Russian Pronouns
Indefinite Pronouns (Неопределённые местоимения)
| Type | Cyrillic | Romanization | English | Usage Notes | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ТО | кто-то | kto-to | someone | Specific person (unknown who) | |
| что-то | chto-to | something | Specific thing (unknown what) | ||
| какой-то | kakoy-to | some kind of | Specific quality | ||
| где-то | gde-to | somewhere | Specific place | ||
| когда-то | kogda-to | sometime (past/future) | "Once" or "one day" | ||
| сколько-то | skol'ko-to | some amount | Vague quantity | ||
| -НИБУДЬ | кто-нибудь | kto-nibud' | anyone | General, hypothetical | |
| что-нибудь | chto-nibud' | anything | "Do you want anything?" | ||
| какой-нибудь | kakoy-nibud' | any kind of | No preference | ||
| где-нибудь | gde-nibud' | anywhere | General location | ||
| когда-нибудь | kogda-nibud' | sometime (future) | "Will you ever...?" | ||
| сколько-нибудь | skol'ko-nibud' | any amount | Vague quantity | ||
| КОЕ- | кое-кто | koye-kto | a certain someone | Known but not named | |
| кое-что | koye-chto | a certain something | "I know something (but won't say)" | ||
| кое-какой | koye-kakoy | a certain kind | Specific but vague | ||
| кое-где | koye-gde | in certain places | Known locations | ||
| Negative | никто | nikto | no one | Requires negation: "Я никого не вижу." | |
| ничто | nichto | nothing | "Ничто не вечно." (Nothing is eternal.) | ||
| никакой | nikakoy | no kind of | "У меня никаких идей." (I have no ideas.) | ||
| нигде | nigde | nowhere | "Его нигде нет." (He’s nowhere.) |
Subject Pronouns
| Pronoun | Cyrillic | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Я | ya | |
| You (singular, informal) | Ты | ty | |
| He | Он | on | |
| She | Она | a-NA | |
| It | Оно | a-NO | |
| We | Мы | my | |
| You (plural or formal) | Вы | vy | |
| They | Они | a-NEE |
Possessive Pronouns
| Pronoun | Cyrillic | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| My | Мой (m), Моя (f), Моё (n) | moy, ma-YA, ma-YO | |
| Your (singular, informal) | Твой (m), Твоя (f), Твоё (n) | tvoy, tva-YA, tva-YO | |
| His | Его | ye-VO | |
| Her | Её | ye-YO | |
| Its | Его | ye-VO | |
| Our | Наш (m), Наша (f), Наше (n) | nash, NA-sha, NA-she | |
| Your (plural or formal) | Ваш (m), Ваша (f), Ваше (n) | vash, VA-sha, VA-she | |
| Their | Их | ikh |
Demonstrative Pronouns
| Pronoun | Cyrillic | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| This (masculine) | Этот | e-TOT | |
| This (feminine) | Эта | e-TA | |
| This (neuter) | Это | e-TO | |
| This (plural) | Эти | e-TEE | |
| That (masculine) | Тот | tot | |
| That (feminine) | Та | ta | |
| That (neuter) | То | to | |
| That (plural) | Те | te | |
| Such (masculine) | Такой | ta-KOY | |
| Such (feminine) | Такая | ta-KA-ya | |
| Such (neuter) | Такое | ta-KO-ye | |
| Such (plural) | Такие | ta-KEE-ye |
Examples of "I Want" and "This/That" with Demonstrative Pronouns
| English | Russian | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| I want an apple | Я хочу яблоко | ya kho-CHU YA-blo-ko | |
| I want that apple | Я хочу то яблоко | ya kho-CHU to YA-blo-ko | |
| I want these apples | Я хочу эти яблоки | ya kho-CHU E-tee YA-blo-kee | |
| I want those apples | Я хочу те яблоки | ya kho-CHU te YA-blo-kee | |
| This is my apple | Это моё яблоко | EH-ta ma-YO YA-blo-ko | |
| That is my apple | То моё яблоко | to ma-YO YA-blo-ko | |
| These are my apples | Это мои яблоки | EH-ta ma-YEE YA-blo-kee | |
| Those are my apples | То мои яблоки | to ma-YEE YA-blo-kee |
Notes on Using Russian Pronouns:
- Russian possessive pronouns change form based on the gender of the noun they modify.
- The formal "you" (Вы) is capitalized in written Russian when addressing a single person respectfully.
- Russian has three grammatical genders: masculine (m), feminine (f), and neuter (n).
- Unlike in English, Russian pronouns change their form based on their grammatical case (nominative, genitive, dative, etc.).
- The possessive pronouns его (his/its) and её (her) do not change forms regardless of the gender or number of the noun they modify.
- In Russian, the subject pronoun is often omitted when it's clear from the context, as the verb forms already indicate the person.
Practice Russian Pronouns
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Russian Noun Gender Rules
| Gender | Ending Patterns | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 🔹 Masculine |
Usually end in a consonant Some end in -й A few end in -ь, but you'll need to memorize gender there. |
→ стол (table), друг (friend), кот (cat) → герой (hero), музей (museum) |
| 🔸 Feminine |
End in -а or -я Also, many nouns ending in -ь are feminine |
→ мама (mom), сестра (sister), неделя (week) → дверь (door), ночь (night), тетрадь (notebook) |
| 🔹 Neuter |
End in -о or -е Also -мя (rare) |
→ окно (window), море (sea), письмо (letter) → время (time), имя (name) |
Practice Russian Noun Genders
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Click on a card to hear the pronunciation (when available). Hover over cards in practice mode to reveal the answer. Each noun is color-coded by gender.
Pronouns and Cases
Pronouns in Russian are also changed by case. In fact, many grammatical elements shift depending on the case. Here’s what changes:
Russian Grammar Categories Affected by Cases
| Affected by Case? | Example |
|---|---|
| Nouns | стол → стола |
| Pronouns | я → мне |
| Adjectives | большая кошка → большую кошку |
| Possessive Pronouns | мой брат → моего брата |
| Some Numerals | один стол → одного стола |
It’s like a domino effect: once the noun is in a case, everything describing it (adjectives, possessives, numerals) has to match. Russian is all about agreement.