We’ve reached the last post on adjective declensions!

If the noun is in the prepositional case, then the adjective used to describe it must, of course, be in the prepositional.

Prepositional singular adjectives

Adjectives describing masculine/neuter nouns:

• Unstressed: -ом

UNLESS the stem ends in ж, ч, ш, щ, ц (remember the second spelling rule), in which case the ending is -ем

e.g. в новом (хорошем) ресторане in a new (good) restaurant;в маленьком поле in a small field

• Stressed: -ом

• Soft adjectives: -ем

Adjectives describing feminine nouns:

• Unstressed: -ой

UNLESS the stem ends in ж, ч, ш, щ, ц (remember the second spelling rule), in which case the ending is -ей

e.g. в новой (хорошей) гостинице in a new (good) hotel

• Stressed: -ой

e.g. в большой гостинице in a big hotel

• Soft adjectives: -ей

e.g. в синей рубашке in a blue shirt

Prepositional plural adjectives

Endings are the same in all three genders.

• Stressed and unstressed adjectives: -ых

UNLESS their stem ends in г, к, х, ж, ч, ш, щ (see first spelling rule), then the ending is -их

Examples of the ending -ых:

картины в больших интересных музеях the pictures are in big interesting museums

в иностранных школах in foreign schools

в важных письмах in important lessons

• The prepositional plural adjective ending is  -их if:

1. the adjective’s stem ends in г, к, х, ж, ч, ш, щ (see first spelling rule)
2. the adjective is soft (e.g. синий blue)

Examples of the ending -их:

в английских гостиницах in English hotels

в утренних газетах in the morning papers

в наших номерах in our hotel rooms

Adjective declension table

It’s here, for your eyes only.

1. Print it out.

2. Love it. Kiss it. Stick it on your wall/mirror/a loved one’s face.

3. Learn it.

If you are observant, perhaps you will have noticed a few patterns:

• Look at the masculine adjective declensions. The nominative and accusative inanimate adjective endings are exactly the same.
• Still looking at the masculine adjective declensions, notice that the accusative animate adjective ending is the same as the genitive adjective ending, -ого or -его! (This is also the case in nouns, of course.)
• Look at the feminine adjective declensions. What’s that? Besides the nominative and accusative, all the endings are either -ой or -ей!

Пять звёздочек

Five stars

Клиент не мог зайти в Интернет.

A customer couldn’t get on the internet.

Служба технической поддержки: “Вы уверены в том, чтоВы пользовались правильным паролем?”

Helpdesk: Are you sure you used the right password?

Клиент: “Да, я уверен. Я видел, как это делал мойколлега.”

Customer: Yes I’m sure. I saw my colleague do it.

Служба технической поддержки: “Вы можете сказатьмне, какой был пароль?”

Helpdesk: Can you tell me what the password was?

Клиент: “Пять звёздочек.”

Customer: Five stars.

Добрый поступок

A good deed

Бойскаут опоздал на полчаса опаздал на собрание.

A boy scout was half an hour late for a meeting.

Его друг спросил: “Почему ты опоздал?”

His friend asked: “Why are you late?”

“Я помог пожилому человеку перейти улицу”, - ответилон.

“I was helping an old man cross the street.”, he answered.

“Это очень хорошо с твоей стороны”, - сказал его друг. “Но из-за этого опоздать на полчаса?”

“This is very good of you”, said his friend. “But half an hour late because of that?”

“Видишь ли, проблема заключалась в том, что он нехотел идти”, - ответил он.

“See, the problem was he didn’t want to go,” he answered.

Обними меня.

Give me a hug.

[brat’ s potolka]

To take something from the ceiling.

To allege something without sufficient factual grounds; to say something without thinking, at random.

Cf. To make something up; to talk through one’s hat.

Шерлок Холмс и доктор Ватсон: Знакомство (1979)/Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson: Acquaintance (1979)

Are there any followers who are also Sherlock fans?* If so, you’re in luck, because there’s a whole series of television films based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation in Russian, directed by Igor Maslennikov. They’re all available on Google Videos, with English subtitles.

This particular film, embedded above, is based on A Study in Scarlet and The Adventure of the Speckled Band, with Vasily Livanov starring as the eponymous Sherlock Holmes, and with Vitaly Solomin as Dr. John Watson.

*(No, there isn’t any Benedict Cumberbatch to be found here, sorry.)

Не суй свой нос в чужие дела!

Mind your own business!

(Literally “don’t stick your nose in other people’s business.”)

Ты хочешь пойти со мной на свидание?

Do you want to go out on a date with me?

[brat’ pod krylyshko]

To take someone under one’s little wing.

To give someone every care and attention; to put someone under one’s protection.

Cf. To take someone under one’s wing.

So imperfective/perfective pairs may be seen as either a right pain or a nice little quirk - I myself veer towards the former - but either way, this site is really useful if you’re not sure what the corresponding aspect is for a particular verb.

Пока́-пока́! Поке́дова! Дава́й! До свя́зи! 

[Paka-paka! Pakyedava! Davay! Do svyazi!]

Various ways of saying ‘Bye!’

паси́б

[pasib]

thanks (short for спасибо, can be used in IMs and chats)

спаси́бочки! спаси́бки!

[spasibochki! spasibki!]

Thanks! (but mainly used by women)

[brat’ za s’ertse/dushu]

To take someone by the heart/soul.

To excite, to move or touch deeply; to cause anxiety.

Cf. To pull at someone’s heartstrings; to touch someone’s heart.

About частица -ка (particle -ка)

What do words дай-ка, давайте-ка, возьмите-ка, приготовьтесь-ка, and читайте-ка have in common?

1. They all have the particle -ка appended to them
2. They are all verbs
3. They all translate the same into English with or without -ка – давай and давай-ка mean “let’s”, возьмите and возьмите-ка mean “take”, etc.

Let me give you some more examples of verbs with this particle:

Вася, принеси-ка папе пульт управления (Vasya, bring Dad the remote control)

Слушай-ка, Петрович, а не выпить ли нам за прекрасных дам (Listen, Petrovich, let’s drink to the beautiful ladies).

Эй, маэстро, сыграй-ка Цыганочку! (Hey, maestro, play Tsiganochka!)

As you’ve noticed, all the verbs are in повелительное наклонение (imperative). And that’s really the mystery of it: -ка is appended to the verbs in imperative. But then why use this particle at all?

Without this particle, the повелительное (imperative) sounds a bit too повелевающее(commanding). By adding the particle, you soften the request. At the same time, it adds a sense of urgency to your request as in сходи-ка в магазин, а то в доме ни яиц, ни молока нет (Go to a store because there are neither eggs nor milk in the house).

The only exception to the verbs is the preposition ну. When -ка is added to it, ну-каbecomes even more dependent on context than the ну:

А ну-ка, давай-ка, плясать выходи! (Now then, let’s do it, come dance!)

Ну-ка, выключи стерео и утихомирься (Now then, turn of the stereo and calm down)

Ну-ка, поглядим, что с Вашей машиной (Let’s see now what’s with your car)

Ну-ка, поднажмём, ребята и вытащим этот чёртов рояль! (Now lads, let’s step on it and get this damn grand piano out of here!)

Are there any rules regarding when to append and when not to append? Not really. If you want to sound a bit softer, make it a bit more informal, and such then use it. However, if you abuse it, then you will sound too запанибратски (too chummy, with undue familiarity).

And that’s about all there’s to say about the particle -ка. Except one thing – particle -ка is not to be confused with the suffix -ка- that helps to form some intransitive verbs, such asтыкать (to poke), стукать (to knock), мяукать (to mew), каркать (to croak, prophesy ill) and such.