Grammar bank

Six little jobs, one word — that's all a Russian case really is. A word changes its ending to show the job it's doing in the sentence. They have grand names, but let's use plain ones, and watch a single word — Moscow — do all six.

Москва́.

On its own, it's the naming form — the subject, the one doing something. This is the dictionary shape you already know.

Москва́ — большо́й го́род.

Now make Moscow the thing you act on, and the ending bends.

Я люблю́ Москву́.

That new ending marks the object — what the verb lands on. Next, say where you're from.

Я из Москвы́.

That's the from-form — it also means “of.” Now aim yourself toward a place.

Я иду́ к це́нтру.

That ending is the to-form — to, toward, or for someone. Now say how you travel.

Я е́ду авто́бусом.

That's the by-form — the tool or the means you use. And last, say where you are.

Я живу́ в Москве́.

That's the in-form — the place form. It always follows one little word:

в, на, о.

Six endings, one Moscow. You don't have to memorise the grand names — just listen for the ending, and let it tell you the job. Each one has its own page below whenever you want to look closer.

Кто, что — who, what. This is the naming form: the word exactly as the dictionary gives it, and the one *doing* the action. Стол стои́т — the table stands; ма́ма до́ма — mom is home. Nothing is added, nothing bends — every other case is a change rung on this one. It's the shape you learn every new word in, so you already own it completely.

Кого, что — whom, what — but now the thing the action *lands on*, not the one doing it. For most words nothing changes: я ви́жу стол, я ви́жу окно́. The one real shift is feminine -а words, which swap to -у: Москва́ → я люблю́ Москву́; ма́ма → я ви́жу ма́му. You've already said this shape in «меня́ зову́т» and «я люблю́ мой центр».

Кого, чего — of whom, of what. The *of* case: whose something is, where you're from, and what there isn't. Masculine and neuter words take -а or -я; feminine take -ы or -и. You already own the headline: «я из Москвы́» — from Moscow — Москва́ with its -а traded for -ы.

Кому, чему — to whom, for whom. The giving-and-going-toward case: who you give something to, who you're heading to. Masculine and neuter take -у or -ю; feminine take -е or -и. It's the newest of the six for you — same trick, new ending.

Two questions — кем, чем — with whom, with what. This is the with ending, and the working-as ending: чай с мёдом, tea with honey; я работаю инженером, I work as an engineer. Masculine words take ОМ or ЕМ, feminine take ОЙ, and that's most of it. You've drunk this case in every cup of tea the course has poured.

Где — where. When Russian says where something is, the word for the place bends a little at the end. Most of the time it simply takes Е — в офисе, в аптеке, в окне. A few words take И instead — на кровати — and words ending in -ия or -ие double up to ИИ — в России, в здании. You don't need to memorise this table. You've already said half of it. It's here for the day you wonder why.

How to tell a noun's gender by its ending: masculine usually ends in a consonant; feminine in -а or -я; neuter in -о or -е. A word ending in -ь can be masculine OR feminine — check it in a dictionary.

Making a word plural follows the same three genders. Masculine and feminine usually take -ы or -и; neuter takes -а or -я. (Use -и after к, г, х, ж, ш, ч.) Tap any word to hear it.

When it happens. A Russian verb changes its ending for the person (я, ты, он…) — and for time. Here a regular -ать verb (рабо́тать) sits beside a regular -ить verb (говори́ть) so the two patterns read side by side. Tap any form to hear it.