Russian cases cheat sheet.
All 6 cases on one page - noun endings for masculine, feminine, and neuter, the prepositions that trigger each case, and example sentences. Print it, pin it, or save as PDF.
Russian Cases - Quick Reference
All 6 cases · Noun endings (singular & plural) · Prepositions · Examples · slova.be
Noun endings by case
| Case | Question | Masculineстол, конь | Feminineкнига, дверь | Neuterокно, море | Pluralall genders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NominativeИм. | кто? что? | — / -ь | -а / -я / -ь | -о / -е | -ы / -и / -а / -я |
| GenitiveРод. | кого? чего? | -а / -я | -ы / -и | -а / -я | -ов / -ев / -ей / —Zero ending common for fem. |
| DativeДат. | кому? чему? | -у / -ю | -е / -и | -у / -ю | -ам / -ям |
| AccusativeВин. | кого? что? | = Nom (inan.) / = Gen (anim.)Animate = Genitive | -у / -ю / -ь | -о / -е= Nominative | = Nom (inan.) / = Gen (anim.) |
| InstrumentalТв. | кем? чем? | -ом / -ем | -ой / -ей / -ью | -ом / -ем | -ами / -ями |
| PrepositionalПр. | о ком? о чём? | -е / -и | -е / -и | -е / -и | -ах / -ях |
Key prepositions by case
Genitive
из, от, без, для, у, до, после
from, from, without, for, at/by, until, after
Dative
к, по
toward, along/by/according to
Accusative
в (direction), на (direction), за, через
into, onto, behind/for, through/across
Instrumental
с, над, под, перед, между
with, above, under, in front of, between
Prepositional
в (location), на (location), о / об
in, on, about
Tip
в / на = two cases
Direction (куда?) = Accusative
Location (где?) = Prepositional
Location (где?) = Prepositional
One example per case
Nominative
Мама читает книгу.
Mom is reading a book.
Genitive
Книга брата.
Brother's book. (possession)
Dative
Я дал книгу брату.
I gave the book to my brother.
Accusative
Я читаю книгу.
I'm reading a book.
Instrumental
Я пишу ручкой.
I'm writing with a pen.
Prepositional
Я живу в Москве.
I live in Moscow.
5 rules that cover 80% of cases
- 1Subject = Nominative. Whoever does the action stays in dictionary form. Мама готовит.
- 2Direct object = Accusative. Whoever receives the action. Я вижу книгу. But: animate masculine nouns borrow Genitive endings (Я вижу брата).
- 3"Of" or "no" = Genitive. Possession (книга брата), absence (нет воды), after numbers 5+ (пять книг).
- 4"To someone" = Dative. Indirect objects, age (мне 25 лет), feelings (мне холодно).
- 5"In" or "on" + location = Prepositional. в школе, на работе. But direction to = Accusative: в школу, на работу.
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