Genitive Case in Russian
Родительный падеж
The genitive case is used to show possession, absence, quantity, and partitive meaning. It answers the questions 'of whom?' (кого?) and 'of what?' (чего?).
Time and Duration in Genitive
Genitive is used to show time spans, beginnings, and ends:
When to Use Genitive Case
The genitive case is used in several important contexts:
| Usage | Russian Example | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | Книга брата | Brother’s book |
| Absence/negation | У меня нет машины. | I don't have a car. |
| Quantity | Стакан воды | A glass of water |
| Partitive | Я выпил чаю. | I drank some tea. |
| After some prepositions | из Москвы | from Moscow |
| Dates and time | с утра до вечера | from morning till evening |
| Measurements | Килограмм сахара | A kilogram of sugar |
Genitive in Motion Expressions
Some motion expressions require genitive when indicating origin or direction from:
Genitive and Animacy
Genitive is used for animate objects in accusative (already covered). In genitive proper, animacy does not affect endings.
- Genitive is used to express absence regardless of animacy.
- For animate masculine and plural nouns, genitive = accusative.
Genitive Case Endings
Genitive endings depend on gender and number. Here are the typical patterns:
| Gender | Singular Endings | Plural Endings |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | -а / -я | -ов / -ев / -ей |
| Feminine | -ы / -и | - / -ей |
| Neuter | -а / -я | - / -ей |
Personal Pronouns in Genitive
Genitive has distinct pronoun forms, often used after negation or prepositions:
| Nominative | Genitive | Example |
|---|---|---|
| я | меня | У меня нет денег |
| ты | тебя | Без тебя не могу |
| он | его | У него нет ключей |
| она | её | У неё нет брата |
| оно | его | Нет его дома |
| мы | нас | У нас нет времени |
| вы | вас | У вас есть книга? |
| они | их | У них нет проблем |
Adjective Agreement in Genitive
Adjectives must agree with nouns in gender, number, and case. Genitive adjectives take specific endings:
| Gender | Hard Stem | Soft Stem | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | -ого | -его | нового брата, синего дома |
| Feminine | -ой | -ей | новой книги, синей ручки |
| Neuter | -ого | -его | нового окна, синего моря |
| Plural | -ых | -их | новых друзей, синих сумок |
Question Words in Genitive
These question words expect genitive case responses:
- Кого? (Of whom?)
- Чего? (Of what?)
- Откуда? (From where?) — usually used with genitive
- Сколько? (How much/many?) — with uncountables
Example Sentences
Prepositions with Genitive
These prepositions require genitive case for the noun that follows:
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| у | at, have | У меня есть брат |
| без | without | Без сахара |
| от | from | Письмо от друга |
| до | until | До завтра |
| для | for | Подарок для мамы |
| из | from (out of) | Из школы |
| с | from, since | С начала месяца |
| возле | near | Возле дома |