« Nominative Case (Именительный Падеж)

When to Use the Nominative Case

• Subject of a Sentence: The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence—the person or thing that performs the action.
  • Example: Кошка спит. (The cat is sleeping.)
  • Example: Мальчик читает. (The boy is reading.)
• Predicate Nominative: Used after the verb "to be" to indicate the identity or state of the subject.
  • Example: Он доктор. (He is a doctor.)
  • Example: Это книга. (This is a book.)

Nominative Case Endings

The nominative case has the following standard endings for nouns:

Singular Nouns:

• Masculine: Typically ends in a consonant or -й (e.g., стол - table, герой - hero).
• Feminine: Typically ends in -а or -я (e.g., книга - book, неделя - week).
• Neuter: Typically ends in -о or -е (e.g., окно - window, море - sea).

Plural Nouns:

• Masculine:
  • For nouns ending in a consonant that does not follow a velar or husher, add -ы (e.g., столы - tables).
  • If the noun ends in -й, -ь, a velar, or a husher, replace it with -и (e.g., куски - pieces).
• Feminine:
  • If the noun ends in -я, -ь, or the letter -а after a velar or husher, replace it with -и (e.g., книги - books).
  • If the noun ends in -а and the stem does not end in a velar or husher, replace it with -ы (e.g., пиццы - pizzas).
• Neuter:
  • If the noun ends in -о or -е after a velar, a husher, or -ц, replace it with -а (e.g., окна - windows).
  • If the noun ends in -е and the stem does not end in a velar, a husher, or -ц, replace it with -я (e.g., моря - seas).

Adjective Endings

Adjectives in the nominative case must agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case:

• Masculine Singular: Ends in -ый, -ий, or -ой (e.g., новый стол - new table).
• Feminine Singular: Ends in -ая or -яя (e.g., новая книга - new book).
• Neuter Singular: Ends in -ое or -ее (e.g., новое окно - new window).
• Plural (all genders): Ends in -ые or -ие (e.g., новые столы - new tables).

Pronouns in the Nominative Case

Personal pronouns in the nominative case are as follows:

• I: я
• You (singular, informal): ты
• He: он
• She: она
• It: оно
• We: мы
• You (plural or formal): вы
• They: они

Practice Exercises

Translate the following sentences into Russian, making sure to use the correct form of the nominative case:

1. The cat is sleeping.
2. The boy is reading.
3. She is a doctor.
4. This is a book.