Declension Patterns of Nouns in Russian

Declension Patterns of Nouns in Russian

In Russian, declension refers to how nouns change their form depending on their case, gender, and number. Russian nouns are categorized into three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter, and they follow certain patterns of declension, which determine how their endings change in different grammatical cases.

In this article, we will explore the declension patterns for Russian nouns, breaking them down by gender and case. We will focus on how the endings of nouns change in the nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, and prepositional cases.


1. Masculine Nouns Declension

Masculine nouns can end in a consonant, , or . The declension pattern depends on the final letter of the noun.

1.1. Masculine Nouns Ending in a Consonant

CaseSingularPlural
NominativeСтол (table)Столы (tables)
GenitiveСтола (of the table)Столов (of the tables)
DativeСтолу (to the table)Столам (to the tables)
AccusativeСтол (table)Столы (tables)
InstrumentalСтолом (with the table)Столами (with the tables)
PrepositionalСтоле (in the table)Столах (in the tables)

1.2. Masculine Nouns Ending in -й

CaseSingularPlural
NominativeМальчик (boy)Мальчики (boys)
GenitiveМальчика (of the boy)Мальчиков (of the boys)
DativeМальчику (to the boy)Мальчикам (to the boys)
AccusativeМальчика (boy)Мальчиков (boys)
InstrumentalМальчиком (with the boy)Мальчиками (with the boys)
PrepositionalМальчике (about the boy)Мальчиках (about the boys)

1.3. Masculine Nouns Ending in -ь

CaseSingularPlural
NominativeКонь (horse)Кони (horses)
GenitiveКоня (of the horse)Коней (of the horses)
DativeКоню (to the horse)Коням (to the horses)
AccusativeКоня (horse)Коней (horses)
InstrumentalКонём (with the horse)Конями (with the horses)
PrepositionalКоне (about the horse)Конях (about the horses)

2. Feminine Nouns Declension

Feminine nouns typically end in , , or . Their declension pattern changes accordingly.

2.1. Feminine Nouns Ending in -а

CaseSingularPlural
NominativeКнига (book)Книги (books)
GenitiveКниги (of the book)Книг (of the books)
DativeКниге (to the book)Книгам (to the books)
AccusativeКнигу (book)Книги (books)
InstrumentalКнигой (with the book)Книгами (with the books)
PrepositionalКниге (about the book)Книгах (about the books)

2.2. Feminine Nouns Ending in -я

CaseSingularPlural
NominativeСемья (family)Семьи (families)
GenitiveСемьи (of the family)Семей (of the families)
DativeСемье (to the family)Семьям (to the families)
AccusativeСемью (family)Семьи (families)
InstrumentalСемьёй (with the family)Семьями (with the families)
PrepositionalСемье (about the family)Семьях (about the families)

2.3. Feminine Nouns Ending in -ь

CaseSingularPlural
NominativeМать (mother)Матери (mothers)
GenitiveМатери (of the mother)Матерей (of the mothers)
DativeМатери (to the mother)Матерям (to the mothers)
AccusativeМать (mother)Матери (mothers)
InstrumentalМатерью (with the mother)Матерями (with the mothers)
PrepositionalМатери (about the mother)Матерях (about the mothers)

3. Neuter Nouns Declension

Neuter nouns usually end in or . The declension follows a regular pattern similar to that of masculine and feminine nouns.

3.1. Neuter Nouns Ending in -о

CaseSingularPlural
NominativeОкно (window)Окна (windows)
GenitiveОкна (of the window)Окон (of the windows)
DativeОкну (to the window)Окнам (to the windows)
AccusativeОкно (window)Окна (windows)
InstrumentalОкном (with the window)Окнами (with the windows)
PrepositionalОкне (about the window)Окнах (about the windows)

3.2. Neuter Nouns Ending in -е

CaseSingularPlural
NominativeМолоко (milk)Молока (milks)
GenitiveМолока (of the milk)Молок (of the milks)
DativeМолоку (to the milk)Молокам (to the milks)
AccusativeМолоко (milk)Молока (milks)
InstrumentalМолоком (with the milk)Молоками (with the milks)
PrepositionalМолоке (about the milk)Молоках (about the milks)

4. Key Points in Russian Noun Declension

  • Gender-specific changes: Nouns in Russian change according to their gender. Masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns follow different declension patterns, each with distinct endings.
  • Singular and plural forms: Russian declension not only changes based on case but also involves modifications for singular and plural forms. The endings in both singular and plural cases differ.
  • Irregular nouns: Some nouns have irregular forms in the genitive, dative, or prepositional cases. These forms do not always follow standard declension patterns.

5. Conclusion

Russian noun declension is an essential aspect of the language, allowing speakers to convey a wide range of meanings and relationships between objects and subjects. By understanding the declension patterns for masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns, you can form grammatically correct sentences in various cases. With practice, these patterns will become second nature.

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