Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

Бeссмe´ртных, чeрны´х, дурново´, Xитрово´, живa´го) are

indeclinable.

Surnames in - коand - eнко(e.g. Котько´, Peшeтко´, Eвтушe´нко, чeрнe´нко), which are of Ukrainian origin, are not normally declined, especially in R3b in which it is essential to avoid the confusion that may arise from the difficulty of inferring the nominative form of a

name from an oblique case. However, some speakers may still decline

these names like feminine nouns in -a.

Also indeclinable are Georgian surnames in - aдзe,- идзe,- вили

(e.g. чaвчaвa´дзe, Oрджоники´дзe, джугaшви´ли (Staĺin’s real

surname)), and foreign surnames ending in a vowel other than

unstressed -a or -я, e.g. дюмa´, дa´нтe, Гюго´, шо´у, золя´ ( Dumas, Dante, Hugo, Shaw, Zola ).

Note 1

Most foreign surnames ending in unstressed - aor - яdo decline (e.g.

сонe´ты Пeтрa´рки, Petrarch’s sonnets ), but those in - иado not, e.g. Гaрсиá, Garcia .

2

Georgian names in - aвa(e.g. Oкуджa´вa) may decline like nouns in -a, but are sometimes also treated as indeclinable.

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9

Inflection

9.1.12

Indeclinable nouns

Russian has quite a large number of common nouns that are

indeclinable, most of them fairly recent borrowings from other

languages that do not easily fit into the Russian declensional pattern.

The gender of an indeclinable noun may be determined by the gender

of the person or creature that the noun denotes or by the gender of the generic noun that describes the class of thing to which the object in question belongs (generic nouns are given in brackets in the lists

below). Indeclinable nouns may be allocated to the following types.

(a)

Nouns of foreign origin denoting inanimate objects: generally neuter, e.g.

бюро´

office

ви´ски

whisk(e)y

гe´тто

ghetto

дeпо´

depot

жюри´

judges (of competition)

интeрвью´

interview

кaкa´о

сосоa

кaфe´

cafe´

кино´

cinema

коммюникe´

communique´

купe´

compartment

мeню´

menu

мeтро´

underground

пaльто´

overcoat

пaри´

bet

пиaни´но

upright piano

плaто´

plateau

рeзюмe´

reśume´

тaкси´

taxi

шоссe´

highway

r But:

ко´фe(m)

coffee (influenced by the older form ко´фeй)

сиро´кко(m)

sirocco (вe´тeр, wind )

хи´нди(m)

Hindi (язы´к, language )

бe´ри-бe´ри(f )

beri-beri (болe´знь, disease )

кольрa´би(f )

kohlrabi (кaпу´стa, cabbage )

сaля´ми(f )

salami (колбaсa´, sausage )

(b)

Nouns of foreign origin denoting people, including proper

nouns: masculine or feminine depending on whether the person is

male or female, e.g.

aттaшe´

attache´

Be´рди

Verdi

ку´ли

coolie

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9.2

Declension of pronouns

(c)

Nouns of foreign origin denoting animate beings other than people:

generally masculine, e.g.

кeнгуру´

kangaroo

ки´ви

kiwi

коли´бри

humming-bird

по´ни

pony

шимпaнзe´

chimpanzee

Note:

if the noun specifically denotes the female of the species then it may be treated as feminine, e.g. Кeнгуру´ корми´л aкeнгурёнкa, The kangaroo was feeding its cub .

r But:

ивaси´(f )

iwashi (small far-eastern fish; ры´бa, fish )

цeцe´(f )

tsetse (му´хa, fly )

(d)

Indeclinable Russian words which are not nouns but are used as such: neuter, e.g.

большоé спaси´бо

a big ‘thank you’

вe´жливоe ‘здрa´вствуйтe’

a polite ‘hello’

монa´ршee ‘мы’

the royal ‘we’

свe´тлоe зa´втрa

a bright tomorrow

9.2

Declension of pronouns

я/ты/мы/вы

nom

я

ты

мы

вы

(I/you/we/you)

acc/gen

мeня´

тeбя´

нaс

вaс

dat

мнe

тeбe´

нaм

вaм

instr

мно´й

тобо´й

нa´ми

вa´ми

(мно´ю)

(тобо´ю)

prep

мнe

тeбe´

нaс

вaс

m

n

f

pl

он/оно´/онa´/

nom

он

оно´

онa´

они´

они´

acc/gen

eго´

eё

их

(he/it/she/they)

dat

eму´

eй

им

instr

им

eй (e´ю)

и´ми

prep

нём

нeй

них

Note 1

The letter н- must be added to the third-person pronouns when they occur after the great majority of prepositions, e.g. от нeго´, к нeму´, с ним, бeз нeё, по нeй, пe´рeд нeй, из них, к ним, мeжду ни´ми, and all prepositions governing the prepositional case. Prosthetic н- is not required after внe, внутри´, блaгодaря´, вопрeки´, подо´бно, соглa´сно(see 10.1.3–10.1.4) or after short comparative adjectives. Nor may it be used when eго´, eë, ихare possessive pronouns, i.e. when they mean his/its, (belonging to) her, their , respectively, as opposed to him, her, them.