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Немно́го о языке́ 4.3 Же́ня Кузнецо́в

“of” and ’s : Another use of the genitive

In addition to the "have" construction, the genitive case in Russian can be used to link two nouns together in an "of" relationship. The genitive case form and its English equivalents are italicized in the example.

The genitive “of” possession is often expressed in English by the form "possessor + 's." Compare the genitive case forms and their English equivalents in the examples below. They are italicized.

In the Russian sentences, the genitive "of" forms all come:

  1. before the item possessed
  2. after the item possessed.

Some foreign names, such as Caitlin and Tony, do not change endings for the genitive or other cases, because their dictionary forms do not fit into Russian declension patterns.

Use good learning strategies!

When trying to convey the idea of possession with "apostrophe 's" in Russian, convert the English apostrophe 's word into an "of" phrase first. The "of" phrase will be in the genitive in Russian.

Упражне́ние 1

Look at the family relationships given below and select the choice that conveys the same idea.

1. uncle брат ма́тери мать бра́та
2. cousin сын тёти тётя сы́на
3. brother-in-law сестра́ му́жа муж сестры́
4. sister-in-law брат жены́ жена́ бра́та
5. niece брат до́чери дочь бра́та
6. paternal grandmother мать отца́ оте́ц ма́тери

Упражне́ние 2

Look at the English cues below and the select the Russian equivalent.

1. your uncle's son дя́дя сы́на сын дя́ди
2. your aunt's son сын тёти тётя сы́на
3. your uncle's daughter дочь дя́ди дя́дя до́чери
4. your aunt's daughter тётя до́чери дочь тёти
5. your mother's brother брат ма́тери мать бра́та
6. your mother's sister мать сестры́ сестра́ ма́тери
7. your father's brother брат отца́ оте́ц бра́та
8. your father's sister оте́ц сестры́ сестра́ отца́