Number

Most nouns in Russian, as in English, distinguish singular and plural number.

English nouns normally form their plural by adding an ending to the singular
form, usually -s or -es, as in book, books; box, boxes.

In Russian too, nouns are made plural either by adding an ending (to the stem of
masculine nouns that have no singular ending) or by changing the ending of the
singular (feminine and neuter nouns). In changing from singular to plural, the
(singular) ending that may have indicated the noun’s gender is removed;
consequently, gender is not expressed in the plural of nouns.
 Nominative Plural of Nouns
The nominative plural ending of Russian nouns is normally determined by the
gender of the noun in the singular and by whether the noun has a hard or soft
stem. Specifically, the nominative plural ending for the majority of masculine and
feminine nouns with a hard stem is -ы, and with a soft stem, -и. The nominative
plural ending for neuter nouns with a hard stem is -a, and with a soft stem, -я. The
following table illustrates the way stems and endings combine to form the
nominative plural of most nouns.

Masculine Singular Plural ENDING

Hard Stem – дивáн дивáны -ы

Soft Stem - музéй музéи -и
портфéль портфéли

Портфель - schoolbag
Feminine Singular Plural ENDING

Hard Stem – газéта газéты -Ы

Soft Stem - кýхня кýхни -и
плóщадь плóщади

Neuter
 Hard Stem крéсло крéсла -а
Soft Stem здáние здáния -я
  Some words of foreign origin are indeclinable, that is, they never

note: change their ending, and so they do not form a plural, e.g., метрó,
кафé, такси´, кинó. However, such clues as a plural ending on a
modifying adjective (-ые, -ие) or a plural verb ending, can indicate
when an indeclinable noun is being used to denote more than one
object, e.g. нóвые такси´ new taxis, В цéнтре были уютные кафé
In the center there were cozy cafés.

Spelling Rule 1 and Nominative Plurals

Russian has a spelling rule that applies, among other places, in forming the
nominative plural of certain nouns.This spelling rule states that the vowel -ы
cannot occur after the letters к г х or ж ш ч щ; whenever an “i” vowel is required
after one of these letters, it must be spelled -и. Therefore,masculine and feminine
nouns whose stem ends in one of these consonants must spell their nominative
plural ending as -и.
 Singular Plural
Учéбник - textbook учéбники
пляж – beach пляжи
книга – book книги
Старýха - old lady старýхи
нóчь- night нóчи

Rewrite each of the following sentences, changing the noun to the plural and
marking its stressed vowel.
Model : Это журнáл. (This is a magazine.) > Это журнáлы. (These are magazines.)

Это газéта Это портфéль

Это учéбник Это музéй
Это книга Это лáмпа
Это крéсло Это студéнт
Это рýчка Это студéнтка
Это тетрáдь Это инститýт
Это плáтье Это пляж
Это телефóн Это плóщадь
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