and thought. As we see in the four examples
ex amples below, this preposition introduces items
‘about’ in the
domain of topics that we hear, talk, write, and think about:
of conversation
or thought. Ó≈ƒÅÃ¿ Œ¡⁄Äƒ µ ∑Ãá¤¡Ã¡ ¥œ ∂Äƒ…œ ¥≈∂≈ƒÄfiπ œ ∑fiÄ∑∏ÿ≈ .
[Week-ACC ago I-NOM heard along radio-DAT program-ACC about happiness-
LOC.]
A week ago I heard a radio program about happiness .
ê∑µ ∂¡∑∑ÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡≈∏ œ Û≈∂£÷≈ ¥≈fiÄÃÿŒŸ≈,

¥≈fiÄÃÿŒŸ≈, ∏∂É«¡∏≈ÃÿŒŸ≈ …∑∏É∂…….
[Asya-NOM tells about Seryozha-LOC sad, touching stories-ACC.]
Asya tells sad, touching stories about Seryozha .
— ˜œ∏, — π∑Õ≈»Ä≈∏∑µ œŒ, — Œ¡¥…∑ÄÃ ∂œÕÄŒ œ ∂¡∫Éfi≈Õ ÀÃÄ∑∑≈ , À¡À ◊∑≈.

[“Here,” grins he-NOM, “wrote novel-ACC about working class-LOC, like every-
one-NOM.”]
“ Here,” he grins, “I’ve written a novel about the working class , like everyone else.”
Ò ∂≈¤ÇÃ ¥œƒ¥…∑Ä∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡ «¡⁄Å∏π <<È⁄◊Å∑∏…µ>>, Œ≈ ƒÑÕ¡µ Œ… œ À¡ÀÉ™ Ãœ∏≈∂Å≈

— ¥∂É∑∏œ ¥œ∏œÕÑ fi∏œ ¥œŒ∂Ä◊…Ã¡∑ÿ «¡⁄Å∏¡.
[I-NOM decided subscribe on newspaper-ACC “Izvestia”-NOM, not thinking not
about what lottery-LOC — simply because pleased newspaper-NOM.]
I decided to subscribe to the newspaper “Izvestia” without thinking about any lot-
tery — simply because I liked the newspaper.
Like ¥∂…, œ can mean ‘with’. This use is restricted to describing how many things an item œ + LOCATIVE: A
has, and it appears only in formulaic phrases such as ∑∏œÃ œ ∏∂£» ŒÉ÷À¡» [table-NOM
[table-NOM PLACE means
‘with’ in the
about three legs-LOC] ‘a three-legged table’, ƒÉÕ…À œ ƒ◊π» ‹∏¡÷Ä» [house-NOM
[house-NOM about domain of space.
two stories-LOC] ‘a two-story house’.
LOCATIVE: A PLACE 7—¥œ ‘after’

As mentioned in the introduction to this chapter, the locative case can be used with the ¥œ + LOCATIVE: A
preposition ¥œ to mean ‘af
‘after,
ter, upon’. The combination of ¥œ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE is a histori- PLACE means
‘after, upon’ in
cal left-over in modern Russian, limited to the domains of time and of emotional longing. In the domain of
the domain of time, ¥œ + LOC tends to have a bureaucratic flavor, as in the following time.
phrases:
¥œ + LOCATIVE: A PLACE in the domain of time
‘after the deadline is passed ’ ‘after/upon arrival ’ ‘upon examination ’

¥œ …∑∏≈fiÅŒ…… ∑∂ÉÀ¡
∑∂ÉÀ¡ ¥œ ¥∂…∫á∏…… ¥œ ∂¡∑∑Õœ∏∂ÅŒ……
‘after (the end of) work’

¥œ œÀœŒfiÄŒ…… ∂¡∫É∏Ÿ
∂¡∫É∏Ÿ
In the domain of emotional longing, the locative is an alternative ending in the two phrases ¥œ + LOCATIVE : A
∑ÀπfiÄ∏ÿ ¥œ ‘miss (a person, place, thing)’ and ∏œ∑ÀÄ ¥œ ‘longing for’, which can be fol- PLACE expresses
the object of
lowed with either the dative or the locative case. emotional
longing.
The Russian Academy Grammar offers the following quote from Turgenev, demonstrating
the use of ¥œ + LOC in the domain of time:
œ ◊œ⁄◊∂¡›ÅŒ…… ◊ ◊ ƒ≈∂Å◊Œ¿ ∫π∂ÕÇ∑∏∂ ¥œ◊£Ã Œ¡∑ ¥œ∑Õœ∏∂Å∏ÿ ◊ÅµÃÀπ.

[After return-LOC to village-ACC bailiff-NOM led us-ACC look winnowing-ma-
chine-ACC.]
After his return to the village, the bailiff took us to look at the winnowing machine.
EPILOGUE
Russian views most locations as containers (with ◊) or as surfaces (with Œ¡). However,
since even in physical space many locations are not unambiguously either containers or
surfaces, Russian uses conceptual conventions to choose between these two options. Thus
any location that is understood as bounded is a potential container. Any location that is
unbounded and/or has some vertical elevation can be construed
construe d as a surface. Time is usually
understood as a container, whereas events are surfaces (at least when we attend them —
however, we can talk about their contents
co ntents with ◊). With the preposition ¥∂… we see that the
concept of physical contiguity
co ntiguity is translated into the domain of time as simultaneity. Think-
ing and talking have their own domain, with topics serving as locations for pondering and
discussing. The locative case demonstrates very clearly how agile Russian is in taking
locational concepts derived from spatial relations and implementing them in other domains.
Indeed, this is a recurrent theme all through the case system.
Appendix 153
APPENDIX
This Appendix is intended to serve as a general orientation tool for identifying the end-
ings associated with the six cases. The paradigms, along with the notes and exceptions,
should enable you to identify virtually all the case endings you are likely to encounter.
These paradigms will not, however, provide you with a comprehensive guide to other fea-
tures of Russian inflection, such as placement of stress and mobile vowels (some other
books that will give you this information are listed among our suggestions for Further Read-
ing; Levin 1978 is particularly recommended).
Russian Spelling Rules
In order to properly interpret the paradigms, you need to keep in mind the spelling rules Spelling rules for
that apply to combining consonant and vowel letters and the spelling of [j] (which sounds case endings.
like the y in yes ). Note that these are rules for spelling case endings; they are not a complete
guide to Russian spelling. Most Russian consonants can be hard or soft (and are therefore
called ±paired≤), but instead of having separate consonant
consona nt letters to show this, Russian uses
vowel letters and the soft sign, ÿ. Here is how it is done: The use of hard
and soft vowel
letters to spell
in order to spell a hard paired consonant: hard and soft
a consonant letter: is combined with a hard vowel letter: paired conso-
∫, ◊, ⁄, Ã, Õ, Œ, ¥, ∂, ∑, ∏, ∆ ¡, ‹, Ÿ, œ, π nants.
in order to spell a soft paired consonant:

a consonant letter: is combined with a soft vowel letter:
∫, ◊, ⁄, Ã, Õ, Œ, ¥, ∂, ∑, ∏, ∆ µ, ≈, …, £, ¿ or ÿ
As a rule, if the last consonant in a word is hard, it will generally stay that way throughout
its paradigm, and if it is soft it will stay soft. The only major exception will be in the LOC
singular, which is -≈ and softens the final consonant for all hard type nouns (although a few
hard masculine nouns can have a LOC singular of -π, which of course does not soften).
Note also that £ is just ≈ when it is not stressed, and both these letters stand in for œ in
position after a soft paired consonant.
Spelling rules are different for the consonants that are not paired. These consonants The use of hard
come in four types, and here are the rules that apply: and soft vowel
letters with
unpaired
the velars «, À, »: consonants.
a velar consonant letter: is combined with only the following vowel letters:
«, À, » ¡, ≈, …, œ, π
the hushers ÷, fi, ¤, ›:
a husher consonant letter: is combined with only the following vowel letters:
÷, fi, ¤, › a, ≈, …, y,
É (if stressed)/≈ (if unstressed)
154 Appendix
√:
the consonant letter: is combined with only the following vowel letters:
√ a, ≈, Ÿ, y,
É (if stressed)/≈ (if unstressed)
Spelling rules [j] (which sounds like y in yes) can be spelled in three ways:
for [j].
1) when there is no vowel following it or at the end of a word it has its own letter: ™
2) aft
after a con
consona
sonannt, the sof
soft sign
sign:: is com
combine
binedd with a soft
soft vowe
vowell let
letter:
er:
ÿ µ, ≈, …, £, ¿
3) after a vowel you simply add a soft vowel letter:

µ, ≈, …, £, ¿
Spelling rules If an ending has an œ after

a fter a hard paired consonant,
conson ant, this vowel will appear after a husher or
for œ, É, and £. √ as É if it is stressed, or as ≈ if it is not stressed. Compare
Compar e these examples of INST singular
singu lar
forms for ƒ◊œ∂ °courtyard¢, Œœ÷ °knife¢, and ÕÅ∑µ√ °month¢.
œ afte
afterr hard
hard pair
paired
ed cons
consona
onant
nt É if
if stre
stresse
ssedd after
after husher
husher or √ ≈ if unstre
unstresse
ssedd after
after husher
husher or √
ƒ◊œ∂ÉÕ Œœ÷ÉÕ ÕÅ∑µ√≈Õ
The spelling of Understanding the spelling of [j] should make it easier for you to spell endings on words
endings on that have stems ending in [j]. For example, the NOM singular and GEN singular endings
words with
stems ending in are the same for °courtyard¢: NOM singular ƒ◊œ∂, GEN singular ƒ◊œ∂Ä as they are for
[j]. °genius¢: NOM singular «ÅŒ…™, GEN singular «ÅŒ… µ ([j] is the final consonant of «ÅŒ…™,
and it is still there even when the ending is added, so the ending is actually -¡). There are
also noun stems that end in [j] after a consonant. Compare for example ∏¿∂ÿÕÄ °prison¢ (a
hard type feminine) with ∑≈ÕÿÖ °family¢ (a soft type feminine with [j] as its final conso-
nant):
NOM singular NOM plural GEN plural
∏¿∂ÿÕÄ ∏â∂ÿÕŸ ∏â∂≈Õ
∑≈ÕÿÖ ∑ÅÕÿ… ∑≈ÕÅ™
Both nouns have the same stem structure, since both stems end in two cons onants: the stem
of ∏¿∂ÿÕÄ ends in soft ∂ÿ + Õ, and the stem of ∑≈ÕÿÖ ends in soft Õÿ + [j]. And both nouns
have the same ending for the GEN plural: a zero ending (the removal of the vowel repre-
sented by ¡ or µ), which also motivates an inserted ≈ for both words. Û≈ÕÿÖ spells ™ in the
GEN plural because [j] is at the end of the word.
Declension of Nouns
The genders and Nouns come in three genders: feminine, masculine, and neuter. For each gender we will
stem types of list the endings for both a stem ending in a hard paired consonant (±hard≤ type) and for a
nouns.
stem ending in a soft paired consonant (±soft≤ type).
type) . Using the spelling rules above, you can
determine which ending (hard type or soft type) you will need for the unpaired consonants.
Although all of the information you really need is in the paradigms and the special notes
attached to them, there are a couple of global issues that are worth mentioning at the outset:
animacy and the formation of the GEN plural.
Appendix 155
All animate nouns (nouns referring to living beings of the animal kingdom, including
ourselves) substitute the GEN plural form for the ACC plural. Masculine animate nouns The role of
make this substitution in the singular as well, using the GEN singular form for the ACC animacy in the
declension of
singular. This is mentioned in the paradigms (except in the case of neuter nouns, where nouns.
animacy is rare), but here are some concrete examples for good measure. Note that for
inanimates the ACC forms are the same as the NOM forms, but for animates the ACC forms
are the same as the GEN forms:
feminine masculine neuter

inanimate animate inanimate animate inanimate animate
°room¢ °actress¢ °courtyard¢ °actor¢ °cemetery¢ °monster¢
NOMsg ÀÉÕŒ¡∏¡ ¡À∏∂Ç∑¡ ƒ◊œ∂ ¡À∏£∂ ÀÃÄƒ∫…›≈ fiπƒÉ◊…›≈
NOMpl ÀÉÕŒ¡∏Ÿ ¡À∏∂Ç∑Ÿ ƒ◊œ∂á ¡À∏£∂Ÿ ÀÃÄƒ∫…›¡ fiπƒÉ◊…›¡
ACCpl ÀÉÕŒ¡∏Ÿ ¡À∏∂Ç∑ ƒ◊œ∂á ¡À∏£∂œ◊ ÀÃÄƒ∫…›¡ fiπƒÉ◊…›
GENpl ÀÉÕŒ¡∏ ¡À∏∂Ç∑ ƒ◊œ∂É◊ ¡À∏£∂œ◊ ÀÃÄƒ∫…› fiπƒÉ◊…›
For masculine nouns, note also animacy in the singular:

NOMsg ƒ◊œ∂ ¡À∏£∂
ACCsg ƒ◊œ∂ ¡À∏£∂¡
GENsg ƒ◊œ∂Ä ¡À∏£∂¡
The GEN plural has three endings: zero (the removal of a final vowel), -œ◊/-≈◊ (spelling Rules for the
rules apply), and -≈™. With very few exceptions, the choice of GEN plural ending can be distribution of
the three genitive
decided by looking at the NOM singular form: plural endings:
zero, -œ◊/-≈◊ ,
zero and -≈™ .
If the NOM singular ends in a vowel, remove that vowel to get a zero ending. There are ex-
amples of this GEN plural ending for feminine and neuter nouns in the table directly above.
Be sure to use ÿ or ™ to spell a soft paired consonant or [j] left at the end: NOM singular
Œ≈ƒÅÃµ °week¢ gives GEN plural Œ≈ƒÅÃÿ; NOM singular ∆¡ÕÇÃ…µ °last name¢ gives GEN
plural ∆¡ÕÇÃ…™.
-œ◊/-≈◊
If the NOM singular ends in a hard paired consonant (∫, ◊, ⁄, Ã, Õ, Œ, ¥, ∂, ∑, ∏, ∆), a velar («,
À, »), √, or ™, spell -œ◊/-≈◊. This gives us not only the GEN plural ƒ◊œ∂É◊ above, but also the
GEN plural ŒÅÕ√≈◊ °Germans¢ from NOM singular ŒÅÕ≈√ and GEN plural ∑Ãœ£◊ °layers¢
from NOM singular ∑Ãœ™.
-≈™
If the NOM singular ends in a soft paired consonant (in other words ∫, ◊, ⁄, Ã, Õ, Œ, ¥, ∂, ∑, ∏,
∆ + ÿ) or a husher (÷, fi, ¤, ›), the ending is -≈™. For example: NOM singular ¡◊∏œÕœ∫ÇÃÿ
°automobile¢ has GEN plural ¡◊∏œÕœ∫ÇÃ≈™ and NOM singular Œœ÷ °knife¢ ha s GEN plural
Œœ÷Å™.
156 Appendix
Feminine Declension Nouns

hard type: °room¢ soft type: °week¢ -ÿ: °talent¢
singular plural singular plural singular plural
NOM ÀÉÕŒ¡∏¡ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏Ÿ Œ≈ƒÅÃµ Œ≈ƒÅÃ… ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏ÿ ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏…
INST ÀÉÕŒ¡∏œ™ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏¡Õ… Œ≈ƒÅÃ≈™ Œ≈ƒÅÃµÕ… ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏ÿ¿ ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏µÕ…
ACC ÀÉÕŒ¡∏π ÀÉÕŒ¡∏Ÿ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ Œ≈ƒÅÃ… ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏ÿ ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏…
= GEN if = GEN if
animate animate
DAT ÀÉÕŒ¡∏≈ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏¡Õ Œ≈ƒÅÃ≈ Œ≈ƒÅÃµÕ ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏… ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏µÕ
-…µ > -……
GEN ÀÉÕŒ¡∏Ÿ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏ Œ≈ƒÅÃ… Œ≈ƒÅÃÿ ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏… ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏≈™
LOC ÀÉÕŒ¡∏≈ ÀÉÕŒ¡∏¡» Œ≈ƒÅÃ≈ Œ≈ƒÅÃµ» ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏… ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏µ»
-…µ > -……
Notes on the The INST singular of hard type and soft type nouns has a variant (archaic/poetic) end-
feminine ing -œ¿ /-≈¿. Soft type nouns ending in -…µ use -…… in both the DAT
DAT singular and the LOC
declension
endings. singular, so …∑∏É∂…µ °history¢ has the form …∑∏É∂…… for both. It is not uncommon for soft
type feminine nouns ending in -Œµ to harden their final consonant in the GEN plural form:
NOM singular ¥Å∑Œµ °song¢ has GEN plural ¥Å∑≈Œ.
Not all feminine declension nouns are feminine. There are many nouns o f both the hard
and soft type that refer to male human beings, such as ƒÅƒπ¤À
ƒÅƒπ ¤À¡ °grandfather¢, ƒÖƒµ °uncle¢,
and nicknames like ÎÉ∑∏µ from ÎœŒ∑∏¡Œ∏ÇŒ or Á∂Ç¤¡ from Á∂…«É∂…™. Although these
nouns and names decline as animate feminine declension nouns, any adjective that agrees
with them uses masculine endings, which gives us ∑∏Ä∂ Ÿ™ ƒÅƒπ¤À¡ °old grandfather¢.
There is also one masculine noun which follows the feminine type in - ÿ, ¥π∏ÿ °way¢; it
asserts its masculinity only in the INST singular, which is ¥π∏ £Õ.
Exceptions:
1) ÌÄ∏ÿ °mother¢ and ƒÉfiÿ °daughter¢ follow the declension of ∑¥œ∑É∫Œœ∑∏ÿ, but add -≈∂-
before all endings: INST singular ÕÄ∏≈∂ÿ¿ /ƒÉfi≈∂ÿ¿, DAT/GEN/LOC
DAT/GEN/LOC singular anda nd NOM
plural ÕÄ∏≈∂… /ƒÉfi≈∂…, etc. For the word ‘daughter’, the INST plural has two variants:
ƒœfi≈∂ÖÕ… /ƒœfi≈∂ÿÕÇ.
2) ÏÉ¤¡ƒÿ °horse¢ has the exceptional INST plural Ãœ¤¡ƒÿÕÇ alongside the expected
Ãœ¤¡ƒÖÕ….
3) Some soft type nouns and
a nd some nouns with stem in husher + ¡ have a GEN plural in - ≈™
instead of zero: ◊œ÷÷Ä °rein¢ has GEN plural ◊œ÷÷Å™, ∏£∏µ °aunt¢ has GEN plural ∏£∏≈™,
and the same goes for ƒÖƒµ °uncle¢ with GEN plural ƒÖƒ≈™.
Masculine Declension Nouns
hard type: °courtyard¢ soft type: °nail¢
singular plural singular plural
NOM ƒ◊œ∂ ƒ◊œ∂á «◊œ⁄ƒÿ «◊É⁄ƒ…
INST ƒ◊œ∂ÉÕ ƒ◊œ∂ÄÕ… «◊œ⁄ƒ£Õ «◊œ⁄ƒÖÕ…
ACC ƒ◊œ∂ ƒ◊œ∂á «◊œ⁄ƒÿ «◊É⁄ƒ…
= GEN if = GEN if = GEN if = GEN if
animate animate animate animate
DAT ƒ◊œ∂Ñ ƒ◊œ∂ÄÕ «◊œ⁄ƒâ «◊œ⁄ƒÖÕ
GEN ƒ◊œ∂Ä ƒ◊œ∂É◊ «◊œ⁄ƒÖ «◊œ⁄ƒÅ™
LOC ƒ◊œ∂Å ƒ◊œ∂Ä» «◊œ⁄ƒÅ «◊œ⁄ƒÖ»
Appendix 157
Some masculine declension nouns can also have the ending -π /-¿ in the GEN singular Notes on the
and/or LOC singular, for example fiÄ¿ °(some) tea¢ and ◊ ∑Œ≈«Ñ °in the snow¢. This is dis- masculine
declension
cussed in the chapters on the genitive and locative cases. There are also many masculine endings.
declension nouns that use the ending -Ä /-Ö for the NOM plural: NOM singular ƒœÕ °house¢
has NOM plural ƒœÕÄ, and NOM singular πfiÇ∏≈Ãÿ has NOM plural πfi…∏≈Ã Ö. Inanimates
use this ending for the ACC plural as well, so we have ACC plural ƒœÕ Ä.
Exceptions:
1) Some words have a hard type declension
decle nsion in the singular, but a soft type declension through-
out the plural, adding a [j] (spelled ÿ + soft vowel letter) to the stem. Compare the NOM
singular and plural forms in these examples:
NOM singular NOM plural
°man¢ Õπ÷ Õπ÷ÿÖ
°chair¢ ∑∏πÃ ∑∏ÑÃÿµ
°brother¢ ∫∂¡∏ ∫∂Ä∏ÿµ
°son¢ ∑ŸŒ ∑ŸŒœ◊ÿÖ
°friend¢ ƒ∂π« ƒ∂π⁄ÿÖ
There are a few nouns that can have both a hard

h ard and soft plural of this type, depending upon
their meaning: ⁄π∫ °tooth¢ usually has the NOM plural ⁄Ñ∫Ÿ, but if it refers to the teeth on a
cogged wheel, its NOM plural is ⁄Ñ∫ÿµ.
2) A rarer case of a hard type singular and a soft type plural is represented by fi£∂∏ °devil¢
and ∑œ∑Åƒ °neighbor¢, which have the NOM plural forms fiÅ∂∏… and ∑œ∑Åƒ… and follow the
soft type declension throughout the plural.
3) Some nouns have a singular stem in -…Œ, but form their plural by removing -…Œ. All of
these nouns refer to human beings,
be ings, and most of them name members of a nationality. In the
plural they continue to follow the hard type declension, but they can have a variety of NOM
plural endings. By far the most common NOM plural ending is -≈, but note variants also:

°Englishman¢ ¡Œ«Ã…fiÄŒ…Œ ¡Œ«Ã…fiÄŒ≈
°Bulgarian¢ ∫œÃ«Ä∂…Œ ∫œÃ«Ä∂Ÿ
°master¢ »œ⁄Ö…Œ »œ⁄Ö≈◊¡
All of these nouns have a zero ending in the GEN-ACC plural: ¡Œ«Ã…fiÄŒ, ∫œÃ«Ä∂, »œ⁄Ö≈◊.
4) There are a number of nouns referring to the young of animals that have a singular stem
ending in -œŒœÀ/-£ŒœÀ which follows the masculine hard type declension, but a plural stem
ending -¡∏/-µ∏ which follows the neuter hard type declension. For example, NOM singular
Àœ∏£ŒœÀ °kitten¢ has the NOM plural Àœ∏Ö∏ ¡, with an animate GEN-ACC plural of Àœ∏Ö∏.
Ú≈∫£ŒœÀ °child¢ has two plurals: one is the expected NOM plural ∂≈∫Ö∏ ¡ which however
means °fellows¢, whereas °children¢ is expressed by the NOM plural ƒÅ∏… (which follows
the soft type declension and has the unusual INST plural ƒ≈∏ÿÕÇ).
158 Appendix
5) One very common noun has a completely different stem in the plural than in the singular:
singular :
fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ °person¢ (hard type masculine throughout the singular), with the NOM plural Ãâƒ…
‘people’ (soft stem masculine throughout the plural, but note that the GEN plural with nu-
merals is usually fi≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ instead of Ã¿ƒÅ™).
6) A few nouns have a zero ending in the GEN plural, which is therefore the same as the
NOM singular: ∑œÃƒÄ∏ °soldier¢, ∑¡¥É« °boot¢, «Ã¡⁄ °eye¢.
7) The GEN plural of «Éƒ °year¢ is usually ÃÅ∏; «œƒ É◊ is possible only when referring to a
special set of years: ÕÉƒ¡ ƒ≈◊µŒÉ∑∏Ÿ» «œƒÉ◊ °fashion of the nineties¢.
Neuter Declension Nouns

hard type: °body¢ soft type: °schedule¢
singular plural singular plural
NOM ∏ÅÃœ ∏≈ÃÄ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…≈ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µ
INST ∏ÅÃœÕ ∏≈ÃÄÕ… ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…≈Õ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µÕ…
ACC ∏ÅÃœ ∏≈ÃÄÕ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…≈ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µ
DAT ∏ÅÃπ ∏≈ÃÄÕ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…¿ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µÕ
GEN ∏ÅÃ¡ ∏≈Ã ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µ ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…™
LOC ∏ÅÃ≈ ∏≈ÃÄ» ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…… ∂¡∑¥…∑ÄŒ…µ»
Notes on the The vast majority of soft type neuter nouns end in -…≈; for those that do not, the LOC
neuter declen- singular ending is -≈, so NOM singular and LOC singular look alike for ÕÉ∂ ≈ °sea¢.
sion endings.
Exceptions
1) A few common neuter nouns do not follow the usual
usu al rules for the GEN plural. ÌÉ∂≈ °sea¢
and ¥ÉÃ≈ °field¢ have GEN plural forms Õœ∂Å™ and ¥œÃÅ™. ÃÄ∏ÿ≈ °dress¢ and É∫Ã¡Àœ
°cloud¢ have GEN plural forms ¥ÃÄ∏ÿ≈◊ and œ∫Ã¡ÀÉ◊.
2) There are ten neuter nouns that end in -Õµ: ∫∂ÅÕµ °burden¢, ◊∂ÅÕµ °time¢, ◊áÕµ °udder¢,
⁄ŒÄÕµ °banner¢, ÇÕµ °name’, ¥ÃÄÕµ °flame¢, ¥ÃÅÕµ °tribe¢, ∑ÅÕµ °seed¢, ∑∏∂ÅÕµ °stirrup¢,
∏ÅÕµ °crown (of head)¢.
head)¢ . All of them decline like ◊∂ÅÕµ, with the additon of -≈Œ to the stem;
the only exceptions are the GEN plural forms for ∑ÅÕµ and ∑∏∂ÅÕµ, which are ∑≈ÕÖŒ and
∑∏∂≈ÕÖŒ.
singular plural
NOM ◊∂ÅÕµ ◊∂≈Õ≈ŒÄ
INST ◊∂ÅÕ≈Œ≈Õ ◊∂≈Õ≈ŒÄÕ…
ACC ◊∂ÅÕµ ◊∂≈Õ≈ŒÄ
DAT ◊∂ÅÕ≈Œ… ◊∂≈Õ≈ŒÄÕ
GEN ◊∂ÅÕ≈Œ… ◊∂≈Õ£Œ
LOC ◊∂ÅÕ≈Œ… ◊∂≈Õ≈ŒÄ»
3) ˛Ñƒœ °miracle¢ and ŒÅ∫œ °heaven¢ both add -≈∑ to their stems throughout the plural,
giving NOM plural fiπƒ≈∑ Ä and Œ≈∫≈∑Ä. ÙÅÃœ can use the alternate plural ∏≈Ã≈∑Ä in the
special meaning °heavenly bodies¢.
Appendix 159
4) A few nouns have a soft stem ending in [j] in the plural; the most common is ƒÅ∂≈◊
ƒ Å∂≈◊œ °tree¢
(with the expected hard type neuter declension throughout the singular), which has NOM
plural ƒ≈∂Å◊ÿµ. All such nouns have the unexpected GEN plural -≈◊.
5) A few nouns, most referring

r eferring to paired parts of the body, have an unexpected
u nexpected NOM plural
in -…:

°knee¢ ÀœÃÅŒœ ÀœÃÅŒ…
°shoulder¢ ¥Ã≈fiÉ ¥ÃÅfi…
°ear¢ Ñ»œ Ñ¤…
°apple¢ Ö∫ÃœÀœ Ö∫ÃœÀ…
There are also some borrowed nouns of all genders that do not decline at all, for ex- Indeclinable
ample ∑œ¥∂ÄŒœ °soprano¢ (feminine in reference to a singer, but neuter in reference to a nouns.
musical part), and À≈Œ«π∂Ñ °kangaroo¢ (masculine).
Adjectives
Adjectives, like nouns, come in hard and soft types, and they match their gender, num-
ber, and case to the noun they modify.
hard type: ‘first’
NOM ¥Å∂◊¡µ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ™ ¥Å∂◊œ≈ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ≈
-É™ if stressed
INST ¥Å∂◊œ™ ¥Å∂◊ŸÕ ¥Å∂◊ŸÕ ¥Å∂◊ŸÕ…
ACC ¥Å∂◊π¿ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ™ ¥Å∂◊œ≈ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ≈
= GEN if = GEN if
animate animate
DAT ¥Å∂◊œ™ ¥Å∂◊œÕπ ¥Å∂◊œÕπ ¥Å∂◊ŸÕ
GEN ¥Å∂◊œ™ ¥Å∂◊œ«œ ¥Å∂◊œ«œ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ»
LOC ¥Å∂◊œ™ ¥Å∂◊œÕ ¥Å∂◊œÕ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ»
soft type: ‘last’
NOM ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒµµ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈≈ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…≈
INST ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…Õ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…Õ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…Õ…
ACC ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ¿¿ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈≈ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…≈
= GEN if = GEN if
animate animate
DAT ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈Õπ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈Õπ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…Õ
GEN ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈«œ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈«œ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…»
LOC ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈™ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈Õ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈Õ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…»
Both hard and soft type adjectives have variant (archaic/poetic)
(archa ic/poetic) endings -œ¿ /-≈¿ for the Notes on
feminine INST singular. There are short adjectives, but these appear only in the nominative adjectival
endings.
case (NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY), for example µ «œ∏É◊¡, œŒ «œ∏É◊, ÕŸ ◊∑≈ «œ∏É◊Ÿ °I am
ready, he is ready, we are all ready¢. In addition, there are some soft type adjectives that
have short endings in the NOM and ACC; these are possessive adjectives like ◊ÉÃfi…™
°wolf¢s¢ and the ordinal numeral ∏∂Å∏…™ °third¢. These adjectives have the following NOM
and ACC endings (their endings for other cases
case s contain ÿ followed by the soft type endings
listed above, giving ∏∂Å∏ÿ≈™, ∏∂Å∏ÿ≈«œ, etc.):
160 Appendix

NOM ∏∂Å∏ÿµ ∏∂Å∏…™ ∏∂Å∏ÿ≈ ∏∂Å∏ÿ…
ACC ∏∂Å∏ÿ¿ ∏∂Å∏…™ ∏∂Å∏ÿ≈ ∏∂Å∏ÿ…
∏∂Å∏ÿ≈«œ ∏∂Å∏ÿ…»
if animate if animate
Pronouns
°I¢ °we¢ °you¢ informal °you¢

NOM µ ÕŸ ∏Ÿ ◊Ÿ
INST ÕŒÉ™ ŒÄÕ… ∏œ∫É™ ◊ÄÕ…
ACC Õ≈ŒÖ Œ¡∑ ∏≈∫Ö ◊¡∑
DAT
DAT ÕŒ≈ Œ¡Õ ∏≈∫Å ◊¡Õ
GEN Õ≈ŒÖ Œ¡∑ ∏≈∫Ö ◊¡∑
LOC ÕŒ≈ Œ¡∑ ∏≈∫Å ◊¡∑

NOM œŒÄ œŒ œŒÉ œŒÇ
INST (Œ)≈™ (Œ)…Õ (Œ)…Õ (Œ)ÇÕ…
ACC (Œ)≈£ (Œ)≈«É (Œ)≈«É (Œ)…»
DAT
DAT (Œ)≈™ (Œ)≈ÕÑ (Œ)≈ÕÑ (Œ)…Õ
GEN (Œ)≈£ (Œ)≈«É (Œ)≈«É (Œ)…»
LOC Œ≈™ Œ£Õ Œ£Õ Œ…»

NOM À∏œ fi∏œ
INST À≈Õ fi≈Õ ∑œ∫É™
ACC Àœ«É fi∏œ ∑≈∫Ö
DAT
DAT ÀœÕÑ fi≈ÕÑ ∑≈∫Å
GEN Àœ«É fi≈«É ∑≈∫Ö
LOC ÀœÕ fi£Õ ∑≈∫Å
‘this’
NOM Ü∏¡ Ü∏œ∏ Ü∏œ Ü∏…
INST Ü∏œ™ Ü∏…Õ Ü∏…Õ Ü∏…Õ…
ACC Ü∏π Ü∏œ∏ Ü∏œ Ü∏…
Ü∏œ«œ Ü∏…»
DAT Ü∏œ™ Ü∏œÕπ Ü∏œÕπ Ü∏…Õ
GEN Ü∏œ™ Ü∏œ«œ Ü∏œ«œ Ü∏…»
LOC Ü∏œ™ Ü∏œÕ Ü∏œÕ Ü∏…»
‘all, every’
NOM ◊∑µ ◊≈∑ÿ ◊∑£ ◊∑≈
INST ◊∑≈™ ◊∑≈Õ ◊∑≈Õ ◊∑ÅÕ…
ACC ◊∑¿ ◊≈∑ÿ ◊∑£ ◊∑≈
◊∑≈«É ◊∑≈»
DAT ◊∑≈™ ◊∑≈ÕÑ ◊∑≈ÕÑ ◊∑≈Õ
GEN ◊∑≈™ ◊∑≈«É ◊∑≈«É ◊∑≈»
LOC ◊∑≈™ ◊∑£Õ ◊∑£Õ ◊∑≈»
Appendix 161
Note the variant (archaic/poetic) INST forms ÕŒÉ¿, ∏œ∫É¿, (Œ)Å¿, ∑œ∫É¿, and femi-
nine Ü∏œ¿, ◊∑Å¿. Û¡Õ °by oneself¢ looks exactly like Ü∏œ∏ except that it does not add -œ∏ in
the masculine NOM singular. Ùœ∏ °that¢ looks just like Ü∏ œ∏ except that (like ◊≈∑ ÿ) it uses Notes on
pronouns.
the vowel ≈ everywhere that Ü∏œ∏ uses … (so the plural is ∏≈, ∏ÅÕ…, etc.).
Possessives
‘my’
NOM ÕœÖ Õœ™ Õœ£ ÕœÇ
INST ÕœÅ™ ÕœÇÕ ÕœÇÕ ÕœÇÕ…
ACC Õœâ Õœ™ Õœ£ ÕœÇ
Õœ≈«É ÕœÇ»
DAT ÕœÅ™ Õœ≈ÕÑ Õœ≈ÕÑ ÕœÇÕ
GEN ÕœÅ™ Õœ≈«É Õœ≈«É ÕœÇ»
LOC ÕœÅ™ Õœ£Õ Õœ£Õ ÕœÇ»
‘our’
NOM ŒÄ¤¡ Œ¡¤ ŒÄ¤≈ ŒÄ¤…
INST ŒÄ¤≈™ ŒÄ¤…Õ ŒÄ¤…Õ ŒÄ¤…Õ…
ACC ŒÄ¤π Œ¡¤ ŒÄ¤≈ ŒÄ¤…
ŒÄ¤≈«œ ŒÄ¤…»
DAT ŒÄ¤≈™ ŒÄ¤≈Õπ ŒÄ¤≈Õπ ŒÄ¤…Õ
GEN ŒÄ¤≈™ ŒÄ¤≈«œ ŒÄ¤≈«œ ŒÄ¤…»
LOC ŒÄ¤≈™ ŒÄ¤≈Õ ŒÄ¤≈Õ ŒÄ¤…»
Ù◊œ™ °your (informal)¢, and ∑◊œ™ °one¢s own¢ look just like Õœ™. ˜¡¤ °your¢ looks just Notes on
like Œ¡¤. And of course ≈£ °her¢, ≈«É °his¢, and …» °their¢ do not decline. Aside from the possessives.
NOM singular masculine form (which has the vowel ≈ instead of …), fi≈™ °whose¢ looks just
like ∏∂Å∏…™ (for example, feminine forms are fiÿµ, fiÿ≈™, fiÿ¿, etc.). As with adjectives, the
feminine INST singular of possessives has a variant ending -≈¿.
Numerals
‘one’
NOM œƒŒÄ œƒÇŒ œƒŒÉ œƒŒÇ
INST œƒŒÉ™ œƒŒÇÕ œƒŒÇÕ œƒŒÇÕ…
ACC œƒŒÑ œƒÇŒ œƒŒÉ œƒŒÇ
œƒŒœ«É œƒŒÇ»
DAT œƒŒÉ™ œƒŒœÕÑ œƒŒœÕÑ œƒŒÇÕ
GEN œƒŒÉ™ œƒŒœ«É œƒŒÉ™ œƒŒÇ»
LOC œƒŒÉ™ œƒŒÉÕ œƒŒÉÕ œƒŒÇ»
162 Appendix
°two¢ °three¢ °four¢ °five¢

NOM ƒ◊≈ (f
(feminine) ∏∂… fi≈∏á∂≈ ¥µ∏ÿ
ƒ◊¡ (masc/neut)
INST ƒ◊πÕÖ ∏∂≈ÕÖ fi≈∏Ÿ∂ÿÕÖ ¥µ∏ÿâ
ACC ƒ◊≈ / ƒ◊¡ ∏∂… fi≈∏á∂≈ ¥µ∏ÿ
ƒ◊π» ∏∂£» fi≈∏Ÿ∂£»
if animate if animate if animate
DAT ƒ◊πÕ ∏∂£Õ fi≈∏Ÿ∂£Õ ¥µ∏Ç
GEN ƒ◊π» ∏∂£» fi≈∏Ÿ∂£» ¥µ∏Ç
LOC ƒ◊π» ∏∂£» fi≈∏Ÿ∂£» ¥µ∏Ç
Notes on Note the feminine INST variant œƒŒÉ¿. ì∫¡ °both¢ has the following forms for mascu-
mascu -
numerals line and neuter: INST œ∫É…Õ…, ACC É∫¡, DAT œ∫É…Õ, GEN œ∫É…», LOC œ∫É…». The
feminine forms are the same, but the vowel e is substituted for ¡, giving É∫≈, œ∫Å…Õ…, etc.
When the numbers É∫¡/É∫≈, ƒ◊¡/ƒ◊≈, ∏∂…, and fi≈∏á∂≈ (also called the “paucal numerals”)
are used in the NOM or ACC cases, the adjectives and nouns they modify appear with a
variety of endings. Adjectives use an ending that looks like the GEN plural (the only ac-
ceptable ending when the noun is masculine or neuter) or the NOM/ACC plural (preferred
when the noun is feminine). Nouns use an ending that looks like the GEN singular, but
sometimes has a unique stress (for example, in the phrase ƒ◊¡ fi¡∑Ä ‘two hours’, fi¡∑Ä has no
equivalent anywhere in the paradigm for fi¡∑ ‘hour’; the GEN singular is fiÄ∑¡). This book
will follow the convention of treating the entire paucal numeral + adjective + noun phrase
as NOM when the numeral is NOM, and ACC when the numeral is ACC, thus:
ı Õ≈ŒÖ ∏∂… À∂¡∑Ç◊Ÿ» ∫∂Ä∏¡ … … ƒ◊≈ À∂¡∑Ç◊Ÿ≈/À∂¡∑Ç◊Ÿ» ∑≈∑∏∂á .

[By me-GEN three handsome brothers-NOM and two beautiful sisters-NOM.]
I have three handsome brothers and two beautiful sisters .
Ò ÷ƒ¡ÃÄ fi≈∏á∂≈ ƒÉÃ«…» fi¡∑Ä … … fi≈∏á∂≈ ƒÉÃ«…≈/ƒÉÃ«…» Õ…ŒÑ∏Ÿ .

[I-NOM waited four long hours-ACC and four long minutes-ACC.]
I waited four long hours and four long minutes .
Collective numerals have one form for

f or the NOM and (inanimate) ACC, such as ƒ◊É≈ °two-
some¢, ∏∂É≈ °threesome¢, fiÅ∏◊≈∂œ °foursome¢, ¥Ö∏≈∂œ °fivesome¢, etc., and form all other
cases with adjectival endings, giving for example the INST forms: ƒ◊œÇÕ…, ∏∂œÇÕ…,
fi≈∏◊≈∂áÕ…, ¥µ∏≈∂áÕ…, etc. ÛÀÉÃÿÀœ °how many¢ behaves like the collectives (INST:
∑ÀÉÃÿÀ…Õ…). ÛÉ∂œÀ °forty¢, ƒ≈◊µŒÉ∑∏œ °ninety¢, ∑∏œ °hundred¢ all have the ending -¡ in the
INST, DAT, GEN, and LOC forms. For numerals from °two hundred¢ to °nine hundred¢,
however, ∑∏œ is declined like any hard type neuter noun, with the exception that °two hun-
dred¢ is ƒ◊Å∑∏…. Ùá∑µfi¡ °thousand¢, Õ…ÃÃ…ÉŒ °million¢, and Õ…ÃÃ…Ä∂ƒ °billion¢ are all
declined just like ordinary nouns.
Prepositions
Notes on Most prepositions that end in a consonant (∫≈⁄ ‘without’, …⁄ ‘from’, Œ¡ƒ ‘above’, œ∫
prepositions . ‘about, against’, œ∏ ‘from’, ¥Å∂≈ƒ ‘before’, ¥œƒ ‘under’) or consist only of a consonant (◊
Appendix 163
‘to’, À ‘to’, ∑ ‘with, from, approximately’) will frequently add the vowel -œ (creating ∫≈⁄œ,
…⁄œ, Œ¡ƒœ, œ∫œ, œ∏œ, ¥Å∂≈ƒœ, ¥œƒœ, ◊œ, Àœ, ∑œ) preceding certain consonant clusters, in
particular:
ÕŒ- (primarily in forms of ÕŒÉ«œ/ÕŒÉ«…≈
ÕŒÉ«œ/ÕŒÉ«…≈ ‘many’ and the pronoun µ ‘I’): ◊œ ÕŒÉ«œÕ
‘in many ways’, Àœ ÕŒ≈ ‘to me’, ¥Å∂≈ƒœ ÕŒœ™ ‘before me’
◊∑- (primarily in forms of ◊≈∑ÿ ‘all’): …⁄œ ◊∑≈» ∑…Ã ‘with all one’s might’, Àœ ◊∑≈Õ
‘to everyone’.
The addition of -œ to prepositions is also common when the consonant cluster of the next
word begins with the same (or similar) consonant as the one at the end of the preposition: ◊œ
◊∏É∂Œ…À ‘on Tuesday’, ∑œ ∑∏œÃÄ ‘from the table’, ∑œ ⁄ÃÉ∑∏… ‘out of spite’, ∑œ ›ÄÕ… ‘with
cabbage soup’, ∑œ ∑fi£∏¡ ‘from the bill’. Less predictable
p redictable is the insertion of -œ before words
with other consonant clusters, such as ◊œ ∂∏π ‘in one’s mouth’, Àœ ƒŒπ ‘to the bottom’, œ∫œ
fi∏œ ‘against what’, ¥œƒœ ÃÿƒœÕ ‘under the ice’.
The preposition œ ‘against, about’ always adds -∫ (becoming œ∫) before words beginning in
a vowel (¡, ‹, …, œ, π), and frequently adds the -∫ even before consonants when used with
the accusative case to indicate ‘against’, as in É∫ ∑∏≈ŒÀπ ‘against the wall’. Regardless of
the case used, œ∫ will further add -œ (becoming œ∫œ) before most declined forms (contain-
ing ÕŒ- and ◊∑-) of µ and ◊≈∑ÿ: œ∫œ ÕŒ≈ ‘about me’, œ∫œ ◊∑£Õ ‘about everything’.
Names
Russian first names and patronymics decline like nouns, but surnames follow a
variety of patterns, depending upon their stem shape. There are five types of surnames: 1)
Russian surnames ending in -ŸŒ, -…Œ, -œ◊, -£◊, or -≈◊; 2) Russian and foreign surnames
ending in a consonant; 3) Surnames ending in unstressed -a or-µ; 4) Russian surnames
with adjectival stems ending in -Ÿ™, -…™, or -É™; 5) Russian surnames ending in -Ÿ», -
…», -¡«œ, -µ«œ, -œ◊œ, Ukrainian surnames ending in -Àœ, -≈ŒÀœ, and all foreign surnames
ending in a vowel (other than -a).
1) Russian surnames ending in -ŸŒ, -…Œ, -œ◊, -£◊, or -≈◊ follow a mixed declension Notes on names.
containing both nominal and pronominal endings.
feminine singular masculine singular plural

NOM Ñ¤À…Œ¡ Ñ¤À…Œ Ñ¤À…ŒŸ
INST Ñ¤À…Œœ™ Ñ¤À…Œ ŸÕ Ñ¤À…Œ ŸÕ…
ACC Ñ¤À…Œπ Ñ¤À…Œ ¡ Ñ¤À…Œ Ÿ»
DAT Ñ¤À…Œœ™ Ñ¤À…Œ π Ñ¤À…Œ ŸÕ
GEN Ñ¤À…Œœ™ Ñ¤À…Œ ¡ Ñ¤À…Œ Ÿ»
LOC Ñ¤À…Œœ™ Ñ¤À…Œ ≈ Ñ¤À…Œ Ÿ»
2) Russian and foreign surnames ending in a consonant are declined like masculine nouns
when they refer to a male person, but are indeclinable when they refer to a female person.
Compare: Ò Ã¿∫Ãâ ‰ÇÀ ¡ ÏÉŒ«¡ ‘I love Dick Long’ vs. Ò Ã¿∫Ãâ ÛÄ∂π ÏœŒ« ‘I love
Sara Long’.
164 Appendix
3) Surnames ending in unstressed -a or-µ are declined like feminine nouns regardless of
whether they refer to a man or woman: Ò Ã¿∫Ãâ ßπÃÄ∏¡ /Ì¡∂Ç¿ ÔÀπƒ÷Ä◊π ‘I love
Bulat/Maria Okudzhava’.
4) Russian surnames with adjectival stems ending in -Ÿ™, -…™, or -É™ are declined like
adjectives and agree in gender and number with the person or persons that they refer to:
Ò Ã¿∫Ãâ ·Œƒ∂Åµ ßÅÃœ«œ /ÌÄ¿ Ã≈∑Å√Àπ¿ ‘I love Andrej Belyj/Maja Plesetskaja’.
5) Russian surnames ending in -Ÿ», -…», -¡«œ, -µ«œ, -œ◊œ, Ukrainian surnames ending in -
Àœ, -≈ŒÀœ, and all foreign surnames ending in a vowel (other than -a) are indeclinable
(although there is some tendency to decline the Ukrainian surnames ending in -Àœ, -≈ŒÀœ
like Russian surnames ending in unstressed -a, cf. 3 above): Ò Ã¿∫Ãâ ‰ÉÀ∏œ∂ ¡
ˆ…◊Ä«œ/˚≈◊fiÅŒÀœ (˚≈◊fiÅŒÀ π).
English
English Index 289
age with dative, 98

English Index agent, 64
agent with no subject and instrumental, 35
[All numbers refer to page numbers in the text. Page passive agent with instrumental, 33-35
numbers followed by T refer to items appearing in tables.] animacy and case, 154-155
apathy with dative, 99
A appearance and manifestation with dative, 89-90T
appearing as metaphorical extension of giving the self
abstract paths with instrumental, 21 with dative, 90
accusative case appositive
accusative:a destination, 53, 54-69 names and titles following generic categories with
accusative:a dimension, 53, 69-77 nominative, 15
accusative:an endpoint, 53, 77-80, 79T X=Y reduced to X, Y with nominative, 15
basic meaning, network, overview, 53 appreciation with instrumental, 32
case endings, 52T approach with genitive, 122, 122T
comparison, 69, 73-74 approximation with genitive, 130
cost, 73 as a group with instrumental, 29
direct object, 54, 64-66 attention, getting attention with nominative, 9
direct object, direct object with no subject in nomina- avoidance with genitive, 118T
tive, 65-67
distance and duration, 69-72
expressing a number of units, 72-73 B
expressions of purpose, 54, 67-69 be , 11-15, 36-40, 37-38T
intervals of space, 77 adjectives with ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’, 13
intervals of time in future or past, 77 fixed X=Y expressions, 14
joining a group, 57,
57, 141-142 nominative, short adjectives with ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’, 13
metaphorical motion, 55-56, 58 nominative, subject of ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’ meaning ‘have’, 12
motion, 54, 55 nominative, subject of ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’, 11
size and capacity, 69, 72-73 nominative, the Y in an X=Y sentence, 12
specific vs. non-specific objects, 124, 124T Russian ‘have’ construction, 12
summary of accusative uses, 80-81 become , 36-40, 37-38T
time expressions ‘ago’, ‘before’, 79T beneficiaries and victims with dative, 101
time expressions ‘in’, ‘after’, ‘later’, 79T benefit with dative, 91-93, 91-92T
time expressions, 62-64 benefit/harm with dative, 91-95
various activities, 69, 74-77 by what means with instrumental, 28
verbs with accusative or genitive, 123-124, 124T
accusative prepositions
overview of accusative prepositions, 54T C
relationship between ◊ and Œ¡, 58 calling with nominative, 9
“◊-words” and “Œ¡-words”, 144-145, 145T case endings
◊ ‘in, into, to; during’ +ACC, 54-57, 71, 74, 78 accusative, 52
⁄¡ ‘beyond, behind, to the far/back side of; during, in dative, 82
the course of; away’ +ACC, 59-60, 68, 71-72, 78 general appendix, 153-163
Œa ‘to, on, onto; for, lasting’ +ACC, 58-59, 71 genitive, 110T
œ ‘against, with’ +ACC, 61, 73 genitive in -π/-¿, 130
¥œ ‘up to; after, to get; through; for what amount’ genitive plural endings, 155
+ACC, 61, 72-73 instrumental, 18T
¥œƒ ‘under; toward; for use as; like’ +ACC, 62, 74 locative, 138T
¥∂œ ‘about; for’ +ACC, 54T, 75-76 locative in -Ñ/-â with ◊ ‘in’ and Œ¡ ‘on, at’, 143-144,
∑ ‘approximately’ +ACC, 74 148
∑À◊œ⁄ÿ ‘through’ +ACC, 54T, 75 nominative, 8T
fiÅ∂≈⁄ ‘across, after, every other’ +ACC, 78 category something belongs to with instrumental, 36-38
actions facilitated by instruments with instrumental 26 chaining with genitive, 111, 127
active color with genitive, 126
relationship between passive and active, 34 communication
acts of God with instrumental, 36 general communication with dative, 87, 87-88T
adjectives other signals with dative, 88T
declension of, 159 talking with dative 87-88T
short adjectives with ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’, 13 comparison
adverbs accusative expressing number of units, 73
and instrumental, 28
290 Index
with accusative, 69, 73-74 obligation/desire, 91, 99-101

with genitive, 132, 136-137 person affected by an event, 101
expression of ‘is like’ with instrumental, 38 personification of non-human destinations with À ‘to,
conduit toward’, 105
instrumental as conduit for an activity, 20ff. possession of body parts, 97
overview of conduit meanings with instrumental, 20 possession/need, 95-98
control seeming and appearing as metaphorical extensions of
person or object under control with instrumental, 30 giving the self, 90
cost with accusative, 73 special association with human beings, 83
creation with dative, 86 submission to a greater force, 103
submission, 103T
suit, become , 93
D summary of uses, 109
dates with genitive, 132 victims and beneficiaries, 101
dative case, dative prepositions
age, 98 ∫Ã¡«œƒ¡∂Ö ‘thanks to’ +DAT,
+DAT, 87T,
87T, 88
apathy, 99 À ‘to, toward, for’ +DAT, 104-107
appearance and manifestation, 89-90T ¥œ ‘along, according to; due to’ +DAT, 107-108
basic meaning, network, overview, 83 desire
benefit, 91-93, 91-92T with dative, 91, 99-101
benefit/harm, 91-95 with genitive, 122, 122T
case endings, 82 destinations
changes in well-being, 99 comparison of prepositions with accusative and dative,
communication, 87, 87-88T 104
communication, other signals, 88T destinations with accusative, 54-72
communication, talking, 87-88T destinations with À ‘to, toward’, 104-105
dative:a competitor, 101-109 dictionary citations in nominative, 9
dative:an experiencer, 91-101 difficulty/ease with dative, 91, 99-101
dative:a receiver, 84-91 direct object, 54, 64-66
dative item as potential subject, 101-104 direct object with no subject, 65-67
dative item exceeds the nominative subject in the specific vs. non-specific objects with accusative and
force it exerts, 102 genitive 124, 124T
dative item indicates an equal participant with distance and duration with accusative, 69-72
nominative subject, 102
desire, 99
ease/difficulty, 91, 99-101 E
emotion, 98 ease/difficulty with dative, 91, 99-101
environmental conditions, 98 emotion
equal or matching forces, 102T with dative, 98
experiencer constructions, 101 with instrumental, 33T
external forces, 91, 98-99 enjoyment with instrumental, 33T
feeling like or having to do something, 100T environmental conditions with dative, 98
giving in the absence of a verb ‘give’, 86 exchange with instrumental, 32T
giving money or gifts, 89, 89T experiencer constructions with dative, 101
giving signals, 87 external forces with dative, 91, 98-99
giving the self, 89
giving with dative, 84, 85T
harm, 93-95, 93-94T F
having and needing, 95-98, 95-96T fear with genitive, 118T
in context of creation, 86 feeling like doing something with dative, 100T
in context of metaphorical transfer, 86 feminine declension nouns, 155-156
in context of transfer, 86 filling with instrumental, 32T
indifference, 99 from , comparison of prepositions with genitive, 113
indirect object as subject for further action, 84 further readings, 164-165
indirect object without direct object, 84, 87
indirect object, 84
like, be pleasing , 92-93 G
metaphorical extensions of giving, 84-87 gender, 154
modal meanings, 99-101 generic ‘they’, 66
not having any options with Œ≈- + interrogative
pronouns, 97-98
English
English Index 291
genitive case …⁄-⁄¡ ‘from beyond, because of’ +GEN, 114-115

approximation with numerals, 130 …⁄-¥œƒ ‘from beneath’ +GEN, 115
basic meaning, network, overview, 112 À∂ÉÕ≈ ‘besides, except, aside from’ +GEN, 133T
case endings, 110T Õ…Õœ ‘by, past’ +GEN, 133T
chaining, 111, 127 Œ¡À¡ŒÑŒ≈ ‘on the eve of’ +GEN, 133T
color, 126 Œ¡¥œƒÉ∫…≈ ‘in the likeness of’ +GEN, 133T
comparison of ‘from’ prepositions, 113 Œ¡¥∂É∏…◊ ‘opposite’ +GEN, 133T
comparison, 136-137 Œ¡∑fi£∏ ‘on the matter of’ +GEN, 133T
dates, 132 Œ≈ ƒœ +GEN with dative ‘isn’t interested/doesn’t want’,
diverting attention to another item, 112 99, 120
events, 126-127 ÉÀœÃœ ‘around; approximately’ +GEN, 133T
fear and avoidance, 118T œ∏ ‘from’ +GEN, 112, 115-117
genitive:a goal, 118-124 ¥ÉƒÃ≈ ‘beside’ +GEN, 133T
genitive:a reference, 132-137 ¥œ⁄¡ƒÇ ‘behind’ +GEN, 133T
genitive:a source, 112-118 ¥É∑Ã≈ ‘after’ +GEN, 133T
genitive:a whole, 125-131 ¥œÕÇÕœ ‘aside from’ +GEN, 133T
genitive of negation, 135 ¥œ¥≈∂£À ‘across’ +GEN, 133T
‘get’, ‘approach’, ‘desire’, 122, 122T ¥œ∑∂≈ƒÇ ‘in the middle of’ +GEN, 128
in -π/-¿, 130 ¥∂Å÷ƒ≈ ‘before’ +GEN, 133T
in idiomatic expressions, 127 ¥∂É∏…◊ ‘against, opposite’ +GEN, 121-122
lack and comparison, 132 ∂Äƒ… ‘for the sake of ’ +GEN, 121
lack, 135-136, 136T ∑ ‘from’ +GEN, 112, 116, 119
membership in category, 126 ∑◊≈∂» ‘over, above’ +GEN, 133T
numerals, 125, 129-130 ∑∂≈ƒÇ ‘among’ +GEN, 128
of , s
’s , 125-131 π ‘at, by, near’ +GEN, 117, 134-135, 133T
partitive genitive, 130 get with genitive, 122, 122T
parts and wholes, 125 giving
possession, 125-126 giving money or gifts with dative 89, 89T
prepositions with genitive, 133T giving the self with dative, 89
quantifiers, 129-130 giving with dative, 84, 85T
salutations and well-wishing, 123 in the absence of a verb ‘give’ with dative, 86
some , 130 metaphorical extensions of giving with dative, 84-
specific vs. non-specific objects, 124, 124T 87
summary of uses, 137 governance and leadership with instrumental, 30T
time of day, 125
transition from ‘going to’ to ‘coming from’, 112-113
various prepositions
prepositions meaning ‘of ’, 128-129T H
verbs with genitive, 118 harm with dative, 93-95, 93-94T
verbs with accusative or genitive, 123-124, 124T have , 134
words expressing quantities, 131T π +GEN + (≈∑∏ÿ) +NOM ‘have’, 12, 31, 134
genitive prepositions …ÕÅ∏ÿ ‘have’ +ACC, 31
prepositional phrases with genitive, 128-129 with dative, 95-98, 95-96T
various prepositions with genitive, 128-129, 128-129T, having to do something with dative, 100T
132-133 how with instrumental, 28
∫≈⁄ ‘without’ +GEN, 133T
∫Ã…⁄ ‘near’ +GEN, 133T
◊∫Ã…⁄Ç ‘nearby’ +GEN, 133T I
◊◊…ƒÑ ‘in view of’ +GEN, 133T indifference with dative, 99
◊ƒœÃÿ ‘along’ +GEN, 133T indirect object with dative, 84
◊⁄¡ÕÅŒ ‘in place of’ +GEN, 133T as subject for further action, 84
◊ÕÅ∑∏œ ‘in place of’ +GEN, 133T without direct object, 84, 87
◊Œ≈ ‘outside of’ +GEN, 133T instrumental case
◊Œπ∏∂Ç ‘inside’ +GEN, 128 abstract paths, 21
◊œ⁄Ã≈ ‘near’ +GEN, 133T actions facilitated by instruments, 26
◊œÀ∂Ñ« ‘around’ +GEN, 133T acts of God, 36
◊¥≈∂≈ƒÇ ‘in front of’, 133T adverbs, 28
◊∂Éƒ≈ ‘like’ +GEN, 133T agent with no subject, 35
ƒÃµ ‘for’ +GEN, 121 basic meaning, network, overview, 19
ƒœ ‘to, up to; until, before’ +GEN, 118-120 being and becoming, 37-38T
…⁄ ‘from’ +GEN, 112, 114-115 by what means , 2828
292 Index
case endings, 18T

category something belongs to, 36-38 L
conduit for an activity, 20ff. labels
contrast between nominative and instrumental in non-permanent labels with instrumental, 36-37
X=Y sentences, 13-14, 37 with instrumental, 36-40, 40T
engagement, 41T lack with genitive, 132, 135-136, 136T
enjoyment and strong emotion, 33T leadership and governance with instrumental, 30T
exchange, 32T like, be pleasing , 92-93
expanses of time and space, 23 locative case
expressing ‘as a group’, 29 “◊-words” and “Œ¡-words”, 144-145, 145T
filling and occupying, 32T basic meaning, overview, 139
governance and leadership, 30T case endings, 138T
how , 28 categorization of common “Œ¡-words”, 145T
in places and at times, 23 known as prepositional case, 139
instrumental:an adjunct, 40-43 locative:a place, 139-151
instrumental:a landmark, 43-51 locative in -Ñ/-â with ◊ ‘in’ and Œ¡ ‘on, at’, 143-144,
instrumental:a label, 36-40 148
instrumental:a means, 20-36 summary of uses, 152
meaning ‘apply a label to an item’, 39, 40T words that can be used with both ◊ ‘in’ and Œa ‘on, at’,
meaning ‘is like’, 38 145T
metaphorical instruments, 24-26 words that trigger Œ¡ ‘on, at’ +LOC, 147-148, 147T
moving an item, 26T words that trigger ◊ ‘in’ +LOC, 142T
multiplication, 29 locative prepositions
non-permanent labels, 36-37 ◊ ‘in, at a distance of’ +LOC, 139-144
parts of the day, 22 Œ¡ ‘on, at’ +LOC, 144-149, 148T
passive agent, 33-35 œ ‘about’ +LOC, 150-151
paths through space, 20ff. ¥œ ‘after, upon’ +LOC, 151, 151T
paths through time, 22ff. ¥∂… ‘by, at; while, when; with, having’ +LOC, 149-
person or object possessed, 31 151
person or object under control, 30
physical instruments, 24, 40
positive or negative appreciation, 32 M
possession, 31T marriage,
quantities, 29 Œ¡ +LOC for men, 59, 147T
raw force, 35-36, 66 ⁄¡ +ACC for women, 59
seasons of the year, 22 masculine declension nouns, 156-157
smells and drafts, 35-36 membership in a category with genitive, 126
stationary paths, 21 modal expressions
summary of uses, 51 having to do something with dative, 100T
transition from path to instrument, 24 needing with dative, 95-98, 95-96T, 99-101
instrumental prepositions obligation, 99
⁄¡ ‘beyond, behind; following after, fetch’ +INST, ought , 99-100
45-47 should , 99-100
ÕÅ÷ƒπ ‘between, among’ +INST, 50-51 motion
Œ¡ƒ ‘above’ +INST, 47-48 comparison of prepositions, 104, 112-113
¥Å∂≈ƒ ‘in front of, before’, 43-45 metaphorical motion with accusative, 55-56, 58
¥œƒ ‘under’ +INST, 49-50 with accusative, 54, 55
∑ ‘with’ +INST, 40-43 moving items with instrumental, 26T
instruments multiplication with instrumental, 29
metaphorical instruments with the instrumental, 24-
26
physical instruments with instrumental, 24, 40 N
is like with instrumental, 38 names, declension of, 163
naming with nominative, 9
needing with dative, 95-98, 95-96T
J negation with genitive, 135
joining a group with accusative,
accusative, 57, 141-142
141-142 neuter declension nouns, 158-159
nominative case
adjectives with ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’, 13
appositives, 15
English
English Index 293
basic meaning, network, overview, 9 patient, 64

calling and getting attention, 9 person affected by an event with dative, 101
case endings, 8T possession
contrast between nominative and instrumental in X=Y body parts with dative, 97
sentences, 13-14, 37 body parts with π ‘by’, 134
dictionary citations, 9 person of object possessed with instrumental, 31
fixed X=Y expressions, 14 See also have
historical vocatives, 10 with dative, 95-98
names and titles following generic categories, 15 with genitive, 125-126
naming and calling, 9-10 with instrumental, 31T
naming function, 9 possessive pronouns, declension of, 161
nominative:an identity, 12-15 postpositions, 54, 78, 80
nominative:a name, 9-12 ¥œ«œƒÖ ‘later’ +ACC, 79T
predicate nominative, 12-13 (∏œÕÑ) Œ¡⁄Äƒ ‘ago’ +ACC, 79T, 80
rearrangement of word order, 14 predicate nominative, 12-13
‘have’ construction, 12 the Y in an X=Y sentence, 12
short adjectives with ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’, 13 prepositional case
special vocative form with -¡/-µ names, 10 See locative case
subject of sentence, 10ff. prepositions
subject of ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’, 11 overview of accusative prepositions,
prepositions, 54T
subject of ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’ meaning ‘have’, 12 relationship between ◊ and Œ¡, 58
summary of uses, 15-16 See also accusative prepositions, dative preposi-
the Y in an X=Y sentence, 12 tions, genitive prepositions, instrumental
word order, 10-11 prepositions, locative prepositions.
X=Y reduced to X, Y, 15 motion, comparison of prepositions, 112-113
not having any options, Œ≈- + interrogative pronouns with notes on prepositions, 162-163
dative, 97-98 various prepositions with genitive, 128-129, 128-
noun types, 154 129T, 132-133T
numerals and quantification pronouns
declension of, 161-162 declension of, 160
expressing a number of units with accusative, 72-73 purpose with accusative, 54, 67-69
quantities and quantifiers with genitive, 129-131, 131T
quantities with instrumental, 29
with genitive, 125, 129-130 R
words expressing quantities with genitive, 131T raw forces with instrumental,
instrumental, 35-36, 66
O S
obligation, 99 ’s, expressed by genitive, 125-131
occupying with instrumental, 32T salutations with genitive, 123
of seasons of the year with instrumental, 22
various prepositions with genitive meaning ‘of’, 128- seeming , 36
seeming
129T as metaphorical extensions
extensions of giving the self with
with genitive, 124-131 dative, 90
ought with dative, 99-100 should , 99-100
signals with dative, 87
size and capacity with accusative, 69, 72-73
P smells and drafts with instrumental, 35-36
partitive genitive, 130 some with genitive, 130
parts and wholes with genitive, 125 specific vs. non-specific objects in accusative or
parts of the day with instrumental, 22 genitive, 124, 124T
passive constructions spelling rules, 153-154
comparison of conduit and passive agent, 35 subject of sentence
passive agent in instrumental, 33-35 in nominative, 10ff.
passive participles, 33-35 generic ‘they’ expressions, 66
passive verbs with -∑µ/-∑ÿ, 33-35 submission with dative, 103, 103T
relationship between passive and active, 34 suit, become with dative, 93
paths
stationary paths with instrumental, 21
through space with instrumental, 20ff.
through time with instrumental, 22ff.
294 Index
calling and getting attention with nominative, 9

T historical vocatives, 10
tables naming and calling with nominative, 9-10
appearance and manifestation, 89-90T special vocative form with -¡/-µ names, 10
being and becoming with instrumental, 37-38T
benefit, 91-92T W
categorization of common “Œ¡-words”, 145T well-being, changes in with dative, 99
communication in dative, 87-88T well-wishing with genitive, 123
engagement in instrumental, 41T word order, 10-11, 14, 65
enjoyment and strong emotion with instrumental,
33T
equal or matching forces, 102T
exchange, 32T
fear and avoidance, 118T
feeling like or having to do something, 100T
filling and occupying with instrumental, 32T
giving money with dative, 89T
giving, 85T
governance and leadership with instrumental, 30T
harm with dative, 93-94T
having and needing, 95-96T
lacking, 136T
moving an item with instrumental, 26T
Œ¡ ‘on, at’ +LOC in domain of time, 146T
Œ¡ ‘on, at’ +LOC in idiomatic phrases, 148T
overview of prepositions with accusative, 54T
possession with instrumental, 31T
prepositions associated with genitive, 133T
submission with dative, 103T
time expressions with accusative, 79T
various prepositions
prepositions meaning ‘of ’, 128-129T
verbs with accusative or genitive, 124T
words expressing quantities, 131T
words meaning ‘apply a label to an item’ with
instrumental, 40T
words meaning ‘get’, ‘approach’, ‘desire’ with
genitive, 122T
words that can be used with both ◊ ‘in’ and Œa ‘on,
at’, 145T
words that trigger Œ¡ ‘on, at’ +LOC, 147T
words that trigger ◊ ‘in’ +LOC, 142T
¥œ ‘after, upon’ +LOC in time, 151T
time expressions
‘at times’ with instrumental, 23
expanses of time and space with instrumental, 23
intervals of time in future or past with accusative,
77
parts of the day with instrumental, 22
seasons of the year with instrumental, 22
time of day with genitive, 125
with accusative, ‘in’, ‘after’, ‘later’, ‘ago’, ‘before’,
79T
with accusative, 62-64
time of day with genitive, 125
transfer with dative, 86
V
victims and beneficiaries with dative, 101
vocative
Russian
Russian Index 295
“◊-words” and “Œ¡-words”, 144-145, 145T

Russian Index ◊ Äƒ∂≈∑ ‘directed toward’ +GEN, 128T
◊ ◊Çƒ≈ ‘in the form of’ +GEN, 128T
◊ «É∑∏…/◊ «œ∑∏Ö» ‘go on a visit/be visiting’, 57, 141-142
· ◊ «∂¡ŒÇ√¡» ‘within the bounds of’ +GEN, 128T
◊ ƒÅÃ≈ ‘in the case of ’ +GEN, 128T
¡ÀÀœÕ¥¡ŒÇ∂œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘accompaniment’ +DAT, 102T ◊ ⁄Œ¡À ‘as a mark/token of’ +GEN, 128T
¡ÀÀœÕ¥¡ŒÇ∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘accompany’ (music) +DAT, 102T ◊ ÀÄfi≈∑∏◊≈ ‘in the capacity of’ +GEN, 128T
¡¥ÃœƒÇ∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘applaud’ +DAT, 3, 88T ◊ Œ¡¥∂¡◊ÃÅŒ…… ‘in the direction of’ +GEN, 128T
◊ É∫Ã¡∑∏… ‘in the area of’ +GEN, 128T
ß ◊ œ∏◊Å∏ Œa ‘in answer to’ +ACC, 68
◊ œ∏Œœ¤ÅŒ…… ‘in the relation of, with respect to’ +GEN,
∫≈«ÉÕ ‘at a run’, 28 128T
∫≈⁄ ‘without’ +GEN, 133T ◊ ¥Å∂◊Ÿ™ ∂¡⁄ ‘the first time’, 63
∫≈∑Åƒ¡ ∑ ‘conversation’ +INST, 41T ◊ ¥ÉÃÿ⁄π ‘in favor of, on behalf of’ +GEN, 128T
∫≈∑Åƒœ◊¡∏ÿ ∑ ‘converse’ +INST, 41T ◊ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ…™ ∂¡⁄ ‘the last time’, 63
∫Ã¡«œƒ¡∂Ç∏ÿ/¥œ∫Ã¡«œƒ¡∂Ç∏ÿ ‘thank’ +ACC, 88 ◊ ¥∂≈ƒÅÃ¡» ‘within the limits/bounds of’ +GEN, 128T
∫Ã¡«œƒÄ∂ŒŸ™ ‘thankful to’ +DAT, 91T ◊ ¥∂œƒœÃ÷ÅŒ…… ‘in the course of’ +GEN, 128T
∫Ã¡«œƒ¡∂Ö ‘thanks to’
t o’ +DAT,
+DAT, 87T, 88 ◊ ∂ÄÕÀ¡» ‘within the limits/framework of’ +GEN, 128T
∫Ã¡«œ¥∂…Ö∏∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘favor’ +DAT, 91T ◊ ∂≈⁄πÃÿ∏Ä∏≈ ‘as a result of’ +GEN, 128T
∫Ã…⁄ ‘near’ +GEN, 133T ◊ ∂ÉÃ… ‘in the role of’ +GEN, 128T
ßÉ÷≈ ‘O God!’, 10 ◊ ∑ÃÑfi¡≈ ‘in case of’ +GEN, 128T
∫œÀ É ∫œÀ ‘side by side’, 61 ◊ ∑Õá∑Ã≈ ‘in the sense of, as regards’ +GEN, 128T
∫ÉÃ≈Œ ‘sick’ +INST, 32T ◊ ∑∆Å∂≈ ‘in the realm of’ +GEN, 128T
∫œÃÅ∏ÿ/⁄¡∫œÃÅ∏ÿ ‘be/get sick with’ +INST, 32T ◊ ∏≈fiÅŒ…≈ ‘in the course of’ +GEN, 128T
∫ÉÃÿ¤≈ ‘more’ +GEN, 129 ◊ π∑ÃÉ◊…µ» ‘in the conditions of’ +GEN, 128T
∫œ∂É∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘struggle, fight’ +INST, 41T ◊ fi≈∑∏ÿ ‘in honor of’ +GEN, 128T
∫œ∂ÿ∫Ä ∑ ‘struggle, fight’ +INST, 41T ◊ fi…∑ÃÅ ‘in the number of, among’ +GEN, 128T
∫œÖ∏ÿ∑µ ‘fear’ +GEN, 118T ◊∫Ã…⁄Ç ‘nearby’ +GEN, 133T
∫∂œ∑Ä∏ÿ∑µ ÀÄÕŒµÕ… ‘throw stones’, 26T ◊◊≈∂» Œœ«ÄÕ… ‘upside down’, 21
∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’, 11-15, 36-40, 37-38T ◊◊…ƒÑ ‘in view of’ +GEN, 132, 133T
adjectives with ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’, 13 ◊ƒœÃÿ ‘along’ +GEN, 133T
fixed X=Y expressions, 14 ◊≈⁄∏Ç/¥œ◊≈⁄∏Ç ‘be lucky’+DAT, 91T
nominative, short adjectives with ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’, 13 ◊≈ÃÅ∏ÿ/¥œ◊≈ÃÅ∏ÿ ‘order’ +DAT, 87T
nominative, subject of ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’ meaning ‘have’, 12 ◊Å∂¡ ◊ +ACC ‘believe/belief in’, 75
nominative, subject of ∫Ÿ∏ÿ ‘be’, 11 ◊Å∂…∏ÿ/¥œ◊Å∂…∏ÿ ‘believe’ +DAT, 83, 103T
nominative, the Y in an X=Y sentence, 12 ◊Å∂…∏ÿ ◊ +ACC ‘believe/belief in’, 75
Russian ‘have’ construction, 12 ◊Å∂Œœ∑∏ÿ ‘faithfulness, loyalty’ +DAT, 103T
◊Å∂ŒŸ™ ‘loyal’
‘ loyal’ +DAT,
+DAT, 103T
˜ ◊≈∂»œ◊Éƒ…∏ÿ ‘lead’ +INST, 30T
◊≈∂»ÉÕ ‘riding a horse’, 28
◊ ‘in, into, to; during; like; for; on, at; at the end of; by the ◊≈∑ŒÉ™ ‘in the spring’, 22
end of’ +ACC, 54-57, 54T, 63, 67, 71, 74, 78-79, ◊≈∑∏Ç ⁄Ä ∂πÀπ ‘lead by the hand’, 60
79T, 104, 112-113, 115 ◊≈∑∏Ç ∑≈∫Ö ‘behave oneself as’ +INST, 37T
‘for’ in expressions of purpose, 67 ◊Åfi≈∂œÕ ‘in the evening’, 22
‘in’ in domain of space, 78 ◊⁄¡ÕÅŒ ‘in place of’ +GEN, 133T
‘in, at; at the end of’, 54T ◊⁄Ö∏ÿ∑µ ⁄Ä ∂πÀπ ‘join hands’, 60
‘in, by the end of’ in time running forward expres- ◊Çƒ≈∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘see (each other)’ +INST, 41T
sions, 79, 79T ◊Ã¡ƒÅŒ…≈ ‘possession’ +INST, 31T
‘in, during’ with duration, 71 ◊Ã¡ƒÅ∏ÿ ‘possess’ +INST, 31T
‘in, during; like’, 54T ◊ÕÅ∑∏œ ‘in the place of’ +GEN, 133T
‘in, into; on, at; for’, 54T, 54-57 ◊Œ≈ ‘outside of’ +GEN, 133T
‘in, to, into’ with destinations, 104 ◊Œ≈ ¥∂≈ƒÅÃœ◊ ‘beyond the limits of’ +GEN, 128T
‘on, at’ in time expressions, 63 ◊Œ≈ ∂ÄÕœÀ ‘beyond the bounds/framework/conte
bounds/framework/context xt of’
of ’
‘to’, 112-113, 115 +GEN, 128T
comparisons, 74 ◊Œπ∏∂Ç ‘inside’ +GEN, 128
◊ ‘in; at a distance of’ +LOC, 139-144 ◊œ ◊∂ÅÕµ ‘in the time of, during’ +GEN, 128T
‘at a distance of’, 140 ◊œ ÇÕµ ‘in the name of’ +GEN, 128T
‘in’ in time, 141 ◊œ≈◊Ä∏ÿ ∑ ‘wage war’ +INST, 41T
‘in’ with containers, 139-40 ◊œ⁄◊∂¡›Ä∏ÿ/◊œ⁄◊∂¡∏Ç∏ÿ/◊≈∂ŒÑ∏ÿ ‘return’ +DAT, 85T
296 Index
◊œ⁄Ç∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ◊œ⁄Ç∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘romp, play’ +INST, 41T «∂Å⁄…∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂…«∂Å⁄…∏ÿ∑µ ‘appear to in a dream’ +DAT,

◊É⁄Ã≈ ‘near’ +GEN, 133T 89T
◊œ⁄Õπ›Ä∏ÿ∑µ/◊œ⁄Õπ∏Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘be indignant at’ +INST, «∂œ⁄Ç∏ÿ/¥∂…«∂œ⁄Ç∏ÿ ‘threaten’ +DAT, 87T, 93T
33T «∂π∫Ç∏ÿ/Œ¡«∂π∫Ç∏ÿ ‘be rude to’ +DAT, 93T
◊œ⁄Õπ›£Œ ‘indignant at’ +INST, 33T
◊œ⁄Õπ›ÅŒ…≈ ‘indignation at’ +INST, 33T
◊œ⁄ŒÖ ∑ ‘romp(ing), play(ing)’ +INST, 41T ‰
◊œ⁄∂¡÷Ä∏ÿ/◊œ⁄∂¡⁄Ç∏ÿ ‘oppose’ +DAT, 93T ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/ƒ¡∏ÿ ‘give’ +DAT, 84, 85T
◊œ⁄∂¡÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘objection’ +DAT, 93T ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ‘come to; allow oneself to be caught by’
◊œ™ŒÄ ∑ ‘war’ +INST, 41T +DAT, 89T
◊œÀ∂Ñ« ‘around’ +GEN, 133T ƒ¡∂ÅŒ…≈ ‘giving’ +DAT,
+DAT, 85T
◊œœ∫∂¡÷Ä∏ÿ/◊œœ∫∂¡⁄Ç∏ÿ ‘imagine (as)’ +INST, 40T ƒ¡∂Ç∏ÿ/¥œƒ¡∂Ç∏ÿ ‘give (as a gift)’ +DAT, 84, 85T
◊œ¥∂≈ÀÇ ‘in spite of, against, contrary to’ +DAT, 93T, 95 ƒ¡∏ÿ +DAT ‘give’, 83
◊œ∂Éfi¡Œ…≈ ‘controlling’ +INST, 31T ƒ◊Ç«¡∏ÿ/ƒ◊ÇŒπ∏ÿ ∂πÀÉ™/Œœ«É™ ‘move one’s hand/foot’,
◊œ∂Éfi¡∏ÿ ‘have control of’ +INST, 31T 26T
◊œ∑∏œ∂«Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘be delighted with’ +INST, 33T ƒÅÃ¡∏ÿ/∑ƒÅÃ¡∏ÿ ‘make’ +INST, 40T
◊œ∑»…›Ä∏ÿ∑µ/◊œ∑»…∏Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘be carried away by, admire’ ƒ≈ÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒ≈ÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘share’ +INST, 31, 41T
+INST, 33T ƒ≈∂÷Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘hold to’ +GEN, 122T
◊œ∑»…›ÅŒ…≈ ‘delight, admiration’ +INST, 33T ƒ≈∂⁄Ç∏ÿ/Œ¡ƒ≈∂⁄Ç∏ÿ ‘be impertinent to’ +DAT, 93T
◊¥≈∂≈ƒÇ ‘in front of’ +GEN, 133T ƒ≈∆…√Ç∏ ‘deficit’ +GEN, 136T
◊∂¡÷ƒÅ∫ŒŸ™ ‘hostile’ +DAT, 93T ƒ…◊Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘marvel at’ +DAT, 103T
◊∂≈ƒ ‘harm’
‘ harm’ +DAT,
+DAT, 93T ƒ…∂…÷Ç∂œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘conducting’ +INST, 30T
◊∂≈ƒÇ∏ÿ/¥œ◊∂≈ƒÇ∏ÿ ‘injure, harm’ +DAT, 93T ƒ…∂…÷Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘conduct (a musical group)’ +INST, 30T
◊∂ÅƒŒŸ™ ‘harmful’ +DAT, 93T ƒ…fiÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘shy away from’ +GEN, 118T
◊∂ÅÕµ/◊∂≈Õ≈ŒÄ ‘time, times’ in time expressions, 71 ƒÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘last’, 70
◊∂Éƒ≈ ‘like’ +GEN, 133T ƒÃµ ‘for’ +GEN, 121
◊∂πfiÄ∏ÿ/◊∂πfiÇ∏ÿ ‘deliver, entrust’ +DAT, 85T ƒœ ‘to, up to; until, before’ +GEN, 118-120
◊∂πfiÅŒ…≈ ‘delivery’ +DAT, 85T ƒœ ∑◊…ƒÄŒ…µ ‘goodbye’, 119
◊∑£ ∂¡◊ŒÉ ‘all equal’, 99 ƒœ ∑…» ¥œ∂, 119
˜∑≈«É ƒÉ∫∂œ«œ/ÃÑfi¤≈«œ! ‘All the best!’, 123 ƒœ ∏≈» ¥œ∂ ‘until that time’, 119
◊∑∏∂Åfi¡ ∑ ‘meeting’ +INST, 41T ƒœ ∏œ«œ ‘before that’ +ACC, 79T
◊∑∏∂≈fiÄ∏ÿ∑µ/◊∑∏∂Å∏…∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘meet’ +INST, 41T ƒŒ£Õ ‘in the afternoon’, 22
◊Ÿ∫…∂Ä∏ÿ/◊á∫∂¡∏ÿ ‘select (as)’ +INST, 40T ƒœ∫…◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/ƒœ∫Ç∏ÿ∑µ
ƒœ∫…◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/ƒœ∫Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘get, obtain’ +GEN, 122T
◊á«Ãµƒ≈∏ÿ ‘look like’ +INST, 37T ƒœ◊Å∂…≈ ‘trust’ +DAT, 103T
◊Ÿƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/◊áƒ¡∏ÿ ‘give out, issue’ +DAT, 85T ƒœ◊≈∂Ö∏ÿ(∑µ)/ ƒœ◊Å∂…∏fl(∑µ)‘trust’ +DAT, 103T
◊áƒ¡fi¡ ‘issue’
‘ issue’ +DAT,
+DAT, 85T ƒœ◊ÉÃ≈Œ ‘satisfied with’ +INST, 33T
◊áƒ◊…Œπ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ∂πÀœ◊œƒÇ∏≈Ã… ‘be promoted to ƒœ◊ÉÃÿ∑∏◊œ ‘satisfaction with’ +INST, 33T
manager’ +ACC, 57 ƒœ◊ÉÃÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/πƒœ◊ÉÃÿ∑∏
ƒœ◊ÉÃÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/πƒœ◊ÉÃÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ
◊œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ ‘be satisfied with’
◊áÀ¡Œ…≈ ‘saying ◊Ÿ to’ +DAT, 87T +INST, 33T
◊áÀ¡∏ÿ ‘say ◊Ÿ to’ +DAT, 87T ƒœ«œ◊Ä∂…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/ƒœ«œ◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ∑µ
ƒœ«œ◊Ä∂…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/ƒœ«œ◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘come to an agreement,
◊á∂¡∑∏… ‘grow up to be’ +INST, 37T make an arrangement’ +INST, 41T
◊Ÿ»œƒÇ∏ÿ/◊á™∏…
◊Ÿ»œƒÇ∏ÿ/◊á™∏… ⁄ÄÕπ÷ ⁄¡ ‘marry (for women)’ +ACC, ƒœ«œ◊É∂ ∑ ‘agreement, arrangement’ +INST, 41T
59 ƒÉÃ÷≈Œ ‘owe, be obligated to’ +DAT, 103T
ƒœ∂œ÷Ç∏ÿ ‘value’ +INST, 33T
ƒœ∑¡÷ƒÄ∏ÿ/ƒœ∑¡ƒÇ∏ÿ ‘annoy’ +DAT, 93T
Á ƒœ∑∏¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/ƒœ∑∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘go to, fall to one’s lot, be
«Œπ¤Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ«Œπ¤Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘abhor, disdain, have aversion’ inherited by’ +DAT,
+DAT, 89T
+INST/+GEN, 33T, 118T ƒœ∑∏Ä∏œÀ ‘sufficent quantity’ +GEN, 131T
«œ◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ/∑À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ ‘speak, tell’ +DAT, 87T ƒœ∑∏Ä∏œfiŒœ ‘sufficient(ly),enough’ +DAT/+GEN, 95T,
«œ◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ/∑À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ
«œ◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ/∑À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ Œ¡ (∂Ñ∑∑ÀœÕ/¡Œ«ÃÇ™∑ÀœÕ
(∂Ñ∑∑ÀœÕ/¡Œ«ÃÇ™∑ÀœÕ µ⁄ŸÀÅ) 131T
‘speak (Russian/English, etc.)’ +LOC, 147T ƒœ∑∏Ä∏œfiŒŸ™ ‘sufficient’ +DAT, 95T
«œ◊œ∂Ö›…™ Œ¡ (∂Ñ∑∑ÀœÕ/¡Œ«ÃÇ™∑ÀœÕ µ⁄ŸÀÅ) ‘speaker ƒœ∑∏…«Ä∏ÿ/ƒœ∑∏Ç«Œπ∏ÿ/ƒœ∑∏Çfiÿ
ƒœ∑∏…«Ä∏ÿ/ƒœ∑∏Ç«Œπ∏ÿ/ƒœ∑∏Çfiÿ ‘attain, reach’ +GEN,
of (Russian/English, etc.)’ +LOC, 147T 122T
«œƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘be good for’ +DAT, 91T ƒœ∑∏É™ŒŸ™ ‘worthy’ +GEN, 122T
«ÉƒŒŸ™ ‘be good for’ +DAT, 91T ƒ∂ÄÀ¡ ∑ ‘fight’ +INST, 41T
«ÉƒŸ ‘years in time expressions, 71 ƒ∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒ∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘fight’ +INST, 41T
«œ∂ƒ ‘proud of’ +INST, 33T
«œ∂ƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘be proud of’ +INST, 33T
ÁÉ∑¥œƒ… ‘O Lord!’, 10 Â
«œ∏É◊…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒ«œ∏É◊…∏ÿ∑µ À ‘prepare for’ +DAT, 106 Å⁄ƒ…∏ÿ/Å»¡∏ÿ Œ¡ (¥É≈⁄ƒ≈/¡◊∏É∫π∑≈)
(¥É≈⁄ƒ≈/¡◊∏É∫π∑≈) ‘ride in (a train/a bus,
etc.)’ +LOC, 147T
Russian
Russian Index 297
⁄¡∑ÃÑ÷…◊¡∏ÿ/⁄¡∑Ãπ÷Ç∏ÿ
⁄¡∑ÃÑ÷…◊¡∏ÿ/⁄¡∑Ãπ÷Ç∏ÿ ‘deserve, merit’ +GEN, 122T
ˆ ⁄¡∑∏¡◊Ä∏ÿ/⁄¡∑∏Ä∏ÿ ‘find (as)’ +INST, 40T
÷¡Ãÿ/÷ÄÃÀœ +GEN or +ACC ‘regret, pity’, 122 ⁄◊œŒÇ∏ÿ/¥œ⁄◊œŒÇ∏ÿ ‘call’ +DAT, 87T
÷ƒÄ∏ÿ ‘wait for’ +GEN or +ACC, 124T ⁄◊œŒÉÀ ‘call’
‘ call’ +DAT,
+DAT, 87T
÷≈ÃÄ∏ÿ/¥œ÷≈ÃÄ∏ÿ ‘desire, wish’ +GEN, 122T, 123 ⁄…ÕÉ™ ‘in the winter’, 22
÷≈ŒÇ∏ÿ∫¡ Œ¡ ‘marriage to (when man takes a wife)’ +LOC, ⁄Ãœπ¥œ∏∂≈∫ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘abuse’, +INST, 30T
147T ⁄Ãœπ¥œ∏∂≈∫ÃÖ∏ÿ/⁄Ãœπ¥œ∏∂≈∫Ç∏ÿ ‘abuse’ +INST, 30T
÷≈ŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡ ‘get married to (for men)’ +LOC, 59, 147T ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ ∑ ‘acquainted’ +INST, 41T
÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈/¥œ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡Œ
÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈/¥œ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈ …≈ ‘sacrificing/sacrifice’
‘sacrificing/sacrifice’ ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ…∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘become acquainted’
+INST, 32T +INST, 41T
÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ
÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘sacrifice, give up; donate’ ⁄Œ¡ÀÉÕ∑∏◊œ ∑ ‘acquaintance’ +INST, 41T
+INST/+DA
+INST/+D AT, 32T, 89T ⁄ŒÄfi…∏ÿ∑µ ‘appear, be mentioned as’ +INST, 37T
÷Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘live’ +DAT,
+DAT, 101 ⁄Œœ∫Ç∏ÿ ‘have the chills’ +ACC, 66
˙ È
⁄¡ ‘beyond, behind, to the far/back side of; for; during, in …«∂Ä Œ¡ (∂œÖÃ≈/∆ÃÅ™∏≈/«…∏Ä∂≈) ‘playing (the piano/
the course of; in, by the end of; away; grabbing, flute/guitar, etc.)’ +LOC, 147T
holding; in support of; more than’ +ACC, 54T, …«∂Ä∏ÿ Œ¡ (∂œÖÃ≈/∆ÃÅ™∏≈/«…∏Ä∂≈) ‘play (the piano/
59-60, 68-69, 71-72, 78-79, 79T flute/guitar, etc.)’ +LOC, 147T
‘away’ +ACC in domain of space, 78 …«∂Ä∏ÿ ◊ +ACC ‘play’ with various activities, 75
‘away; by the end of’ +ACC, 54T …«∂Ä∏ÿ ◊ ÀÉ¤À…-Õá¤À… ‘play cat-and-mouse’, 57
‘behind; for’ +ACC, 54T …ƒ≈Œ∏ÇfiŒœ∑∏ÿ ‘indenticalness’ +DAT, 102T
‘beyond, behind’ +ACC, 59-60 …ƒ≈Œ∏ÇfiŒŸ™ ‘identical’ +DAT, 102T
‘during’ +ACC, 54T …ƒ∏Ç ‘suit,
‘ suit, become’
bec ome’ +DAT,
+DAT, 91T, 93
‘during, in the course of’ +ACC with duration, 71-72 …⁄ ‘from’ +GEN, 112-113, 113-115
‘for’ +ACC in expressions of purpose, 68-69 …⁄-⁄¡ ‘from beyond, because of’ +GEN, 114-115
‘for’ +ACC with exchange, 69 …⁄-¥œƒ ‘from beneath’ +GEN, 115
‘grabbing, holding’ +ACC, 60 …⁄∫≈«Ä∏ÿ/…⁄∫≈÷Ä∏ÿ ‘avoid’ +GEN, 118T
‘in support of’ +ACC, 68 …⁄∫…∂Ä∏ÿ/…⁄∫∂Ä∏ÿ ‘elect (as)’ +INST, 40T
‘in, by the end of’ +ACC in time running forward …⁄◊Å∑∏Œœ ‘known to’ +DAT, 95T
expressions, 79, 79T …⁄◊Å∑∏ŒŸ™ ‘known to’ +DAT, +DAT, 90T, 95T
‘more than’ +ACC, 60 …⁄ÕÅŒ¡ ‘betrayal’
‘ betrayal’ +DAT,
+DAT, 93T
⁄¡ ‘beyond, behind; following after, fetch’ +INST, 43, 45-47 …⁄Õ≈ŒÖ∏ÿ/…⁄Õ≈ŒÇ∏ÿ ‘cheat on, betray’ +DAT, 93T, 94
‘fetch’ +INST, 47 …⁄œ∫∂¡÷Ä∏ÿ/…⁄œ∫∂¡⁄Ç∏ÿ ‘depict, portray, represent (as)’
‘following after’ +INST, 46 +INST, 40T
⁄¡ ‘what kind of’ +NOM, 14 …⁄œÕÉ∂∆Œœ∑∏ÿ ‘isomorphism’ +DAT, 102T
⁄¡ +ACC...ƒœ ∏œ«É/¥Å∂≈ƒ ∏≈Õ ‘before that’, 79 …⁄œÕÉ∂∆ŒŸ™ ‘isomorphic’ +DAT, 102T
⁄¡ «∂¡ŒÇ√π ‘abroad’, 60 …⁄œ›∂ÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘refinement in’ +LOC, 142T
⁄¡ œ∫ÅƒœÕ ‘during lunch, at lunch’, 46 …⁄œ›∂Ö∏ÿ∑µ/…⁄œ›∂Ç∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘excel in’ +LOC, 142T
⁄¡ ∂πÃ£Õ ‘behind the (steering) wheel’, 46 …ÕÅ∏ÿ ‘have’ +ACC, 31
⁄¡ ∑∏œÃÉÕ ‘at the table’, 46 …Õ¥œŒÇ∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘impress’ +DAT, 90T
⁄¡ ∑fi£∏ ‘at the expense of’ +GEN, 128T …Œ∏≈∂≈∑œ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘be interested’ +INST, 33T
⁄¡◊Åƒœ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘managing, management’ +INST, 30T …∑ÀÄ∏ÿ ‘seek’ +GEN or +ACC, 124T
⁄¡◊Åƒœ◊¡∏ÿ ‘manage’ +INST, 30T …∑¥ÉÃŒ≈ŒŒŸ™ ‘full’ +GEN, 131T
⁄¡◊Åƒπ¿›…™ ‘manager’ +INST, 30T …∑¥œÃŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ/…∑¥ÉÃŒ…∏
…∑¥œÃŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ/…∑¥ÉÃŒ…∏ÿ∑µ ÿ∑µ ‘be filled with’ +INST/
⁄¡◊≈∂ÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘assurance of’ +LOC, 142T +GEN, 32T, 131T
⁄¡◊≈∂Ö∏ÿ/⁄¡◊Å∂…∏ÿ
⁄¡◊≈∂Ö∏ÿ/⁄¡◊Å∂…∏ÿ ◊ ‘assure of’ +LOC, 142T …∑»œƒÇ∏ÿ …⁄ ‘proceed from’, 114
⁄¡◊≈›Ä∏ÿ ‘bequeath’ +DAT,
+DAT, 85T
⁄¡◊Çƒœ◊¡∏ÿ ‘envy’ +DAT,
+DAT, 93T
⁄¡◊Ç∑≈∏ÿ œ∏ ‘depend on’ +GEN, 117 Î
⁄¡◊Ç∑…Õœ∑∏ÿ œ∏ ‘dependence on’ +GEN, 117 À ‘to, toward’ +DAT, 104-107, 112-113, 137
⁄¡◊Ç∑…ÕŸ™ œ∏ ‘depending on’ +GEN, 117 À ∑œ÷¡ÃÅŒ…¿ ‘unfortunately’, 106-107
⁄¡ÀÃ¿fiÄ∏ÿ∑µ/⁄¡ÀÃ¿fiÇ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘consist, lie in’ +LOC, 142T ÀÄ÷ƒŸ™ ‘every’, 70
⁄¡Œ…ÕÄ∏ÿ∑µ ‘be occupied with, study’ +INST, 32T À¡À ‘like’, 9-10
⁄¡ŒÖ∏…≈ ‘occupation, studies’ +INST, 32T À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘seem, appear’ +INST/+DAT, 37T,
⁄¡¥ÉÕŒ…∏ÿ∑µ ‘become fixed in one’s memory’ +DAT, 90T 90T
⁄¡¥∂≈›Ä∏ÿ/⁄¡¥∂≈∏Ç∏ÿ ‘forbid’ +DAT, 93T À¡∑Ä∏ÿ∑µ/Àœ∑ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ ‘touch; concern’ +GEN, 122T, 123
⁄¡¥Ñ∏Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/⁄¡¥Ñ∏¡∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘get tangled up in, get À¡∏ÄŒ…≈ Œ¡ (ÀœŒÿÀÄ»/ÃÉƒÀ≈) ‘going (ice-skating/
(ice-skating/
involved in’ +LOC, 142T boating, etc.)’ +LOC, 147T
298 Index
À¡∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡ (ÀœŒÿÀÄ»/ÃÉƒÀ≈) ‘go (ice-skating/boating, ‘at, on, onto’ +ACC expressing locations or opinions
etc.)’ +LOC, 147T with various activities, 75
À…◊Ä∏ÿ/À…◊ŒÑ∏ÿ ‘nod’ +DAT, 88T ‘for’ +ACC in expressions of purpose, 68
ÀÃÄŒµ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œÀÃœŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘bow’ +DAT, 88T ‘for, lasting; to’ +ACC with duration, 54T, 71
ÀœÕÄŒƒœ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘commanding’ +INST, 30T ‘on’ +ACC in time expressions, 63
ÀœÕ¡Œƒœ◊Ä∏ÿ ‘command’ +INST, 30, 30T ‘to’ +ACC with destinations, 104, 112-113
ÀœÕ¥≈Œ∑Ä√…µ ‘compensation’ +DAT, 89T Œ¡ ‘on, at’ +LOC, 139, 144-149, 148T
ÀœÕ¥≈Œ∑Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘compensate’ +DAT, 89T ‘on, at’ +LOC in domain of time, 146, 146T
ÀœŒÅ√ ‘end
‘e nd to’ +DAT,
+DAT, 97 Œ¡ ‘here’ (not the preposition) +ACC , 67
ÀœŒ∏∂ÉÃÿ Œ¡ƒ ‘control over’ +INST, 48 Œ¡ Õœ™ (∏◊œ™, ≈£, ≈«É...) ◊⁄«Ãµƒ ‘in my (your, her, his...)
À∂ÉÕ≈ ‘besides, except, aside from’ +GEN, 133T opinion’, 75
À∂π«ÉÕ ‘around’, 28 Œ¡ œƒŒÑ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ ‘for one week’, 71
À∂π∏Ç∏ÿ/⁄¡À∂π∏Ç∏ÿ ∂πÃ£Õ ‘turn a steering wheel’, 26T Œ¡ œ∑Œœ◊ÄŒ…… ‘on the basis of’ +GEN, 128T
À∂ŸÃ√É œ ∏∂… ∑∏π¥ÅŒÿÀ… ‘a porch with three steps’, 73 Œ¡ ¥π∏Ç ‘on the path of’ +GEN, 128T
Œ¡ Ü∏œ∏ ∂¡⁄ ‘this/that time’, 63
Œ¡∫…∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ/Œ¡∫∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘collect, pick up’ +GEN, 131T
Ï Œ¡◊∑∏∂Åfiπ ‘toward, to meet’ +DAT, 90T
Ã≈«ÀÉ ‘easy for’ +DAT, 99 Œ¡ƒ ‘above, over’ +INST, 43, 47-48, 49
Ã≈∏Ä∏ÿ/Ã≈∏Å∏ÿ
Ã≈∏Ä∏ÿ/Ã≈∏Å∏ÿ Œ¡ (∑¡ÕœÃ£∏≈) ‘fly in (a plane, etc.)’ ŒÄƒœ ‘need to’ +DAT, 96T, 96
+LOC, 147T Œ¡ƒœ≈ƒÄ∏ÿ/Œ¡ƒœÅ∑∏ÿ ‘get on nerves of’ +DAT, 93T
ÃÅ∏œÕ ‘in the summer’, 22 Œ¡≈ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ/Œ¡Å∑∏ÿ∑µ ‘eat/have one’s fill’ +GEN, 131T
Ã…¤Ä∏ÿ/Ã…¤Ç∏ÿ ‘deprive’ +GEN, 136T Œ¡⁄Äƒ ‘ago’ +ACC, 79T, 80
Ã…¤Ä∏ÿ∑µ/Ã…¤Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘be deprived’ +GEN, 136T Œ¡⁄Œ¡fiÄ∏ÿ/Œ¡⁄ŒÄfi…∏ÿ ‘appoint, nominate (as)’ +INST, 40T
Ã…¤£ŒŒŸ™ ‘deprived’ +GEN, 136T Œ¡⁄Ÿ◊Ä∏ÿ/Œ¡⁄◊Ä∏ÿ ‘name’ +INST, 40T
ÃÉ◊À…™ ◊ ‘clever at’ +LOC, 142T Œ¡⁄Ÿ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/Œ¡⁄◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘be named’ +INST, 37T
ÃÉ◊Àœ∑∏ÿ ◊ ‘cleverness in’ +LOC, 142T Œ¡À¡ŒÑŒ≈ ‘on the eve of’ +GEN, 133T
Ãÿ∑∏…∏ÿ/¥œÃÿ∑∏Ç∏ÿ ‘flatter’ +DAT, 87T Œ¡¥œƒÉ∫…≈ ‘in the likeness of’ +GEN, 132, 133T
Œ¡¥œÃŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ/Œ¡¥ÉÃŒ…∏ÿ∑µ ‘get filled up with’ +INST,
32T
Ì Œ¡¥œÕ…ŒÄŒ…≈ ‘reminder’ +DAT, 87T
ÕÄÃœ ‘few/little’ +GEN, 129 Œ¡¥œÕ…ŒÄ∏ÿ/Œ¡¥ÉÕŒ…∏ÿ ‘remind’ +DAT, 87T
Õ¡»Ä∏ÿ/⁄¡Õ¡»Ä∏ÿ ∂πÀÉ™ ‘wave one’s hand’, 26T Œ¡¥∂É∏…◊ ‘opposite’ +GEN, 133T
Õ¡»Ä∏ÿ/¥œÕ¡»Ä∏ÿ ‘wave’ +DAT, 88T Œ¡∑ÀÑfi…∏ÿ ‘bore’ +DAT,
+DAT, 93T
Õ≈÷ ƒ◊π» ÷≈∂Œœ◊É◊ ‘between a rock and a hard place’, Œ¡∑Ã¡÷ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ‘enjoy’ +INST, 33T
134 Œ¡∑Ã¡÷ƒÅŒ…≈ ‘enjoyment’ +INST, 33T
Õ≈÷ƒπ ‘between, among’ +INST, 43, 50-51 Œ¡∑∏Ä…◊¡Œ…≈ Œ¡ ‘insistence on’ +LOC, 147T
ÕÅ÷ƒπ ∏≈Õ ‘meanwhile’, 51 Œ¡∑∏Ä…◊¡∏ÿ/Œ¡∑∏œÖ∏ÿ Œ¡ ‘insist on’ +LOC, 147T
ÕÅŒÿ¤≈ ‘fewer/less’ +GEN, 129 Œ¡∑fi£∏ ‘on the matter of’ +GEN, 132, 133T
Õ≈ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ ‘exchange’ +INST, 32T Œ≈- + interrogative
interrogative pronouns (ŒÅfi≈«œ, ŒÅÀœ«ƒ¡, ŒÅ ∑ À≈Õ,
Õ≈∂Å›…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œÕ≈∂Å›…∏ÿ∑µ ‘appear to, haunt’ +DAT, etc.) +DAT, 97-98
90T Œ≈ ƒœ ‘isn’t interested/doesn’t want’ +GEN/+DAT, 99, 120
Õ≈∑∏ÿ ‘revenge’ +DAT,
+DAT, 93T Œ≈ ¥∂… fi£Õ ‘irrelevant’, 150
Õ≈¤Ä∏ÿ/¥œÕ≈¤Ä∏ÿ ‘hinder, annoy’ +DAT, 93T Œ≈◊œ⁄ÕÉ÷Œœ ‘impossible’ +DAT, 96T
ÕÇÕœ ‘by, past’ +GEN, 133T Œ≈ƒœ∑∏¡◊Ä∏ÿ/Œ≈ƒœ∑∏Ä∏ÿ ‘be lacking’ +GEN, 136T
ÕŒÉ«œ ‘many/much’ +GEN, 129 Œ≈ƒœ∑∏Ä∏œÀ ‘lack’ +GEN, 136T
ÕÉ÷Œœ ‘possible’
‘ possible’ +DAT,
+DAT, 95T Œ≈ÕŒÉ«œ ‘not many/much’ +GEN, 129
ÕœÃÅ∫≈Œ ‘prayer service’ +DAT, 87T ŒÅ∑ÀœÃÿÀœ ‘some’, 129
ÕœÃÇ∏◊¡ ‘prayer’ +DAT, 87T Œ≈∑∏Ç ‘reek, stink’ +INST, 36
ÕœÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œÕœÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘pray’ +DAT, 87T Œe»◊Ä∏À¡ ‘shortage’ +GEN, 136T
ÕœÃÖ›…™∑µ ‘person who is praying’ +DAT, 87T ŒÉfiÿ¿ ‘at night’, 22
Õœ∂«Ä∏ÿ/Õœ∂«ŒÑ∏ÿ ‘blink, wink’ +DAT, 88T Œ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œŒ∂Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ ‘like, be pleasing’ +DAT, 91T,
Õ∑∏Ç∏ÿ/œ∏œÕ∑∏Ç∏ÿ ‘take revenge’ +DAT, 93T 92-93, 96
ÕŸ ∑ +INST ‘X and I’, 42 Œπ÷ƒÄ ◊ ‘need of’ +LOC, 142T
Œπ÷ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘need’ +LOC, 142T
ŒÑ÷≈Œ ‘needed’ +DAT, 96T, 96
Ó ŒÑ÷Œœ ‘need
‘ need to’ +DAT,
+DAT, 96T, 96
“Œ¡-words” and “◊-words”, 144-145, 145T ŒÑ÷ŒŸ™ ‘needed’ +DAT,+DAT, 96T, 96
Œa ‘to, on, onto; on, at; for, lasting’ +ACC, 54T, 58-59,
61, 71, 115
‘amount by’ +ACC with comparisons, 73
Russian
Russian Index 299
Ô 
œ ‘against, with’ +ACC, 61, 73 ¥Ä»Œπ∏ÿ ‘smell’ +INST, 35
‘against’ +ACC, 54T, 61 ¥Å∂≈ƒ ‘in front of, before’ +INST, 43-45
‘with’ +ACC with size and capacity, 54T, 73 ¥Å∂≈ƒ ∏≈Õ ‘before that’ +ACC, 79T
œ ‘about’ +LOC, 150-151 ¥Å∂≈ƒ ∏≈Õ, À¡À ‘before’, 44
œ∫◊…ŒÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘accusation of’ +LOC, 142T ¥≈∂≈ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/¥≈∂≈ƒÄ∏ÿ ‘pass, convey’ +DAT, 85T
œ∫◊…ŒÖ∏ÿ/œ∫◊…ŒÇ∏ÿ ◊ ‘accuse of, charge with’ +LOC, ¥≈∂≈ƒÄfi¡ ‘passing; broadcast’ +DAT, 85T
142T ¥≈∂≈¥Ç∑À¡ ∑ ‘correspondence (exchange of letters)’
œ∫≈›Ä∏ÿ ‘promise’
‘ promise’ +DAT,
+DAT, 87T +INST, 41T
œ∫ÇƒŒŸ™ ‘offensive’ +DAT, 94T ¥≈∂≈¥Ç∑Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘correspond (exchange letters)’
œ∫Ã¡ƒÄŒ…≈ ‘possession’ +INST, 31T +INST, 41T
œ∫Ã¡ƒÄ∏ÿ ‘possess’ +INST, 31T ¥≈∂Åfi…∏ÿ ‘contradict’ +DAT, 93T
œ∫ÕÄŒŸ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∫Õ¡ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘be deceived, disappointed ¥≈¤ÀÉÕ ‘on foot’, 28
in’ +LOC, 142T ¥…∑Ä∏ÿ/Œ¡¥…∑Ä∏ÿ ‘write’ +DAT, 88T
œ∫œ∂Äfi…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∫≈∂ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ ‘turn into’ +INST, 37T ¥…∑ÿÕÉ ‘letter’ +DAT, 88T
œ∫›Ä∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘associate, be friendly’ +INST, 41T ¥ÃÄ◊¡∏ÿ/¥Ãá∏ÿ Œ¡ (¥¡∂œ»Éƒ≈/fi≈ÃŒÅ) ‘sail on (a
œ∫›ÅŒ…≈ ∑ ‘associating, association’ +INST, 41T steamboat/a canoe, etc.)’ +LOC, 147T
œ∫flµ◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/œ∫flµ◊Ç∏ÿ ‘declare, announce’ +INST, 40T ¥ÃÄ∏¡, ⁄¡∂¥ÃÄ∏¡ ‘pay, wages’ +DAT, 89T
œ∫flµ∑ŒÖ∏ÿ/œ∫flµ∑ŒÇ∏ÿ ‘explain’ +DAT, 87T ¥Ã¡∏Ç∏ÿ/⁄¡¥Ã¡∏Ç∏ÿ
¥Ã¡∏Ç∏ÿ/⁄¡¥Ã¡∏Ç∏ ÿ ‘pay’ +DAT,+DAT, 89T
œ∫µ⁄Ä∏≈ÃÿŒœ ‘required’ +DAT, 96T ¥Ã≈ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ ‘be fascinated by’ +INST, 33T
œ∫µ⁄Ä∏≈ÃÿŒŸ™ ‘required’ +DAT, 96T ¥œ ‘up to; after, to get; through; for what amount’ +ACC,
œ◊Ã¡ƒ≈◊ÄŒ…≈ ‘taking possession of’ +INST, 31T 61-63, 72-73
œ◊Ã¡ƒ≈◊Ä∏ÿ/œ◊Ã¡ƒÅ∏ÿ ‘take possession of’ +INST, 31T ‘after, to get’ +ACC, 62
œƒÇŒ …⁄ ‘one of’ +GEN, 114 ‘each’ +ACC, 54T, 61
œ÷…ƒÄ∏ÿ ‘expect’ +GEN or +ACC, 124T ‘for what amount’ +ACC with size and capacity, 73
œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ/œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ ‘render’ +DAT, 85T ‘through’ +ACC with duration, 54T, 72
œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘turn out to be; find oneself in’ ‘up to; after, to get’ +ACC, 54T, 61-63
+INST/+LOC, 37T, 142T ¥œ ‘along, according to; due to’ +DAT, 107-109
ÉÀœÃœ ‘around; approximately’ +GEN, 133T ‘according to’ +DAT in reasoning, 108
œ¥œ∑∏áÃ≈∏ÿ ‘grow hateful to’ +DAT, 93T ‘along’ +DAT expressing distribution, 108
œ¥¥œ⁄Ç√…µ ‘opposition’ +DAT, 94T ‘along’ +DAT expressing frequency, 107-108
É¥Ÿ∏ ◊ ‘experience in’ +LOC, 142T ‘due to’ +DAT in causation, 108-109
É¥Ÿ∏ŒŸ™ ◊ ‘experienced in’ +LOC, 142T ¥œ ‘after, upon’ +LOC, 151, 151T
œ∂∏œ«œŒÄÃŒŸ™ ‘orthogonal’ +DAT, 102T ¥œ ◊∑≈™ ◊Çƒ…Õœ∑∏… ‘to all appearances’, 109
É∑≈Œÿ¿ ‘in the fall’, 22 ¥œ …∑∏≈fiÅŒ…… ∑∂ÉÀ¡ ‘after the deadline is passed’, 151T
œ∑ŒÉ◊Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∑Œœ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡ ‘be based on’ +LOC, 147T ¥œ ÕÅ∂≈ ‘according to the measure of, as far as’ +GEN,
œ∑∏¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/œ∑∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘stay, remain, continue to be, be 128T
necessary’ +INST/+DAT
+IN ST/+DAT,, 37T, 100T ¥œ œÀœŒfiÄŒ…… ∂¡∫É∏Ÿ ‘after (the end of) work’, 151T
œ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/œ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ ‘leave (for)’ +DAT, 85T ¥œ ¥É◊œƒπ ‘on the occasion of, concerning’ +GEN, 128T
œ∑∏≈∂≈«Ä∏ÿ∑µ/œ∑∏≈∂Åfiÿ∑µ ‘beware’ +GEN, 118T ¥œ ¥∂…fiÇŒ≈ ‘by reason of’ +GEN, 128T
œ∑∏œfi≈∂∏Å∏ÿ ‘bore, repel’ +DAT, 93T ¥œ ¥∂…∫á∏…… ‘after/upon arrival’, 151T
œ∏ ‘from’ +GEN, 112-113, 115-117, 137 ¥œ ∂¡∑∑Õœ∏∂ÅŒ…… ‘upon examination’, 151T
‘from’ +GEN expressing cause, 117 ¥œ ∑ÃÑfi¡¿ ‘by reason of’ +GEN, 128T
‘from’ +GEN in time expressions, 117 ¥œ◊…Œœ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘obey’ +DAT,+DAT, 103T
‘from’ +GEN with human beings, 115-116 ¥œ◊…Œœ◊ÅŒ…≈ ‘obedience’ +DAT, 103T
œ∏◊Å∏ ‘answer’ +DAT, 87T ¥œ«Ç∫Œπ∏ÿ ‘die (as)’ +INST, 38T
œ∏◊≈fiÄ∏ÿ ‘answer; correspond, be responsible to’ +ACC/ ¥œ«œƒÖ ‘later’ +ACC in time running forward expres-
+DAT, 87T, 102T sions, 79T
œ∏◊≈fiÄ∏ÿ/œ∏◊Å∏…∏ÿ Œ¡ ‘answer’ +ACC, 68 ¥œƒ ‘under; toward; for use as; like’ +ACC, 54T, 62, 64,
œ∏ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ ‘reek, stink’ +INST, 36 69, 74-76
œ∏ÀÄ⁄ ◊ ‘refusal of’ +LOC, 142T ‘for use as’ +ACC in expressions of purpose’, 69
œ∏ÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ/œ∏À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ ◊ ‘refuse, deny’ +LOC, 142T ‘like’ +ACC in comparisons, 74
œ∏¥∂¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/œ∏¥∂Ä◊…∏ÿ ‘send, dispatch’ +DAT, 85T ‘to the tune of’ +ACC, 54T, 75-76
œ∏∂¡÷Ä∏ÿ∑µ/œ∏∂¡⁄Ç∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡ ‘affect, have impact on’ ‘toward’ +ACC in time expressions, 64
+LOC, 147T ¥œƒ ‘under’ +INST, 49-50
œ∏∂¡÷ÅŒ…≈ Œ¡ ‘affect, impact on’ +LOC, 147T ¥œƒ ◊ÇƒœÕ ‘under the guise of’ +GEN, 128T
œ∏fi£∏ ◊ ‘account of, report on’ +LOC, 142T ¥œƒ «¡∂ÄŒ∏…¿ ‘be means of a guarantee’, 62
œ∏fiÇ∏Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∏fi…∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘give an account of, report ¥œƒ ⁄¡ÃÉ« ‘on the security of’, 62
on’ +LOC, 142T ¥œƒ ÇÕ≈Œ≈Õ ‘in the name of’ +GEN, 128T
300 Index
¥œƒ Œ¡⁄◊ÄŒ…≈Õ ‘under the title of’ +GEN, 129T ¥œÕÇÕœ ‘aside from’ +GEN, 133T
¥œƒÕÇ«…◊¡Œ…≈ ‘winking’ +DAT, 88T ¥œÕœ«Ä∏ÿ/¥œÕÉfiÿ
¥œÕœ«Ä∏ÿ/¥œÕ Éfiÿ ‘help’ +DAT,
+DAT, 91T
¥œƒÕÇ«…◊¡∏ÿ/¥œƒÕ…«ŒÑ∏ÿ ‘wink’ +DAT, 88T ¥ÉÕœ›ÿ ‘help’ +DAT,
+DAT, 91T
¥œƒœ⁄∂≈◊Ä∏ÿ/⁄¡¥œƒÉ⁄∂…∏ÿ ◊ ‘suspect of’ +LOC, 142T ¥œ¥≈∂£À ‘across’ +GEN, 133T
¥œƒœ⁄∂ÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘suspicion of’ +LOC, 142T ¥œ∂πfiÄ∏ÿ/¥œ∂πfiÇ∏ÿ ‘entrust’ +DAT, 85T
¥œƒ¥≈◊ÄŒ…≈ ‘singing along’ +DAT, 102T ¥œ-∑◊É≈Õπ ‘in one’s own way’, 109
¥œƒ¥≈◊Ä∏ÿ ‘sing along’ +DAT, 102T ¥œ∑◊µ›Ä∏ÿ/¥œ∑◊µ∏Ç∏ÿ ‘dedicate’ +DAT, 85T
¥œƒ ¥∂≈ƒÃÉ«œÕ ‘on the pretext of’ +GEN, 129T ¥œ∑◊µ›ÅŒ…≈, ‘dedication’ +DAT, 85T
¥œƒÄ∂œÀ ‘gift’ +DAT,
+DAT, 85T ¥œ∑ÃÄŒ…≈ ‘message, epistle’ +DAT, 88T
¥œƒ◊≈∂«Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒ◊Å∂«Œπ∏ÿ∑µ
¥œƒ◊≈∂«Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒ◊Å∂«Œπ∏ÿ∑µ ‘undergo, be subject to’ ¥É∑Ã≈ ‘after’ +GEN, 133T
+DAT, 103T ¥É∑Ã≈ ∏œ«É ‘after that’ +ACC, 79T
¥œƒ◊≈∂÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘liability to’ +DAT, 103T ¥œ∑∂≈ƒÇ ‘in the middle of’ +GEN, 128
¥œƒ◊Å∂÷≈ŒŒŸ™ ‘subject to’ +DAT, 103T ¥œ∑∏Ä◊À¡ ‘supply, delivery’ +DAT, 85T
¥œƒƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ‘give in to’ +DAT, 103T ¥œ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/¥œ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ ‘supply’ +DAT, 85T
¥œƒƒÄÀ…◊¡Œ…≈ ‘saying yes to’ +DAT, 87T ¥œ∑∏π¥Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑∏π¥Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘waive, forgo’ +INST, 32T
¥œƒƒÄÀ…◊¡∏ÿ/¥œƒƒÄÀŒπ∏ÿ ‘say yes to’ +DAT, 87T ¥œ∑ŸÃÄ∏ÿ/¥œ∑ÃÄ∏ÿ ‘send’ +DAT, 85T
¥ÉƒÃ≈ ‘beside’ +GEN, 133T ¥œ∑áÃÀ¡ ‘sending; parcel’ +DAT, 85T
¥œƒÃ≈÷Ä∏ÿ ‘be subject to’ +DAT, 103T ¥œ∏∂Å∫Œœ∑∏fl ◊ ‘need of’ +LOC, 142T
¥œƒÃ≈÷Ä›…™ ‘subject to’ +DAT, 103T ¥œ»É÷ Œ¡ ‘looks like, resembles, 74
¥œƒÉ∫ŒŸ™ ‘similar’ +DAT, 102-103T ¥∂Ä◊…∏ÿ ‘govern’ +INST, 30T
¥œƒ∂¡÷ÄŒ…≈ ‘imitation’ +DAT, 103T ¥∂¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘governing, government’ +INST, 30T
¥œƒ∂¡÷Ä∏ÿ ‘imitate’ +DAT, 103T ¥∂≈ƒ◊œƒÇ∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘leading’ +INST, 30T
¥œƒfi…ŒÅŒ…≈ ‘subordination, subjection’ +DAT, 103T ¥∂≈ƒ◊œƒÇ∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘lead’ +INST, 30T
¥œƒfi…Œ£ŒŒŸ™ ‘subordinate to’ +DAT, 103T ¥∂≈ƒÃ¡«Ä∏ÿ/¥∂≈ƒÃœ÷Ç∏ÿ ‘offer’ +DAT, 85T
¥œƒfi…ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œƒfi…ŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘submit to, obey’ +DAT, ¥∂≈ƒÃœ÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘offer’ +DAT, 85T
103T ¥∂≈ƒœ∑∏¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘grant(ing)’ +DAT, 85T
¥œÅ⁄ƒÀ¡ Œ¡ (¥É≈⁄ƒ≈/¡◊∏É∫π∑≈) ‘trip by (train/bus, etc.)’ ¥∂≈ƒœ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/¥∂≈ƒœ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ ‘grant’ +DAT, 85T
+LOC, 147T ¥∂≈ƒ¥œfi…∏Ä∏ÿ/ ¥∂≈ƒ¥œfiÅ∑∏ÿ ‘prefer (something else)
¥œ÷Å∂∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘donation’ +DAT, 89T over’ +DAT, 93T, 94
¥œ÷…ÕÄ∏ÿ/¥œ÷Ä∏ÿ ¥Ã≈fiÄÕ… ‘shrug one’s shoulders’, ¥∂≈ƒ∑∏¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘introduction’ +DAT, 90T
26T ¥∂≈ƒ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂≈ƒ∑∏Ä◊…∏
¥∂≈ƒ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂≈ƒ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ ÿ∑µ ‘introduce oneself to’
¥œ⁄¡ƒÇ ‘behind’ +GEN, 133T +DAT, 90T
¥œ⁄◊ÉÃ≈ŒŒŸ™ ‘permitted’ +DAT, 91T ¥∂≈ƒ∑∏œÖ∏ÿ ‘lie ahead, be destined to, have to’ +DAT, 100T
¥œ⁄◊œÃÖ∏ÿ/¥œ⁄◊ÉÃ…∏ÿ ‘allow, permit’ +DAT, 91T ¥∂≈ƒ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂≈ƒ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ∑µ ‘pretend to be’ +INST,
¥œÀ¡⁄ÄŒ…≈ ‘testimony, evidence’ +DAT, 85T 38T
¥œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ ‘show’ +DAT, 85T ¥∂≈ƒ¤Å∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘go in front of, precede’ +DAT, 90T,
¥œÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œÀ¡⁄Ä∏ÿ ¥ÄÃÿ√≈Õ ‘point one’s finger’, 102T
26T ¥∂≈ƒ¤Å∑∏◊…≈ ‘precession’ +DAT, 102T
¥œÀÃÉŒ ‘bow’ +DAT, 88T ¥∂Å÷ƒ≈ ‘before’ +GEN, 133T
¥œÀÃœŒÅŒ…≈ ‘worship’ +DAT, 103T ¥∂≈Œ≈∫∂≈«Ä∏ÿ ‘despise’ +INST, 33T
¥œÀÃœŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ ‘worship’ +DAT, 103T ¥∂≈¥Ö∏∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘hinder, interfere’ +DAT, 93T
¥œÀÉ∂ŒŸ™ ‘obedient to’ +DAT, 103T ¥∂… ‘by, at; while, when; with, having’ +LOC, 149-151
¥œÀœ∂Ö∏ÿ∑µ/¥œÀœ∂Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘submit to, obey’ +DAT, 103T ¥∂… ¥ÉÕœ›… ‘with the help of’ +GEN, 129T
¥œÀ∂œ◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ ‘patronage’ +DAT, 91T ¥∂… ¥œ∑∂Åƒ∑∏◊≈ ‘by means of ’ +GEN, 129T
¥œÀ∂œ◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘patronize, support’ +DAT, 91T ¥∂… ∑≈∫Å ‘on oneself, with oneself’, 149
¥œÀ∂œ◊Ç∏≈Ãÿ∑∏◊π¿›…™ ‘patron’ +DAT, 91T ¥∂… π∑ÃÉ◊…… ‘on the condition of’ +GEN, 129T
¥œÀ∂Ÿ◊Ä∏ÿ/¥œÀ∂á∏ÿ ∑∏œÃ ∑ÀÄ∏≈∂∏ÿ¿ ‘cover a table’, ¥∂… fi£Õ ‘why’, 150
26T ¥∂…∫¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ(∑µ)/¥∂…∫Ä◊…∏ÿ
¥∂…∫¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ(∑µ)/¥∂…∫Ä◊…∏ÿ(∑µ) (∑µ) ‘increase, add’ +GEN,
¥œÀπ¥Ä∏ÿ/Àπ¥Ç∏ÿ ‘buy’ +DAT, 85T 131T
¥œÃÅ⁄ŒŸ™ ‘useful’ +DAT,
+DAT, 92T ¥∂…⁄Œ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/¥∂…⁄ŒÄ∏ÿ ‘recognize (as)’ +INST, 40T
¥œÃ£∏ Œ¡ (∑¡ÕœÃ£∏≈) ‘flight in (a plane, etc.)’ +LOC, ¥∂…⁄Œ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂…⁄ŒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘confess to’ +LOC, 142T
147T ¥∂…⁄ŒÄŒ…≈ ◊ ‘confession of’ +LOC, 142T
¥œÃ⁄ÀÉÕ ‘at a crawl’, 28 ¥∂…À¡⁄ÄŒ…≈ ‘order’ +DAT, 87T
¥ÉÃŒŸ™ ‘full’ +GEN, 131T ¥∂…ÀÄ⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ/¥∂…À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ ‘order’ +DAT, 87T
¥ÉÃœŒ ‘full of’ +INST, 32T ¥∂…Œ¡ƒÃ≈÷Ä∏ÿ ‘belong to’ +DAT, 95T
¥ÉÃÿ⁄¡ ‘use’ +DAT,
+DAT, 92T ¥∂…Œœ∑Ç∏ÿ/¥∂…Œ≈∑∏Ç ‘bring’ +DAT, 85T
¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘use’ +INST, 30T ¥∂…Œœ¤ÅŒ…≈ ‘bringing’ +DAT, 85T
¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/◊œ∑¥ÉÃÿ⁄œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ ‘use’ +INST, 30T ¥∂…∑Ñ›…™ ‘inherent, characteristic’ +DAT, 96T
¥œÃ¿∫Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘become attractive to’ +DAT, 91T ¥∂…∏◊œ∂Ö∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂…∏◊œ∂Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘pretend to be’ +INST, 38T
¥œÕÅ»¡ ‘hinder, annoy’ +DAT,
+DAT, 93T ¥∂…»œƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂…™∏Ç∑ÿ ‘have to, happen to’ +DAT, 100T
Russian
Russian Index 301
∂…Ö∏Œœ«œ ¡¥¥≈∏…∏¡! ‘Bon appetit!’, 123

¥∂…Ö∏ŒŸ™ ‘pleasant’ +DAT,
+DAT, 92T Û
¥∂œ ‘about; for’ +ACC, 54T, 69, 75-76 ∑ ‘approximately’ +ACC in comparisons, 54T, 74
¥∂œ◊≈∑∏Ç ◊∂ÅÕµ ‘spend time’, 70 ∑ ‘with’ +INST, 40-43
¥∂œƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/¥∂œƒÄ∏ÿ ‘sell’ +DAT, 85T ‘with’ +INST with interpersonal
interpersonal relationships, 40-
¥∂œƒÄ÷¡ ‘sale’ +DAT,
+DAT, 85T 42, 41T
¥∂œ∑Ç∏ÿ/¥œ¥∂œ∑Ç∏ÿ ‘request’ +GEN or +ACC, 124T ∑ ‘from’ +GEN, 112-113, 115-116, 119
¥∂œ∏Å∑∏ ‘protest’ +DAT, 87T ‘from’ +GEN with human beings as source, 116
¥∂œ∏≈∑∏œ◊Ä∏ÿ ‘protest’ +DAT, 87T Û ƒŒ£Õ ∂œ÷ƒÅŒ…µ! ‘Happy Birthday!’, 42
¥∂É∏…◊ ‘against, opposite’ +GEN, 68, 121-122 Û ŒÉ◊ŸÕ «ÉƒœÕ! ‘Happy New Year!’, 42
¥∂œ∏Ç◊…∏ÿ∑µ/ ◊œ∑¥∂œ∏Ç◊…∏ÿ∑µ ‘oppose’ +DAT, 93T Û ¥∂Ä⁄ƒŒ…ÀœÕ! ‘Happy Holiday!’, 42
¥∂œ∏…◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘opposition’ +DAT, 93T ∑ ¥ÉÕœ›ÿ¿ ‘with the help of’ +GEN, 129T
¥∂œ∏Ç◊ŒŸ™ ‘opposite, contrary’ +DAT, 93T Û Úœ÷ƒ≈∑∏◊ÉÕ! ‘Merry Christmas!’, 42
¥∂œ∏…◊œ∫É∂∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘oppose, fight against’ +DAT, 93T ∑ ∏≈» ¥œ∂ ‘from that time on’, 116
¥∂œ∏…◊œƒÅ™∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘oppose, counteract’ +DAT, 94T ∑ ∏ÉfiÀ… ⁄∂ÅŒ…µ ‘from the point of view of’ +GEN,
¥∂œ∏…◊œ¥œ∑∏¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘opposing, contrasting’ +DAT, 94T 129T
¥∂œ∏…◊œ¥œ∑∏¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ/¥∂œ∏…◊œ¥œ∑∏Ä◊…∏ÿ ‘oppose, ∑ √ÅÃÿ¿ ‘with the goal of’ +GEN, 129T
contrast’ +DA
+D AT, 94T ∑¡ÕÄ ¥œ ∑≈∫Å ‘in itself/on its own’, 109
¥∂œ∏…◊œ∂Åfi…∏ÿ ‘contradict’ +DAT, 94T ∑◊≈∂» ‘over, above’ +GEN, 133T
¥∂œ∏…◊œ∂Åfi…≈ ‘contradiction’ +DAT, 94T ∑◊É™∑∏◊≈ŒŒœ ‘characteristic of’ +DAT, 96T
¥∂œ∏…◊œ∑∏œÖ∏ÿ ‘withstand; be opposite (of stars)’ +DAT, ∑◊É™∑∏◊≈ŒŒŸ™ ‘characteristic of’ +DAT, 96T
102T ∑◊Ö⁄Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∑◊µ⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘communicate, get in contact,
¥∂œ›Ä∏ÿ/¥∂œ∑∏Ç∏ÿ ‘forgive, pardon’ +DAT, 91T be associated’ +INST, 41T
¥∂œ›Ä∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂œ∑∏Ç∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘say farewell’ +INST, 41T ∑◊Ö⁄ÿ ∑ ‘association, contact’ +INST, 41T
¥∂œ›ÅŒ…≈ ∑ ‘saying farewell’ +INST, 41T ∑ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/∑ƒ¡∏ÿ ‘hand over, surrender’ +DAT, 85T
¥π«Ä∏ÿ∑µ/…∑¥π«Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘be frightened’ +GEN, 118T ∑ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∑ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ‘surrender, yield to’ +DAT, 103T
¥Ñ∏¡Œ…√¡ ◊ ‘confusion’ +LOC, 142T ∑ƒÄfi¡ ‘handing over, surrender; change (money back)’
+DAT, 85T, 89T
∑≈∑∏ÿ ⁄¡ ∂πÃÿ ‘take the wheel’, 59
Ú ∑≈∑∏ÿ ⁄¡ ∑∏œÃ ‘sit down at the table’, 59
∂¡∫É∏¡∏ÿ ‘work (as)’ +INST, 38T ∑…«ŒÄÃ ‘signal’
‘ signal’ +DAT,
+DAT, 88T
∂¡∫É∏¡∏ÿ Œ¡ƒ ‘work on’ +INST, 48 ∑…«Œ¡Ã…⁄Ç∂œ◊a∏ÿ(∑µ) ‘signal’ +DAT, 88T
∂¡◊Œœ∑ÇÃÿŒŸ™ ‘(equally) matched’ +DAT, 102T ∑…«ŒÄÃ…∏ÿ ‘signal’ +DAT,+DAT, 88T
∂Ä◊ŒŸ™ ‘equal’
‘ equal’ +DAT,
+DAT, 102T ∑…Õ¥¡∏…⁄Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘sympathize’ +DAT, 91T
∂¡◊ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ ‘equal’ +DAT,
+DAT, 102T ∑…Õ¥¡∏…⁄Ç∂π¿›…™ ‘supporter’ +DAT, 91T
∂Äƒ… ‘for the sake of ’ +GEN, 121 ∑…Õ¥¡∏Çfi≈Œ ‘nice’ +DAT, +DAT, 91T
∂¡ƒÇ∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘radio’ +DAT, 88T ∑…Õ¥Ä∏…µ ‘sympathy’ +DAT, 91T
∂Äƒœ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/œ∫∂Äƒœ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ ‘rejoice at’ +DAT, 103T ∑À¡⁄Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘proclaim, report oneself (as)’ +INST, 38T
∂¡⁄ ‘time, occurrence’ in time expressions, 63, 70 ∑À◊œ⁄ÿ ‘through’ +ACC, 54T, 75
∂¡⁄ ◊ Œ≈ƒÅÃ¿ ‘once a week’, 71 ∑ÀÉÃÿÀœ ‘how many’ +GEN, 129
∂¡⁄«œ◊Ä∂…◊¡∏ÿ ∑ ‘converse’ +INST, 41T ÛÀÉÃÿÀœ ∑ Õ≈ŒÖ ‘How much do I owe you?’, 115
∂¡⁄«œ◊É∂ ∑ ‘conversation’ +INST, 41T ∑ÀπfiÄ∏ÿ ¥œ ‘miss’ +DAT or +LOC, 151
∂¡⁄ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ/∂¡⁄ƒÄ∏ÿ ‘hand out, distribute’ +DAT, 85T ∑ÃÅƒœ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘movement, proceeding’ +DAT, 103T
∂¡⁄ƒÄfi¡ ‘distribution’ +DAT, 85T ∑ÃÅƒœ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œ∑ÃÅƒœ◊¡∏ÿ ‘follow’ +DAT, 103T
∂¡⁄œ∫∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∂¡⁄∫…∂Ä∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘understand’ +LOC, 142T ∑ÃÑ÷∫¡/∑Ãπ÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘service’ +DAT, 92T
∂Ä⁄œÕ ‘at once’, 28 ∑Ãπ÷Ç∏ÿ ‘serve (as)’ +INST, 38T
∂¡⁄œfi¡∂œ◊ÄŒ…≈ ◊ ‘disappointment in’ +LOC, 142T ∑Ãπ÷Ç∏ÿ/¥œ∑Ãπ÷Ç∏ÿ ‘serve’ +DAT, 92T
∂¡⁄œfi¡∂É◊Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∂¡⁄œfi¡∂œ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘be disappointed in’ ∑ÃÑ¤¡∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑ÃÑ¤¡∏ÿ∑µ ‘listen to; obey’ +GEN, 122T
+LOC, 142T (∑ÃπfiÇ∏ÿ∑µ) Œ¡ ƒŒµ» ‘(happen) the other day’, 148T
∂¡∑¥œÃ¡«Ä∏ÿ ‘have at one’s disposal’ +INST, 31T ∑ÃŸ∏ÿ/¥∂œ∑Ãá∏ÿ ‘be known (as), pass for’ +INST, 38T
∂¡∑¥œ∂µ÷Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∂¡∑¥œ∂µƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘manage’ +INST, 30T ∑Õ≈» ∑À◊œ⁄ÿ ∑Ã£⁄Ÿ ‘laughter through tears’, 77
∂¡∑¥œ∂µ÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘managing, management’ +INST, 30T ∑Õ≈Ö∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡ƒ ‘laugh at’ +INST, 48
∂¡∑∑fiÇ∏Ÿ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∂¡∑∑fi…∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘settle accounts’ +INST, ∑Õ≈Ö∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑Õ≈Ö∏ÿ∑µ ‘laugh’ +DAT, 88T
41T ∑Œ¡∫÷Ä∏ÿ/∑Œ¡∫ƒÇ∏ÿ ‘supply, provide’ +INST, 32T
∂◊¡∏ÿ ‘vomit’ +ACC, 66 ∑Œ¡∫÷ÅŒ…≈ ‘supply, supplying’ +INST, 32T
∂œƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘be born (as)’ +INST, 38T ∑ŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥∂…∑ŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘appear to in a dream’ +DAT, 90T
∂πÀœ◊œƒÇ∏ÿ ‘lead, direct’ +INST, 30, 30T ∑œ ∑∏œ∂œŒá ‘from the side of’ +GEN, 129T
∂πÀœ◊Éƒ∑∏◊œ ‘leadership, guidance’ +INST, 30T ∑œ∫œÃÅ⁄Œœ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘sympathy, condolence’ +DAT, 92T
∂πÀœ¥Ã≈∑ÀÄŒ…≈ ‘applause’ +DAT, 88T ∑œ∫œÃÅ⁄Œœ◊¡∏ÿ ‘sympathize, condole’ +DAT, 92T
∂πÀœ¥Ã≈∑ÀÄ∏ÿ ‘applaud, clap’ +DAT, 88T ∑œ◊Å∏ ‘advice’
‘ advice’ +DAT,
+DAT, 88T
302 Index
∑œ◊Å∏œ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œ∑œ◊Å∏œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘advise’ +DAT, 88T

∑œ«ÃÄ∑…≈ ∑ ‘agreement’ +INST, 41T Ù
∑œ«ÃÄ∑Œœ ‘agreeing with’ +DAT, 102T ∏¡™ÀÉÕ ‘secretly’, 28
∑œ«Ã¡¤Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∑œ«Ã¡∑Ç∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘agree’ +INST, 41T ∏≈Ã≈«∂¡∆Ç∂œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘telegraph’ +DAT, 88T
∑œƒÅ™∑∏◊…≈ ‘assistance’ +DAT, 92T ∏œÕπ Œ¡⁄Äƒ ‘ago’ +ACC, 80
∑œƒÅ™∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘assist, help’ +DAT, 92T ∏œ∂«œ◊Ä∏ÿ ‘trade’ +INST, 32T
∑œ⁄◊ÑfiŒŸ™ ‘in harmony with’ +DAT, 102T ∏œ∂«É◊≈√ ‘merchant, trader’ +INST, 32T
∑œ⁄Œ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∑œ⁄ŒÄ∏ÿ∑µ
∑œ⁄Œ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/∑œ⁄ŒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘confess to’ +LOC, 142T ∏œ∂«É◊Ãµ ‘trade, commerce’ +INST, 32T
∑œÕŒ≈◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘doubt’ +LOC, 142T ∏œ∑ÀÄ ¥œ ‘longing for’ +DAT or +LOC, 151
∑œÕŒÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘doubt of’ +LOC, 142T ∏œ¤ŒÇ∏ÿ ‘feel nauseated’ +ACC, 66
∑œœ∫›Ä∏ÿ/∑œœ∫›Ç∏ÿ ‘report, inform’ +DAT, 88T ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘demand, require’ +GEN or
∑œœ∫›ÅŒ…≈ ‘report, communication’ +DAT, 88T +ACC, 124T
∑œœ∏◊Å∏∑∏◊…≈ ‘correspondence’ +DAT, 102T ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡∏ÿ∑µ ‘be necessary to’ +DAT, 95T
∑œœ∏◊Å∏∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘correspond’ +DAT, 102T ∏∂ÑƒŒœ ‘hard for’ +DAT, 99
∑œœ∏◊Å∏∑∏◊π¿›…™ ‘corresponding, appropriate’ +DAT, ∏∂ÑƒŒŸ™ ‘difficult’ +DAT, 94T
102T ∏áÀ¡Œ…≈ ‘saying ∏Ÿ to’ +DAT, 88T
∑œ¥∂œ∏…◊ÃÖ≈Õœ∑∏ÿ ‘resistance, opposition’ +DAT, 94T ∏áÀ¡∏ÿ ‘say ∏Ÿ to’ +DAT, 88T
∑œ¥∂œ∏…◊ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ ‘resist, oppose’ +DAT, 94T ∏∂µ∑∏Ç ‘shake, have the shivers’ +ACC, 66
∑œ¥Ñ∏∑∏◊…≈ ‘accompaniment’ +DAT, 102T
∑œ¥Ñ∏∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘accompany’ +DAT, 102T
∑œ∂≈◊Œœ◊ÄŒ…≈ ∑ ‘competition’ +INST, 41T ı
∑œ∂≈◊Œœ◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘compete’ +INST, 41T π ‘at, by, near’ +GEN, 117, 133T, 134-135, 137
∑œ∑∂≈ƒœ∏Éfi…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∑œ∑∂≈ƒœ∏É
∑œ∑∂≈ƒœ∏Éfi…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∑œ∑∂≈ƒœ∏Éfi…∏ÿ∑µ fi…∏ÿ∑µ Œ¡ ‘concentrate
‘concentrate π ‘at (someone’s place)’ +GEN, 134
on’ +LOC, 147T π +GEN + (≈∑∏ÿ) +NOM ‘have’, 12, 31, 134
∑œ∑∏œÖ∏ÿ ‘be’ +INST, 38T π∫¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ(∑µ)/π∫Ä◊…∏ÿ(∑µ)
π∫¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ(∑µ)/π∫Ä◊…∏ÿ(∑µ) ‘decrease, subtract’ +GEN,
∑œ∑∏œÖ∏ÿ ◊ ‘consist in, lie in, be’ +LOC, 142T 131T
∑œfiÑ◊∑∏◊≈ŒŒŸ™ ‘sympathetic’ +DAT, 92T π∫≈÷ƒÄ∏ÿ(∑µ)/π∫≈ƒÇ∏ÿ(∑µ)
π∫≈÷ƒÄ∏ÿ(∑µ)/π∫≈ƒÇ∏ÿ(∑µ) ◊ ‘convince (oneself) of’
∑œfiÑ◊∑∏◊…≈ ‘sympathy’ +DAT, 92T +LOC, 142T
∑œfiÑ◊∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘sympathize’ +DAT, 92T π∫≈÷ƒÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘conviction’ +LOC, 142T
Û¥œÀÉ™Œœ™ ŒÉfi…! ‘Good night!’, 123 π◊Å∂≈Œ ◊ ‘certain of ’ +LOC, 142T
∑¥œ∑É∫∑∏◊œ◊¡Œ…≈ ‘assistance’ +DAT, 92T π◊Å∂≈ŒŒœ∑∏ÿ ◊ ‘certainty about’ +LOC, 142T
∑¥œ∑É∫∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ‘assist, facilitate’ +DAT, 92T π◊Ã≈ÀÄ∏ÿ∑µ/π◊ÃÅfiÿ∑µ
π◊Ã≈ÀÄ∏ÿ∑µ/π◊ÃÅfiÿ∑µ ‘be mad about, get carried away
∑¥π∑∏Ö ‘later’ +ACC, 79T, 80 with’ +INST, 33T
∑∂≈ƒÇ ‘among’ +GEN, 128 π◊Ã≈fiÅŒ…≈ ‘passion for, enthusiasm for’ +INST, 33T
∑∂œƒŒÇ ‘akin to’ +DAT,
+DAT, 102T π«œ÷ƒÄ∏ÿ/π«œƒÇ∏ÿ ‘please’ +DAT, 92T
∑∑É∂¡ ∑ ‘argument’ +INST, 41T π«∂œ÷Ä∏ÿ ‘threaten’ +DAT, 94T
∑∑É∂…∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑∑É∂…∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘argue’ +INST, 41T π«∂É⁄¡ ‘threat’ +DAT,
+DAT, 87T, 94T
∑∏ÄÃÀ…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/∑∏œÃÀŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ ∑ ‘collide with, run into, πƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿ∑µ/πƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ‘succeed’ +DAT, 100T
encounter’ +INST, 41T πƒÄfi¡ ◊ ‘success with’ +LOC, 142T
∑∏¡Œœ◊Ç∏ÿ∑µ/∑∏¡∏ÿ ‘become’ +DAT, 99 πƒÄfiÃ…◊Ÿ™ ◊ ‘successful with’ +LOC, 142T
∑∏≈∑ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑∏≈∑ŒÖ∏ÿ∑µ ‘be shy’ +GEN, 118T πƒ…◊ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ/πƒ…◊Ç∏ÿ∑µ ‘be surprised at’ +DAT, 103T
∑∏É…∏ÿ ‘cost; be worth, deserve’ +ACC, 73; +GEN, 122T πƒÉ∫ŒŸ™ ‘convenient’ +DAT, 92T
∑∏œÃÀŒœ◊ÅŒ…≈ ∑ ‘collision’ +INST, 41T πƒœ∑∏Ä…◊¡∏ÿ/πƒœ∑∏É…∏ÿ
πƒœ∑∏Ä…◊¡∏ÿ/πƒœ∑∏É…∏ÿ ‘receive, be awarded’ +GEN,
∑∏ÉÃÿÀœ ‘so many’ +GEN, 129 122T
∑∏œ∂œŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑∏œ∂œŒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘shun, avoid’ +GEN, πƒœ∑∏œ◊≈∂ÅŒ…≈ ◊ ‘attestation of’ +LOC, 142T
118T πƒœ∑∏œ◊≈∂Ö∏ÿ∑µ/πƒœ∑∏œ◊Å∂…∏ÿ∑µ
πƒœ∑∏œ◊≈∂Ö∏ÿ∑µ/πƒœ∑∏œ◊Å∂…∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘assure oneself of’
∑∏∂¡ƒÄ∏ÿ ‘suffer from’ +INST, 32T +LOC, 142T
∑∏ŸƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ∑∏ŸƒÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘be ashamed’ +GEN, 118T πÀ∂ÄƒÀœ™ ‘stealthily’, 28
Ûfi¡∑∏ÃÇ◊œ«œ ¥π∏Ç! ‘Have a good trip!’, 123 πÃŸ∫Ä∏ÿ∑µ/πÃŸ∫ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ ‘smile’ +DAT, 88T
∑fi¡∑∏ÃÇ◊Ÿ™ ◊ ‘lucky with’ +LOC, 142T π¥œƒœ∫ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘likening, comparison’ +DAT, 103T
∑fiÄ∑∏ÿ≈ ◊ ‘luck with’ +LOC, 142T π¥œƒœ∫ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ/π¥œƒÉ∫…∏ÿ∑µ ‘be similar, assimilate’ +DAT,
∑fi…∏Ä∏ÿ ‘consider’ +INST, 40T 103T
∑fi…∏Ä∏ÿ∑µ ‘be considered’ +INST, 38T π¥∂¡◊ÃÅŒ…≈ ‘governing, government’ +INST, 30T
-∑µ/-∑ÿ π¥∂¡◊ÃÖ∏ÿ ‘govern, administer, manage’ +INST, 30T
in experiencer constructions with dative, 101 π¥∂£À ◊ ‘reproach for’ +LOC, 142T
passive verbs with -∑µ/-∑ÿ, 33-35 π¥∂≈ÀÄ∏fl/π¥∂≈ÀŒÑ∏ÿ
π¥∂≈ÀÄ∏fl/π¥∂≈ÀŒÑ∏ÿ ◊ ‘reproach because of’ +LOC, 142T
π∑Õ≈»Ä∏ÿ∑µ/π∑Õ≈»ŒÑ∏ÿ∑µ ‘grin’ +DAT, 88T
π∑¥≈◊ÄŒ…≈ ◊ ‘progress in’ +LOC, 142T
π∑¥≈◊Ä∏ÿ/π∑¥Å∏ÿ
π∑¥≈◊Ä∏ÿ/π∑¥Å∏ÿ ◊ ‘succeed, make progress in’ +LOC,
142T
Russian
Russian Index 303
π∑¥Å»(…) ◊ ‘success in’ +LOC, 142T

π∑∏∂Ä…◊¡∏ÿ∑µ/π∑∏∂É…∏ÿ∑µ ‘get a job (as)’ +INST, 38T
π∑∏π¥Ä∏ÿ/π∑∏π¥Ç∏ÿ ‘yield to’ +DAT, 103T
π∑∏Ñ¥À¡ ‘concession, compromise’ +DAT, 103T
Ñ∏∂œÕ ‘in the morning’, 22
πfiÄ∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ◊ ‘participate in’ +LOC, 142T
πfiÄ∑∏◊π¿›…™ ◊ ‘participant in’ +LOC, 142T
πfiÄ∑∏…≈ ◊ ‘participation in’ +LOC, 142T
πfiÄ›…™∑µ ‘student’ +DAT, 103T
πfiÇ∏ÿ∑µ/Œ¡πfiÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘study’ +DAT, 103T
π›Å∂∫ ‘detriment’ +DAT, 94T
Ë
»◊¡ÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ/¥œ»◊¡ÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘boast of’ +INST, 33T
»◊¡∏Ä∏ÿ ‘suffice, be enough’ +DAT/+GEN, 95T, 131T
»ÃÉ¥¡∏ÿ/»ÃÉ¥Œπ∏ÿ
»ÃÉ¥¡∏ÿ/»ÃÉ¥Œπ∏ÿ ƒ◊Å∂ÿ¿ ‘slam a door’, 26T
»œƒÇ∏ÿ Œ¡ (Ãá÷¡»/¥¡∂π∑Ä») ‘go (skiing/sailing,
(skiing/sailing, etc.)’
+LOC, 147T
»œƒÿ∫Ä Œ¡ (Ãá÷¡»/¥¡∂π∑Ä») ‘going (skiing/sailing, etc.)’
+LOC, 147T
»œ∏Å∏ÿ/⁄¡»œ∏Å∏ÿ
»œ∏Å∏ÿ/⁄¡»œ∏Å∏ÿ ‘want’ +GEN or +ACC, 124T
»œ∏Å∏ÿ∑µ/⁄¡»œ∏Å∏ÿ∑µ ‘feel like, want to’ +DAT, 100T;
+GEN, 124T
˛
fi≈Õ X, ∏≈Õ Y ‘the more X...the more Y’, 29
fiÅ∂≈⁄ ‘across, after; in, at the end of; through, every other’
+ACC, 54T, 75, 77, 78-80, 79T
‘across, after; in, at the end of’ +ACC in domain of
space, 54T, 78
‘after, in’ +ACC in time running forward expressions,
79-80, 79T
‘every other’ +ACC in domain of space, 78
‘through’ +ACC with various activities, 54T, 75, 77
fiÅ∂≈⁄ ¥œ∑∂Åƒ∑∏◊œ ‘by means of ’ +GEN, 129T
fiÅ∂≈⁄ ∑∏∂ÉfiÀπ ‘skip lines, double-spaced’,
double-spaced’, 78
fi…∑ÃÇ∏ÿ∑µ ‘be listed (as)’ +INST, 38T
fiÇ∑Ã…∏ÿ∑µ ◊ ‘be counted among’ +LOC, 142T
fi…∏Ä∏ÿ/¥∂œfi…∏Ä∏ÿ (◊∑Ãπ») ‘read (out loud) to’ +DAT, 88T
fi∏œ ⁄¡ Y-NOM ‘what kind of Y is that?’, 14
fi∏œ ∏¡ÀÉ≈ Y-NOM ‘what is Y’, 14
fiÑ◊∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ/¥œfiÑ◊∑∏◊œ◊¡∏ÿ ∑≈∫Ö ‘feel (like)’ +INST, 38T
fiπ÷ƒÄ∏ÿ∑µ ‘shun, stand aloof’ +GEN, 118T
fiÑ÷ƒŸ™ ‘alien’ +DAT,
+DAT, 94T
˚
¤Ä«œÕ ‘at a walk’, 28
¸
‹ÀœŒÉÕ…∏ÿ/∑‹ÀœŒÉÕ…∏ÿ Œ¡ ‘economize on, save on’
+LOC, 147T
‹ÀœŒÉÕ…µ Œ¡ ‘economizing on’ +LOC, 147T
Ò
µ◊ÃÖ∏ÿ∑µ ‘be’ +INST, 38T
304 Index

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iii

The Case Book

Laura A. Janda and Steven J. Clancy

SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO USE THIS BOOK ........................................................

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................... ........................................................

NOMINATIVE: A NAME ........................................................

INSTRUMENTAL: A MEANS ................................................... ................................................... 18

INSTRUMENTAL: A LABEL 1—Being, becoming, becoming, seeming ............................................... 36

ACCUSATIVE: A DESTINATION ....................................................

DATIVE: A RECEIVER .......................................................

DATIVE: A RECEIVER 3—Giving the self ............................................................ ............ 89

GENITIVE: A SOURCE ............................................... ........................................................

LOCATIVE: A PLACE ........................................................

APPENDIX .................................................. ........................................................

Names .................................................. .......................................................

FURTHER READING .................................................. ........................................................

LEVEL II EXERCISES ............................................... ........................................................

Dative Exercise 1, Level II .....................................................

LEVEL III EXERCISES .....................................................

Mixed Case Exercise 6, Level

SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

NO SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE IS ASSUMED FOR TEACHERS OR STUDENTS

FOR USE AT A VARIETY OF LEVELS IN A VARIETY OF SETTINGS

FOR USE BY ITSELF OR WITH ANY OTHER TEXTBOOKS OR READINGS

THE SEMESTER PLAN

Assuming order in book Assuming different order

Instrumental Prologue Instrumental: Accusative Prologue

Instrumental: a label Instrumental:

Accusative: a dimension Genitive: a whole

Accusative Epilogue Genitive Epilogue

Dative Prologue Dative Prologue

Genitive Epilogue Instrumental Epilogue Instrumental

Locative: a place Locative: a place

Multiple case review Multiple case r eview

THE YEAR PLAN

Instrumental Prologue Accusative Prologue

Dative Epilogue Dative Epilogue

Instrumental:label Genitive Prologue Instrumental Prologue

Week 6 Instru mental:landmark Genitive:goal Accusative:endpoint Instru mental:means 7-12

Instrumental Epilogue Accusative Epilogue Instrumental:label

Accusative Prologue Genitive Epilogue Genitive Prologue Instrumental Epilogue

Locative Prologue Locative Prologue

Locative Epilogue Locative Epilogue

Multiple case review Multiple case review

Feminine hard type: °room¢ soft type: °week¢

°she¢ °he¢ °it¢ °they¢

The nominative network:

NOMINATIVE: A NAME 1—Naming and calling

ÙÉÃÿÀœ ∑À¡÷Ñ — ÕœÃœƒá≈ , Œ≈ «π∫Ç∏≈ ∑≈∫Ö, Œ≈ ¥∂É∫π™∏≈.

ÔÀ¡⁄ÄÃœ∑ÿ, ﬁ∏œ … ∏¡Œ√≈◊Ä∏ÿ Œ≈ πÕÅÃ¡ … ∑…ƒÅÃ¡ ∏Ç»œ, À¡À ÕŸ¤ÿ .

Ó…À¡ÀÉ≈ ƒ∂π«É≈ ÇÕµ ◊ ◊ ∂Ñ∑∑Àœ™ ¥∂É⁄≈ ¥œ∑ÃÅƒŒ≈«œ ƒ≈∑µ∏…ÃÅ∏…µ Œ≈ ⁄◊πﬁÇ∏ ∏¡À

Ô∑É∫≈ŒŒœ ∑Àœ∂∫Ç∏ Ä◊∏œ∂ ¥œ ¥œ ¥∂…∑Œœ¥ÄÕµ∏ŒŸÕ ◊∂≈Õ≈ŒÄÕ ÛÛÛÚ ∏∂…ƒ√Ä∏Ÿ» -

˛≈Õ œ∫≈∂Œ£∏∑µ ƒÃµ Úœ∑∑Ç… ¥œ∏Å∂µ ∑∏∂¡∏≈«Çﬁ≈∑Àœ«œ ∑Å◊≈∂Œœ«œ ∆œ∂¥É∑∏¡.

˜œ ÕŒÅ, ≈∑∏Å∑∏◊≈ŒŒœ, Œ¡ÀÄ¥Ã…◊¡Ã∑µ ¥∂œ∏Å∑∏ ¥∂œ∏Ç◊ …» ±¥∂Ä◊ƒŸ≤.

œÜ∏œÕπ-∏œ … ∂¡⁄◊…∏É™ ∑œ√…¡ÃÇ⁄Õ ∂Ñ»ŒπÃ Œ≈ ∏ÉÃÿÀœ …⁄-⁄¡ ∏œ«É, ﬁ∏œ ≈«É

˜ √ÅŒ∏∂≈ ¥≈∂≈«œ◊É∂œ◊ — ◊œ¥∂É∑Ÿ …∂ÄŒœ-∂œ∑∑Ç™∑Àœ«œ

ı Õ≈ŒÖ ≈∑∏ÿ ÀÉ∂Œ… … … ≈∑∏ÿ ∂œ∑∏ÀÇ . ˙ŒÄﬁ…∏, µ ≈∑Õÿ.

NOMINATIVE: AN IDENTITY 1—The Y in an X = Y sentence

Ó¡™ÕÄŒ — …Œ∏≈ÃÃ≈À∏πÄÃÿŒŸ™ Àœ◊∫É™ .

˜œœ∫›Å, ∂Ñ∑∑À…™ ÛÅ◊≈∂ — ≈›£ Œ≈∂¡⁄«Äƒ¡ŒŒ¡µ ∏Ä™Œ¡ Úœ∑∑Ç…. Úœ∑∑Ç….

‰ÉÃ÷≈Œ ¥∂…⁄ŒÄ∏ÿ∑µ, ﬁ∏œ µ Œ≈ ∑œ◊∑ÅÕ ÷π∂Œ¡ÃÇ∑∏ .

ÓÄƒœ …ÕÅ∏ÿ ◊ ◊…ƒÑ, ﬁ∏œ œŒÄ ﬁ≈Ãœ◊ÅÀ «Ãπ∫œÀÉ

Îœ◊∂Ç«…Œ ∑∏∂Ä¤Œœ ∂¡ŒÇÕŸ™ … … ∫œÃÅ⁄Œ≈ŒŒœ ﬁÑ∏À…™.