Question Question about Russian language

[diogom]

Hi, I'm not sure were to place this, but since I'll be writing in English, maybe it doesn't belong in the International Forum.
I am learning Russian, and so far it has been easy and interesting. Though I have found an obstacle, while on the genitive case's plural. How do I know when я is a vowel or a consonant? It isn't explained anywhere (I am learning on a website). I'm gonna guess it goes by knowing that on that word it's a vowel or consonant, but how will I know this, if when I learn a new one it doesn't say what я is? I thought I should ask someone who speaks Russian (and OF is the best place for it ).

 

[IgnoreThisBarrel]

Relevant bump for interest.

I'm trying to learn the Cyrillic alphabet (a bit of Russian, but not much since I'm focusing on Chinese right now) and I am quite interested in the answer.

 

[Artlav]

I never heard it could be a consonant.
We have 10 vowels - аеёиоуыэюя, rest are consonants.

Or what exactly did you mean? Any examples?

 

[kevin580]

Russian language is easy. I speaked Russian for a long time, but now I forgot it... :blush:
I can only understand some words and write. Speaking is a problem for me.

 

[N_Molson]

I'm interested in learning the basics of russian language too.

Do you know useful links for this ?

 

[diogom]

I'm learning from this site http://www.russianlessons.net/

The following is from lesson 11

The Genitive Case - Plural (Possession)
...
For masculine nouns:
If ends in "ж,ч,ш,щ,ь" then add "ей"
If ends in "й, ц" (stressed) add "ев"
All other masuline nouns end in "ов"

For feminine nouns:
If ends in "а" then drop "а" (no ending)
If ends in [consonant] "я" then "ь"
If ends in [vowel] "я" then "й"
If ends in "ь" then add "ей"
Note: If a feminine word ends in a double consonant it is quite common for a vowel (о, е) to be inserted for easy pronunciation. (марка - марок, англичанка - англичанок, девушка - девушек)

Though I just realized I can be confusing it with being a consonant followed by я, or a vowel followed by я. Am I?

 

[SiberianTiger]

diogom, your post will benefit greatly from having some examples of words that present a problem... Hardly anyone here is a Professor of Russian, although I may ask my mother in law, who is a school teacher of Russian, if we together wander into a total lingustic trouble...

 

[diogom]

Well, that's the problem, there's no examples of these words there. If there were, maybe I wouldn't have this doubt, but if they give the rules, but no examples, how should I know?

 

[SiberianTiger]

Well, that's the problem, there's no examples of these words there. If there were, maybe I wouldn't have this doubt, but if they give the rules, but no examples, how should I know?

Okay, here are some examples of genitive plural per what's in your textbook. I give neutral form (nominative case, single), then genitive case, single, then genitive case, plural, NS - GS - GP:

For masculine nouns:
If ends in "ж,ч,ш,щ,ь" then add "ей"

муж - мýжа - мужéй
кумáч - кумачá - кумачéй
карандáш - карандашá - карандашéй
óвощ - óвоща - овощéй
корáбль - корабля' - кораблéй

If ends in "й, ц" (stressed) add "ев"

злодéй - злодéя - злодéев
зáяц - зáйца - зáйцев

(but here is an exception:
конéц - концá - концóв)

All other masuline nouns end in "ов"

отря'д - отря'да - отря'дов
шаг - шагá - шагóв
дивáн - дивáна - дивáнов

For feminine nouns:
If ends in "а" then drop "а" (no ending)

дéва - дéвы - дев
собáка - собáки - собáк
машúна - машúны - машúн
водá - воды' - вод

If ends in [consonant] "я" then "ь"

note: it must be meaning, when a consonant precedes "я".

земля' - землú - земéль
петля' - петлú - петéль
заря' - зарú - зóрь

If ends in [vowel] "я" then "й"

note: it must be meaning, when a vowel precedes "я".

змея' - змеú - змéй
колея' - колеú - колéй
организáция - орагнизáции - организáций

If ends in "ь" then add "ей"

мы'шь - мы'ши - мышéй
крóвь - крóви - кровéй
вéсть - вéсти - вестéй

Two more complex examples:

любóвь - любвú - любвéй (that last is almost illegal to use...)
мать - мáтери - матерéй

A little helper: every time you use the word "нет" in meaning "there is no / there are no" + noun, you put the noun in either single or plural genitive case.

собáка (a dog) - нет собáки (there is no dog) - нет собáк (there are no dogs)

 

[diogom]

Спасибо! Thanks a lot for the help. What confused me were these [vowel] [consonant], because it, and I also thought of that option, could mean vowel + я, etc., but since it was between parenthesis, they could also mean something else. Maybe I should send a sugestion to their website, so it won't confuse anyone (or maybe it was just me :lol.