Именительный
Nominative — the subject
The subject; the dictionary form.
Это кни́га. — "This is a book." (книга unchanged.)
Russian cases — in context, not from tables.
In Russian a noun changes shape depending on its job in the sentence. These six shapes are the падежи — the cases. Below you'll meet each one in a real sentence, with a note on why that case appears.
Native audio and stress marks on every example
Six cases, six jobs.
the question word tells you which caseРодительный
Genitive — possession, absence
Possession, absence, "of".
У меня́ нет вре́мени. — "I have no time." (время → времени.)
Дательный
Dative — "to / for"
Indirect object, direction "to".
Я иду́ к врачу́. — "I'm going to the doctor." (врач → врачу.)
Винительный
Accusative — direct object
The direct object of a verb.
Я чита́ю кни́гу. — "I'm reading a book." (книга → книгу.)
Творительный
Instrumental — "with / by"
Means, tools, company.
Я пишу́ ру́чкой. — "I write with a pen." (ручка → ручкой.)
Предложный
Prepositional — "in / about"
Location and "about"; always with a preposition.
Кни́га на столе́. — "The book is on the table." (стол → столе.)
Why not a table?
You don't memorise a case — you get a feel for it.
A six-column table won't help — the right case comes naturally once you hear which question the sentence is asking. Glagol gives you every case inside a real sentence, with stress marks and native audio.
- Stress marked on every example — right pronunciation from day one.
- Each case taught with its question word (of whom? to whom? with what?).
- Easy to hard — subject and object first, then genitive and dative.
У меня́ нет вре́мени.
"I have no time." — literally: 'by me there is no time'
About the cases.
How many cases are there in Russian?
Six: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental and prepositional. Each changes the noun's form according to its job in the sentence.
Are Russian cases hard to learn?
Memorising tables is hard; learning in context is easy. When you see which ending appears when, inside real sentences, it sticks — that's how Glagol teaches them.
Which case should I start with?
Nominative and accusative (subject + direct object), then genitive and dative. Glagol takes you through them in the right order.
When you're ready
Practise all six cases in sentences.
Not dry tables — real examples, native audio, the right order.