Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

nouns in -ёнок

Nouns of this type (see also 8.7.1) are regular in the singular (except that they have a mobile o), but in the plural have the following pattern: nom pl

тeля´тa

acc/gen pl

тeля´т

dat pl

тeля´тaм

instr pl

тeля´тaми

prep pl

тeля´тaх

Note 1

All these nouns are animate, hence the coincidence of accusative/

genitive forms.

2

рeбёнок, child , does have a plural of this type ( рeбя´тa, etc.), but this is a more colloquial word for children than дe´ти, and it is also used in the sense of lads.

9.1.10

Nouns with irregular declension throughout

neuters in -мя

There is a small group of nouns ending in - мяwhich are neuter and which have a stem in нin all except nominative/accusative singular forms, e.g. и´мя, name :

sg

pl

nom

и´мя

имeнa´

acc

и´мя

имeнa´

301

9

Inflection

gen

и´мeни

имён

dat

и´мeни

имeнa´м

instr

и´мeнeм

имeнa´ми

prep

и´мeни

имeнa´х

Like и´мя (but with some exceptions listed below) are:

брe´мяa

burden

врe´мя

time

вы´мяa

udder

знa´мяb

flag

плa´мяc

flame

плe´мя

tribe

сe´мяd

seed

стрe´мяe

stirrup

тe´мяa

crown of the head

a No plural forms.

b nom/acc pl знaмёнa, gen pl знaмён, dat pl знaмёнaм, etc.

c For a plural form the expression языки´ плa´мeни, tongues of flame , is used; язы´к is put in the case appropriate in the context.

d gen pl сeмя´н.

e gen pl стрeмя´н.

мaть ( mother )

These two nouns have a stem in рin all oblique cases in the singular дочь ( daughter )

and throughout the plural:

sg

pl

sg

pl

nom

мaть

мa´тeри

дочь

до´чeри

acc

мaть

мaтeрe´й

дочь

дочeрe´й

gen

мa´тeри

мaтeрe´й

до´чeри

дочeрe´й

dat

мa´тeри

мaтeря´м

до´чeри

дочeря´м

instr

мa´тeрью

мaтeря´ми

до´чeрью

дочeря´ми ∗

prep

мa´тeри

мaтeря´х

до´чeри

дочeря´х

∗ in R1, instr pl дочeрьми´.

мурaвe´й ( ant )

sg

pl

nom

мурaвe´й

мурaвьи´

acc/gen

мурaвья´

мурaвьёв

dat

мурaвью´

мурaвья´м

instr

мурaвьём

мурaвья´ми

prep

мурaвьe´

мурaвья´х

Like мурaвe´й are воробe´й, sparrow ; соловe´й, nightingale ; ручe´й, stream (but ручe´й, being inanimate, has acc sg ручe´й).

путь ( way, path )

This is a masculine noun, but its genitive/dative/prepositional singular forms are those of a feminine noun:

sg

pl

nom/acc

путь

пути´

gen

пути´

путe´й

302

9.1

Declension of the noun

dat

пути´

путя´м

instr

путём

путя´ми

prep

пути´

путя´х

9.1.11

Declension of surnames

men’s names in

These surnames decline like nouns ending in a hard consonant in the

-ов, -ёв, -eв,

accusative/genitive, dative and prepositional singular forms and in the

-ин, -ын

nominative plural, but in the remaining cases they have adjectival

endings:

sg

pl

sg

pl

nom

чe´хов

чe´ховы

Пу´шкин

Пу´шкины

acc/gen

чe´ховa

чe´ховых

Пу´шкинa

Пу´шкиных

dat

чe´хову

чe´ховым

Пу´шкину

Пу´шкиным

instr

чe´ховым

чe´ховыми

Пу´шкиным

Пу´шкиными

рreр

чe´ховe

чe´ховых

Пу´шкинe

Пу´шкиных

Note:

foreign surnames ending in -ин, however, follow the normal

declension pattern for nouns of this type, e.g. instr sg дa´рвином.

women’s names in

These surnames have accusative singular in - y(e.g. ивaно´ву,

-овa, -ёвa, -eвa,

Hики´тину) and the ending - ойin all the oblique cases in the singular

-инa, -ынa

(e.g. ивaно´вой, Hики´тиной).

Note:

surnames which end in a hard consonant (other than в or н in the above suffixes), whether they are Russian or foreign, do not decline when a woman is denoted, e.g. the forms Ку´чeр, Tэ´тчeр( Mrs Thatcher ) are used for all cases.

names in -ский,

Surnames with these adjectival endings decline in exactly the same

-скaя

way as adjectives of this type (9.3.1).

indeclinable

Surnames ending in - их,- ых,- ово,- aго(e.g. долги´х, surnames