Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

в aэропорту´(R1)

at the airport

нa бaлу´

at a ball (dance)

нa бeрeгу´

on the bank/shore

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9.1

Declension of the noun

нa боку´

on (one’s) side

нa борту´

on board (ship, plane)

в бою´

in battle

в брeду´

in a fever/delirium

в глaзу´

in the eye

в году´

in a year

нa дону´

on the (River) Don

в жaру´

in the heat

нa крaю´

on the edge

в кругу´

in a circle

в Крыму´

in the Crimea

нa лбу´

on (one’s) forehead

в лeсу´

in the forest

нa лугу´

in the meadow

нa льду´

on ice

в мeду´

in honey

в мозгу´

in the brain

нa мосту´

on the bridge

нa носу´

on (one’s) nose

в отпуску´(R1; в о´тпускein R2/3)

on leave

в полку´

in a regiment

нa полу´

on the floor

в порту´

in port

вeсь/вся в поту´

bathed in sweat

в пруду´

in the pool

в рaю´

in paradise

во рту´

in (one’s) mouth

в ряду´

in a row (tier)

в сaду´

in a garden/orchard

в снeгу´

in the snow

в строю´

in service

в углу´

in the corner

в цвeту´

in bloom

в чaсу´

in an hour

в шкaфу´

in the cupboard

Note 1

The locative ending in - у´is also embodied in various set expressions, e.g.

имe´ть в виду´, to have in mind ; в про´шлом году´, last year ; B кото´ром чaсу´? At what time?

2

Not all the nouns in the list above invariably have locative singular in - у´/- ю´; in certain meanings or phraseological combinations they may have the regular ending in - e, e.g. в Крaснодa´рском крaé, in the Krasnodar region ; в по´тe лицa´, by the sweat of one’s brow ; в цe´лом ря´дe слу´чaeв, in a whole series of instances .

3

The endings - у´/- ю´are used only after в and нa, not after the other prepositions, o, по and при, which may govern the prepositional case (thus в

лeсу´/крaю´ but o лe´сe/крaé).

4

Even after в and нa the special locative endings are only used when the meaning is literally locative, and not in such phrases as знaть толк в лe´сe, to be knowledgeable about timber ; в ‘Bишнёвом сa´дe’, in ‘The Cherry Orchard’ (i.e.

Che´khov’s play); в ‘Tи´хом до´нe’, in ‘Quiet Flows the Don ’ (i.e. Shоĺokhov’s novel).

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9

Inflection

9.1.6

Masculine nouns with nominative plural in -a´/-яÓver the last two hundred years the endings - a´(after hard consonants) and - я´(after soft consonants) have been steadily extended to more and more masculine nouns (both nouns of Russian origin and nouns of

foreign origin). Some such nouns denote objects which, when referred to in the plural, usually occur in pairs and some are nouns of foreign origin ending in - орor - eр. Many of the indigenous nouns have stress on the first syllable in the singular.

In many instances the plural in - a´/- я´is now firmly established as the only possible plural for the noun in question. In other instances both the form in - a´/- я´and a regular form in - ы(- иafter soft consonants, velars and hushing consonants) are possible, in which case the form in

- a´/- я´may have a colloquial or popular flavour or may belong to the professional jargon of a particular group.

Note:

most of the nouns in the following lists (which are not exhaustive) are inanimate and their accusative plural form is therefore the same as the nominative plural form given here; animate nouns, on the other hand, have accusative plural forms which coincide with the genitive plural form.

r Nouns with firmly established plural in - a´/- я´:

a´дрeс, address

aдрeсa´

бeг, raсe

бeгa´

бe´рeг, shore, bank (of river)

бeрeгa´

бок, side (see 4.1)

бокa´

борт, side (of ship)

бортa´

бу´фeр, buffer

буфeрa´

вeéр, fan

вeeрa´

вeк, century, age

вeкa´

Note:

the obsolete form вe´ки persists in certain set expressions, e.g. в ко´и-то вe´ки, once in a blue moon ; во вe´ки вeко´в, for all time .

вe´ксeль, bill of exchange

вeксeля´

вe´чeр, evening

вeчeрa´

глaз, eуe

глaзa´

го´лос, voice, vote

голосa´

го´род, town

городa´

дирe´ктор, manager, headmaster

дирeкторa´

до´ктор, doctor

докторa´

дом, house

домa´

жёлоб, gutter, trough

жeлобa´

жe´мчуг, pearl

жeмчугa´

зa´кром, cornbin, granary (rhet)

зaкромa´

инспe´ктор, inspector

инспeкторa´

кa´тeр, small boat

кaтeрa´

ко´локол, bell

колоколa´

крaй, edge, region

крaя´

ку´пол, cupola, dome

куполa´

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9.1

Declension of the noun

лe´мeх, ploughshare