A1 Case System 6 min read Leicht

Russischer Nominativ: Das Subjekt (Именительный падеж)

Use the Nominative case for the 'doer' of the action and for simply naming people or objects.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The Nominative case is the 'dictionary form' of a noun, used to identify the subject performing the action in a sentence.

  • Use Nominative for the subject: 'Кот спит' (The cat sleeps).
  • Use Nominative for naming things: 'Это стол' (This is a table).
  • Nouns in the dictionary are always in the Nominative case.
Subject (Nom) + Verb + Object

Overview

Hast du jemals bemerkt, wie russische Wörter ihre Endungen wie ein Chamäleon in einer Disco ändern?...

Meanings

The Nominative case is the base form of a noun, used primarily to indicate the subject of a sentence or to identify an object.

1

Subject

The person or thing performing the action.

“Мама готовит обед.”

“Собака лает.”

2

Identification

Naming an object or person using 'это'.

“Это мой дом.”

“Это врач.”

3

Dictionary Entry

The form found in all dictionaries.

“Стол (table).”

“Книга (book).”

Nominative Case Endings by Gender

Gender Ending (Singular) Example
Masculine Consonant / -й / -ь Стол / Музей / День
Feminine -а / -я / -ь Мама / Неделя / Ночь
Neuter -о / -е / -мя Окно / Море / Имя

Reference Table

Reference table for Russischer Nominativ: Das Subjekt (Именительный падеж)
Gender Typical Endings Example (Nom.) Translation
Masculine Consonant, -й, -ь Студент / Чай Student / Tea
Feminine -а, -я, -ь Пицца / Идея Pizza / Idea
Neuter -о, -е Вино / Море Wine / Sea
Plural (General) -ы, -и Друзья / Книги Friends / Books

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Мужчина здесь.

Мужчина здесь. (Meeting someone)

Neutral
Мужчина здесь.

Мужчина здесь. (Meeting someone)

Informell
Мужик тут.

Мужик тут. (Meeting someone)

Umgangssprache
Чувак здесь.

Чувак здесь. (Meeting someone)

Russian Noun Genders (Nominative)

Noun

Masculine

  • Стол Table
  • Музей Museum

Feminine

  • Книга Book
  • Песня Song

Neuter

  • Утро Morning
  • Здание Building

Nominative vs. Accusative (Inanimate)

Nominative (Subject)
Билет здесь. The ticket is here.
Вино хорошее. The wine is good.
Accusative (Object)
Я купил билет. I bought a ticket.
Он пьёт вино. He drinks wine.

Is the word in Nominative?

1

Is the noun the subject of the sentence?

YES
Likely Nominative
NO
Check other cases
2

Is it following a preposition (в, на, с)?

YES
NOT Nominative
NO ↓

Everyday Objects (All Nominative)

💻

On your desk

  • • Ноутбук
  • • Лампа
  • • Ручка
🍕

In the kitchen

  • • Чашка
  • • Ложка
  • • Холодильник
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Beispiele nach Niveau

1

Мама дома.

Mom is at home.

2

Это стол.

This is a table.

3

Книга интересная.

The book is interesting.

4

Студент читает.

The student is reading.

1

Мой друг работает здесь.

My friend works here.

2

Эта машина новая.

This car is new.

3

Погода сегодня хорошая.

The weather is good today.

4

Москва — большой город.

Moscow is a big city.

1

Преподаватель объясняет правило.

The teacher explains the rule.

2

На столе лежит газета.

A newspaper lies on the table.

3

Каждый человек имеет право на мнение.

Every person has a right to an opinion.

4

Эта идея кажется мне странной.

This idea seems strange to me.

1

Решение проблемы требует времени.

Solving the problem requires time.

2

Главный герой фильма — иностранец.

The main character of the film is a foreigner.

3

Внимание зрителей было приковано к сцене.

The audience's attention was fixed on the stage.

4

Результаты исследования оказались неожиданными.

The research results turned out to be unexpected.

1

Справедливость — это основа общества.

Justice is the foundation of society.

2

Необходимость перемен стала очевидной.

The necessity for change became obvious.

3

Творчество требует полной самоотдачи.

Creativity requires total dedication.

4

Мнение большинства не всегда верно.

The opinion of the majority is not always correct.

1

Истина рождается в споре.

Truth is born in argument.

2

Свобода воли — предмет долгих дискуссий.

Free will is a subject of long discussions.

3

Мировоззрение человека формируется годами.

A person's worldview is formed over years.

4

Благородство души проявляется в поступках.

Nobility of the soul is manifested in actions.

Leicht verwechselbar

Russian Nominative Case: The Subject (Именительный падеж) vs. Nominative vs Accusative

Both can look the same for inanimate objects.

Russian Nominative Case: The Subject (Именительный падеж) vs. Nominative vs Genitive

Genitive is used for possession.

Russian Nominative Case: The Subject (Именительный падеж) vs. Nominative vs Dative

Dative is for indirect objects.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Вижу стола

✓

Вижу стол

Inanimate masculine nouns don't change in Accusative.
✗

Это мама красивая

✓

Мама красивая

Don't use 'это' if you aren't identifying.
✗

Книгу лежит

✓

Книга лежит

Subject must be Nominative.
✗

Иван читает книгу

✓

Иван читает книгу

Wait, this is correct. Don't change the subject!
✗

Мой машина

✓

Моя машина

Gender agreement is needed.
✗

Это есть стол

✓

Это стол

Don't translate 'is' literally.
✗

Стол большой

✓

Стол большой

Correct, but watch for plural.
✗

Студенты читают книгу

✓

Студенты читают книгу

Plural Nominative is fine.
✗

Он — врач

✓

Он врач

Dash is optional but often omitted.
✗

Это был хороший день

✓

Это был хороший день

Past tense requires agreement.
✗

Справедливость есть основа

✓

Справедливость — основа

Use dash for emphasis.
✗

Мнение большинства не верны

✓

Мнение большинства не верно

Agreement with 'мнение'.
✗

Творчество требует самоотдачу

✓

Творчество требует самоотдачи

Genitive after 'требует'.

Satzmuster

Это ___.

___ — это хорошо.

Мой ___ очень умный.

___ — мой любимый город.

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Это мой кот.

Job Interview very common

Я менеджер.

Travel common

Это вокзал?

Food Delivery common

Пицца здесь.

Texting constant

Привет, это я.

Classroom very common

Учитель говорит.

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💡

The Dictionary Rule

If you aren't sure how to say a word, just use the Nominative form you found in the dictionary. People will still understand you 90% of the time!
⚠️

The Preposition Trap

Never use Nominative after a preposition like 'в' (in) or 'на' (on). It's one of the most obvious signs of a beginner mistake.
🎯

Subject Priority

In Russian, the subject doesn't have to be the first word. Look for the Nominative ending to find who is actually doing the action.

Smart Tips

Always use 'это' + Nominative.

Это стола. → Это стол.

Identify the subject first.

Книгу лежит. → Книга лежит.

Always learn the noun in Nominative.

Learning 'стола'. → Learning 'стол'.

Keep the subject simple.

Мама красивая женщина. → Мама красивая.

Aussprache

Stol (STOL)

Stress

Stress can change in other cases, but Nominative is the base.

Declarative

Мама дома. ↘

Falling intonation for statements.

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Nominative is the 'Name-inative' — it's just the name of the thing!

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine a label maker printing the name of an object and sticking it directly onto the object. That label is the Nominative case.

Rhyme

When you name the thing you see, use the Nominative, let it be!

Story

Ivan walks into a room. He points at a table and says 'Стол'. He points at a chair and says 'Стул'. Everything he names is in the Nominative case because he is just labeling the world.

Word Web

ИмяПредметСубъектСловарьНазваниеБаза

Herausforderung

Label 5 items in your room using sticky notes with their Russian names in the Nominative case.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Russians value directness. Using the Nominative case clearly identifies the subject.

Similar case system, but some endings differ.

Also uses Nominative for subjects.

Derived from Proto-Slavic nominal systems.

Gesprächseinstiege

“

Кто это?

“

Что это?

“

Кто ваш любимый писатель?

“

Какая сегодня погода?

Tagebuch-Impulse

Describe your room.
Introduce your family.
Describe your ideal city.
Who is your hero?
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Test Yourself

Fill in the correct Nominative form of 'Music' (Музыка).

Эта ___ очень громкая!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: музыка
We need the Nominative because 'Music' is the subject of the sentence.
Which sentence uses the Nominative case correctly? Multiple Choice

Identify the correct way to say 'This is my friend'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Это мой друг.
After 'Это', we use the Nominative case (мой друг).
Find the mistake in the subject. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Маму готовит ужин.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Мама готовит ужин.
The person doing the action (Mom) must be in the Nominative case (Мама).

Score: /3

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Identify the subject.

___ спит. (Кот)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Кот
Subject is Nominative.
Which is Nominative? Multiple Choice

Select the Nominative noun.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Стол
Dictionary form.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Маму спит.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Мама спит
Subject must be Nominative.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Книга / интересная

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Книга интересная
Subject + Adjective.
Is this true? True False Rule

Nominative is the dictionary form.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: True
Yes, it is.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

— Кто это? — ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Это Иван
Identification uses Nominative.
Identify the gender. Conjugation Drill

Окно (Neuter)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: True
Ends in -о.
Match the noun to its gender. Match Pairs

Стол - Masculine

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: True
Ends in consonant.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

10 exercises
Translate to Russian: 'The milk is on the table.' (Focus only on 'The milk') Übersetzung

The milk is on the table.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Молоко на столе.
Put the words in order to say 'This is a beautiful city'. Sentence Reorder

город / Это / красивый

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Это красивый город
Match the English word to its Russian Nominative counterpart. Match Pairs

Match the nouns:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apple: Яблоко, Book: Книга, Bread: Хлеб, Water: Вода
Which word is masculine Nominative? Multiple Choice

Choose the masculine noun:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Компьютер
Complete the sentence: 'The ___ (cat) is sleeping.' Lückentext

___ спит.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Кошка
Fix the case: 'Мой сестра — врач.' Error Correction

Мой сестра — врач.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Моя сестра — врач.
Translate: 'What is this?' Übersetzung

What is this?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Что это?
Identify the neuter noun in Nominative. Multiple Choice

Which one is neuter?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Письмо
Fill in: 'My ___ (brother) is a student.' Lückentext

Мой ___ — студент.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: брат
Reorder: 'Where is the metro?' Sentence Reorder

метро / Где / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Где метро?

Score: /10

FAQ (8)

Russian uses cases to show the role of the noun in the sentence.

Yes, it is the primary case for the subject.

Look at the ending of the Nominative form.

Only if the object is the subject of a passive construction or identification.

No, 'это' is invariant.

It can be masculine or feminine; you must memorize it.

Very few for the Nominative case itself.

Label items in your house.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Subject pronoun/noun

Russian nouns change endings; Spanish nouns don't.

German high

Nominativ

German uses articles to show case; Russian uses endings.

French moderate

Sujet

French has no case system for nouns.

Japanese low

Ga/Wa particle

Russian uses inflection; Japanese uses particles.

Arabic moderate

Marfu'

Arabic is VSO; Russian is SVO.

Chinese low

Subject

Chinese has no inflection at all.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Der Akkusativ: Das Ziel benennen (Винительный падеж)

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