In Russian, the genitive case is very important.

It shows who owns something and helps us understand how nouns work together.

Masculine Nouns:

For masculine nouns, the genitive singular often ends with -а or -я.

For example, the word "стол" (which means "table") changes to "стола."

Feminine Nouns:

For feminine nouns, the genitive singular usually ends with -ы or -и.

For instance, the word "книга" (which means "book") becomes "книги."

Examples:

1. • "Мама читает книгу." (Mom is reading the book.)
   • This changes to "У мамы нет книги." (Mom doesn’t have a book.)
2. • "У меня есть стол." (I have a table.)
   • This changes to "У меня нет стола." (I don’t have a table.)

Try practicing these endings to get better with the genitive case!