Agreement with Nouns in Gender, Number, and Case in Russian

Agreement with Nouns in Gender, Number, and Case in Russian

In Russian, adjectives, pronouns, and verbs must agree with the noun they modify or refer to in terms of gender, number, and case. This means that the form of the adjective or pronoun changes depending on the characteristics of the noun. This system of agreement is a fundamental aspect of Russian grammar and is essential for constructing grammatically correct sentences.

Let’s dive deeper into how agreement works in Russian.


1. Gender Agreement

Russian nouns come in three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Adjectives, pronouns, and verbs must match the noun in gender.

1.1. Gender of Nouns

  • Masculine nouns typically end in a consonant or «й» (e.g., стол – table, учитель – teacher).
  • Feminine nouns typically end in «а» or «я» (e.g., книга – book, женщина – woman).
  • Neuter nouns typically end in «о» or «е» (e.g., окно – window, молоко – milk).

1.2. Gender Agreement with Adjectives

Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. For example:

NounAdjective (Masculine)Adjective (Feminine)Adjective (Neuter)Adjective (Plural)
Дом (house)большой (big)большие (big)
Книга (book)большая (big)большие (big)
Окно (window)большое (big)большие (big)

Examples:

  • Это большой дом. (This is a big house.)
  • Это большая книга. (This is a big book.)
  • Это большое окно. (This is a big window.)

2. Number Agreement

Russian nouns can be either singular or plural, and adjectives, pronouns, and verbs must match the noun in number.

2.1. Number of Nouns

  • Singular nouns refer to one object, person, or thing (e.g., стол – table).
  • Plural nouns refer to more than one object, person, or thing (e.g., столы – tables).

2.2. Number Agreement with Adjectives

Adjectives must match the number of the noun, so they change form when used with plural nouns.

NounAdjective (Singular)Adjective (Plural)
Стол (table)большой (big)большие (big)
Книга (book)большая (big)большие (big)
Дома (houses)большие (big)

Examples:

  • У меня новый стол. (I have a new table.)
  • У меня новые столы. (I have new tables.)
  • Это большая книга. (This is a big book.)
  • Это большие книги. (These are big books.)

3. Case Agreement

In Russian, cases are used to indicate the grammatical role of a noun in a sentence. There are six cases in Russian: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, and prepositional. Adjectives, pronouns, and sometimes numerals change their form depending on the case of the noun they modify.

3.1. Nominative Case Agreement

In the nominative case, adjectives match the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify without any changes in the form of the adjective.

NounAdjective (Masculine)Adjective (Feminine)Adjective (Neuter)Adjective (Plural)
Стол (table)большой (big)большие (big)
Книга (book)большая (big)большие (big)
Окно (window)большое (big)большие (big)

Example Sentence:

  • Это красивый дом. (This is a beautiful house.)
  • Это красивая книга. (This is a beautiful book.)
  • Это красивое окно. (This is a beautiful window.)
  • Это красивые дома. (These are beautiful houses.)

3.2. Genitive Case Agreement

In the genitive case, adjectives also change form depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun. For masculine singular nouns ending in a consonant, adjectives typically end in -ого or -его. For feminine nouns, adjectives typically end in -ой or -ей.

NounAdjective (Masculine)Adjective (Feminine)Adjective (Neuter)Adjective (Plural)
Стол (table)большого (big)больших (big)
Книга (book)большой (big)больших (big)
Окно (window)большого (big)больших (big)

Example Sentences:

  • Я купил новый стол. (I bought a new table.)
  • Я купил большую книгу. (I bought a big book.)
  • Я купил большое окно. (I bought a big window.)
  • Я купил большие книги. (I bought big books.)

4. Agreement with Pronouns

Pronouns in Russian must also agree with the noun they represent in terms of gender, number, and case. For example, personal pronouns (я, ты, он, она, оно, мы, вы, они) and possessive pronouns (мой, твой, его, её, наш, ваш, их) change to match the noun in the sentence.

PronounMasculineFeminineNeuterPlural
My (мой)мой (my)моя (my)моё (my)мои (my)
Your ( твой)твой (your)твоя (your)твоё (your)твои (your)

Examples:

  • Мой дом. (My house.)
  • Моя книга. (My book.)
  • Моё окно. (My window.)
  • Мои книги. (My books.)

5. Conclusion

In Russian, agreement with nouns in gender, number, and case is a crucial grammatical rule. Adjectives, pronouns, and verbs must change their form to match the noun they describe or refer to. This system of agreement ensures that the sentence is grammatically correct and that the relationships between words are clear.

By mastering gender, number, and case agreement, you can express yourself more accurately in Russian and better understand how the language functions.


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