Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar

«Halves»

1/2 + Genitive

Половина - half, is reduced to ïîë and forms a compound word with a noun in the Genitive, for example:

11/2 + Genitive

полтора - for Masculine and Neuter nouns,

полторы - for Feminine nouns, for example:

Nom. полтора ÷àñà, полторы тонны

Gen. около полутора часов, полутора òîíí

21/2 , 31/2… + Genitive, for example:

два с половиной метра - 21/2 meter

The combinations with the cardinal numerals

The combinations of the type cardinal numeral + noun

In the Nominative the case and the number of a noun follows the basic rules explained in the part «The Use of the Genitive Case».

In all the other cases a noun in such combinations must be always used in the Genitive Plural, for example:

Numerals

Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar

THE ORDINAL NUMERALS

The ordinal numerals have all the gender, number and case forms as the adjectives (hard-type adjectives, except for третий - third). They are as follows:

Numerals

Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar

The ordinal numerals can be used both as characterizing words and as a compliment to the verb áûòü - «to be», for example:

первый ýòàæ - first floor

Îí всегда первый. - He is always first.

Compound ordinals

In the compound ordinals only the last part is ordinal and changes according to cases, for example:

cardinal ordinal

двадцать первый ýòàæ - the 21st floor

на двадцать первом этаже - on the 21st floor

The use of the ordinals

The ordinals are used as characterizing words to denote the number of an apartment, a hotel room, a hospital, a hospital ward, a living block, a floor, an air flight, a train, a carriage, a compartment, a row, a seat,

a street, a congress, a page, a chapter, a TV and radio channel; a trolleybus, bus, tram line;

a size, a school, a class etc.

The ordinals are used in dates, in exact time-expressions. Both the

cardinals and the ordinals can be used with pages and chapters:

страница ïÿòü - пятая страница - страница пятая

The cardinals are used instead of ordinals when the information is rendered officially:

Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar

The Genitive of ordinals is used to denote the date answering the question когда? - when?, for example:

Masculine/Neuter ordinal in Genitive + Noun in Genitive

Genitive

Я вернусь второго мая.

- I`ll come back on the second of May.

Genitive Genitive

Он родился второго мая тысяча девятьсот семьдесят пятого года. - He was born on the second of May 1975.

The use of ordinals in telling time

The ordinals are used when telling the time (unofficial way), for example:

начало шестого - just after five (lit. the beginning of the sixth hour)

The first half of an hour is rendered with the ordinals to denote an hour in contrast to the second half of an hour, when the cardinals are used.

The ordinals are also used to denote historical periods, for example:

âдевятнадцатом веке - in the 19th century

Numerals