Speaker A
This is my new course: Russian grammar in 9 months. We are starting today, the 1st of September, a new academic year.
Day 1 of a 9-month Russian grammar course: introduces the nominative case, its question words кто/что, and examples with possessives and adjectives, plus pronunciation tips.
Key Takeaways
- The nominative case answers кто and что and is the dictionary form of nouns
- Possessive pronouns and adjectives agree with the noun in nominative case
- Unstressed о reduces to а and unstressed е to и in pronunciation
- Voiced consonants at the end of a word become unvoiced
- The nominative marks the subject performing an action
What the video covers
- Introduces a 9-month Russian grammar course starting September 1, with daily practice and exercises
- Explains that the nominative is the dictionary form of words and answers the questions кто (who) and что (what)
- Gives example dialogues: Это машина, Это кто?, Это твой парень, Это наша дом-type phrases
- Shows nominative use with possessive pronouns such as мой, твой, мой, наш, моя
- Demonstrates nominative with adjectives, e.g. Это красивый музей and Это наш строгий учитель
- Covers vowel reduction: unstressed о is pronounced as а, and unstressed е as и
- Explains final devoicing of voiced consonants, such as г pronounced as к at word end
- Introduces the nominative as the subject performing an action, e.g. Ребёнок читает and Солнце светит
- Notes that Russian has simpler tenses than English but relies on cases and verb aspects
- Encourages students to repeat words aloud and imitate pronunciation
Chapters
- 00:00Course introduction and 9-month plan
- 00:45Explaining the nominative case and question words
- 02:45Nominative examples: кто, что, and simple nouns
- 05:25Possessive pronouns in the nominative
- 08:00Pronunciation: vowel reduction and stress
- 11:00Adjectives in the nominative case
- 14:00Devoicing of final consonants
- 16:20Nominative as the subject performing an action
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
By the end of the next year by May you will understand all Russian grammar. And why n month? Because like uh for a baby to be born uh this baby needs to stay in his m mother's belly for 9 months and then we
Speaker A
By the end of next year, by May, you will understand all Russian grammar. And why nine months? Because for a baby to be born, the baby needs to stay in its mother's belly for nine months, and then we have a result. We have a beautiful baby that is born. Same with Russian grammar.
Speaker A
We will need this 9 month. I will ask you to be with me here every day to repeat with me to talk with me in comments to make exercises and after 9 months something beautiful will be born uh you will be able to speak Russian you
Speaker A
We will need these nine months. I will ask you to be with me here every day, to repeat with me, to talk with me in the comments, to do exercises, and after nine months, something beautiful will be born. You will be able to speak Russian. You will understand Russian grammar.
Speaker A
nominative endings will not be changed here. It will look like nominative even if it's accusative for example. And you should know what nominative is. So nominative are words that you find in dictionary in dictionary they are look they look like nominative case.
Speaker A
So let's start lesson number one, first of September, day one. Today we are going to talk about the nominative. Why? Because I always tell you in my classes and in my courses that this form looks like the nominative, and endings will not be changed here. It will look like the nominative even if it's the accusative, for example. And you should know what the nominative is. The nominative is the words that you find in the dictionary. In the dictionary they look like the nominative case.
Speaker A
Who is this? Let's say So of course here is in nominative. Why? Because it answers to questionto is the question for nominative nominative case.
Speaker A
The nominative answers the questions "who" and "what." Of course, "who" means "кто" and "what" means "что." For example, let's write a short dialogue.
Speaker A
This is a car. A car will be in nominative case here. Nominative. Nominative. So, whoa.
Speaker A
Who is this? Let's say "Это кто?" Of course, here "кто" is in the nominative. Why? Because it answers the question "кто," which is the question for the nominative case.
Speaker A
Even if you don't understand what I'm saying, don't worry because we will review a lot in this course. Maybe you will understand it in the second, in the fourth, in the uh 20th lesson. So don't worry. Continue. Don't stop.
Speaker A
What else? What is this? "Что это?" "Это машина." Who is this? What is this? For example, let's write "машина." "Это машина." A car. "Машина" will be in the nominative case here. Nominative. Nominative. So, "машина." Nominative. What? "Машина," nominative. Yeah. Okay, let's continue.
Speaker A
Nominative. nominative. Who is this? Nominative case. Another example is For example, in Russian language to ask a question, you just have to add a question mark and to use it to use the intonation can be a statement or it can be a
Speaker A
With possessive pronouns. With possessive pronouns, the nominative with possessive pronouns. Even if you don't understand what I'm saying, don't worry, because we will review a lot in this course. Maybe you will understand it in the second, the fourth, the twentieth lesson. So don't worry. Continue. Don't stop.
Speaker A
This is your uh boyfriend. Who is this? This is your boyfriend and are in nominative case.
Speaker A
"Мой." For example, "мой муж." We have a noun here, "муж" (husband), and my, the possessive pronoun, "мой." Both are in the nominative. Nominative. Nominative. Who is this? Nominative case.
Speaker A
Next [clears throat] This is my girlfriend. Who is this? This is my girlfriend. Maya and are both in nominative.
Speaker A
Another example. In Russian, to ask a question, you just have to add a question mark and use intonation. It can be a statement, or it can be a question. "Это твоя жена?" So here "жена" is in the nominative. Nominative, great.
Speaker A
will be pronounced as aka. So when O is not stressed, we pronounce it as a This is your wife.
Speaker A
The next example: practice with me out loud. Try to imitate my pronunciation. It will increase your speaking skills, your pronunciation skills, and your understanding skills. "Это твой парень." Who is this? "Это твой парень." "Твой" and "парень" are in the nominative case.
Speaker A
Next um Nash do nash do and we have nash and do of course in nominative case nash nominative do nominative very good what is this is our house nominative case very good next and the last example is voa
Speaker A
So a possessive pronoun is in the nominative, it has a case, and a noun, of course, has a case.
Speaker A
stressed, pronounce it a little bit longer. Emphasize it. V. V. Very good. Why? Yes. Perfect.
Speaker A
Next: "Это моя девушка." Who is this? "Это моя девушка." "Моя" and "девушка" are both in the nominative.
Speaker A
Practice with me out loud. Repeat with me every word. Very good. Let's continue. The next um situation that we will discuss here with nominative case is with adjectives.
Speaker A
Also, in this course we will talk about pronunciation. When a vowel is not stressed, vowels like "о" are not stressed, they will be reduced. They will be pronounced differently in a word. For example, "о" will be pronounced as "а" when it is not stressed. So when "о" is not stressed, we pronounce it as "а." "Это твоя жена." Don't forget this rule when you practice with me out loud. Pronounce it with these vowel reductions. It's very important. You should get used to pronouncing it correctly from the beginning.
Speaker A
um are affected by the cases. So, What is that? This is a beautiful museum.
Speaker A
Next: "наш," "дом." "Наш дом." "Наш" and "дом" are of course in the nominative case. "Наш" nominative, "дом" nominative. Very good. What is this? "Это наш дом." Nominative case. Very good.
Speaker A
Nominative. Perfect. Here I added a possessive pronoun as well which will be in nominative.
Speaker A
The last example is "вино." Here is a very common mistake my students used to make: for some reason, in this word, which means wine, they stress "е." No. In this word, "и" is stressed. Wine is "вино." So when a vowel is stressed, pronounce it a little bit longer. Emphasize it. "Вино." Very good. Why? Because when "о" is not stressed, we pronounce it as "а," and when "е" is not stressed, we pronounce it as "и." Sorry, when "о" is not stressed, we pronounce it as "а"... so practice with me out loud. Repeat with me every word. Very good.
Speaker A
Is this your Russian friend? Who is this? A question for nominative case. Nominative. Nominative. Nominative.
Speaker A
Let's continue. The next situation we will discuss with the nominative case is with adjectives. Adjectives in the Russian language. Adjectives in Russian are also changed. They are affected by the cases.
Speaker A
This is our strict teacher. Perfect. Very good. Fore and it means this is my future wife.
Speaker A
So, what is that? "Это красивый музей." The adjective and the noun here both will be in the nominative case. "Красивый" and "музей" are in the nominative. Nominative. Perfect. Here I added a possessive pronoun as well, which will be in the nominative: "Это твой русский друг." We can make it a question, for example, because it makes more sense: "Это твой русский друг?" Who is this? A question for the nominative case. Nominative. Nominative. Nominative. Great.
Speaker A
Performing performing when someone is performing the action. The action also I wanted to tell you here about this consonant. This voiced consonant that is located at the end of the word. When we have a voiced consonant like G and it's located at the
Speaker A
Next. Again, we have a possessive pronoun, an adjective, and a noun, and they are all in the nominative case. Nominative. Nominative. "Учитель." Nominative. "Это наш строгий учитель." Perfect. Very good.
Speaker A
Why? Because voiced consonant located at the end of the word will become unvoiced. So G for example will be pronounced as C d Mhm. friend. My Russian friend. Very good.
Speaker A
"Фиансе" (fiancée), and it means "this is my future wife." "Это моя будущая жена." Who is this? Nominative. My future wife. Nominative. Nominative. Nominative. My future wife. Very good.
Speaker A
Great. Perfect. So performing the action. Ribion the child is reading performing the action right he's reading so ri is nominative here rionic just the way you will find it in a dictionary if you will look in the dictionary
Speaker A
What else? Now, the last thing we are going to talk about today is performing the action. We will use the nominative as well: performing an action, when someone is performing the action. I also wanted to tell you about this consonant, the voiced consonant located at the end of the word. When we have a voiced consonant like "г" located at the end of a word, it becomes unvoiced. So maybe you heard me say "д" when I pronounced this "г." Why? Because a voiced consonant at the end of a word becomes unvoiced. So "г," for example, is pronounced as "к." "Мой русский друг." My Russian friend. Very good.
Speaker A
The young girl is working. Dioska has two meanings. It means girlfriend or young girl.
Speaker A
Don't forget about these "о"s that are not stressed. They will be pronounced as "а," and when not stressed, "е" is pronounced as "и." Great. Perfect.
Speaker A
performing the action is sweet the shine the sun [sighs and gasps] is shining or shines soned and uh sa is performing the action here uh it will be in the minative case this L here in this word is not pronounced
Speaker A
So, performing the action: "Ребёнок читает." The child is reading. Performing the action, right? He's reading. So "ребёнок" is in the nominative here. "Ребёнок" is just the way you would find it in a dictionary. If you look in the dictionary for "child," you will see "ребёнок." It will look like the nominative. This is the nominative case. Perfect.
Speaker A
Russian are more simple than in English [snorts] but we have cases and verbs aspects.
Speaker A
"Работает." Who is performing the action here? "Молодая девушка работает." The young girl is working. "Девушка" has two meanings. It means "girlfriend" or "young girl." Here "девушка" is in the nominative, looks exactly like you will find this word in a dictionary. Nominative case, answers the question "кто"? "Кто?" "Ребёнок." "Кто?" "Девушка." Nominative case. Perfect.
Speaker A
Nominative the cat. speed. Great. Next. Ah, we actually forgot about this last thing. So, performing the action and also we will have identification sentence.
Speaker A
Let's write a few more examples. Performing the action: "Солнце светит." The sun is shining, or "shines." "Солнце" and "светит." "Солнце" is performing the action here, and it will be in the nominative case. The "л" here in "солнце" is not pronounced, but you still have to write it. So it will "shine" or "is shining." We have one present tense in Russian, which means "it shines" or "it's shining," and which one depends on the context. But it always will be a tense in Russian. Tenses in Russian are simpler than in English, but we have cases and verb aspects.
Speaker A
will add this ending here to make it feminine. Masha is a student. So Masha is a nominative. Who? Masha.
Speaker A
"Кошка спит." The cat is sleeping. "Кошка" will be in the nominative case. Who is sleeping? Nominative: the cat. "Спит." Great.
Speaker A
Advocat Victor is a lawyer. Victor advocate. Who? Victor. Nominative. Who? Advocat. Lawyer. Nominative. Victor advocate.
Speaker A
Next. Ah, we actually forgot about this last thing: performing the action, and also identification sentences. Identification sentences. That's good that I have notes. Identification sentences, for example: "Маша студентка." "Маша" "студент." "Студентка." "Маша." Masha is a student. "Студент" is masculine. Feminine is "студентка." But because we are talking about Masha, we add this ending here to make it feminine. "Маша студентка." Masha is a student. So "Маша" is in the nominative. Who? Masha. Who? Student. Nominative as well. "Маша студентка." Do not change, do not use other cases here. Just keep it.
Speaker A
should I um uh teach you next? Uh let me know in comments. I will um write all your suggestions down and we'll make lessons according to what you want to discuss.
Speaker A
See you tomorrow. him. M.
Topics:Russian grammarnominative caseRussian languagebeginner RussianRussian pronunciationpossessive pronounsRussian adjectiveslearn RussianRussian cases
