In Russian, the genitive case is super important. It helps us show ownership, amount, and negation. If you’re working with feminine nouns that end in -а and -я, there are some specific rules you need to know.

How to Make the Genitive Case:

1. Nouns Ending in -а:

   • For feminine nouns that end in -а, you usually switch the -а to -ы.
     • For example:
       • мама (mother) changes to мамы (of the mother).
       • книга (book) changes to книги (of the book).

2. Nouns Ending in -я:

   • For feminine nouns ending in -я, you change the -я to -и.
     • For example:
       • сестра (sister) becomes сестры (of the sister).
       • мандарина (tangerine) becomes мандарини (of the tangerine).

Examples in Sentences:

• For Nouns Ending with -а:

  • Нету мамы. (There is no mother.)
  • Я читаю книги. (I am reading the books.)

• For Nouns Ending with -я:

  • Я вижу сестры. (I see the sister.)
  • У меня нет мандарини. (I don’t have the tangerine.)

Important Notes:

• The endings -ы and -и show that you’re using the genitive case in singular form.
• Watch for the soft sign (ь), which can change how some words sound.
• This case is especially important with numbers. For example:
  • У меня три книги. (I have three books.)
  • Есть две сестры. (There are two sisters.)

Practice Time!

Here are some words to try with their meanings:

• Птица (bird)
• Рука (hand)
• Лошадь (horse)
• Дорога (road)
• Фея (fairy)

Try to change each of these nouns into their genitive form:

1. Птица (bird)
2. Рука (hand)
3. Лошадь (horse)
4. Дорога (road)
5. Фея (fairy)

Answers:

1. Птицы (of the bird)
2. Руки (of the hand)
3. Лошади (of the horse)
4. Дороги (of the road)
5. Феи (of the fairy)

Learning how to form the genitive case for feminine nouns ending in -а and -я will help you speak and understand Russian better. Keep practicing these rules!