Masculine nouns with stressed о, е, ё in the final syllaЫe of the stem

Most masculine nouns v1ith stressed о, е, ё in the final syllaЫe of the stem (they are called 'fleeting' о/е ¹) lose these vowels in the genitive case. This rule also applies to the other following nouns: ветер - wind, дёготь - tar, эамок - castle, камень - stone, коготь - claw, ноготь - nail, палец - finger, поршень - piston, ребёнок - child, угол - corner, уголь - coal.

¹ 'Fleeting vowel' - the vowel in the final syllaЬ/e of many nouns which end in а hard consonant or soft sign does not арреаг in oЫique cases.

N. Ryan

RUSSIAN GENIТIVE: ITS FORMS AND USAGE

ветер - ветра ёготь - дёгт ень -дня эамок - эамка эамёк - замка а~,ень - камня

оготь - когтя сок - куска лоб-лба

-олодёц - молодца ноготь - ногтя огонь - агня

осёл - осла

отец- отца

палец - пальца поршень - поршня ребёнок - ребёнка сон - сна

угол -угла

уголь -угля

ind - of а wind tar - of tar

day- of а day castle - of а castle

ock - of а lock

stone - of а stone

claw - of а claw

piece - of а piece forehead - of а forehead fine fellow - of а fine fellow finger nail - of а finger nail fire - of а fire

donkey - of а donkey father - of а father finger - of а finger piston - of а piston child - of а child dream - of а dream corner - of а corner coal - of coal

1. 1. 1.3. lrregular genitive case боец- байца

заём - займа

омсомолец - комсомольца

китаец - китайца

лев - льва

Лед-льда

ручей - ручья

удалец - удальца

fighter - of а fighter

loan - of а loan

Komsomol member -

of а Komsomol member Chinaman - of а Chinaman lion - of а lion

ice-of ice

stream - of а stream dare-devil - of а dare-devil

... 2. T!he -и/-Ь'I ending

asculine gender nouns with the feminine gender егкйп оr-я followthe rule forfeminine gender nounswith the -а and -я егкйп eing replaced Ьу -и and -:ы endings respectivel,..

Ваня - Вани Vanya - of Vanya

дедушка - дедушки дядя-дяди

Лёва - Лёвы

Слава - Славы юноша - юноши судья - судьи

grandfather - of а grandfather uncle - of an uncle

Leva - of Leva

Slava - of Slava

young man - of а young man judge - of а judge

The -у/-ю ending

ln addition to taking the inflection -а, some zero-ending masculine gender nouns сап, depending on their usage, take the ending -у in the genitive singular. Similarly most nouns with stem ending,n -й or in -ь may take the ending -ю in the genitive case.

миндаль - миндалю almond - of almond

жир - жиру fat - of fat

чай - чаю tea - of tea

The following form of masculine nouns in the genitive, which is mostly found in colloquial Russian, оссшз when the nouns which denote sub­stance, material or any kind of matter are used in the genitive to impart the meaning of quantification, i. е. to refer to а part or some quantity of that substance, (partitive genitive) masculine gender nouns take endings -у/-ю.

Нужно купить сахару, гороху, чаю, рису, луку. One needs to buy some: sugar, peas, tea, rice, onions.

По рецепту нужно добавить луку, рису, сыру, чесноку. Ac­cording to the recipe we need to add some: onions, rice, cheese, garlic.

Добавь кипятку. Add some boiling water.

NB: the nouns хлеб - bread and овёс - oats are exceptions, they never take the ending -у in the genitive singular, always the еп­ding -а, хлеб - хлеба and овёс - овса.

. Rvan

I IC~J J\ AI,-...,-.,,.,..,. 1,-,.._." -- -· ·-.- --. ·- • ·-... - -

е -а/-у. -я/-ю alternation in the genitiVe case of rnost masculine ge, •. presents some difficultyfor stнdents. lt is ппропагп to note tha" •.•... от masculine gender nouns can гопп а genitive case \vith either -а/-я оr-у/-ю endings. Where -у/-ю genitive case endings are most common in colloqu1al speech, in dialects, proverЬs. and вооте fixed expressions.

For ·those mascu1ine gender nouns whict, refer to concrete material substance or objects in the co;lective пouns, the quantitative nouns whic cannotbe comblnedwith numeralstake -у/-ю ending in the genitivecase.

пух - пухv down - of down

сахар - сахару суп - суп сыр- сыру

лес - лесу народ - народу

sugar - of sugar soup - of soup cheese-ofcheese

imber - of timber people - of people

f the genitive of such masculine nouns is used to convey the meaning of relationship, when опе noun determines property of the other поцп, the genitive singular form takes the ending -а/-я.

Property: Quantity:

вкус чая

but

чашка чаю

taste of tea but а cup of tea

запах спирта but капля спирту

smell of spirit but а drop of spirit

сладость мёда but ложка мёду

the sweetness of honey but а spoon of honey

Here, the first example refers to а property (taste, smell, sweetness) hereasthe second example (partitive) refers to а quantity (cup(full), drop, spoon(full).

INB: when such masculine gender nouns are qualified Ьу an adjective in the genitive singular they take ending -а/-я.

пачка душистого табака а packet of sweet smelling tobacco

тарелка горячего супа а plate of hot soup

чашка крепкого чая а cup of strong tea

inthe lar.

Выпить бы холодного квас

ouldn't it Ье nice to drink some cool Поесть бы виноrради

еп masculine gender nouns denoting abst are used in the partitive sense 'they also take endin

нога народу n,any people

наделать шуму нагнать страх наговорить вздору

дать маху

задать перцу

добиться толку износу нет конца-краю нет крикнуть с испугу не был ни разу

не давать спуску не до смеху

Конь

у.

о make а lot of noise

о put а lot of fear into someone to talk а lot of nonsense