1Именительный
Nominative
кто? что? — who? what?
The subject or dictionary form. Think: Who or what does the action?
Мой друг читает. — My friend is reading.
Free grammar reference
Russian cases chart
Find the case by meaning first, then check the ending. This chart keeps nouns, adjectives and personal pronouns in one place, with six examples built around the same person.
Meaning first
Which Russian case do I need?
Ask what the noun is doing in the sentence. The question words help, but the role and the verb or preposition are the safer guide.
2Родительный
Genitive
кого? чего? — of whom? of what?
Possession, absence, quantity and origin. Think: Of, from, without, or none of something
Это машина моего друга. — This is my friend's car.
3Дательный
Dative
кому? чему? — to whom? to what?
The recipient or person affected. Think: To or for someone
Я звоню моему другу. — I am calling my friend.
4Винительный
Accusative
кого? что? — whom? what?
The direct object or destination. Think: Whom or what does the action affect?
Я вижу моего друга. — I see my friend.
5Творительный
Instrumental
кем? чем? — with whom? with what?
A tool, companion, role or means. Think: With, by, or as something
Я говорю с моим другом. — I am talking with my friend.
6Предложный
Prepositional
о ком? о чём? — about whom? about what?
Location or topic after a preposition. Think: At, in, on, or about something
Я думаю о моём друге. — I am thinking about my friend.
Noun endings
Common singular patterns
Follow one example noun down its column. These are productive patterns, not a promise that every Russian noun is regular. The masculine examples are inanimate, which matters in the accusative.
| Case | стол (m. hard) | словарь (m. soft) | мама (-а) | неделя (-я) | дверь (f. -ь) | окно (-о) | море (-е) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | стол | словарь | мама | неделя | дверь | окно | море |
| Genitive | стола | словаря | мамы | недели | двери | окна | моря |
| Dative | столу | словарю | маме | неделе | двери | окну | морю |
| Accusative | стол | словарь | маму | неделю | дверь | окно | море |
| Instrumental | столом | словарём | мамой | неделей | дверью | окном | морем |
| Prepositional | столе | словаре | маме | неделе | двери | окне | море |
Common plural patterns
Plural genitive is the least predictable row, so learn it with each noun. In the accusative, inanimate nouns match the nominative; animate nouns match the genitive.
| Case | стол (m. hard) | словарь (m. soft) | мама (-а) | неделя (-я) | дверь (f. -ь) | окно (-о) | море (-е) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | столы | словари | мамы | недели | двери | окна | моря |
| Genitive | столов | словарей | мам | недель | дверей | окон | морей |
| Dative | столам | словарям | мамам | неделям | дверям | окнам | морям |
| Accusative* | столы | словари | мамы | недели | двери | окна | моря |
| Instrumental | столами | словарями | мамами | неделями | дверями | окнами | морями |
| Prepositional | столах | словарях | мамах | неделях | дверях | окнах | морях |
* The accusative row shows inanimate examples. For people and animals, use the corresponding genitive form in masculine singular and in every plural gender.
Agreement
Adjective endings
An adjective follows its noun into the same gender, number and case. The pairs below cover hard and soft endings; spelling rules and stress can change which one appears.
| Case | Masculine | Neuter | Feminine | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -ый / -ий / -ой | -ое / -ее | -ая / -яя | -ые / -ие |
| Genitive | -ого / -его | -ого / -его | -ой / -ей | -ых / -их |
| Dative | -ому / -ему | -ому / -ему | -ой / -ей | -ым / -им |
| Accusative | Nom. or Gen.* | Nominative | -ую / -юю | Nom. or Gen.* |
| Instrumental | -ым / -им | -ым / -им | -ой / -ей | -ыми / -ими |
| Prepositional | -ом / -ем | -ом / -ем | -ой / -ей | -ых / -их |
* Masculine singular and plural accusative adjectives match the nominative with inanimate nouns and the genitive with animate nouns.
High-frequency forms
Personal pronouns
These forms are worth learning as complete chunks. After a preposition, third-person pronouns normally add н: у него, к ней, с ними, о них.
| Case | I | you (sing.) | he | she | we | you (pl./formal) | they |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | я | ты | он | она | мы | вы | они |
| Genitive | меня | тебя | его | её | нас | вас | их |
| Dative | мне | тебе | ему | ей | нам | вам | им |
| Accusative | меня | тебя | его | её | нас | вас | их |
| Instrumental | мной | тобой | им | ей | нами | вами | ими |
| Prepositional | обо мне | о тебе | о нём | о ней | о нас | о вас | о них |
Six quick checks
Choose the ending from the sentence
Name the job first. Then open the answer and compare both the adjective and noun endings.
1.Я вижу ___ (новая книга).
новую книгу — Accusative: the book receives the action.
2.У меня нет ___ (новая книга).
новой книги — Genitive after нет for absence.
3.Я говорю о ___ (новая книга).
новой книге — Prepositional after о for a topic.
4.Я пишу ___ (синяя ручка).
синей ручкой — Instrumental for the tool used.
5.Я помогаю ___ (новый студент).
новому студенту — Dative for the person receiving help.
6.___ лежит на столе (новая книга).
новая книга — Nominative because the book is the subject.
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Questions
Russian cases FAQ
What are the six cases in Russian?
Russian uses the nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental and prepositional cases. Each one marks a different job in the sentence, such as subject, possession, recipient, object, means or location.
Which Russian case should I learn first?
Start with the nominative dictionary form, then learn one useful accusative pattern for direct objects and one prepositional pattern for location. Add the other cases through sentences you actually need.
Why does the accusative have two patterns?
Animacy changes masculine singular and all plural accusative forms. Inanimate nouns usually match the nominative, while animate nouns usually match the genitive.
Does this chart include every Russian exception?
No. It shows the productive patterns learners meet most often. Stress, spelling rules, irregular plurals and a small number of exceptional forms still need to be learned with the word.