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.
- Мони́к — сосе́дка Ама́нды. = Monique is Amanda's roommate.
- Оле́г — друг Ка́ти. = Oleg is Katya's boyfriend.
- Ко́мната Джо́ша = Josh's room.
In the Russian sentences, the genitive "of" forms all come:
- before the item possessed
- 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.
- Э́то чемода́н Ке́йтлин. = This is Caitlin's suitcase.
- Оле́г — друг То́ни. = Oleg is Tony's friend.
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.
Упражне́ние 2
Look at the English cues below and the select the Russian equivalent.