Colloquial Russian

170 Unit 12: Росси ́ йские СМИ

Слова�рь

во вре�мя (+ gen) during

вы�боры (pl) election

мне�ние opinion

то�чка зре�ния point of view

Грaмма�тика

Nominative plural

Masculine nouns endings in a consonant and feminine nouns ending in

-a usually take the nominative plural ending -ы: журна�л – журна�лы;

газе�та – газе�ты.

Note the stress change: сестра� – сёстры. The stress on several

two-syllable nouns moves to the first syllable in the plural.

Nouns affected by the spelling rule take the ending -и: па�мятник –

па�мятники; переда�ча – переда�чи.

Masculine nouns ending in -й and feminine nouns ending in -я and

both masculine and feminine nouns ending in -ь also have their plural

in -и: музе�й – музе�и; неде�ля – неде�ли; чита�тель – чита�тели;

но�вость – но�вости; мать – ма�тери; дочь – до�чери.

Do not forget that some masculine nouns drop the vowel o, e or ё

from the last syllable of the nominative singular when other endings are

added: день – дни; оте�ц – отцы�; пирожо�к – пирожки�.

Neuter nouns ending in -о take the nominative plural ending -a, and

neuter nouns ending in -e take the plural ending -я: окно� – о�кна;

изда�ние – изда�ния.

Neuter nouns ending in -мя take the ending -ена: и�мя – имена�.

Some masculine nouns have an irregular nominative plural ending

in -а�: дом – дома�; адрес – aдреса� �; ве�чер – вечера�; дире�ктор –

директора�; лес – леса�; го�род – города�; бе�рег – берега�. The plural

of учи�тель is учителя.�

Some masculine and neuter nouns have an irregular nominative plu-

ral in -ья: брат – бра�тья; стул – стулья; друг – друзья� �; де�рево  –

деревья�.

Masculine nouns ending in -анин, -янин usually end in -aне, -яне

in the nominative plural: aнглича�нин – англича�не.

Лю�ди is used as the plural of челове�к, and де�ти is used as the

plural of ребёнок.