Уро́к 6
6.3 Grammar: The Dative Case & Age
Люби́мая Грамма́тика
Introduction to AGE
Let’s finally learn how to give your age in Russian! Why has it taken so long to get here? To give your age in Russian, you have to use the Dative Case + the number of years old you are.
The Dative Case is a new case this unit!
I. Ско́лько вам лет?
How old are you?
Мне со́рок шесть.
I’m forty six.
Те́бе два́дцать оди́н!
You are twenty one.
Ему́ оди́ннадцать.
He is eleven.
Ей де́вять.
She is nine.
Нам два́дцать.
We are twenty.
Вам восемна́дцать?
Are you eighteen?
Им девяно́сто.
They are ninety.
Notice the pronouns in Russian are in the Dative case. The translation is something like ‘to me there are 46 years’. Learn the following Dative case pronominal forms:
| Singular | Plural | |
| First person | Я (Nominative) >>> Мне (Dative) | Мы (Nominative) >>> Нам (Dative) |
| Second person | Ты (Nominative) >>> Тебе (Dative) | Вы (Nominative) >>> Вам (Dative) |
| Third person | Он (Nominative) >>> Ему́ / (Dative) Она (Nominative) >>> Ей (Dative) |
Они (Nominative) >>> Им (Dative) |
II. Dative Case endings for NOUNS
Take a look at the highlighted endings. What can you deduce about masculine and feminine noun endings in Dative case?
Све́те 23.
Sveta is 23.
Мари́не 24.
Marina is 24.
Та́не 19.
Tanya is 19.
Ива́ну 22.
Ivan is 22.
Анто́ну 30.
Anton is 30.
Серге́ю 25.
Sergei is 25.
Андре́ю 20.
Andrei is 20.
The RULES
1. Nouns ending in -а and -я take -е in the Dative case. This applies to all feminine nouns and any masculine nouns that end in -а or -я.
- Све́та > Све́те
- Та́ня > Та́не
- Па́па > Па́пе
- Ко́ля > Ко́ле
2. If a feminine noun ends in -ь or -ия, the Dative ending is -и. Notice that Dative case endings for feminine nouns are identical to Prepositional case endings.
- крова́ть > крова́ти
- Мари́я > Мари́и
3. Masculine nouns ending in a hard consonant take -у in the Dative case.
- Ива́н > Ива́ну
- сын > сы́ну
4. Masculine nouns ending in a soft sign -ь OR the consonant -й take -ю in the Dative case.
- слова́рь > словарю́
- Андре́й > Андре́ю
5. Neuter nouns ending -о, take -у, like masculine, in the Dative. MOST neuter nouns ending in the soft -е take -ю in the Dative. If a neuter noun ends in -е because of the 5 letter spelling rule, the ending will be -у (but this is just something to keep in the back of your mind as passive knowledge right now).
- окно́ > окну́
- по́ле > по́лю
- со́лнце > со́лнцу
As always, refer to your grammar tables. – NEED TO LINK
