In Russian, the number decides the form of the noun after it. That one rule runs through counting, your age, the clock and prices. Each card shows the figure; you choose how to say it.
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The last digit decides: 21 behaves like 1, 22–24 like 2, and 11–14 like 5. лет is the special plural of год after 5+.
After 1, the noun stays in the nominative. After 2, 3 and 4 it is genitive singular. From 5 to 20 it is genitive plural.Numbers guide →
1I bought one ticket.Я купи́л оди́н …
3I have three brothers.У меня́ три …
7There are seven students in the group.В гру́ппе семь …
22twenty-two booksДва́дцать две …
Age
Age uses the dative: “to me is 30 years”. The word for years follows the counting rule: год, го́да, лет.Numbers guide →
21I’m twenty-one.Мне два́дцать оди́н …
34Mum is thirty-four.Ма́ме три́дцать четы́ре …
12My son is twelve.Сы́ну двена́дцать …
?How old are you?Ско́лько … лет?
Telling the time
ча́с means hour: оди́н час, два часа́, пять часо́в. “At” a time is в + the time. For half past, Russian counts towards the next hour.Dates and time guide →
The shaded half is “half of the third”. In everyday speech it is also said simply as два три́дцать (2:30).
3:00It’s three o’clock.Сейча́с три …
8:00Let’s meet at eight.Встре́тимся в во́семь …
2:30Half past two.Полови́на …
1:00The film starts at one.Фильм начина́ется в …
Dates and days
Days of the week take в + accusative. Dates use an ordinal number and the month in the genitive; “on” a date puts both in the genitive.Dates and time guide →
A date uses an ordinal (“eighth”), neuter because the hidden word is число́ (date), followed by the month in the genitive.
MonI’ll call on Monday.Я позвоню́ в …
WedThe meeting is on Wednesday.Встре́ча в …
1/5Today is the first of May.Сего́дня … ма́я.
9/5He was born on the ninth of May.Он роди́лся … ма́я.
Numbers in other cases
Numbers decline too. After a preposition that needs a case, both the number and the noun take that case, and the 1/2–4/5+ rule no longer applies.Numbers in every case guide →
2I spoke with two friends.Я говори́л с … друзья́ми.
3We were in three cities.Мы бы́ли в … города́х.
5Five to seven (6:55).Без … семь.
100It costs a hundred roubles.Э́то сто́ит сто …
How many, how much
Words of quantity, like ско́лько (how many), мно́го (a lot), ма́ло (few) and не́сколько (several), take the genitive: plural for things you count, singular for things you don’t.Numbers guide →
?How many cousins do you have?Ско́лько у тебя́ …?
∞We have a lot of time.У нас мно́го …
fewThere were few people in the hall.В за́ле бы́ло ма́ло …