In Russian, as in English, cardinal numbers are the forms of numbers that we use to count and do math. Some examples in Russian are:
триста шестьдесят пять[trEEsta sheesdeesYAt pyat](three hundred sixty five)
To use cardinal numbers in Russian, you’ll need to know the basic number words and how to combine them into multi-word “compound” numbers (e.g. 736). But nouns in Russian are especially tricky because, like adjectivesAdjectives are words that describe nouns (things, people, ideas, places, etc.). , numbers will often need to agreeAgreement occurs when a word or phrase takes on a special form that reflects features of another word in the sentence. This shows that the two are grammatically connected. with the nounNouns are words that represent people, things, animals, ideas, or actions, such as “man,” “table,” “tiger,” “generosity,” or “running.” you quantify! For example, notice the two different the forms of the number один(one) in the phrases below:
Feminine noun:одна девушка
adNA dyeVUSHka
But one of the more surprising aspects of using numbers in Russian, is that, though the caseCase refers to the form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective, as determined by its grammatical role in relation to the other words in the sentence. For example, the subject (do-er) of a sentence is in the nominative case, while the direct object (undergoer) is usually in the accusative case. of a number always reflects the grammatical role the noun plays in the sentence, the noun itself will often appear in a different case entirely: one determined by the number and not by the sentence context. Want to learn more? Read on!
In this post, we’ll first go through how to form Russian numbers, focusing first on the numbers 1-4, which are especially tricky. Then, we’ll briefly talk about the rules for assembling larger numbers. Finally, we’ll talk about how and when nouns or adjectives might take on special forms when they follow Russian numbers. Ready to have a look? Let’s do it!
What is a “cardinal” number?
When people hear the word cardinal, many things come to mind. If you are from Arizona or lived there for a while, your first association might be with the football team or a red bird with a prominent crest. If you are Roman Catholic, you might be associating the word with the Pope. But if you have ever studied a foreign language, or are a fellow linguist, then you most certainly think that cardinals, first and foremost, relate to numerals. We call these cardinal numbers.
A cardinal number is a counting number, a number that is used to indicate quantity (e.g., one or two of something). Cardinal numbers (e.g. “four”) get their name from the fact that they are the principal numbers, and all the other types of numbers, like ordinal numerals (e.g. “fourth”) or collective numerals (e.g “all four”), are derived from these.
How to use cardinal numbers in Russian?
All Russian cardinal numbers have several different forms. The form you use will depend on the number’s case, which is determined by the context in which the number is used in a sentence. The numbers 1-3 will also agree with the noun in some other features, which will be discussed below.
If you are using a multi-word number in Russian, like 365, all parts of that number will reflect the same case. For example:
genitive casenominative case
В России из трехсот шестидесяти пяти дней в году, в среднем сто восемнадцать нерабочие.
v rasEEee eez tryokhsOt pyatEE dnyey v gadOO f srYEdnyem sto vaseemnAtsat neerabOcheeye
In Russia, out of the 365 days of the year, on average, 118 are days off.
If you want to see how to use Russian numbers in different cases, download our Russian cardinal number reference sheet at the bottom of the page!
In Russian, you’ll need to look at the final digit of the number you are using to determine which set of grammar rules you should follow. There are three main patterns:
numbers that end in 2, 3, or 4
numbers that end in 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 0
In this section, we’ll go through each group of numbers and discuss the patterns you will need to follow. Let’s have a look!
How to use Russian numbers that end in 1?
When a Russian number ends in 1, it will always be followed by a singularA singular word refers to one entity. e.g. "boy" = singular; "boys" = plural. noun. This applies even when you are using large numbers that end in 1 like 21, 51, or 231.
singular
Я прочитал одну интересную книгу.
ya pracheetAL adnOO eenteerYEsnooyu knEEgoo
I read one interesting book.
У нашего канала двадцать один постоянный подписчик.
oo nAsheeva kanAla dvAtsat adEEN pastaYAnyi padpEEshcheek
Our channel has twenty one regular subscribers.
lit. In our channel (are) twenty one regular subscriber.
Other than that, though, the pattern is very simple. The case of the noun, adjective, and number are all identical and they match the case you would expect, based on the context in which the noun is used.
The number один can be used before a plural noun, but in this case, it is generally translated instead as “only” or “some,” rather than as a cardinal number.
У них в семье одни девочки.
oo nEEkh f seemYE adnEE dYEvachkee
They have only girls in the family.
По одним сведениям он уехал в Москву, а по другим, в Израиль.
pa adnEEM svYEdeenyam on ooYEkhal v mAskvoo a pa droogEEM v eezrAeel
According to some sources, he left for Moscow, and according to others, for Israel.
In this use it also has special plural forms, which you can read about in the next section!
Let’s look now at all the agreement forms of the word один[adEEN](one).
How to decline один (one) in Russian?
Один[adEEN](one) is declinedWhen you decline a noun, pronoun, or adjective, you are putting it into a specific form which will usually depend on the role it (or the noun it describes) plays in a sentence. like an adjective and so it agrees with the noun it quantifies in caseCase refers to the form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective, as determined by its grammatical role in relation to the other words in the sentence. For example, the subject (do-er) of a sentence is in the nominative case, while the direct object (undergoer) is usually in the accusative case., numberThe number of a word tells you about its quantity, usually whether it is singular (just one) or plural (for more than one)., animacyA noun's animacy depends on whether or not it is alive. Animate nouns usually represent living, conscious beings (e.g. people, animals,...), while inanimate nouns represent non-living or unconscious things (e.g. objects, ideas, plants,...), and genderGender represents categories in which nouns are split like masculine, feminine, or neuter.. All the forms of один are illustrated in the chart below.
Nominative | | | | |
|---|
Accusative (inanimate)* | | | | |
|---|
Accusative (animate)* | | | | |
|---|
Genitive | | | | |
|---|
Dative | | | | |
|---|
Instrumental | | | | |
|---|
Prepositional | | | | |
|---|
*Use the “animate” form with living things and “inanimate” with objects. To learn more, check out our post on animate and inanimate nouns in Russian!
How to use Russian numbers that end in 2, 3, or 4?
When a Russian number that ends in 2, 3, or 4 is used before a noun, the case and number of the noun and of any adjectives that describe it, will be determined by the set of rules listed below.
If the context leads us to expect that the noun will be in the genitive, dative, prepositional, or instrumental case, then the number, noun, and adjective(s) all show the same case and number (plural):
We see the same thing in the accusative case, if the noun is animate (living).
If the context of a sentence means that the noun should be nominative, follow the rules below instead:
For example:
number (nominative)adjective (genitive plural)noun (genitive singular)
В комнате живут два хороших студента.
f kOmnatye zheevOOt dva kharOsheekh stoodYEnta
Two good students live in the room.
→ студе́нт(student) is masculine
number (nominative)adjective (nominative plural)noun (genitive singular)
В комнате живут две хорошие студентки.
f kOmnatye zheevOOt dvye khorOsheeye stoodYEntkee
Two good (female) students live in the room.
→ студе́нтка(student) is feminine
If the context of a sentence means that the noun should be accusative and the noun is inanimate (not living), we follow a similar pattern to the one above, except that the number is in its inanimate accusative form.
Remember that for animate nouns, all three are accusative plural.
The number will always be in the case that you would “expect” based on the context.
Let’s look very quickly at the forms of the numbers два[dva](two), три[tree](three), and четыре[cheetYrye](four). As you’ll see, they’re simpler than один[adEEN](one)!
How to decline два (two), три (three), and четыре (four) in Russian?
The forms of два[dva](two), три[tree](three), and четыре[cheetYrye](four) are illustrated in the table below. Notice that though they are all marked for case, only два[dva](two) must agree with the gender of the noun.
Nominative | | | | |
|---|
Accusative
(inanimate) | | | | |
|---|
Accusative
(animate) | | | | |
|---|
Genitive | | | | |
|---|
Dative | | | | |
|---|
Instrumental | | | | |
|---|
Prepositional | | | | |
|---|
How to use Russian cardinal numbers that end in 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 0?
When using other cardinal numbers in Russian, those that do not end in 1, 2, 3, or 4, the pattern is a little simpler than the patterns we discussed for 2, 3, 4, but there the nouns and adjectives do still take some unexpected forms. Check out the chart below:
Nominative | | | |
|---|
Accusative
(inanimate) | |
|---|
Other cases | The numbers, nouns, and adjectives are used in the same cases as the numerals. |
|---|
Notice that though the “expected cases” that are affected by the exception here are the same ones that we saw for numbers ending in 2, 3, 4, the exceptional pattern itself is quite a bit simpler.
For example:
number (nominative)adjective (genitive plural)noun (genitive plural)
На встрече было пять лучших студентов.
na fstrYEchye bYla pyat lOOcheekh stoodYEntaf
In the meeting, there were five best students.
How to count in Russian?
When counting in Russian, you will use cardinal numbers most of the time, except that instead of один[adEEN](one), Russians will generally use the word раз[ras](time).
Russians, like many other people, use their fingers to count. Though in America, most people start counting “one” by putting up their pointer finger, most Russians count a little differently. Here are a couple of the most common ways to count on your fingers in Russia:
Start with an open palm, then, one-by-one bend the fingers inward. Most Russians start with the pinkie first and end with the thumb.
Start with a closed palm, then, one-by-one, bend the fingers outward. Most Russians start with the thumb and work towards the pinkie.
What are some common Russian expressions with numbers?
Here are five common phrases in Russian that use the cardinal numerals 1-5:
в один голос
v adEEN gOlas
unanimously
lit. in one voice
Олимпийские чемпионки заявили в один голос, что не могут поверить в свой успех.
aleempEEyskeeye cheempeeOnkee zaeevEElee v adEEn gOlas shto nee mOgoot pavYEreet f svOy oospYEkh
Female Olympic champions unanimously declared that they could not believe in their success.
lit. Female Olympic champions declared in one voice that they could not believe in their success.
как дважды два
kak dvAzhdy dva
easily
lit. like two times two
Я могу доказать это как дважды два.
Ya magOO dakazAt eta kak dvAzhdy dva
I can prove it easily.
lit. I can prove it like two times two.
с три короба
s tree kOraba
a majorly unmet promise
lit. the size of three boxes
Он наобещал мне с три короба и ничего не сделал.
on naabeeshchAl mnye s tree kOraba ee neecheevO nee sdYElal
He promised me all these things but did not do any of them.
lit. He promised me the size of three boxes and didn’t do anything.
на все четыре стороны
na fsye cheetYrye stOrany
wherever you want
lit. to all the four corners
Ты можешь идти на все четыре стороны.
ty mOzhesh eetee na fsye cheetYrye stOrany
You can go whichever way you want.
lit. Female Olympic champions declared in one voice that they could not believe in their success.
без пяти минут
bees peetEE meenOOt
very close (to a goal)
lit. five minutes till
Он без пяти минут доктор.
on bees peetEE meenOOt dOktar
He is almost a doctor.
lit. He is five minutes till a doctor.
What are some common “mistakes” Russians make cardinal numerals?
Here are three common “mistakes” Russian native speakers make when using numbers. See if you can hear these “in the wild!”
Incorrect declension of hundreds:
Correct:✅ около пятисот человек
Okala pyateesOt cheelavYEk
You may hear:около пятиста человек
Okala pyateestA cheelavYEk
Incorrect declension of years:
Correct:✅ в две тысячи двенадцатом году
v dvye tYseechee dveenAtsatam gadOO
in twenty twelve (2012)
lit. in the two thousand and twelfth year
You may hear:в двухтысячном двенадцатом году
v dvookhtYseechnam dveenAtsatam gadOO
Incorrect declension of полтора[paltarA](one and a half):
Correct:✅ в полутора километрах
f palOOtara keelamYEtrakh
You may hear:В полуторах километрах
f palOOtarakh keelamYEtrakh
To sum up
Here is what we discussed in this post:
Russian cardinal numbers change their forms depending on the case, number, and gender of the noun they quantify.
There are three major grammar patterns:
Numbers ending in 1:
The case of the noun, adjective, and number are all “as expected” except that all nouns are singular.
Numbers ending in 2, 3, 4:
If you expect the noun to be nominative or accusative (inanimate):
the noun will be genitive singular
if the noun is masculine or neuter, the adjective(s) will be genitive plural
if the noun is feminine, the adjective(s) will be nominative plural
In all other cases, the case and number of the noun/adjective(s) matches the case of the numeral.
Numbers ending in 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0:
If you expect the noun to be nominative or accusative (inanimate), the noun and adjective(s) will be genitive plural.
In all other cases, the case of the noun/adjective(s) matches the case of the numeral.
Since practice makes perfect, how about practicing what we discussed with the Russian cardinal numbers activities that are linked below? Let’s do it!
Downloadable Resources
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Meet the Author
Aleks Novikov
Grammar Writer
Aleks Novikov holds a Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching and continues to work in the field. Aleks is passionate about languages and linguistics, particularly descriptive corpus-based approaches. He is fascinated by language changes and welcomes new and emerging speech patterns.
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