Thread: Years, Rubles

Okay, I am getting frustrated. Ha ha, not really. But can somebody explain this phenomenon to me?

One ruble = один рубль
Two rubles = два рубля
Five rubles = пять рублей
Twenty-one rubles = двадцать один рубль

One year = один год
Two years = два года
Five years = пять лет
Twenty-one years = двадцать один год

Okay, the рублей doesn't bother me too much. It's just different endings of the same word. But why года/лет? Two totally different words!

What other words work this way?

It's just one of those many things in Russian that you just have to accept for what it is..if you question it, you get more confused...stuff like this just has to be memorized.

But I'm a scientist!!! It's my JOB to question everything!

Originally Posted by Platinum

But I'm a scientist!!! It's my JOB to question everything!

год - годы
лето - лета
человек - люди
ребёнок - дети

1 ребёнок, двое детей, трое детей, ...
1 человек, 2 человека, 3 человека...

The origin of 5 -... лет is from лето -лета (summer - summers)

лета - summers sounded more poetic than годы - years but that's historically, it's now incorrect to say 5 годов, you must say 5 лет.

Also note that

21, 31 ... рубль, год is always- Nominative Singular,
22 - 24, 32- 34, ... рубля, года - Genitive Singular
5 - 20, 25 - 30 , 35 - 40, 45 - 55 ...рублей, лет - Genitive Plural

It gets more coplicated when those expressions are used in sentences, e. g. "Не хватает пяти рублей", "Она вырастила пятерых детей", etc.

Сколько лет, сколько зим! - How many summers, how many winters! (= Long time - no see!)

As saibot said above, it's something you have to memorise, like we have to with child - children, woman - women, etc.

Originally Posted by Анатолий

год - годы
лето - лета
человек - люди
ребёнок - дети

1 ребёнок, двое детей, трое детей, ...
1 человек, 2 человека, 3 человека...

The origin of 5 -... лет is from лето -лета (summer - summers)

лета - summers sounded more poetic than годы - years but that's historically, it's now incorrect to say 5 годов, you must say 5 лет.

Also note that

21, 31 ... рубль, год is always- Nominative Singular,
22 - 24, 32- 34, ... рубля, года - Genitive Singular
5 - 20, 25 - 30 , 35 - 40, 45 - 55 ...рублей, лет - Genitive Plural

It gets more coplicated when those expressions are used in sentences, e. g. "Не хватает пяти рублей", "Она вырастила пятерых детей", etc.

Сколько лет, сколько зим! - How many summers, how many winters! (= Long time - no see!)

As saibot said above, it's something you have to memorise, like we have to with child - children, woman - women, etc.

Now THAT'S a good answer. Thank you, Анатолий!!!

It's the job of a scientist to receive satisfying results, isn't it?

Originally Posted by Rtyom

It's the job of a scientist to receive satisfying results, isn't it?

Actually, it's our job to GIVE satisfying results. However, we'll take them too!

Sweet, that was a good answer, Анатолий!
My (Turkish) tutor answered it with "One is singular. Two through 4 is plural. Five + is pluraler"

-Fantom

Originally Posted by fantom605

Sweet, that was a good answer, Анатолий!
My (Turkish) tutor answered it with "One is singular. Two through 4 is plural. Five + is pluraler"

-Fantom

Ha! Pluraler is a nice word. THat's one good thing about English, you can make up words, just to emphasize things.

Is that the basic way most things work in Russian? Singular, plural, pluraler?

It seems like it...

час (the "один" is implied)
два часа
пять часов

Originally Posted by fantom605

It seems like it...

час (the "один" is implied)
два часа
пять часов

You may also have три часов when you're talking about часы and not час.

Aah, an interesting twist... so,

три часов = "three hours"
and
три часа = "three o'clock"

??

-Fantom

No, три часов means three watches/clocks.

часы means a watch.

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

No, три часов means three watches/clocks.

часы means a watch.

What about 5 watches?

Originally Posted by fantom605

Aah, an interesting twist... so,

три часов = "three hours"
and
три часа = "three o'clock"

??

No, "три часов" is just a wrong way to say "три часа"
"three watches" = "трое часов"
"5 watches"= "пятеро часов"

It seems to me that you can also say "пять часов" to mean "five watches". Maybe, it's not grammatical but I would not consider it a mistake.

Okay, now my brain hurts. Sorry I brought this up.

It's ok. Do you think it's bad when threads posted by you initiate lengthy discussions? I think it's quite ok You can gain a lot by long discussions, can't you?[/i]

So one always uses collective numerals with часы, good to know!

But how would one say (as a shop keeper): In my inventory I have 5039 watches. ?

пятеро тысячеро трицдатьеро девятеро часов?

Originally Posted by Rostova

No, "три часов" is just a wrong way to say "три часа"
"three watches" = "трое часов"
"5 watches"= "пятеро часов"

Could you tell us more about them? And what comes after the last one on the list below?
двое
трое
пятеро
четверо
шестеро
семеро