In Russian, the genitive case helps us show ownership, where something comes from, or when something is missing. Let's break down how to use the genitive case for masculine and feminine nouns.

Masculine Singular Nouns:

1. Hard Stems:

   • If a noun ends in a hard sound, like "стол" (table), change the end to "-а".
   • Example: стол (table) → стола (of the table).

2. Soft Stems:

   • If a noun ends with a soft sound or "й", like "день" (day), change the end to "-я".
   • Example: день (day) → дня (of the day).

3. Nouns Ending in a Consonant:

   • For masculine nouns that end with a consonant, just add "-а".
   • Example: друг (friend) → друга (of the friend).

Feminine Singular Nouns:

1. Hard Stems:

   • If a feminine noun ends hard and has "а" at the end, like "книга" (book), drop the "а" and add "-ы".
   • Example: книга (book) → книги (of the book).

2. Soft Stems:

   • If the noun ends with "я", like "медсестра" (nurse), change "я" to "и".
   • Example: медсестра (nurse) → медсестры (of the nurse).

Summary Table:

| Noun Type | Nominative | Genitive | |-------------------|---------------|-------------| | Masculine Hard | стол | стола | | Masculine Soft | день | дня | | Feminine Hard | книга | книги | | Feminine Soft | медсестра | медсестры |

Practice Sentences:

1. Книга - это книга.
   (The book - this is the book.)

   • Genitive: Я читаю страницы книги.
     (I read the pages of the book.)

2. Стол - это стол.
   (The table - this is the table.)

   • Genitive: Ножка стола сломалась.
     (The leg of the table is broken.)

By learning these patterns, you can use the genitive case correctly! Practice these rules with different nouns to improve your skills!