Cases

The Case System in Russian is used to change forms of nouns, verbs and adjectives by editing the endings. The case of an individual endings for each case changes the meaning of the sentence. This is a brief introduction into each case for nouns; when they are used, how to use them and with which endings.

Nominative Case

Nominative is the first form of Russian nouns. This is the form in which all nouns begin, how they appear in dictionaries etc. It is used to speak about the person or action in a specific state, or to define the person or things, or to designate the person on which the action is directed. For example:

Accusative Case

The Accusative Case is used in setences to designate a person or thing to which the action is being done; i.e. where the noun directly follows a verb. For example: Люся любит брата (Lucy loves her brother) where brother goes into the accusative case. The prepositions are: в, на, за, о/об, по, под, про, с, через. To form the Accusative endings see below, with S or P for singular or plural respectively, M for masculine, F for feminine and N for neuter:

Genitive Case

The Genitive Case is used generally to show possession. For example: Крыша дома (the roof of the house) where house goes into the genitive to stress "of the house". The prepositions are: без, для, до, из, из-за, из-под, кроме, на, от, с, со, у, около, вокруг, недалеко от, позади, напротив, посреди, мимо, вдоль. To form the Genitive endings see below, with S or P for singular or plural respectively, M for masculine, F for feminine and N for neuter:

Dative Case

The Dative Case is used, principally, for converying the idea of giving or "to" or "for". For example: Написать письмо другу (To write a letter to a friend). The dative is also used to show an object towards which an action is directed. For example: Верить другу (To trust a friend). The prepositions used are: по, к, подобно, согласно, благодаря, вопреки. To form the Dative endings see below, with S or P for singular or plural respectively, M for masculine, F for feminine and N for neuter:

Instrumental Case

The Instrumental Case is mainly used to describe the instrument by which the action is performed. For example: Я пишу с карандашом (I write with a pen). It is also used for time phrases such as 'Зимой' (In winter) and to describe your job 'Я работаю астронавтом' (I work as an astronaut). The prepositions used are: за, между, над, перед, под, с. To form the Instrumental endings see below, with S or P for singular or plural respectively, M for masculine, F for feminine and N for neuter:

Prepositional Case

The Prepositional Case is used after specific prepositions to designate a place or talk about a person. For example: Я говорю о маме (I am talking about my mum) or Я был в школе (I was at school). The prepositions used are: в, на, о, при. To form the Prepositional endings see below, with S or P for singular or plural respectively, M for masculine, F for feminine and N for neuter:

Case Quiz