Learning pronouns in Russian, an East Slavic language spoken primarily in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, is crucial for mastering both spoken and written communication. Russian pronouns are characterized by their forms according to person, number, gender, and case. This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing detailed explanations and examples for each, including transliterations for pronunciation help.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns in Russian replace nouns referring to people or things and are used based on the person being referred to. Russian has six cases, but here we’ll focus on the nominative case, used for the subject of a sentence.
Subject Pronouns (Nominative Case):
- Я (Ya) – I: “Я иду.” (Ya idu) – I am going.
- Ты (Ty) – You (singular, informal): “Ты видишь?” (Ty vidish’?) – Do you see?
- Он/Она/Оно (On/Ona/Ono) – He/She/It: “Он читает.” / “Она пишет.” / “Оно светит.” (On chitaet / Ona pishet / Ono svetit) – He reads. / She writes. / It shines.
- Мы (My) – We: “Мы говорим.” (My govorim) – We speak.
- Вы (Vy) – You (plural or formal): “Вы понимаете?” (Vy ponimayete?) – Do you understand?
- Они (Oni) – They: “Они работают.” (Oni rabotayut) – They work.
Object Pronouns:
Object pronouns in Russian change according to the accusative case for direct objects.
- Меня (Menya) – Me: “Он видит меня.” (On vidit menya) – He sees me.
- Тебя (Tebya) – You (singular, informal): “Я знаю тебя.” (Ya znayu tebya) – I know you.
- Его/Её/Его (Yego/Yeyo/Yego) – Him/Her/It: “Я люблю его/её.” (Ya lyublyu yego/yeyo) – I love him/her.
- Нас (Nas) – Us: “Они пригласили нас.” (Oni priglasili nas) – They invited us.
- Вас (Vas) – You (plural or formal): “Я вижу вас.” (Ya vizhu vas) – I see you.
- Их (Ikh) – Them: “Я слышу их.” (Ya slyshu ikh) – I hear them.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns in Russian indicate ownership and are matched with the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify.
- Мой/Моя/Моё/Мои (Moy/Moya/Moyo/Moi) – My: “Мой дом.” / “Моя книга.” / “Моё окно.” / “Мои ключи.” (Moy dom / Moya kniga / Moyo okno / Moi klyuchi) – My house. / My book. / My window. / My keys.
- Твой/Твоя/Твоё/Твои (Tvoy/Tvoya/Tvoye/Tvoi) – Your (singular, informal): “Твой сад.” / “Твоя машина.” (Tvoy sad / Tvoya mashina) – Your garden. / Your car.
- Его/Её/Его/Их (Yego/Yeyo/Yego/Ikh) – His/Her/Its/Their: “Его книга.” / “Её мечта.” / “Их дом.” (Yego kniga / Yeyo mechta / Ikh dom) – His book. / Her dream. / Their house.
- Наш/Наша/Наше/Наши (Nash/Nasha/Nashe/Nashi) – Our: “Наша комната.” (Nasha komnata) – Our room.
- Ваш/Ваша/Ваше/Ваши (Vash/Vasha/Vashe/Vashi) – Your (plural or formal): “Ваше письмо.” (Vashe pismo) – Your letter.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns in Russian point to specific nouns and vary based on distance and gender.
- Этот/Эта/Это/Эти (Etot/Eta/Eto/Eti) – This: “Этот стол.” / “Эта книга.” / “Это окно.” / “Эти дома.” (Etot stol / Eta kniga / Eto okno / Eti doma) – This table. / This book. / This window. / These houses.
- Тот/Та/То/Те (Tot/Ta/To/Te) – That: “Тот мост.” / “Та река.” / “То облако.” / “Те звёзды.” (Tot most / Ta reka / To oblako / Te zvyozdy) – That bridge. / That river. / That cloud. / Those stars.
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns in Russian are used when the subject performs an action upon itself.
- Себя (Sebya) – Oneself: “Он видит себя в зеркале.” (On vidit sebya v zerkale) – He sees himself in the mirror.
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.
- Кто (Kto) – Who: “Кто это?” (Kto eto?) – Who is this?
- Что (Chto) – What: “Что ты делаешь?” (Chto ty delayesh’?) – What are you doing?
- Какой/Какая/Какое/Какие (Kakoy/Kakaya/Kakoye/Kakiye) – Which: “Какой фильм ты смотрел?” (Kakoy film ty smotrel?) – Which movie did you watch?
Understanding and correctly using Russian pronouns is vital for navigating both simple and complex conversations. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun, and try to engage in conversations or writing exercises to apply these concepts actively. Remember, context and the nuances of Russian grammar play a significant role in choosing the correct pronoun form.