Szczepanska Kathryn. Russian: A Self-Teaching Guide
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насекóмое—is like the nominative. In the second, the same word, in the plural, is
now animate and is identical with the genitive case. Only neuter nouns show this
peculiarity of being inanimate in the singular but animate in the plural.There are,
however, some masculine nouns in certain set expressions that are animate in the
singular but become inanimate in the plural.
More information on these structures will be found in chapter 3 on the accu-
sative case.
TEST FOR MASTERY 3
The nouns in the list below are either singular or plural. Identify the number and
give the opposite. Also identify which nouns are animate, that is, refer to male
human beings or animals.
Example: тñгры → тигр (animate)
бÿква → бÿквы
Be forewarned! Unless you know the original noun, it is much harder to
change a noun from the plural to the singular.
1. карандáш 13. ковбóй 25. чернñла
2. городá 14. спортсмéн 26. лук
3. кафетéрий 15. письмó 27. гусûта
4. конфéта 16. хулигáны 28. мужьû
5. дéло 17. медсестрá 29. дéньги
6. муравьñ 18. молодёжь 30. сиротá
7. вéщи 19. горá 31. небесá
8. купéц 20. крокодñл 32. д
óчери
9. колéно 21. воскресéнье 33. колéчко
10. рáдио 22. кÿры 34. здáния
11. трÿсики 23. мужчñна 35. пéрья
12. яйцó 24. именá 36. чéрти
34 RUSSIAN: A Self-Teaching Guide
ANSWER KEY
Vocabulary Practice 1
1. композñтор 6. актрñса 11. актрñса
2. писáтель 7. баскетболñст 12. фñзик
3. певñца 8. режиссёр 13. певéц
4. худóжник 9. поœт 14. филóсоф
5. писáтель 10. хоккеñст 15. хулигáн
Vocabulary Practice 2
1. библиотéкарь 6. фñзик/хñмик/биóлог
2. фéрмер 7. худóжник
3. юрñст 8. профéссор
4. учñтель/учñтельница 9. мехáник
5. режиссёр 10. продавéц/продавщñца
Vocabulary Practice 3
1. Dante/итальûнец 8. Napoleon/францÿз
2. Plato/грек 9. Madame Curie/пóлька
3. Bill Gates/америкáнец 10. Chopin/полûк
4. Mona Lisa/итальûнка 11. Frida Kahlo/мексикáнка
5. Pocahontas/индиáнка 12. Diego Rivera/мексикáнец
6. Peter Jennings/канáдец 13. Hamlet/датчáнин
7. Winston Churchill/англичáнин 14. Hitler/нéмец
Test for Mastery 1
1. M (the state) or F (the river) 3. M or F
2. M (the Buddha is a male person) 4. N (a communiqué)
The Noun 35
5. N 17. N (indeclinable)
6. M (a male person) 18. F (unlike тéмя, this ends in -а)
7. N 19. F (a woman, indeclinable)
8. M (a state) 20. M (an animal)
9. N (ending in -мя) 21. N
10. F (a newspaper) 22. M
11. N (indeclinable) 23. F (ending in -мья, not -мя)
12. M (Puccini) 24. M (indeclinable animal)
13. M (an animal) 25. M (a state)
14. N 26. F
15. F (ending in -ость) 27. F (a river)
16. M (ending in -тель)
Test for Mastery 2
1. арбÿзы 11. no plural 21. глазá
2. плáтья 12. already plural! 22. пáльцы
3. ÿши 13. сéмьи 23. окóшки
4. небесá 14. клáдбища 24. кÿры
5. домá 15. пéрья 25. дéти
6. муравьñ 16. брáтья 26. временá
7. путñ 17. поросûта 27. музéи
8. христиáне 18. no plural 28. пьûницы
9. кенгурÿ 19. мáтери 29. существá
10. сёстры 20. господá 30. дûди
36 RUSSIAN: A Self-Teaching Guide
Test for Mastery 3
1. карандашñ 13. ковбóи 25. plural only
2. гóрод 14. спотрсмéны 26. singular only
3. кафетéрии 15. пñсьма 27. гусёнок
4. конфéты 16. хулигáн 28. муж
5. делá 17. медсёстры 29. plural only
6. муравéй 18. singular only 30. сирóты
7. вещь 19. гóры 31. нéбо
8. купцπ 20. крокодñлы 32. дочь
9. колéни 21. воскресéнья 33. колéчки
11
10. рáдио (indeclinable) 22. кÿрица 34. здáние
11. plural only 23. мужчñны 35. перó
12. ûйца 24. ñмя 36. чёрт
The Noun 37
11
This is the diminutive of кольцó.
3
The Accusative Case
Винительный падeж
38
Useful Vocabulary
Verbs
рабóтать to work
отдыхáть to relax
идтñ to go (on foot)
éхать to go (by vehicle)
Family Members
семьû family сестрá sister
мать mother брат brother
мáма mom дéти children
отéц father бáбушка grandmother
пáпа dad дéдушка grandfather
родñтели parents собáка dog
дочь daughter кóшка cat
сын son человéк person
Greetings
здрáвствуй(те) hello
дóброе ÿтро good morning
дóбрый день good day
дóбрый вéчер good evening
спокóйной нóчи good night
до свидáния good-bye
покá see you, bye
всегó хорóшего all the best
Phrases
давáйте познакóмимся let’s introduce ourselves
óчень приûтно nice to meet you
извинñте excuse me
пожáлуйста please
спасñбо thank you
в такóмслÿчае in that case
мнé порá it’s time for me (+ Inf.)
VOCABULARY PRACTICE
Give the antonym to the words listed below:
1. мать
______________
7. отдыхáть
______________
2. здр áвствуйте
______________
8. брат
______________
3. дочь
______________
9. пожáлуйста
______________
4. дóброе ÿтро
______________
10. пáпа
______________
5. род ñтели
______________
11. собáка
______________
6. дéдушка
______________
12. дéти
______________
The Verb Идтñ
Singular Plural
яидÿ мы идём
ты идёшь вы идёте
он/онá идёт онñ идÿт
The Accusative Case 39
The Verb Éхать
Singular Plural
я éду мы éдем
ты éдешь вы éдете
он/онáéдет они éдут
CONVERSATION PRACTICE
With a friend, take the roles of the below travelers and substitute your own mate-
rials for the underlined words.
Впóезде «Москвá–Владивостóк»
Ив
Áн СергÉEвич: Здрáвствуйте!
PÓБEрт ФñшEр: Д
óбрый день.
ИC: Извинñте, пожáлуйста, кудá вы éдете?
РФ: Я éду в Иркÿтск.
ИС: Аяéду во Владивостóк.
(молчáние)
ИС: Давáйте познакóмимся ! Менû зовÿтИвáн. А вас?
РФ: Менû зовÿтРóберт.
ИС: Óчень приûтно!
(молчáние)
ИС: Скажñте, пожáлуйста, откÿда вы?
РФ: Я америкáнец. Я живÿ и рабóтаю в Нью-Йóрке.
ИС: Аярÿсский. Я всю жизнь живÿ в Москвé.
РФ: Гмм.
(молчáние)
ИС: Рóберт! Вот фотогрáфия моéй семьñ. Œто моû женá,
мой сын, моñ дóчери, нáши собáки и нáши кóшки.
РФ: Œто óчень большáя семьû. У менû есть тóлько зол
oтáя
рπбка.
40 RUSSIAN: A Self-Teaching Guide
ИС: В такóмслÿчае, вы навéрно счастлñвый человéк!
РФ: Ну, мне порá идтñ. До свидáния.
ИС: Всегó хорóшего! (пóзже) Какóй стрáнный человéк!
On the Trans-Siberian Railroad
I
VA N SERGEYEVICH: Hello!
ROBERT FISHER: Good afternoon.
IS: Excuse me, please, where are you going?
RF: I’m going to Irkutsk.
IS: I’m going to Vladivostok.
(silence)
IS: Let’s introduce ourselves! My name is Ivan. What’s yours?
RF: My name is Robert.
IS: Nice to meet you!
(silence)
IS: Tell me please, where are you from?
RF: I’m an American. I live and work in New York.
IS: And I’m Russian. I have lived in Moscow all my life.
RF: Hmmm.
(silence)
IS: Robert! Here is a photograph of my family. This is my wife,
my son, my daughters, our dogs, and our cats.
RF: That’s a very large family. I have only a goldfish.
IS: In that case, you must be a happy person!
RF: Well, it’s time for me to go. Good-bye.
IS: All the best! (later) What a strange person!
Vocabulary
1. Greetings. There are various ways Russians greet each other. Always cor-
rect are Доброе утро! (Good morning!), Добрый день! (Good afternoon!),
Добрый вечер! (Good evening!).
You may also say Здрáвствуйте! (or здрáвствуй, to a person whom you
address as ты, the informal you).This greeting is in the form of an imperative, and
The Accusative Case 41
you are essentially wishing someone to be healthy. This greeting roughly corre-
sponds to the English “Hello! How are you?” As such, it may be said to someone
only once a day.
A more informal greeting is the expression Привéт (Hi).
2. My name is....In Russian, the construction is literally “(They) call me...”
The verb is third-person plural without an expressed subject, which signifies an
impersonal state (Cf. “I am called...”). The direct object is the pronoun меня
(me), and the name is provided in the nominative case.
To a child Как тебû зовÿт? What’s your name?
To an (adult) stranger Как вас зовÿт? What’s your name?
About a group Как их зовÿт? What are their names?
About a girl or woman Как её зовÿт? What’s her name?
About a boy or man Как егó зовÿт? What’s his name?
3. Good-bye! The most neutral expression upon taking leave is до свидáния.
Ivan says, «Всегó хорóшего», which besides its literal translation of “All the best”
can mean “Have a nice day.”The word покá is colloquial, meaning “Bye!” or “See
you later.”
4. Possessive Pronoun Adjectives
Masculine Neuter Feminine Plural
my мой моё моû моñ
your твой твоё твоû твоñ
his егó егó егó егó
her её её её её
Masculine Neuter Feminine Plural
our наш нáше нáша нáши
your ваш вáше вáша вáши
their их их их их
Like adjectives, the possessive pronouns for the first and second person singular
and plural (my, your, our, your) agree with the nouns they modify in gender and
number.Third-person possessives do not agree.
42 RUSSIAN: A Self-Teaching Guide
Masculine Neuter Feminine Plural
мой браслéт моё рáдио моû газéта моñ дéньги
наш дом нáше рáдио нáша квартñра нáши дéти
егó брат егó рáдио егó сестрá егó очкñ
её отец её рáдио её мать её родñтели
их компьîтер их рáдио их шкóла их друзьû
Functions of the Accusative Case
The functions of the accusative case are few and easily mastered. As for the end-
ings, only feminine nouns have accusative endings of their own; neuter nouns and
masculine inanimate nouns are like the nominative case, and masculine animate
nouns are like the genitive case.
Direct Object
The primary syntactical use of the accusative case is to indicate the direct object
in a sentence. The direct object is the recipient or focus of the action of the verb,
or to express it in a way that is more accurate for Russian, the direct object is the
object of a transitive verb. This is an important point, because what may sound
like a direct object in English does not always correspond to Russian usage. To
telephone someone or to help someone, for instance, is expressed in Russian by
means of the dative case, not the accusative (you make a telephone call or render
assistance to someone).
1
Consider the following examples of the accusative case as direct object:
Пáпа купñл мне нóвую машñну. Dad bought me a new car.
Почемÿ ты взял мой словáрь? Why did you take my dictionary?
Открóйте окнó! Open the window!
Япрóсто не могÿ вπтерпеть I just can’t stand Ivan Vladimirovich.
Ивáна Владñмировича.
Нáдо уважáть мать и отцá. One must respect one’s mother and
father.
The Accusative Case 43
1
For a comprehensive list of verbs that take the dative case, see chapter 8.