In Russian, the nominative case is important because it tells us who or what is doing something in a sentence. It's essential to know how to use it for nouns and adjectives to create correct sentences. Here’s a simple guide to help you understand the nominative case better.

1. Nouns in the Nominative Case

What It Is: The nominative case is mainly used for the subject of the sentence or when you name something.

Singular Nouns

• Masculine Nouns: These usually end with consonants.

  • Example: стол (table), врач (doctor)

• Feminine Nouns: These often end with -a or -я.

  • Example: книга (book), мама (mom)

• Neuter Nouns: These typically end with -o or -e.

  • Example: окно (window), море (sea)

Plural Nouns

• For masculine nouns, the plural forms usually end in -ы or -и.

  • Example: столы (tables), врачи (doctors)

• Feminine nouns generally end with -и in plural.

  • Example: книги (books), мамы (moms)

• Neuter nouns change to -а or -я when they are plural.

  • Example: окна (windows), моря (seas)

2. Adjectives in the Nominative Case

Adjectives need to match the nouns they describe. They must agree in gender, number, and case. Here are the rules:

Singular Adjectives

• Masculine: Adjectives usually end in -ый or -ой.

  • Example: красивый (beautiful), высокий (tall)

• Feminine: Adjectives typically end in -ая or -яя.

  • Example: красивая (beautiful), высокая (tall)

• Neuter: They often end in -ое or -ее.

  • Example: красивое (beautiful), высокое (tall)

Plural Adjectives

For plural forms, adjectives usually end with -ые or -ие.

• Example: красивые (beautiful), высокие (tall)

3. Making Nominative Sentences

In Russian, a simple sentence usually follows the Subject - Verb - Object structure.

Here’s how to use the nominative case:

Positive Statements

1. Using Singular Nouns:

   • Example: Мама читает книгу. (Mom reads a book.)
     • "Мама" (Mom) is in the nominative case because she is the subject.

2. Using Plural Nouns:

   • Example: Дети играют в парке. (Children play in the park.)
     • "Дети" (Children) is the subject and in the nominative case.

Using Adjectives

1. With Singular Nouns:

   • Example: Этот красивый стол. (This beautiful table.)
     • "Стол" is a masculine noun in the nominative case, and "красивый" describes it.

2. With Plural Nouns:

   • Example: Эти высокие деревья. (These tall trees.)
     • "Деревья" (trees) is plural and in the nominative case, with the adjective "высокие" (tall) matching it.

4. Questions with Nominative Case

To practice, you can ask questions where the answer uses the nominative case.

• Example: Кто читает? (Who is reading?)

  • Expected Answer: Мама читает. (Mom is reading.)

• Example: Что это? (What is this?)

  • Expected Answer: Это книга. (This is a book.)

By using these rules about the nominative case, learners will feel more confident in forming correct sentences in Russian. Practice will help them understand better and use nouns and adjectives effectively in this vital case.