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In what ways do demonstrative adjectives like "этот" (this) change for plural nouns in the sentence "Эти книги" (These books)?

Mastering Russian grammar can be challenging, especially when it involves demonstrative adjectives like "этот," which means "this."

It's important to understand how these words match with nouns based on gender, number, and case.

What Are Demonstrative Adjectives?

Demonstrative adjectives point out specific things. In Russian, they must agree with the nouns they describe.

For example, "этот" is the masculine form of "this." It changes depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine and if it's singular or plural.

Understanding Gender and Number in Russian

In Russian, nouns can be:

  • Masculine
  • Feminine
  • Neuter (which means neither masculine nor feminine)

Nouns can also be singular (one) or plural (more than one). The word "этот" changes based on these categories:

  • Masculine Singular: этот (this)
  • Feminine Singular: эта (this)
  • Neuter Singular: это (this)
  • Plural (for all genders): эти (these)

We will mainly focus on the plural form, "эти."

What is the Case System?

In Russian, nouns and their descriptive words change depending on their grammatical case. Here are some basic cases:

  • Nominative
  • Genitive
  • Dative
  • Accusative
  • Instrumental
  • Prepositional

For now, let's focus on the nominative case, which shows the subject of a sentence.

Matching Plural Nouns

When we talk about plural nouns like "книги" (books), the demonstrative adjectives need to show how many there are and agree in case and number.

The plural form "эти" is suitable for all genders in the nominative case. So, when we say "Эти книги," the word "эти" (these) fits perfectly with the plural noun "книги" (books).

Practical Examples

  1. Nominative Case:

    • Эти книги - These books.
    • Since "книги" is plural, we use "эти."
  2. Genitive Case:

    • Этих книг - Of these books.
    • Here, "книги" changes to “книг,” and “эти” changes to “этих.”
  3. Dative Case:

    • Этим книгам - To these books.
    • In this case, "книги" becomes "книгам," and "эти" changes to "этим."
  4. Accusative Case:

    • Эти книги - These books (acting as a direct object).
    • The structure stays the same since it serves as both subject and object.
  5. Instrumental Case:

    • Этими книгами - With these books.
    • Here, "книги" changes to "книгами," and "эти" changes to "этими."
  6. Prepositional Case:

    • Об этих книгах - About these books.
    • In this case, "книги" changes to "книгах," and "эти" changes to "об этих."

Summary of Changes

  • The base forms of the adjectives (этот, эта, это) help identify the noun's gender in singular form.
  • For plural nouns, "этот" changes to "эти," which works for any gender.
  • In different cases, the form of "эти" changes (for example, "этим," "этих," etc.), and the noun also changes based on the case.

By understanding these agreements, you can create correct sentences in Russian. Practicing these forms with different nouns will help you become more fluent and confident in using Russian grammar!

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In what ways do demonstrative adjectives like "этот" (this) change for plural nouns in the sentence "Эти книги" (These books)?

Mastering Russian grammar can be challenging, especially when it involves demonstrative adjectives like "этот," which means "this."

It's important to understand how these words match with nouns based on gender, number, and case.

What Are Demonstrative Adjectives?

Demonstrative adjectives point out specific things. In Russian, they must agree with the nouns they describe.

For example, "этот" is the masculine form of "this." It changes depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine and if it's singular or plural.

Understanding Gender and Number in Russian

In Russian, nouns can be:

  • Masculine
  • Feminine
  • Neuter (which means neither masculine nor feminine)

Nouns can also be singular (one) or plural (more than one). The word "этот" changes based on these categories:

  • Masculine Singular: этот (this)
  • Feminine Singular: эта (this)
  • Neuter Singular: это (this)
  • Plural (for all genders): эти (these)

We will mainly focus on the plural form, "эти."

What is the Case System?

In Russian, nouns and their descriptive words change depending on their grammatical case. Here are some basic cases:

  • Nominative
  • Genitive
  • Dative
  • Accusative
  • Instrumental
  • Prepositional

For now, let's focus on the nominative case, which shows the subject of a sentence.

Matching Plural Nouns

When we talk about plural nouns like "книги" (books), the demonstrative adjectives need to show how many there are and agree in case and number.

The plural form "эти" is suitable for all genders in the nominative case. So, when we say "Эти книги," the word "эти" (these) fits perfectly with the plural noun "книги" (books).

Practical Examples

  1. Nominative Case:

    • Эти книги - These books.
    • Since "книги" is plural, we use "эти."
  2. Genitive Case:

    • Этих книг - Of these books.
    • Here, "книги" changes to “книг,” and “эти” changes to “этих.”
  3. Dative Case:

    • Этим книгам - To these books.
    • In this case, "книги" becomes "книгам," and "эти" changes to "этим."
  4. Accusative Case:

    • Эти книги - These books (acting as a direct object).
    • The structure stays the same since it serves as both subject and object.
  5. Instrumental Case:

    • Этими книгами - With these books.
    • Here, "книги" changes to "книгами," and "эти" changes to "этими."
  6. Prepositional Case:

    • Об этих книгах - About these books.
    • In this case, "книги" changes to "книгах," and "эти" changes to "об этих."

Summary of Changes

  • The base forms of the adjectives (этот, эта, это) help identify the noun's gender in singular form.
  • For plural nouns, "этот" changes to "эти," which works for any gender.
  • In different cases, the form of "эти" changes (for example, "этим," "этих," etc.), and the noun also changes based on the case.

By understanding these agreements, you can create correct sentences in Russian. Practicing these forms with different nouns will help you become more fluent and confident in using Russian grammar!

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