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Russian grammar

Every rule of Russian, explained in plain English, from your first noun to the participles in Tolstoy. Each guide gives the rule, every form in a table, the exceptions, and real examples you can listen to.

All levels · A1–C2 71 grammar guides Audio for every example
ONE SENTENCE, THREE ENDINGS Мама чита́ет кни́гу SUBJECTwho acts-а: nominative VERBthe action-ет: “she” form OBJECTwhat’s acted on-у: accusative “Mum is reading a book.”
In Russian, the ending of a word tells you its job. кни́га (book) becomes кни́гу because it’s the thing being read.
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Four ideas that explain most of Russian

Russian grammar has a reputation for being hard, but nearly every rule comes back to one of these four ideas. Learn them first and the rest of the grammar makes sense.

MASCULINEстолends in a consonant FEMININEкнигаends in -а or -я NEUTERокноends in -о or -е Look at the last letter to know the gender.
1Every noun has a genderрод · rod

Every Russian noun is masculine, feminine or neuter, even objects like tables and windows. There’s no logic to it, but there is a shortcut: the last letter almost always tells you. Gender matters because it decides every ending that follows.

Read: Noun gender →
Москва́ в Москве́in Moscow из Москвы́from Moscow в Москву́to Moscow
2Endings show a word’s jobпадежи́ · pa-di-ZHEE

In English, word order and little words like “in” and “from” show who does what. Russian also changes the end of the word. These forms are called cases. There are six, each with clear uses, and the same word can appear in all of them.

Read: What is a case? →
новыйстол новаякнига новоеокно a new tablea new booka new window
3Words match each otherсогласова́ние · sa-gla-sa-VA-ni-ye

An adjective (a describing word, like “new”) changes its ending to match the gender and case of its noun. English “new” never changes; Russian “new” has three forms in the dictionary form alone. Pronouns and past-tense verbs follow the same rule.

Read: Adjective endings →
чита́лwas reading: the process прочита́лread it to the end: the result
4Verbs come in pairsвид глаго́ла · vit gla-GO-la

Most Russian verbs have two partners, called aspects. One (the imperfective) describes an action in progress or a habit. The other (the perfective) describes one completed result. English shows this with tenses; Russian uses a different verb.

Read: Verb aspect →

The six cases at a glance

A case is a form of a word that shows its role in the sentence. Russian has six. Pick a word to see how it changes in each one.

CaseIts main jobFormExample
Nominative →имени́тельный · asks кто? что? The subject: who or what does the action. The dictionary form. кни́га
Genitive →роди́тельный · asks кого́? чего́? “Of”, possession, absence (нет), and after numbers and many prepositions. кни́ги
Dative →да́тельный · asks кому́? чему́? “To” or “for” someone: the receiver. Also after к (towards). кни́ге
Accusative →вини́тельный · asks кого́? что? The direct object: the thing the action is done to. кни́гу
Instrumental →твори́тельный · asks кем? чем? “With” or “by means of”. Also after под, над, ме́жду. кни́гой
Prepositional →предло́жный · asks о ком? о чём? Location after в and на, and the topic after о (about). кни́ге

The red letters are the ending, the only part that changes. Read the full guide to Russian cases →

Every grammar guide

Organised like a grammar book, by type of word. Each chapter starts with the basics and builds to the advanced topics.

01 Nounsсуществи́тельные · words for things and people
Noun genderMasculine, feminine or neuter, from the last letter A1 PluralsMaking nouns plural, and the irregular ones A1 Animate and inanimate nounsWhy people and animals change differently A2 Fleeting vowelsWhy оте́ц becomes отца́ B1 Nouns that never changeкафе́, метро́, ко́фе and friends A2 Diminutives and pet namesсто́лик, ма́мочка, Са́шенька, до́мище B1
02 Casesпадежи́ · how endings show a word’s role
What is a case?The idea behind all six, in plain English A1 The nominative caseThe dictionary form and the subject A1 The accusative caseThe thing an action is done to A1 The prepositional caseWhere something is, and what it’s about A1 The genitive case“Of”, absence and numbers A2 The dative caseGiving, telling and liking A2 The instrumental case“With” and “by means of” A2 Plural endings in every caseThe full system, in one table B1 Cases with numbersодна́ кни́га, две кни́ги, пять книг A2 Verbs and their casesпомога́ть кому́, боя́ться чего́, зави́сеть от B1
03 Pronounsместоиме́ния · words that stand in for nouns
Personal pronounsя, ты, он, она́ in every case A1 Possessivesмой, твой, наш, and свой A1 ты and выInformal and formal “you” A1 Names and patronymicsИва́н Петро́вич, Петро́ва and pet names A2 Reflexive себя́“Oneself”, and when to use it B1 Indefinite pronounsкто́-то, что́-нибудь, ко́е-где, никто́ B1 Question wordsкто, что, где, куда́, отку́да A1
04 Adjectivesприлага́тельные · words that describe nouns
Adjective endingsMatching gender, number and case A1 Short adjectivesрад, гото́в, похо́ж B1 ComparativesBigger, better, more interesting A2 SuperlativesThe biggest, the best B1 Adverbsбы́стро, по-ру́сски, сюда́, всегда́ A2
05 Verbsглаго́лы · words for actions and states
Present tense conjugationThe two verb patterns A1 The past tenseOne simple rule for all verbs A2 The future tenseTwo ways to talk about the future A2 Verb aspectProcess or result: чита́ть vs прочита́ть B1 Reflexive verbs in -сяVerbs that act on themselves A2 The imperativeGiving instructions politely A2 Aspect in commandsзакро́й or закрыва́й? B1 Aspect in the infinitiveчита́ть or прочита́ть after verbs B1 The conditional with бы“Would” and “if only” B2 The passive voiceнапи́сан, стро́ится, здесь продаю́т B2 Word formationRoots, prefixes, suffixes, diminutives B1 Consonant changesхожу́, пишу́, мо́жешь, доро́же B1 Verb prefixesпере-, до-, за-, по- on everyday verbs B2 Particlesже, ведь, -то, ну and tone B2 Verb tablesOver 100 common verbs in every form A1–B2 Verbs of positionстоя́ть, лежа́ть, сиде́ть and ста́вить, класть A2
06 Verbs of motionглаго́лы движе́ния · Russian’s many ways to “go”
идти́ and ходи́тьOne direction or round trips B1 е́хать and е́здитьGoing by transport B1 Prefixes of motionпри-, у-, в-, вы- and more B2 Carrying and leadingнести́, вести́, везти́ B2 Figurative usesидёт дождь, мне везёт, вы́йти за́муж B2
07 Numbersчисли́тельные · counting, dates and time
Numbers 1 to 1,000,000Cardinal numbers with audio A1 Numbers with nounsWhy it’s два стола́ but пять столо́в A2 Numbers in every caseдвух, трём, пятью́, сорока́ B2 Ordinal numbersFirst, second, third A2 Collective numbersдво́е, тро́е, вдвоём, на двои́х B1 Dates and timeDays, months, years and the clock A2
08 Sentencesсинта́ксис · putting words together
Word orderFlexible, but not random A2 Negationне, нет and double negatives A1 PrepositionsWhich case each one needs A2 ParticiplesVerbs that act like adjectives B2 GerundsDoing two things at once C1 Joining sentencesчто, кото́рый, что́бы, потому́ что B1 Relative clausesкото́рый, кто, что, где in every case B1 Reported speechHe said that… B2 Impersonal sentencesмне хо́лодно, мо́жно, на́до, нельзя́ A2 PunctuationDashes, «quotes» and direct speech B1
09 Soundsфоне́тика · how Russian is spoken
Pronunciation rulesStress, reduction, soft consonants, devoicing A1 IntonationThe seven melodies of Russian A2 Stress patternsрука́ / ру́ку, го́род / города́, была́ B1
10 Writingписьмо́ · spelling, handwriting and reference tables
Spelling rulesи after ж, -тся / -ться, н or нн, не A2 Russian cursiveReading and writing by hand A1 Noun tablesмать, вре́мя, путь, челове́к in every case A2