NOUN DECLENSIONS
Overview:
The type of declension is determined by inspecting the ending of the noun in
its nominative reference form. Here is how the nouns are categorized into three
declensions.
Declension 1.
a. Masculine
(1) Ending in a hard consonant: авто́бус
(bus)
(2) Ending in -й: трамва́й
(streetcar)
(3) Masculine nouns ending in the
soft sign, -ь: спекта́кль
(performance)
b. Neuter
(1) Ending in -о: чу́вство
(sense)
(2) Ending in -е: мо́ре
(sea)
(3) Ending in -ие: зда́ние
(building)
Declension 2.
a. Ending in -а: газе́та
(newspaper)
b. Ending in -я: неде́ля
(week), Илья́
(Ilya)
c. Ending in -ия:
ста́нция (station)
Declension 3.
a. Feminine nouns ending in the soft
sign, -ь: дверь (door)
b. The soft-sign masculine noun путь: (way)
c. Ending in -мя, all 10 are neuter: и́мя (first name)
If the noun ends in a soft sign -ь, its gender (m./ f.) must be known. Like спекта́кль, 25% percent of these will be masculine and
fall into Declension 1; like дверь, 75% will be feminine and belong
to Declension 3.
When using the tables, knowledge of the so-called Spelling Rule is often needed.
Singular Forms
1st Declension: Most masculine and
nearly all neuter nouns:
Masculine
|
|
hard
consonant |
-й |
-ь |
|
Singular |
|
|
|
|
N |
авто́бус |
трамва́й |
спекта́кль |
|
A* |
авто́бус |
трамва́й |
спекта́кль |
|
G |
авто́буса |
трамва́я |
спекта́кля |
|
D |
авто́бусу |
трамва́ю |
спекта́клю |
|
I |
авто́бусом |
трамва́ем |
спекта́клем |
|
P** |
авто́бусе |
трамва́е |
спекта́кле |
*The accusative case of animate masculine nouns is the same as
the genitive case. Брат,
геро́й,
преподава́тель: Я вижу бра́та,
геро́я,
преподава́теля. (I see the
brother, the hero, the teacher.)
**When used in the locative (positional)
sense, that is, motionless with в or на, words for garden, forest, bridge, shore, edge, floor, and a few dozen others take a stressed –у́/-ю́ ending. Каранда́ш на
полу́. (The pencil is on the floor.) See webpage Rebel Masculine Nouns for a complete list.
Neuter
|
|
–о |
–е |
–ие |
|
Singular |
|
|
|
|
N |
чу́вство |
мо́ре |
зда́ние |
|
A |
чу́вство |
мо́ре |
зда́ние |
|
G |
чу́вства |
мо́ря |
зда́ния |
|
D |
чу́вству |
мо́рю |
зда́нию |
|
I |
чу́вством |
мо́рем |
зда́нием |
|
P |
чу́встве |
мо́ре |
зда́нии |
2nd Declension singular:
Nouns ending in –а and
-я
Most feminine nouns and some nouns of natural male gender
|
|
-а |
-я |
-ья |
–ия |
|
Singular |
|
|
|
|
|
N |
газе́та |
неде́ля |
Илья́ |
ста́нция |
|
A |
газе́ту |
неде́лю |
Илью́ |
ста́нцию |
|
G |
газе́ты |
неде́ли |
Ильи́ |
ста́нции |
|
D |
газе́те |
неде́ле |
Илье́ |
ста́нции |
|
I |
газе́той |
неде́лей |
Ильёй, -ёю |
ста́нцией |
|
P |
газе́те |
неде́ле |
Илье́ |
ста́нции |
3rd Declension singular:
All soft-sign feminines, one soft-sign masculine, 10 neuter
|
|
fem. -ь |
1 masc. |
10 neuter |
|
Singular |
|
|
|
|
N |
дверь |
путь |
и́мя |
|
A |
дверь |
путь |
и́мя |
|
G |
две́ри |
пути́ |
и́мени |
|
D |
две́ри |
пути́ |
и́мени |
|
I |
две́рью |
путём |
и́менем |
|
P |
двери* |
пути́ |
и́мени |
Note what is common
here: three of the cases in the singular
(genitive, dative, prepositional) all ending in –и.
*For some nouns there is a stress shift when the prepositional/locative is
used: о две́ри, but в двери́.
The ten neuter nouns are: бремя (burden), вре́мя (time), вымя (udder), знамя (banner, flag), и́мя
(name), пламя (flame), племя (tribe), семя
(seed), стремя (stirrup), темя (crown of the head).
Plural Forms
Plural nouns in all genders denoting inanimate objects are the same in the nominative and accusative
plural, as shown in the tables. Those denoting
animate objects are the same in the genitive
and accusative plural.
1st Declension: Most masculine and practically all
neuter nouns:
This declension consists of masculine nouns except those ending in –а/-я, ‘путь’ (way), and neuter nouns except the ten in -мя . Rules for the formation of the nominative plural of these nouns are given elsewhere.
(a.) These are the rules for 1st-declension masculine nouns in the plural.
Rule 1: Masculine
nouns ending in a consonant take –ов in the genitive plural. Those in -й take –ев, or if stressed, –ёв; and those in -ь take –ей.
|
|
hard
consonant |
-й |
-ь |
|
Plural |
|
|
|
|
N |
авто́бусы |
трамва́и |
спекта́кли |
|
A |
авто́бусы |
трамва́и |
спекта́кли |
|
G |
авто́бусов |
трамва́ев |
спекта́клей |
|
D |
авто́бусам |
трамва́ям |
спекта́клям |
|
I |
авто́бусами |
трамва́ями |
спекта́клями |
|
P |
авто́бусах |
трамва́ях |
спекта́клях |
Rule 2: Nouns
ending in –ж, -ч, -ш and -щ in the nominative singular, take –ей rather than –ов in the genitive plural.
Rule 3: Nouns ending in –ц take –ов if the nominative
singular form is end-stressed; otherwise they take –ев.
(5-letter spelling rule)
Rule 4: Some nouns ending in a consonant in the nominative singular do not add an ending in the genitive plural,
and are alike in both of these cases: глаз, раз,
солдат,
человек
(only when used with numbers).
Rule 5: To retain the soft л when the е is dropped, the мя́гкий
знак (ь) is usually inserted instead.
|
nom. sing. |
gen. sing. |
nom. pl. |
gen. pl. |
|
лев, lion |
льва |
львы |
львов |
|
лёд, ice |
льда |
льды |
льдов |
|
па́лец, finger |
па́льца |
па́льцы |
па́льцев |
(b.) These are the rules for 1st-declension neuter nouns in the plural.
Rule 1: Neuter nouns ending in –о drop the ending in the genitive plural; those ending in –е (except -же, -че, -ше, -ще, –це) take –ей, and those in –ие take –ий.
|
|
–о |
–е |
–ие |
|
Plural |
|
|
|
|
N |
чу́вства |
моря́ |
зда́ния |
|
A |
чу́вства |
моря́ |
зда́ния |
|
G |
чу́вств |
море́й |
зда́ний |
|
D |
чу́вствам |
моря́м |
зда́ниям |
|
I |
чу́вствами |
моря́ми |
зда́ниями |
|
P |
чу́вствах |
моря́х |
зда́ниях |
Rule 2: A number of nouns whose stems end in two
consonants, insert о or е in the genitive plural.
окно (window),
gen. pl. окон; кресло
(armchair), gen.
pl. кресел
Rule 3: Neuter nouns
ending in -же, -че, -ше, -ще, –це drop the -е in the
genitive plural; sometimes a vowel is inserted.
|
nom. sing. |
nom. pl. |
gen. pl. |
|
учи́лище, school |
учи́лища |
учи́лищ |
|
полоте́нце, towel |
полоте́нца |
полоте́нец |
2nd Declension plural: Nouns ending in –а
and -я
This declension consists of nouns ending in –а/-я. It is made up of feminine nouns (except those in –ь), and those nouns in –а/-я which are of natural masculine gender. Rules for the formation of the nominative plural of these nouns are given elsewhere. (NOT belonging in this declension, are the ten nouns in –мя, which are neuter; they are in the 3rd declension.)
(a.) In the genitive plural, nouns ending in -а drop the ending; those ending in -я take -ь; those ending in -ия take -ий . Exception: дядя and тётя take –ей.
|
|
-а |
-я |
–ия |
|
Plural |
|
|
|
|
N |
газе́ты |
неде́ли |
ста́нции |
|
A |
газе́ты |
неде́ли |
ста́нции |
|
G |
газе́т |
неде́ль |
ста́нций |
|
D |
газе́там |
неде́лям |
ста́нциям |
|
I |
газе́тами |
неде́лями |
ста́нциями |
|
P |
газе́тах |
неде́лях |
ста́нциях |
(b.) A number of nouns whose stems end in two consonants, insert о or е in the genitive plural.
(c.) Feminine nouns nouns in -ня preceded by a consonant, or й do not take the -ь in the genitive plural.
(d.) Nouns in -ая, and -ея are declined like ста́нция. Иде́я, (genitive pl.`) иде́й.
3rd Declension plural: All soft-sign feminines, one soft-sign
masculine, 10 neuter
This declension consists of the soft feminine nouns in –ь, the masculine noun ‘путь’ (way), and the ten neuter nouns in –мя.
|
|
fem. -ь |
1 masc. |
10 neuter |
|
Plural |
|
|
|
|
N |
две́ри |
пути́ |
имена́ |
|
A |
две́ри |
пути́ |
имена́ |
|
G |
двере́й |
путе́й |
имён |
|
D |
дверя́м |
путя́м |
имена́м |
|
I |
дверя́ми |
путя́ми |
имена́ми |
|
P |
дверя́х |
путя́х |
имена́х |
10/07/2019