1. The eight personal pronouns
Russian has two words for “you”: ты for one person you know well, and вы for someone you’re polite to, or for more than one person. Things use он, она́ or оно́ depending on their gender.
2. Every pronoun in every case
Pick a pronoun to see all six forms, each in a real sentence. Notice that genitive and accusative are identical for every pronoun, which saves you a row.
3. The н- rule after prepositions
After a preposition, the forms of он, она́, оно́ and они́ add an н- at the front. It simply makes them easier to say. Only these four pronouns do this.
4. Possessives: my, your, our
мой, твой, наш and ваш work like adjectives: they match the gender of the thing owned. But “his”, “her” and “their” (его́, её, их) never change at all.
| Owner | + дом (m.) | + кни́га (f.) | + окно́ (n.) | + кни́ги (pl.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| my | ||||
| your (ты) | ||||
| his / its | ||||
| her | ||||
| our | ||||
| your (вы) | ||||
| their |
5. свой: “one’s own”
When the owner is the subject of the same sentence, Russian uses свой (svoi) instead of его́ or её. It clears up who owns what, something English leaves ambiguous.
6. This and that: э́тот and тот
э́тот (this) and тот (that) match their noun like adjectives. The short word э́то on its own means “this is” and never changes.
7. Myself and each other: себя́, сам, друг дру́га
себя́ means “oneself” and works for every person. сам means “myself / yourself” for emphasis. друг дру́га means “each other”.
8. Question pronouns: кто, что, чей, како́й
These ask about people, things, owners and kinds. чей and како́й match their noun, just like possessives and adjectives.
9. Someone, something: -то and -нибудь
Add -то for a specific person or thing you don’t name; add -нибудь for “any one at all”. Use -нибудь in questions and requests. Full guide, with ко́е-, every case and никто́: Indefinite pronouns →
10. Everyone and everything: весь, ка́ждый, вся, всё
весь (all, whole) changes like an adjective. всё means “everything” and все means “everyone”: the dots on ё make all the difference.
11. Choose the right form
Look at the job the pronoun does, then choose.