My notes on Russian grammar, built around the thing that makes Russian Russian: the case system. English relies on word order to show who did what to whom; Russian frees the word order and instead changes the ending of the noun to mark its role.
The six cases at a glance
Every case has a function, a question word it answers, and trigger words that tip you off. Here they are on one noun, собака (sobaka, dog):
| Case | Question | Function | собака becomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | кто? что? (who/what) | the subject / dictionary form | собака |
| Genitive | кого? чего? (of whom/what) | possession, absence, quantity | собаки |
| Dative | кому? чему? (to whom/for what) | the indirect object, feelings, age | собаке |
| Accusative | кого? что? (whom/what) | the direct object, motion toward | собаку |
| Instrumental | кем? чем? (with whom/what) | tool, “with”, professions | собакой |
| Prepositional | о ком? о чём? где? (about/where) | location and topic | (о) собаке |
Start here
- russian-case-system - the overview: why cases exist, what they each do, and the same noun run through all six. Read this first.
- Then the individual cases above, roughly in order of how often you meet them: nominative and accusative first, then genitive (everywhere), then dative, prepositional, and instrumental.
The one mindset that makes it click
Learn the usage before the endings. Understand when a case applies (what role the noun is playing) first; the endings are easier to absorb once you know why you are changing the word. Getting a case ending wrong rarely breaks meaning - a Russian will still understand you - but correct case is what makes the grammar right.