The genitive case in Russian helps show who owns something, what is missing, and how much there is. It’s really important to understand how to use it, especially when you talk in Russian. Here are the main rules and examples for the genitive case:

1. Singular Nouns:

• Masculine nouns:

  • Add “-а” or “-я” to the end.
  • For example: стол (table) becomes стола.

• Feminine nouns:

  • Add “-ы” or “-и” to the end.
  • For example: книга (book) becomes книги.

• Neuter nouns:

  • Add “-а” or “-я” to the end.
  • For example: окно (window) becomes окна.

2. Plural Nouns:

• Masculine and Feminine nouns:
  • Usually, add “-ов” or “-ей” depending on the sounds.
  • For example: студенты (students) becomes студентов, and девушки (girls) turns into девушек.

3. Showing Possession:

• To show that something belongs to someone, use the genitive case after the noun.
• For example: У меня есть книга Насти. (I have Nastya’s book.)

4. Showing Absence:

• To say something is missing, you can also use the genitive case.
• For example: У меня нет денег. (I don’t have money.)

5. Talking About Amounts:

• When you're saying how many of something you have, use the genitive case with numbers.
• For example: У меня три книги. (I have three books.)

6. Special Cases:

• Some nouns change in a tricky way in the genitive case.
• For example: человек (person) changes to человека.

Practice Sentences:

• Я вижу собаку Игоря. (I see Igor's dog.)
• У нас нет времени. (We don’t have time.)
• Это машина моего друга. (This is my friend’s car.)

By learning these rules and examples, you will get better at speaking Russian. You can talk about who owns things, what’s missing, and how much there is using the genitive case. Try making your own sentences and find genitive nouns when you speak for a better understanding!