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Russian • Level 1 • GRAMMAR

masc, fem, neuter

💡 Grammar Rule

Understanding Grammatical Gender in Russian

In Russian, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. Unlike English, which mostly uses gender for living beings, Russian assigns gender to all objects and concepts. This gender determines how adjectives, pronouns, and even past-tense verbs change to "agree" with the noun.

1. How to Identify Gender

Gender is usually determined by the ending of the noun in its basic (nominative) form:

  • Masculine: Nouns ending in a hard consonant, the letter -й, or a soft sign (-ь).
    • zavod (factory - hard consonant)
    • muzey (museum - ends in -й)
    • domik (little house - diminutive)
  • Feminine: Most nouns ending in -а, -я, or a soft sign (-ь).
    • karta (map - ends in -а)
    • zhena (wife - ends in -а)
  • Neuter: Nouns ending in -о, -е, -ё, or -мя.
    • okno (window - ends in -о)
    • zdaniye (building - ends in -е)
    • vremya (time - ends in -мя)
    • imya (first name - ends in -мя)

2. Natural vs. Grammatical Gender

Sometimes, the meaning of a word overrides its ending. Words for male relatives like papa (dad), dedushka (grandfather), or dyadya (uncle) end in -а/-я but are grammatically masculine because they refer to males. There are also "common gender" nouns like sirota (orphan) which can be masculine or feminine depending on the person being described.

3. Gender Agreement

Adjectives, pronouns, and past-tense verbs must match the gender of the noun:

  • Adjectives:
    • khoroshiy muzh (a good husband - masculine)
    • khoroshaya zhena (a good wife - feminine)
    • khorosheye delo (a good cause - neuter)
  • Pronouns (He, She, It):
    • Gde stol? Vot on. (Where is the table? There it is/he is.)
    • Gde karta? Vot ona. (Where is the map? There it is/she is.)
    • Gde okno? Vot ono. (Where is the window? There it is.)
  • Past Tense Verbs:
    • Dom stoyal... (The house stood... - masculine)
    • Yolka stoyala... (The fir tree stood... - feminine)
    • Zdaniye stoyalo... (The building stood... - neuter)

4. Important Notes

  • Articles: Russian has no words for "a" or "the." Dom can mean "a house" or "the house" depending on context.
  • The Plural: Gender distinctions effectively disappear in the plural. For example, the adjective khoroshiye (good) is used for all genders in the plural: khoroshiye muzh'ya (good husbands), khoroshiye zhyony (good wives).
  • Exceptions: The word kófe (coffee) ends in -e but is masculine. Also, parts of speech used as nouns are often neuter, like gromkoye "ura" (a loud "hurrah").
Where is the table?
Где стол?
Gde stol?
There it is.
Вот он.
Vot on.
Where is the map?
Где карта?
Gde karta?
There it is.
Вот она.
Vot ona.
Where is the window?
Где окно?
Gde okno?
There it is.
Вот оно.
Vot ono.
Dad is pleased.
Папа доволен.
Papa dovolen.
He bought a new car.
Он купил новую машину.
On kupil novuyu mashinu.
Mom is pleased.
Мама довольна.
Mama dovol’na.
She has a new book.
У неё новая книга.
U neyo novaya kniga.
Is this a good museum?
Это хороший музей?
Eto khoroshiy muzey?
Yes, it is very interesting.
Да, он очень интересный.
Da, on ochen’ interesnyy.
This is a good idea.
Это хорошая идея.
Eto khoroshaya ideya.
I agree, it is great.
Я согласен, она отличная.
Ya soglasen, ona otlichnaya.
Is this a difficult matter?
Это трудное дело?
Eto trudnoye delo?
No, it is very simple.
Нет, оно очень простое.
Net, ono ochen’ prostoye.
The cat was here.
Кот был здесь.
Kot byl zdes’.
Now he is in the garden.
Сейчас он в саду.
Seychas on v sadu.
Where was the cat (female)?
Где была кошка?
Gde byla koshka?
She was in the kitchen.
Она была на кухне.
Ona byla na kukhne.
The sun was shining today.
Солнце светило сегодня.
Solntse svetilo segodnya.
Yes, it was very warm.
Да, оно было очень тёплым.
Da, ono bylo ochen’ tyoplym.
Is your grandfather kind?
Твой дедушка добрый?
Tvoy dedushka dobryy?
Yes, he is a very good man.
Да, он очень добрый человек.
Da, on ochen’ dobryy chelovek.
Is the coffee tasty?
Кофе вкусный?
Kofe vkusnyy?
Yes, it is very aromatic.
Да, он очень ароматный.
Da, on ochen’ aromatnyy.
Do you have time?
У тебя есть время?
U tebya yest’ vremya?
No, time is very short.
Нет, время очень короткое.
Net, vremya ochen’ korotkoye.
Where is Sasha (boy)?
Где Саша?
Gde Sasha?
He is at school.
Он в школе.
On v shkole.
Is Sasha (girl) at home?
Саша дома?
Sasha doma?
Yes, she is sleeping.
Да, она спит.
Da, ona spit.
Are these books good?
Это хорошие книги?
Eto khoroshiye knigi?
Yes, they are very interesting.
Да, они очень интересные.
Da, oni ochen’ interesnyye.
Is this your teacher?
Это твой учитель?
Eto tvoy uchitel’?
Yes, he is very smart.
Да, он очень умный.
Da, on ochen’ umnyy.
Is this square big?
Эта площадь большая?
Eta ploshchad’ bol’shaya?
Yes, it is very old.
Да, она очень старая.
Da, ona ochen’ staraya.
Where is the museum?
Где музей?
Gde muzey?
It is there, it is an old building.
Он там, это старое здание.
On tam, eto staroye zdaniye.
Poor orphan (boy).
Бедный сирота.
Bednyy sirota.
He has no family.
У него нет семьи.
U nego net sem’i.
Poor orphan (girl).
Бедная сирота.
Bednaya sirota.
She is very small.
Она очень маленькая.
Ona ochen’ malen’kaya.
What is your name?
Какое твоё имя?
Kakoye tvoyo imya?
My name is Ivan.
Моё имя — Иван.
Moyo imya — Ivan.
The factory is big.
Завод большой.
Zavod bol’shoy.
Many people worked there.
Там работало много людей.
Tam rabotalo mnogo lyudey.
The building was tall.
Здание было высоким.
Zdaniye bylo vysokim.
Now it is a hotel.
Сейчас это отель.
Seychas eto otel’.

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