Slavonaut
Master Slavic Declension
Learn how nouns, adjectives, and pronouns change form to express grammatical relationships.
The Case System
Slavic languages use a case system where nouns, adjectives, and pronouns change their endings to show their grammatical function in a sentence.
Example: "table" in Russian
Nominative: стол - the table (subject)
Genitive: стола - of the table
Dative: столу - to the table
Accusative: стол - the table (object)
Instrumental: столом - with the table
Prepositional: столе - about the table
Key Concepts:
2. Endings vary by gender and number
3. Adjectives must agree with nouns
4. Some cases work with specific prepositions
Mastering declension is crucial for understanding sentence structure and meaning in Slavic languages.
Explore all cases in detailThe Six Cases
Nominative
Subject of the sentence
The cat sleeps. Who sleeps? The cat.
Genitive
Possession, "of" relationships
The cat's toy. The toy of the cat.
Dative
Indirect object, "to/for"
Give milk to the cat.
Accusative
Direct object
I see the cat. What do I see? The cat.
Instrumental
Tool, method, "with/by"
Write with a pen.
Prepositional
Location, "about/in/on"
Think about the cat. The cat is on the table.
Declension Patterns
Understanding the patterns that govern case endings
Gender Matters
Masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns have different ending patterns for each case.
Masculine: стол → стола → столу
Feminine: мама → мамы → маме
Neuter: окно → окна → окну
Number Changes
Singular and plural forms have completely different declension patterns.
столы (tables) - nominative plural
столов (of tables) - genitive plural
столам (to tables) - dative plural