Thread: The ultimate Russian noun-endings list

I don't want to jump to conclusions here, but just so you know, there is definitely a right and wrong ways to organize the declension. Here is how I started:IMG_1172.jpg. This is the way my book showed it to me. This is the pure instillment of hell. Do not do it this way. There are other slightly less bad ways, such as breaking it into things like first and second and third declensions, I had no luck understanding those either. Now, I don't know where you are at in your learning, but to be sure: You SHOULD see a connection between а and я, о and е, ы and и, у and ю. If you don't (and even if you do) watch every video here, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcq...gPcUW3h2I1BGJg. Here my own 2 master charts for declining nouns and adjective.(Sorry they're blurry, the idea is still there though) IMG_1173.jpgIMG_1174.jpg. I got a little lazy through it and stopped writing(for example): ому and ему both, and just wrote ому, because to me the ему is implied and I now it is also there.
Edit: Okeydoke, wow, I actually looked at it, you seem to have everything in order. ill just show myself out.

Thanks for that Hoax. I wasn't aware that there is a different and perhaps better way to do noun-declensions. However currently my table is the only way I understand how to make Russian noun-declensions.

My intention is to complete the table and then memorize it. It's a lot to memorize, but this should do the trick right?

One issue I've already run into is that the endings -ya and -iya can be confused with each other. For example take the name Maria, in Russian it's spelled Mariya. You'd then think that the ending is -iya right? But I've been told it isn't -iya, but just -ya. Which means that the name Mariya follows the declination pattern of -ya and not -iya. That can be confusing.

Nonetheless this table is the only way I currently understand to make Russian noun-declensions and for that reason I'd like to complete/finish the list.
The first step would be to find out which endings go in the two missing spots which are marked in light-blue. A second step would be to finish the -yo row and find out to which declension-type and gender it belongs. A third step would be to add missing endings, split consonant endings and check for errors in the table.

The way you're doing it is much better for words like время -> времени, the way I'm doing it, that is an exception that I would have to look up (after making a mistake). I believe that ие in accusative plural is N or G (animacy) , and the inst plural is in fact иями (бессмертие - Wiktionary). As for the ия thing, I still don't quite know which or why, but the ия (rather than just a я) is for places/countries. I saw someone incorrectly say "руссия", and a native speaker responded that that meant "land of русс', so. I think ия and ие is also used with abstract ideas, or things that aren't a physical object? That's the one I don't understand. I find it's easier(perhaps lazier) to, rather than try to memorize them by sitting there and looking them over, to just make said master sheet, and keep a copy of it on every mobile device, and always have it when you need it, eventually it just sticks from being right there for so long. Riding the bus or something and think of a word that you want to decline? Pull out the list. That will give that specific ending an experience, and an example for you to easily remember it. Like if you were just thinking, and wondered what the genitive of дверь is, you look at the sheet... and figure out... двери!, that work makes things stick a bit more for me at least.

Originally Posted by xXHoax

I believe that ие in accusative plural is N or G (animacy) , and the inst plural is in fact иями (бессмертие - Wiktionary).

I've added these endings to the table. Thank you.

Originally Posted by xXHoax

I find it's easier(perhaps lazier) to, rather than try to memorize them by sitting there and looking them over, to just make said master sheet, and keep a copy of it on every mobile device, and always have it when you need it, eventually it just sticks from being right there for so long. Riding the bus or something and think of a word that you want to decline? Pull out the list. That will give that specific ending an experience, and an example for you to easily remember it.

That's a good idea. I've stored the table as an Excel sheet (the open LibreOffice version .ods) and mobile devices have apps to open such documents, so I will simply put that file on my phone. That way I can memorize, learn and practice everywhere.

Originally Posted by xXHoax

Like if you were just thinking, and wondered what the genitive of дверь is, you look at the sheet... and figure out... двери!, that work makes things stick a bit more for me at least.

When I look at my table, then I see that дверь ends with -ь and when I then look at the genitive singular for that ending, I see -я, so then according to my table I get дверя. Which is a bit confusing, because I got that row of endings from the following Wikipedia page, which also lists exceptions under the table. So perhaps дверь follows the declension pattern of an unlisted exception on Wikipedia?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_grammar

Originally Posted by Heart Of A Lion

When I look at my table, then I see that дверь ends with -ь and when I then look at the genitive singular for that ending, I see -я, so then according to my table I get дверя. Which is a bit confusing, because I got that row of endings from the following Wikipedia page, which also lists exceptions under the table. So perhaps дверь follows the declension pattern of an unlisted exception on Wikipedia?: Russian grammar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Дверь is feminine. You should use "Third decl. f." row of your table.

дверь - двери - двери - дверь - дверью - двери; двери - дверей - дверям - двери - дверьми - дверях

Originally Posted by RedFox

Дверь is feminine. You should use "Third decl. f." row of your table.

дверь - двери - двери - дверь - дверью - двери; двери - дверей - дверям - двери - дверьми - дверях

Ah! Aha!

Thank you so much, I completely overlooked that there was a second soft-sign in my table. Which makes it obvious that I still need to memorize it.

And I'm glad that the row I referred to in my table wasn't full of errors.

I intend to make this table as complete as possible, including all exceptions. I intend to do the same for pronouns and adjectives and also conjugations of Russian verbs. It's going to be quite a task.

Why am I doing this? Well I want to map Russian grammar for myself. And I want to do it in the most complete, yet minimalistic way, so that it is as comprehensible to me (and perhaps others) as possible. Because Russian is complex and this will make it simpler for me, because after all these tables are done, I can start to memorize them and that will allow me to move forward and make solid progress.

Originally Posted by Heart Of A Lion

One issue I've already run into is that the endings -ya and -iya can be confused with each other. For example take the name Maria, in Russian it's spelled Mariya. You'd then think that the ending is -iya right? But I've been told it isn't -iya, but just -ya. Which means that the name Mariya follows the declination pattern of -ya and not -iya. That can be confusing.

In fact it doesn't:
s: Мария - Марии - Марии - Марию - Марией - Марии
p: Марии - Марий - Мариям - Марий - Мариями - Мариях
s: демократия - демократии - демократии - демократию - демократией - демократии
p: демократии - демократий - демократиям - демократий - демократиями - демократиях
As you can see, declension is the same.


Suffix -иj- is used in abstract nouns:
биография
демократия
концепция
and so on.

The -j- part of -я belongs to the suffix here, so the actual structure of these words is:
биограф + иj + а
демократ + иj + а
концепц + иj + а

Declension:

s: биография (иj + а) - биографии (иj + и, j dropped) - биографии (иj + и, j dropped) - биографию (иj + у) - биографией (иj + ей) - биографии (иj + и, j dropped)
p: биографии (иj + и, j dropped) - биографий (иj + null) - биографиям (иj + ам) - биографий (иj + null) - биографиями (иj + ами) - биографиях (иj + ах)



I don't know why Wiktionary says Мария has the root Мари- and the ending -я. IMHO, it looks more like that Мария consists of Мариj + а.
We cannot say -иj- is a suffix here, since Мария is just a name, not something abstract, and since Мар- without -иj is meaningless. But all -иj- words follow the same declension pattern, no matter if -иj- is a real suffix or just a part of the root.

In fact, there are lots of -ия female names:

s: Анастасия - Анастасии - Анастасии - Анастасию - Анастасией - Анастасии
p: Анастасии - Анастасий - Анастасиям - Анастасий - Анастасиями - Анастасиях

s: Валерия - Валерии - Валерии - Валерию - Валерией - Валерии
p: Валерии - Валерий - Валериям - Валерий - Валериями - Валериях

s: Евгения - Евгении - Евгении - Евгению - Евгенией - Евгении
p: Евгении - Евгений - Евгениям - Евгений - Евгениями - Евгениях

and so on.

They all decline in this way.

Originally Posted by RedFox

In fact it doesn't:
s: Мария - Марии - Марии - Марию - Марией - Марии
p: Марии - Марий - Мариям - Марий - Мариями - Мариях
s: демократия - демократии - демократии - демократию - демократией - демократии
p: демократии - демократий - демократиям - демократий - демократиями - демократиях
As you can see, declension is the same.


Suffix -иj- is used in abstract nouns:
биография
демократия
концепция
and so on.

The -j- part of -я belongs to the suffix here, so the actual structure of these words is:
биограф + иj + а
демократ + иj + а
концепц + иj + а

Declension:

s: биография (иj + а) - биографии (иj + и, j dropped) - биографии (иj + и, j dropped) - биографию (иj + у) - биографией (иj + ей) - биографии (иj + и, j dropped)
p: биографии (иj + и, j dropped) - биографий (иj + null) - биографиям (иj + ам) - биографий (иj + null) - биографиями (иj + ами) - биографиях (иj + ах)



I don't know why Wiktionary says Мария has the root Мари- and the ending -я. IMHO, it looks more like that Мария consists of Мариj + а.
We cannot say -иj- is a suffix here, since Мария is just a name, not something abstract, and since Мар- without -иj is meaningless. But all -иj- words follow the same declension pattern, no matter if -иj- is a real suffix or just a part of the root.

In fact, there are lots of -ия female names:

s: Анастасия - Анастасии - Анастасии - Анастасию - Анастасией - Анастасии
p: Анастасии - Анастасий - Анастасиям - Анастасий - Анастасиями - Анастасиях

s: Валерия - Валерии - Валерии - Валерию - Валерией - Валерии
p: Валерии - Валерий - Валериям - Валерий - Валериями - Валериях

s: Евгения - Евгении - Евгении - Евгению - Евгенией - Евгении
p: Евгении - Евгений - Евгениям - Евгений - Евгениями - Евгениях

and so on.

They all decline in this way.

That is a great response to the issue I've been wondering about. You explain it well and with enough detail to get to the root of the issue. Thank you for that.

I hope I will be able to memorize all these type of complexities that are within the Russian language.