Velars and Hushers
-
Velars: Velars are consonants produced
with the back of the tongue against the soft part of the
roof of the mouth (the velum). In Russian, the velar
consonants are:
-
Hushers: Hushers are consonants
produced with a hushing or hissing sound. In Russian,
the husher consonants are:
- ж (zh)
- ш (sh)
- щ (shch)
- ч (ch)
Spelling & Pronunciation Rules
-
Spelling Rule 1:
-
After г, к, х, ж, ч, ш, and щ, use и instead of
ы (e.g., мыши, not мышы).
-
Spelling Rule 2:
-
After г, к, х, ж, ч, ш, щ, and ц, use у instead
of ю.
-
After г, к, х, ж, ч, ш, щ, and ц, use а instead
of я.
-
Spelling Rule 3:
-
After ж, ч, ш, щ, and ц, write е instead of о
when unstressed (e.g., в хорошем ресторане, not
в хорошом ресторане).
-
Spelling Rule 4:
-
If a word ends with ь, й, or я, drop it before
adding a suffix and replace it with и.
-
Pronunciation of Unstressed Vowels: The
vowels о and е are often pronounced like а and И
respectively when unstressed. However, they are still
written as о and е.
-
Soft and Hard Signs: In Russian, the
soft sign (ь) and the hard sign (ъ) are unique letters
that do not have their own sounds but significantly
affect the pronunciation of the letters around them.
-
ь (soft sign / мягкий знак) is used to indicate
the softness of the preceding consonant.
-
Example: мать (mother) indicates the
softness of т.
-
Ъ (hard sign / твёрдый знак) is used to separate
a prefix ending in a consonant from a root
beginning with е, ё, ю, or я.
-
Example: подъезд (entrance) separates
the prefix под- from the root езд.
-
Capitalization: Like in English, you
must capitalize titles, proper nouns, and the first word
of the sentence. However, you should not capitalize я
(I) unless it starts the sentence.
- Example: Москва (Moscow)
- Example: Война и Mир (War and Peace)
- Example: Я хочу хлеб. (I want bread.)
-
Heteronyms: When two words have the
same spelling but different pronunciations and meanings,
they are called heteronyms.
-
Example: замок (castle, ZA-mok) vs. замок (lock,
za-MOK) - stress changes the meaning.
Prepositions and Cases
When it comes to using prepositions, Russian cases can be
highly deceptive. For example, to say "I am playing the
guitar," you would say "Я играю на гитаре." Although
"гитара" is a musical instrument, you must use the
prepositional case (гитаре) to indicate that you are playing
"on the guitar."
-
Genitive Case: Used with prepositions
like без (without), для (for), от (from), or до (until).
-
Example: Книга для студента. (A book for the
student.)
-
Accusative Case: Used with prepositions
like в (in, into), на (on, onto), or за (behind,
beyond).
-
Example: Я иду в магазин. (I am going to the
store.)
-
Prepositional Case: Used with
prepositions like о (about), в (in), or на (on).
-
Example: Я думаю о тебе. (I am thinking about
you.)
-
Instrumental Case: Used with
prepositions like с (with), над (above), or под (under).
-
Example: Я пишу с ручкой. (I write with a pen.)
-
Dative Case: Used with prepositions
like к (to, towards) or по (along, according to).
-
Example: Я иду к врачу. (I am going to the
doctor.)
Negative Sentences
In Russian, the genitive case is often used with negation,
although the accusative case can sometimes be used as well.
The choice between the two depends on the meaning and
context.
-
Complete Negation (Absence or Lack):
The genitive case is used when you are expressing the
complete absence or lack of something. This implies that
something is not there at all.
-
Example: У меня нет книги. (I do not have a book.)
-
Example: У него нет времени. (He does not have
time.)
-
General Negation (When It's Indefinite or
Uncertain):
If you're talking about something that is general or
indefinite in the negative sense, the genitive is used
to indicate that the object of the verb is not specific.
-
Example: Он не читал книг. (He didn't read books.)
-
Accusative vs. Genitive in Negation: In
certain cases, the accusative case is used instead of
the genitive when negating, but this usually implies a
less strong, less absolute negation—where the action is
negated but the object still exists. The genitive case
implies a stronger negation, like the complete absence
or lack of something.
-
Example with the accusative case (weaker negation):
Я не вижу книгу. (I don't see the book—implies the
book exists, but I just don't see it.)
-
Example with the genitive case (stronger genation):
Я не вижу книги. (I don't see the book—implies a
stronger sense that the book is not there.)
Sentence Structure
Russian has a flexible sentence structure, but the most
common order is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). However, word
order can change to emphasize different parts of the
sentence.
-
Example: Я люблю мороженое. (I love ice cream.) -
Neutral.
-
Example: Мороженое я люблю. (Literally: Ice cream, I
love.) - Emphasis on ice cream.
Stress
Stress in Russian words can change the meaning and is
generally not fixed. Although several stress patterns have
been recognized, it is usually better to memorize the
pronuncation of each word you learn to avoid confusion.
-
Example: рука (hand) - Stress on the second syllable.
-
Example: руки (hands) - Stress on the first syllable.
Verb Conjugation
-
First Conjugation: Verbs ending in -ать
or -ять.
-
Example: читать (to read) → я читаю (I read), ты
читаешь (you read).
-
Second Conjugation: Verbs ending in
-ить.
-
Example: говорить (to speak) → я говорю (I
speak), ты говоришь (you speak).
Pronouns
Russian uses personal, possessive, and reflexive pronouns.
The Russian reflexive pronoun себя means oneself and is used
when the subject and object of the verb are the same person
or thing.
-
Personal: я (I), ты (you), он (he), она
(she), оно (it), мы (we), вы (you, plural/formal), они
(they).
-
Possessive: мой (my), твой (your), его
(his), её (her), наш (our), ваш (your, plural/formal),
их (their).
- Reflexive: себя (oneself).