When Russian speakers study English, one of the hardest things to get used to are articles.
All those little words — a, an, the — can feel confusing, and figuring them out isn’t always easy. It makes sense: Russian simply doesn’t have articles at all. But why?
What Are Articles?
Put simply, articles point to the word that follows. They help us understand the status of a noun:
- whether it’s singular or plural
- specific or general, animate or inanimate.
In Russian, there’s no need for them. Why? Because Russian is a synthetic language — meaning that endings and suffixes carry the meaning that articles carry in English.
The form of the word itself shows how it should be understood. In contrast, English has far fewer word forms, so articles become essential for clarity.
The Struggles of Bilinguals
For English speakers learning Russian, the lack of articles is confusing. That’s one of the reasons Russian is often ranked among the most difficult languages in the world.
Instead of learning short helper words like a or the, learners must memorize a vast system of case endings, word forms, and flexible word order. Unsurprisingly, this leads to mistakes.
That’s where the old phrase “Моя твоя не понимать” comes from — a classic example of dropping endings because the learner doesn’t realize how crucial they are when no articles exist.
Why Articles Matter in English
Take the English sentences:
The first means “some cat showed up,” the second “the cat showed up.” Without the articles, the meaning becomes vague or nonsensical — like saying “Cat came-ing.”
Or consider:
Without the article in the first sentence, it could sound like “Wallpapering is black” — which makes no sense. This is exactly why English relies so heavily on articles.
For Russian-speaking learners of English, lots of practice is the key. For children, it helps to practice through games or hobbies so the usage feels natural.
But the most important step is to explain the difference between the two languages. Simple memorization won’t work — learners need to understand why English needs articles, while Russian doesn’t. That awareness makes mastering a second language much easier.
