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Can you explain Russian case system in simple terms visualisation

Can you explain Russian case system in simple terms

Demystifying Russian Grammar: Your Beginner's Handbook: Can you explain Russian case system in simple terms
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The Russian Case System: A Simple Overview

Russian uses a system called cases which changes the endings of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives based on their role in a sentence. Think of cases as different “forms” that show how a word is related to others – like who is doing what, to whom, where, and with what.

There are 6 main cases in Russian, each answering different questions:

  1. Nominative (who? what?) – the subject of the sentence, the doer.
  2. Accusative (whom? what?) – the direct object, the receiver of action.
  3. Genitive (of whom? of what?) – shows possession or absence.
  4. Dative (to whom? to what?) – the indirect object, the receiver.
  5. Instrumental (with whom? with what?) – shows the means or accompaniment.
  6. Prepositional (about whom? about what?) – used with certain prepositions, often indicating location or topic.

Each case changes the word ending depending on its gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number (singular, plural). For example, the word for “book” is книга in nominative singular, but might change to книги in genitive singular.

In simple terms: The case helps you know what role a noun is playing. It’s like a label attached to the word that shows if it’s the subject, object, or something else.

A quick question to check understanding: If I want to say “I give the book to a friend,” which case do you think “friend” would be in and why?

If you let me know your course level or if you want examples with particular words, I can make this explanation clearer and more tailored.

References

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