A0 · Ponto Zero Capítulo 3

Meeting the Nouns

4 Regras totais
40 exemplos
1 min
Regras neste capítulo Prática rápida

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Unlock the building blocks of Russian by mastering noun gender, animacy, and basic plurals.

  • Categorize nouns into masculine, feminine, and neuter genders.
  • Distinguish between living people and inanimate objects.
  • Form simple plurals to describe the world around you.
Mastering the identity of every Russian object.

O que você vai aprender

Introduction to basic noun gender and the concept of animate vs inanimate. Building a foundational vocabulary of common objects.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: correctly identify the gender of common household objects.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to: use 'Это' to introduce people and things.

Exemplos-chave (8)

1

Этот телефон очень старый.

This phone is very old.

Género dos substantivos russos: Ele, Ela ou Neutro?
2

Моя пицца холодная.

My pizza is cold.

Género dos substantivos russos: Ele, Ela ou Neutro?
3

Я вижу `друга`.

I see a friend.

Substantivos animados vs. inanimados (Animacidade)
4

Я вижу `телефон`.

I see a phone.

Substantivos animados vs. inanimados (Animacidade)
5

Мои друзья сейчас в кино.

My friends are at the cinema now.

Plurais em Russo: Mais de um (-ы, -и)
6

Я люблю эти фотографии!

I love these photos!

Plurais em Russo: Mais de um (-ы, -и)
7

Это мой телефон.

This is my phone.

O 'Isto é' russo: A palavra mágica 'Это' (Eto)
8

Это Москва.

This is Moscow.

O 'Isto é' russo: A palavra mágica 'Это' (Eto)

Dicas e truques (4)

💡

The Soft Sign Rule

If a word ends in 'ь', look it up immediately. Don't guess. Write it down with 'он' (he) or 'она' (she) to remember.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Género dos substantivos russos: Ele, Ela ou Neutro?
🎯

The Face Rule

If it has eyes and a mouth (like a doll or a chess king), Russian usually treats it as animate, even if it's plastic!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Substantivos animados vs. inanimados (Animacidade)
💡

The 'Stomach Kick' Mnemonic

To remember the sound of -ы, imagine someone just kicked you in the stomach. That 'ugh' sound is exactly what -ы sounds like. It's the 'hard' plural.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Plurais em Russo: Mais de um (-ы, -и)
💡

The Finger Rule

If you can physically point your finger at it while saying it, you should probably use 'Это'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: O 'Isto é' russo: A palavra mágica 'Это' (Eto)

Vocabulário-chave (5)

стол table (masc) книга book (fem) окно window (neut) друг friend (animate) это this is

Real-World Preview

book-open

At the Library

Review Summary

  • M: cons, F: -а/-я, N: -о/-е
  • Это + Noun

Erros comuns

Nouns ending in -а are feminine. Remember the -а rule.

Wrong: Это книга (masculine)
Correto: Это книга (feminine)

Tables cannot be animate. Only living creatures are animate.

Wrong: Это столы (animate)
Correto: Это столы (inanimate)

You don't need the verb 'to be' in Russian present tense.

Wrong: Это есть книга
Correto: Это книга

Next Steps

You've mastered the foundation. Keep going, the language is opening up to you!

Label your furniture with sticky notes

Continue to: Everyday Actions — Your First Verbs

Prática rápida (10)

Fill in the correct question word (Кто or Что)

___ это? Это мой брат (my brother).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Кто
We use 'Кто' (Who) for people and animate beings.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Substantivos animados vs. inanimados (Animacidade)

Which word is animate?

Choose the animate noun from the list:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: собака (dog)
Animals are always animate. Trees and tables are inanimate.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Substantivos animados vs. inanimados (Animacidade)

Identify the gender of 'окно' (window).

The word 'окно' is ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Neuter
Words ending in 'о' are neuter.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Género dos substantivos russos: Ele, Ela ou Neutro?

What is the gender of the word 'студент' (student)?

Choose the correct gender for 'студент':

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Masculine
It ends in the consonant 'т', which makes it masculine.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Género dos substantivos russos: Ele, Ela ou Neutro?

Find and fix the mistake in the sentence: 'Эта мой друг.'

Find and fix the mistake:

Эта мой друг.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Это мой друг.
Even if 'друг' (friend) is masculine, the phrase 'This is...' always uses the neutral form 'Это'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: O 'Isto é' russo: A palavra mágica 'Это' (Eto)

Fill in the blank to say 'This is a cat.'

___ кот.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Это
When identifying something ('This is...'), we always use the fixed form 'Это'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: O 'Isto é' russo: A palavra mágica 'Это' (Eto)

Find the mistake in this sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Мой пицца вкусная.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Моя пицца вкусная.
'Пицца' is feminine, so 'my' must be 'моя'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Género dos substantivos russos: Ele, Ela ou Neutro?

Find the mistake

Find and fix the mistake:

Russian biology: Is a 'flower' (цветок) animate?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: No, it is inanimate.
Grammatically, plants are inanimate in Russian.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Substantivos animados vs. inanimados (Animacidade)

Find the mistake and choose the correct plural form.

Find and fix the mistake:

В этом районе есть красивые паркы.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: парки
Because of the 'Sensitive Seven' rule, 'к' must be followed by 'и', not 'ы'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Plurais em Russo: Mais de um (-ы, -и)

Change the word in brackets to its plural form.

У меня есть новые (билет) ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: билеты
Билет is masculine and ends in a hard consonant, so we add -ы.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Plurais em Russo: Mais de um (-ы, -и)

Score: /10

Perguntas comuns (6)

It determines how adjectives and verbs behave. If you get the gender wrong, your whole sentence will sound slightly 'off' to a native speaker.
It is for nouns that aren't masculine or feminine. They usually end in -о or -е, like 'окно' (window) or 'поле' (field).
Yes! A ghost (привидение) or a dead person (покойник) is considered animate because they represent a human being.
Yes, all insects like муха (fly) or паук (spider) are animate. You ask 'Кто это?' (Who is this?) about them.
Look at the ending! Consonants are usually masculine, -а/-я are feminine, and -о/-е are neuter. If it ends in a soft sign (-ь), you just have to memorize the gender.
It often shifts! For example, 'рукА' (hand) becomes 'рУки' (hands). There isn't a single rule for this, so listen to native speakers or check a dictionary.
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