Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar

THE DECLENSION AND THE USE OF THE INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

The Indefinite particles -òî, -нибудь, -êîå can be attached to êòî,

÷òî (also to какой, чей, где, как, куда, когда, почему)

êòî-òî, ÷òî-òî

êòî-òî takes the Masculine form even when reference is to a Female:

Âàì êòî-òî звонил. Someone called you.

÷òî-òî takes the Neuter form:

×òî-òî óïàëî. Something fell down. ×òî-òî ужаснîå. Something awfull.

êòî-òî - «someone», denotes an unknown or forgotten person, ÷òî-òî - «something», denotes a definite object or a thing, details of which are unknown to a speaker.

кто-нибудь, что-нибудь

Forms in -нибудь denote someone or something indefinite, still to be

decided or selected.

-нибудь forms are mostly used in questions, after imperatives, in conditional constructions:

×òî-нибудь случилось? Has something happened? Êòî-нибудь звонил? Has anyone called?

Êóïè ÷òî-нибудь на завтрак.

Will you buy something for breakfast.

Åñëè êòî-нибудь приедет, позвоните мне. If someone arrives, call me.

The Case Forms of these pronouns are similar to êòî and ÷òî forms:

The Declension of Names, Geographic Names and noun-replacing Pronouns

Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar Pronouns

The Indefinite pronouns êîå-÷òî and êîå-êòî decline like êòî and ÷òî,

êîå- forms refer to people or things which are not specified purposely,

Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar

THE REPLACING GENERALIZING PRONOUNS ýòî AND âñ¸

These pronouns can be used in a sentence both as a subject and an object. Their gender and number agreement is as follows:

ýòî/âñ¸ + the Neuter of the Past tense verbs

E.g.

Ýòî áûëî интересно. It was interesting. Âñ¸ áûëî хорошо. Everything was all right.

ýòî/âñ¸ + the 3-d person Singular of the Present/Future tense verbs.

E.g.

Это будет интересно. It will be interesting. Вс¸ будет хорошо. Everything will be all right.

When used as an object ýòî and âñ¸ have the following case forms: Nom. Ýòî интересно. It is interesting.

Gen. Îíà этого боится. She is afraid of it.

Dat. Îíà этому верит. She believes it.

Acc. Îíà ýòî знает. She knows it.

Instr. Îíà ýòèì интересуется. She is interested in it.

Prep. Îíà îá ýòîì знает. She knows it.

The Declension of Names, Geographic Names and noun-replacing Pronouns

Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar

Part 6 The Case Usage

THE USE OF THE NOMINATIVE CASE

The forms of the Nominative Case coincide with the dictionary form. The Nominative is used as follows:

It is used to denote the subject of an action or a state:

Моя машина стоит в гараже. My car is in the garage.

ßживу в Москве. I live in Moscow.

It is used in «ýòî» phrases:

Ýòî ìîé äîì. This is my house.

Ýòî мои друзья. These are my friends.

It is used in «âîò» phrases:

Âîò ìîé äîì. Here is my house.

Âîò мои документы. Here are my documents.

It is used in possessive constructions:

Óâàñ åñòü машина? Do you have a car?

ÓËåíû åñòü лишний билет. Lena has a spare ticket.

It is used in definitions:

Булгаков - мой самый любимый писатель. Bulgakov is my favourite writer.