RUSSIAN LANGUAGE
ВОЙДИТЕ, ЧТОБЫ НАЧАТЬ ОБУЧЕНИЕ С АУДИО-ЗАПИСЬЮ

Russian for English speakers 21


Lesson 21

 

Russian
Русский

English
Английский
 

58 - пятьдесят восемь

fifty eight

 

59 - пятьдесят девять

fifty nine

 

60 - шестьдесят

sixty

 

61 - шестьдесят один

sixty one

     
 

Двадцать первый (21-й) урок

Twenty first lesson

     
 

УРОК НОМЕР ДВАДЦАТЬ ОДИН (№21)

Lesson number twenty one (#21)

     
    REVISION AND NOTES
     
1  

There are three genders in Russian : masculine, feminine and neuter.
To name living creatures, the masculine s used for males, the feminine for females.
But, for inanimate objects or abstract nouns there is no mechanical rule.
However it is very easy to know the genders of nouns thanks to their endings.

1.1

  Masculine. — When a noun ends by a consonant, it is masculine.
Thus :
 

город

town, city

 

стол

table
  урок lesson
  самовар samovar
  билет ticket
  театр theatre
  барабан drum
  раз

(one) time, an occurrence

  диплом diploma
  язык

language, tongue

 

друг

friend
 

ресторан

restaurant
  хлеб bread
  сыр cheese
  снег snow
  мороз

frost (extreme coldness)

 

подарок

gift (a present)

    are masculine
     
   

But there are also masculine nouns in й and ь.

    Thus :
 

портной

tailor
  лентяй

a do-nothing, an idler, "a lazy one"

 

день

day
  госпиталь hospital
     
1.2  

Feminine : the ending а or я (save for a few exceptions) denotes the feminine.
Thus :

 

работа

work
  деревня

country (countryside) or village

 

комната

a room; bedroom = спальня, спальная комната

 

игрушка

toy
  труппа

theater troop; company = компания

 

зима

winter
  голова head
  газета newspaper
  лестница staircase
     
   

When a noun in а is not feminine, it is because its meaning makes it impossible.
E.g.,

 

папа

daddy

    is naturally masculine.
   

There are also feminines in ь, like

 

мать (мама)

mother

     
1.3  

Neuter. — The neuter is characterized by the final о, е, and sometimes мя.
Thus :

 

слово

word
  письмо

letter (to some one); a letter of an alphabet is буква

 

место

place
  пальто overcoat
  вино wine
  упражнение exercise
  произношение pronunciation
  время

time (on clock)

     
1.4  

In short :
  masculine : consonant, й or ь.
  feminine : а or я or ь.
  neuter : о or е or мя.

     
2   The adjective agrees with the noun :
 

Вот красивый самовар

here is a beautiful samovar.
  Вот красивая комната

here is a beautiful room bedroom.

  Вот красивое слово here is a beautiful word.
     
    There is also a short form of the adjective :
 

Этот самовар красив

this samovar is beautiful.
AK-NOTE : Real meaning is "this samovar is in a state of beautifulness".

  Эта комната красива

this room bedroom is beautiful.

  Это слово красиво this word is beautiful.
     
    However the short form is used less and less in the current language.
   

AK-NOTE : See lesson 20, note 6, AK-NOTE about adjectives as adverbs.

     
3  

Declensions : we have only had a glimpse of the declension of nouns.
In the masculine, we have seen that the dative is in у :

 

Ваш ребёнок

your (pl.) child (nominative)

 

Вашему ребёнку

to or for your child (dative) (the о of the last syllable is left out).

     
    We should have in the same way :
 

Ваш муж

your (pl.) husband.

 

Вашему мужу

to or for your husband.
     
  Мой обед my dinner.
  Моему обеду to or for my dinner.
     
  Наш друг our friend.
  Нашему другу to or for our friend.
     
    In the feminine, it was the genitive we came across :
 

Жажда

thirst.
  Без жажды without thirst.
     
 

Без

without
   

, is always followed by the genitive, as if one said : without of thirst.

     
    Also in the plural :
 

Игрушка

toy.
  Игрушки toys.

Tweested English Section

REFERENCES. — If a word or a turn of speech keeps escaping your memory,
make a reference to it by noting down the page further on in the book.

These are nothing but bits of declensions, which simply serve to show us the principles.
Be prepared for more intricate things, but do not be afraid :
we ask of you no sensational achievement,
we shall do as the bird which, twig by twig, builds its nest.