2. Russian Pronouns (Местоимения)

1. Personal Pronouns (Личные местоимения)

⚠️For ALL verbs except "to have", use Nominative pronouns (я, ты, он...).
Only for "to have" (у + Genitive), use Genitive pronouns (меня, тебя, его...).

Function: Personal pronouns replace nouns referring to people or things

NOTE: If you have the verb "to have", use this table

2. Demonstrative Pronouns (Указательные местоимения)

Function: Demonstratives point out specific nouns

Singular Forms

Plural Forms

3. Possessive Pronouns (Притяжательные местоимения)

Function: Possessive pronouns show ownership or relationship

First and Second Person Singular

Third Person and Plural

Declension of "наш" (our) and "ваш" (your pl.)

4. Reflexive Pronouns (Возвратные местоимения)

Function: Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the sentence

Declension of "себя" (oneself)

Reflexive Possessive "свой" (one's own)

5. Interrogative Pronouns (Вопросительные местоимения)

Function: Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions

Main Interrogative Pronouns

6. Relative Pronouns (Относительные местоимения)

Function: Relative pronouns connect clauses and refer back to a noun

In Russian, interrogative pronouns serve double duty as relative pronouns. They are used in the same form but function differently in the sentence.

7. Indefinite Pronouns (Неопределённые местоимения)

Function: Indefinite pronouns refer to unspecified people or things

Formation of Indefinite Pronouns

Russian indefinite pronouns are formed by adding prefixes to interrogative pronouns:

Common Indefinite Pronouns and Their Declension

8. Negative Pronouns (Отрицательные местоимения)

Function: Negative pronouns negate or deny the existence of something or someone

Formation of Negative Pronouns

Russian negative pronouns are formed by adding prefixes to interrogative pronouns:

Declension of Negative Pronouns

3. Adjectives

Function: Adjectives Describe nouns

For adjectives the logic is the same. The only difference is that they follow suit with the noun. So if you have a genitive case, the nouns is masculing and singular, you just choose the adjective you want and getit with the termination of signle adjectives under these sessionts. Say you have a red (красный) table, so the adjective will be changed to the Genitive case under masculine. So the termination is -ого and the word becomes красного

Note:In Russian, with adjectives associated with a subject, there is an important distinction

The long form uses the unchanged nominative word, but the short one

• Short form: I am rich. я | Masculine: богат | Feminine: богата | Neuter: богато | Plural: богаты
• Short form: I am rich person. я богатый человек

Singular Adjective Endings

Examples of Singular Adjective Declension

Plural Adjective Endings

Same as the logic above, your noun is male and plural and the case is genitive, the termination is -ых and you add that to the adjective in its default form. So, красные becomes bкрасных.

Examples of Plural Adjective Declension

4. Verbs

Function: Verbs describe the action or state of the noun in a sentence.

Russian verbs are complex and central to the language, with extensive conjugation patterns and aspectual distinctions. At C2 level, mastery of verbal nuances is essential for native-like fluency.

note: Russian doesn't use the nominative case for possession. Instead, the prepositional construction with "у" is used to show possession.

I have money | у меня есть деньги

Verbal Categories in Russian

Russian verbs are classified according to several grammatical categories:

Conjugation Patterns

Russian verbs are divided into two main conjugation types based on their present tense endings.

Irregular Verbs

Several common Russian verbs have irregular conjugation patterns that must be memorized:

* Note: Forms of быть in present tense are archaic; есть is used for all persons in modern Russian.

Aspect: Imperfective vs. Perfective

The aspect system is fundamental to Russian verbs. Most verbs exist in aspectual pairs:

Aspectual Pairs Formation

Verb Tenses

Russian has three tenses which interact with aspect:

Verbal Moods

Russian has three verbal moods:

Verbs of Motion

Russian has a special system of paired verbs of motion that indicate directionality:

Verb Government and Case Usage

At C2 level, proper mastery of which cases verbs govern is essential:

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs are formed by adding the suffix -ся (-сь after vowels):

Verbal Prefixes and Semantic Nuances

Russian verbal prefixes modify meaning in specific ways:

5. Adverbs

Function: Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing more detail about how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.

In Russian, adverbs are invariable (they don't change form for gender, number, or case). However, many adverbs can form comparative and superlative degrees.

Types of Russian Adverbs

Formation of Adverbs

Degrees of Comparison

Many Russian adverbs can form comparative and superlative degrees, similar to adjectives.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

Stylistic Functions of Adverbs

At the C2 level, it's important to understand how adverbs contribute to different registers and styles of speech:

6. Prepositions by Case

Function: Prepositions Show Relationships (in, or, at...)

To check how to choose the correct preposition check my table "how to choose the correct preposition" below.

Examples of Prepositions by Case

7. Particles Table

Function: Particles are small function words: no, yes, to go...

Then, we have what is called the particles table. Don't know who came up with the names, but it sounds like a physics, intergalactic class.

You use them based on the category. For instance, if it is negative you have 2 options:

Negative
• не General negation (verbs/adjectives)
• нет Negation of existence (used with the genitive case)

* note: in the: I have no time, it is a het. it is the browser that is turning the t in to an m

8. Conjunctions Table

Function: Conjunctions join sub-sentences

Finally we have the conjunctions table which is self-explanatory, you "conjunct", aka "join 2 sentences. So, Something AND something else; Something WHILE something else; and so on

none of these are affected by cases.

9. Sentences Boilerplate 👉 Available Skeletons 💀💀

💡Organized by Grammatical Cases... for morons like you...🥴

Function: Formatted Sentence Structures to use in each case.

🧠📚 Use of negatives in Russian with the murder story 🔪

After the murder, the detective arrives on scene. Each step covers a type of negative that the Russian language has.

There are 5 negation types. Note the right column.

Coming back to the cases:

The cases apply universally—whether it's you/her, him/them, or even a detective/the suspects. The grammatical role (subject, object, etc.) dictates the case, not the specific characters.

🔪 Same Narrative, Different Characters

10. Numerals

Function: Numerals express quantity or rank.

1. Cardinal

Russian numerals follow specific declension patterns and affect the case of the nouns that follow them. No matter how large a number is, to write it properly you look at the last digit. We have 3 main groups:

The "1" Rule (один, одна, одно, одни)

• Agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case (like an adjective).
• Nom/Acc: Один дом (masc.), Одна книга (fem.), Одно окно (neut.).
• Other cases: Я вижу одного человека (Acc. masc.), У одного студента (Gen.).

The "2-4" Rule (два, три, четыре)

• Nom/Acc: Noun in Genitive Singular (Два стула, Три книги).
• Other cases: Both numeral and noun decline (У двух стульев (Gen.), Трём книгам (Dat.)).

The "5+" Rule (пять, шесть... миллион)

• Nom/Acc: Noun in Genitive Plural (Пять столов, Десять книг).
• Other cases: Both numeral and noun decline (С пятью столами (Instr.), О десяти книгах (Prep.)).

• 1 → Agrees with: (gender, number, case)
• 2-4 → Agrees with: (gender, case)
• 5+ → Agrees with: (case)

2. Ordinal Numbers

Function: Indicate position in a sequence ("first, second, third..."). Decline like adjectives.

3. Collective Numbers

Function: Refer to groups of people/paired items. Used with plural nouns.

• Pair (2 items, usually matched)
  • I need a new pair of shoes.
  • She bought a pair of gloves.
• Dozen (12 items)
  • He gave me a dozen roses.
  • We ordered two dozen eggs.
• Score (20 items)
  • "Four score and seven years ago..." (Abraham Lincoln’s speech, meaning 87 years)
• Hundred (100 items)
  • Hundreds of people attended the concert.
• Thousand / Million / Billion (large groups)
  • Thousands of birds migrate in winter.
  • Millions of stars are visible at night.
• Couple (usually 2, but informally "a few")
  • I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.
  • She has a couple of books to return.
• Trio (3 people/items)
  • A jazz trio performed at the café.
• Decade (10 years)
  • The 1990s was an interesting decade.

These are the most used expressions:

• двое / трое
  • двое – "two" (a pair, two people/things together)
    • двое детей – "two children" (a group, not just "two" individually)
    • двое часов – "two watches" (implies a pair, e.g., two watches as a set)
  • трое – "three" (a group of three)
    • трое друзей – "three friends" (seen as a group)
    • трое суток – "three days and nights" (fixed expression)
• четверо / пятеро
  • четверо – "four" (a group of four)
    • четверо мужчин – "four men" (as a group)
    • четверо ворот – "four gates" (if referring to pairs/sets)
  • пятеро – "five" (a group of five)
    • пятеро детей – "five kids" (together)
    • пятеро ножниц – "five pairs of scissors" (plural-only noun)
• оба (m/n) / обе (f) – "both" (gender-specific)
  • оба – for masculine/neuter nouns
    • оба брата – "both brothers"
    • оба окна – "both windows"
  • обе – for feminine nouns
    • обе сестры – "both sisters"
    • обе книги – "both books"

Key Notes:

• ✔ двое, трое, четверо, пятеро = used for groups (often people, young animals, or paired items).
• ✔ оба/обе = only for "both" (must match gender).
• ❌ Not used for inanimate singular objects (use два/три instead: два стула = "two chairs").

4. Special Numerals

Function: Irregular forms for fractions, approximations, etc.

• Half (½, irregular fraction)
  • She ate half of the pizza.
  • I’ll be there in half an hour.
• Quarter (¼, fraction)
  • Add a quarter cup of sugar.
  • A quarter of the students were absent.
• Dozen (approximation, though exact = 12)
  • I have dozens of ideas! (implies many)
• Couple (usually 2, but informally "a few")
  • I’ll need a couple of days to finish.
• Several (vague small quantity, often 3–7)
  • Several people called about the job.
• Few / A few (small, indefinite number)
  • Few people understand this. (emphasizes scarcity)
  • A few friends visited me. (emphasizes "some")
• Many / Numerous (large indefinite number)
  • Many birds flew south.
  • She has numerous books.
• Approximate Ranges
  • I have twenty-odd books. (~20+)
  • She’s in her thirties. (30–39 years old)

11. Participles & Gerunds

Function: Participles are verbal adjectives that describe nouns. Gerunds are verbal adverbs that describe actions.

Participles (причастия)

Participles combine properties of verbs and adjectives. They agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case.

Active Participles

Active participles describe a noun that performs an action.

Passive Participles

Passive participles describe a noun that undergoes an action.

Participle Declension Example

Participles decline like adjectives, following the same patterns for gender, number, and case.

Short Form Passive Participles

Past passive participles can have short forms used as predicates.

Gerunds (деепричастия)

Gerunds are verbal adverbs that describe actions. They are invariable and don't change for gender, number, or case.

Usage Examples

12. Colloquialisms & Advanced Expressions

Function: Colloquialisms and advanced expressions are essential for C1/C2 level proficiency, demonstrating natural, native-like language use.

Colloquial Language (разговорная речь)

Colloquial expressions are informal phrases used in everyday speech that often don't follow standard grammar rules.

Diminutive Forms

Russians frequently use diminutive suffixes to express affection, familiarity, or smallness.

Particle Usage

Particles add emotion, emphasis, and nuance to colloquial speech.

Colloquial Word Formation

Russians often shorten or modify words in everyday speech.

Colloquial Expressions and Idioms

These expressions are frequently used in everyday speech but rarely appear in formal language.

Advanced Slang by Themes

Colloquial Question Constructions

Russian informal speech has distinctive ways of forming questions.