The Noun

 

(Singular and Plural)

 

Nouns in Russian change for number: a noun may be either singular or plural. When a noun changes for number, its ending changes too. In some cases not only the ending changes but the stem of the noun as well. In certain cases the stress may shift too.

Formation of the plural of Masculine, Feminine and Neuter nouns

Given below are the nouns of Masculine, Feminine and Neuter genders are grouped into eleven based on the endings. Plural form can be obtained in the following way:

 

Plural (Masculine gender)

1. Nouns without an ending whose stem ends in a hard conso­nant.

 

институт institute                   

журнал magazine          

университет university          

сад garden

парк  park  

 

-ы is added to the nouns without an ending whose stem ends in a hard conso­nant

 

институты institutes     

журналы magazines

университеты universities

сады gardens

парки parks

Note: In Russian ы is not written after г, к, х, ч, ж, ш, щ. In the case of noun ending with any one these letters -и is written instead of -ы. This rule is applicable in all other contexts.

 

2. Noun ending with «й»

 

музей         museum                

трамвай     tram                     

попугай     parrot

                                              

In the case of noun ending with «й», the «й» is replaced by «-и»

музеи         museums

трамваи     trams

попугаи     parrots

 

3. Noun ending with «ий»

санаторий sanatorium

In the case of noun ending with «ий», the «ий» is replaced by «-ии»

санатории sanatoriums

 

4.  Noun ending with soft sign «-ь»

словарь dictionary

огонь fire

уголь coal

In the case of noun ending with «ь», the «ь» is replaced by «-и»

словари dictionary

огони fire

уголи coal

 

Feminine gender

5.  Nouns ending with «а»

страна country

книга book

лампа lamp

The ending -а of feminine noun is replaced by «-ы»

 

страны countries

лампы lamps

книги books

Note: In Russian -ы is not written after г, к, х, ч, ж, ш, щ. In the case of noun ending with any one these letters -и is written instead of -ы. This rule is applicable in all other contexts. Hence

книга – книги

                  

6.  Nouns ending with «я»

 

деревня village

песня song

 

In the case of feminine noun ending with «я», the «я» is replaced by «и»

 

деревни villages

песни songs

 

7. Nouns ending with «ия»

 

лекция lecture

аудитория auditorium

фамилия surname

In the case of nouns ending with «-ия», the «-ия» is replaced by «-ии»

лекции lectures

аудитории auditoriums

фамилии surnames

 

8.  Noun ending with soft sign «-ь»

 

тетрадь notebook

дверь door

ночь night

In the case of noun ending with soft sign «-ь», the «-ь», is replaced by «-и»,

тетради notebooks

двери doors

ночи nights

 

Neuter gender

9.  Nouns ending with «-о»

 

письмо letter

окно window

слово word

право right

 

In the case of nouns ending with «-о», the «-о»is replaced by «-а»

 

письма letters

окна windows

слова words

права right

10.  Nouns ending with «-e»

 

море sea

поле field

ружьё gun

платье dress

 

In the case of nouns ending with «-е», the «-е» is replaced by «-я»

 

моря seas

поля fields

ружья guns

платья dress

 

11.  Nouns ending with «-иe»

 

общежитие hostel

здание building

задание task/exercise

In the case of nouns ending with «-ие», the «-ие» is replaced by «-ия»

общежития hostels

здания buildings

задания tasks/exercises

 

Unstable vowels.

 

A number of nouns drop о, е, ё in the plural:

кружок study group      

кружки study groups

 

отец father           

отцы fathers

 

орёл eagle           

орлы eagles

 

соловей nightingale       

соловьи nightingales

 

The о and e (e) which are dropped are called unstable vowels.

Stress: In some masculine and feminine nouns the stress is shifted from one syllable to another in the formation of the plural:

In feminine nouns the stress is shifted from the ending to the stem:

страна  country   

страны countries

 

звезда star                             

звёзды stars

 

рука arm                                

руки arms

 

нога leg                                

ноги legs

 

голова head                          

головы heads

 

In masculine nouns the stress is shifted from the final syllable in the singular to the final syllable in the plural:

 

огонь light           

огни lights

 

огонёк   little   light        

огоньки   little  lights

 

кружок   study group    

кружки study groups

 

рубеж  boundary           

рубежи boundaries

 

шалаш hut            

шалаши huts

 

карандаш pencil           

карандаши pencils

 

(The position of the stress in all such words must be memorised.)

Exceptional cases

 

Masculine Nouns ending in -а (-я) in the Plural. Some masculine nouns have in the plural the stressed ending -а  (-я).  Such nouns may be monosyllabic (дом, край), dissyllabic (берег, город) and less frequently - trisyllabic (учитель, профессор).  These nouns are never stressed on the final syllable in the nominative singular.

Monosyllabic nouns

 

бок  side                       

бока  sides

 

век  century                   

века  centuries

 

глаз eye                         

глаза eyes

 

дом  house                    

дома  nouses

 

край edge                     

края  edges

 

лес forest                       

леса forests

 

луг meadow                  

луга meadows

 

снег snow                     

снега snows

 

рог horn                        

рога horns

 

сорт sort                       

сорта sorts

 

Dissyllabic nouns

берег shore         

берега shores

 

вечер evening      

вечера evenings

 

голос voice         

голоса voices

 

город city            

города cities

доктор doctor     

доктора doctors

 

мастер foreman   

мастера foremen

 

номер  number    

номера numbers

 

остров island       

остро islands

 

погреб cellar       

погреба cellars

 

пояс belt             

пояса belts

 

парус sail            

паруса sails

 

поезд train           

поезда trains

 

повар cook         

повара cooks

 

Trisyllabic nouns

профессор professor    

профессора professors

 

учитель teacher            

учителя teachers

 

Notes.

1. In modern literary Russian, the plural forms профессора professors, директора directors and редактора editors occur alongside the usual forms профёссоры, дирскторы and редакторы. However, the forms ректоры rectors and лекторы lecturers are the only forms used.

2. In colloquial speech, the form договора treaties, contracts is frequently encountered, but the literary norm is договоры.

A number of neuter nouns form their plural irregularly:

ухо ear                          

уши ears

 

плечо shoulder    

плечи shoulders

 

колено knee                           

колени knees

 

веко eyelid                    

веки eyelids

 

яблоко apple                

яблоки apples

 

In the case of some neuter nouns the stress may  shift from the first syllable to the last while forming  the  plural.

 

дело affair                     

дела affairs

 

право right                    

права rights

In the case of some other neuter nouns the stress may shift from the last syllable to the first while forming the plural.

 

окно window                

окна windows

 

ружьё gun                     

ружья guns

 

письмо tetter                

письма letters

In the case of neuter nouns ending with the suffixes -ани(е) or -ени (е) -ство  the stress remains unchanged.

 

здание building              

здания buildings

 

собрание meeting                  

собрания meetings

 

впечатление impression        

впечатления impressions

 

государство state                  

государства states

 

хозяйство economy      

хозяйства economies

 

Some peculiarities in the formation of the plural of masculine and neuter nouns.

Masculine

Masculine nouns ending in -анин   or  -янин  take -ане  (-яле) in the nominative plural

гражданин citizen         

граждане citizens

 

крестьянин  peasant    

крестьяне peasants.

 

Masculine nouns ending in -ин form their plural differently:

хозяин master                        

хозяева masters

 

господин gentleman     

господа gentlemen

 

татарин Tatar                        

татары Tatars

 

болгарин Bulgarian      

болгары Bulgarians

 

грузин Georgian 

грузины Georgians

 

Note: The above words are isolated cases and must be memorised.

Masculine nouns ending  in -онок  or -ёнок and denoting the young of living beings end in the nominative plural   in -ата (-ята); 

волчонок wolf-cub       

котёнок kitten

волчата wolf-cubs                 

котята kittens

 

The plural of ребёнок child is ребята children, but the more common form is дети. (The word ребята may also be used with the meaning lads, boys.)

Some masculine and neuter nouns  take -ья   in the plural:

 

брат brother                          

братья brothers

 

лист  leaf                       

листья leaves

 

стул  chair                    

стулья chairs

 

крыло wing                   

крылья wings

 

перо  feather                 

перья feathers

 

дерево tree                   

деревья trees

 

Alternation of  consonants

Alternation of consonants occurs in the stems of some nouns in the formation of the plural:

г – з           

друг friend

друзья friends

к – ч

сук  twig                                

сучья  twigs    

 

Notes.

The plural form други friends of the word друг friend is encountered in the literary language; it is considered archaic:

Но не хочу, о други, умирать. Я жить хочу, чтоб мыслить и страдать. (П.)

I do not want to die, O friends, I want to live so that I can think and suffer.

 

The words муж husband and сын son have two plurals each:

муж husband                 

мужья, мужи husbands

 

сын son                        

сыновья, сыны sons.

The forms мужья and сыновья are used in everyday language, сыны and мужи in elevated style:

 

Лучшие сыны великой матери-Родины.

The best sons of their great Motherland.

Two masculine nouns having irregular plural forms:

сосед neighbour

соседи neighbours

чёрт devil

черти devils

Neuter nouns ending in -мя have different stems for the singular and the plural; only the following nouns are used in the plural:

 

время time                    

времена times

 

знамя banner                

знамёна banners

 

племя tribe                             

племена tribes

 

имя name                               

имена names

 

семя seed                     

семена seeds

 

стремя stirrup               

стремена stirrups

 

The following neuter nouns ending in -o have different stems in the singular and the plural:

нёбо sky                       

небеса skies

 

чудо miracle                  

чудеса miracles

 

Note. небеса generally occurs in poetry:

A number of masculine nouns have different forms of the plural for their different meanings.

лист дерева a leaf of a tree              

листья дерева leaves of a tree

 

лист бумаги a leaf of paper             

листы бумаги leaves of paper

 

The plural of цветок flower is цветы flowers.

 

На лугу запестрели цветы.

Flowers showed colourfully in the meadow.

The plural of цвет colour is цвета colours

 

Люблю яркие цвета.

I like gay colours.

 

The plural of человек person is люди people. The plural form человек is used only in the genitive with a numeral (пять человек five people).

The plural of счёт account  is счета accounts:

 

Комиссия  проверяла счета.

The commission  were  checking the accounts.

The word счёты abacus has no singular.

 

Я купил конторские счёты.  

I bought an abacus for office use.

 

пропуск absence, pass

пропуски absences

пропуска passes                    

 

У ученика есть пропуски занятий по болезни.

The pupil was absent from some of  the lessons owing to illness.

 

Часовой проверял.

The sentry checked the passes

 

Nouns used only in the singular or plural.

 

Some Russian nouns are used only in the singular or only in the plural.

The following nouns are used only in the singular:

 

Collective nouns.

 

Nouns denoting animate beings representing a number of objects taken  as a whole:

 

The nouns:

молодёжь young people

студенчество the students

человечество mankind

 

Nouns denoting inanimate beings representing a number of objects taken as a whole:

 

бельё linen                              

посуда tableware

обувь footwear                       

мебель furniture

одежда clothes                       

оружие arms

 

Nouns denoting substances:

 

железо iron                            

медь copper

сталь  steel                             

кислорбд  oxygen

азот  nitrogen                          

водород hydrogen

 

Nouns denoting medicines:

 

аспирин aspirin                     

йод iodine

биомицин biomycin

 

Nouns denoting food items:

 

мясо meat                              

сахар sugar

мука flour                                

рис rice, etc.

 

Some nouns denoting vegetables, cereals, berries:

 

картофель  potatoes               

лён flax

лук onions                              

морковь carrots

рожь rye                                

малина raspberries, etc.

 

Abstract  nouns formed  from  certain  adjectives and verbs:

 

внимание attention                

чтение  reading

молодость youth                    

белизна whiteness

темнотй darkness, etc.

 

Note.

A number of nouns of this group may have the plural, but in that case they acquire a concrete meaning:

 

радости жизни life's joys

литературные чтения literary readings,

наделал глупостей he did a lot of foolish things.

 

There are abstract nouns which have the plural:

 

изменение change       

изменения changes

 

потребность need                 

потребности needs

 

способность ability      

способности abilities, etc.

 

Nouns used only in the plural form

 

брюки trousers

будни week days

ворота gates

весы scales

выборы elections

деньги money

дрова firewood

Духи perfume

кавычки inverted commas

кудри curls

кегли skittles

каникулы holidays

куранты (tower) clock with chimes

мемуары memoirs

ножницы scissors

очки spectacles

перила railings

похороны funeral, obsequies

проводы seeing-off

поиски search

переговоры negotiations     

роды childbirth

сани sledge

салазки sled

сумерки dusk

сени vestibule

сливки cream

сутки twenty-four hours

счёты day abacus

трусы shorts

финансы finance

хлопоты trouble

часы clock, watch

чернила ink

шахматы chess

шашки draughts

щипцы tongs

щи cabbage soup

 

Indeclinable nouns

 

There are certain nouns which do not change for number however, if these nouns denote a number of objects, the words which are used with them take the plural. Such nouns are known as indeclinable nouns

пальто overcoat

метро underground railway

такси taxi

шоссе highway, etc.

 

Нина купила вчера красивые детские пальто.

Nina bought some beautiful children’s dress.

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