Categories: "Numbers"

Шесть

by Don  

The most common Russian word for six is шесть, which declines like this:

Nomшесть
Acc
Genшести
Pre
Dat
Insшестью

When шесть occurs in oblique cases (oblique means a case other than nominative or accusative), it works pretty well like we would expect from a theoretical point of view; that is, it declines as we would expect and the noun it quantifies shows up in the same case in the plural:

Gen Мы в центре гуляли около шести часов. We walked around downtown for about six hours.
Pre Мы поговорили о шести новых книгах. We talked about six new books.
Dat Я звонил шести новым студентам. I phoned six new students.
Ins Над шестью американскими беглецами кружился вертолёт. A helicopter circled over the six American fugitives.

Now here's the weird part... If шесть is part of a nominative case number phrase or an accusative case number phrase, then the noun it quantifies shows up in the genitive plural:

На сцене пели шесть красивых украинок. Six beautiful Ukrainian women were singing on the stage.
Я купил шесть немецких машин. I bought six German cars.

That may seem quite complex. Just be glad your not studying Polish: its number system is even more freakish... and fascinating.

Несколько

by Don  

The Russian word for several is несколько. It is declined like this:

Nomнесколько
Acc
Genнескольких
Pre
Datнескольким
Insнесколькими

Most of the time the word is used in the nominative and accusative cases, in which case the noun phrase that follows it is in the genitive plural:

На столе лежало несколько книг. Several books were lying on the table.
У меня несколько близких друзей. I have several close friends
Я купил несколько вилок. I bought several forks.
Я увидел несколько страусиных яиц. I spotted several ostrich eggs.

It's possible to encounter the word in oblique cases as well; in such instances it is accompanied the a noun phrase in the plural of that case:

Продовольственный кризис 2007–2008 годов был спровоцирован неурожаем сразу в нескольких регионах мира. (adapted from this source) The food crisis of 2007-2008 was caused by crop failure in several regions of the world at the same time.
Сегодня мы вспоминаем об Андрее Миронове — замечательном актере, любимце нескольких поколений. (adapted from this source) Today we commemorate Andrei Mironov, the amazing actor, the favorite of several generations.
Для отправки сообщения нескольким получателям нужно перечислить их имена в полях «Кому», «Копия» и «Скрытая» через запятую. (source) To send a message to several recipients [at the same time] you need to list their names in the “To”, “CC” or “BCC” fields with a comma between [each name].
Нальчик был атакован несколькими группами боевиков. (source) Nalchik was attacked by several groups of commandos.

Пять

by Don  

The most common Russian word for five is пять, which declines like this:

Nomпять
Acc
Genпяти
Pre
Dat
Insпятью

When пять occurs in oblique cases (oblique means a case other than nominative or accusative), it works pretty well like we would expect from a theoretical point of view; that is, it declines as we would expect and the noun it quantifies shows up in the same case in the plural:

Gen Мы там работали около пяти часов. We worked there around five hours.
Pre Мы поговорили о пяти книгах. We talked about five books.
Dat Я подошёл к пяти иностранцам. I walked up to five foreigners.
Ins Я работаю с пятью америкосами. I work with five Yanks.

Now here's the weird part... If пять is part of a nominative case number phrase or an accusative case number phrase, then the noun it quantifies shows up in the genitive plural:

Во дворе играли пять мальчиков. Five boys were playing in the courtyard.
Я купил пять столов. I bought five tables.

I know, I know. You are wondering why. The answer of course is that the Russians do this for security purposes: by making the language complicated, it's easier to identify foreign spies...


Note: америкос is a mildly condescending word for Americans.

Четыре

by Don  

The most common word for four in Russian is четыре. If четыре occurs in the nominative case, then it is followed by the genitive singular form of the noun:

четыре сына four sons
четыре дочери four daughters
четыре письма four letters

However, just as with the numbers два/две and три, if you put an adjective between the number and the noun, you don't use the genitive singular. So what for do you use? Well, that depends...

If you are dealing with masculine or neuter nouns, then you have to use an adjectival form that copies the genitive plural:

четыре красивых сына four handsome sons
четыре длинных письма four long letters

If you are dealing with feminine nouns, it is usually best to use an adjectival form that copies the nominative plural:

четыре красивые дочери four pretty daughters

Here are some sample sentences:

На крыше загорали четыре хорошенькие туристки. There were four cute [female] tourists sunbathing on the roof.
У инопланетянина были четыре зелёные лапы и два красных глаза. The alien had four green paws and two red eyes.
Четыре старых космонавта играли в покер в парке. Four old cosmonauts were playing poker in the park.
У меня четыре японских мобильника. I have four Japanese cell phones.

¹ You will sometimes also encounter четыре красивых дочери, аlthough красивые is better style these days.

Три

by Don  

The most common word for three in Russian is три. If три occurs in the nominative case, then it is followed by the genitive singular form of the noun:

три сына three sons
три дочери three daughters
три письма three letters

However, if you put an adjective between the number and the noun, you don't use the genitive singular. So what form do you use? Well, that depends...

If you are dealing with masculine or neuter nouns, then you have to use an adjectival form that copies the genitive plural:

три красивых сына three handsome sons
три длинных письма three long letters

If you are dealing with feminine nouns, it is usually best to use an adjectival form that copies the nominative plural:

три красивые дочери three pretty daughters

Here are some sample sentences:

На крыше загорали три иностранных туриста. There were three foreign tourists sunbathing on the roof.
У инопланетянина были три жёлтые головы и два красных хвоста. The alien had three yellow heads and two red tails.
Три старых профессора играли в шахматы в парке. Three old professors were playing chess in the park.
У меня три японских телевизора. I have three Japanese televisions.

¹ You will sometimes also encounter три красивых дочери, аlthough красивые is better style these days.

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