blog
Bilingual child dominant language test
The question that arises in many families abroad sooner or later. Is the child's Russian still alive or only understood?...
July 27, 2026
Olga Kuropteva
blog
My name in Russian is "ChatGPT" and it's written in Cyrillic as "ЧатДжиПиТи".
Enter the child's name, then your name, then the grandmother's name. The tool will show how the name is spelled in Russian letters, break it down by sounds, and find...
July 27, 2026
Olga Kuropteva
blog
Russian stress trainer for children and adults
Stress betrays a speaker faster than accent. A child may pronounce their "r"s and "sh"s perfectly, but say "magazin" (with the stress on the last syllable), and the person they're talking to will immediately...
July 26, 2026
Olga Kuropteva
blog
Russian for beginners and how much it actually costs
The American Foreign Service Institute, which has been training translators for government needs for over seventy years, keeps unromantic accounts. For each language there...
July 24, 2026
Olga Kuropteva
blog
Ordinal numerals in Russian are formed by taking the root of the cardinal numeral and adding the appropriate ordinal suffix. These suffixes agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify.
Here's a breakdown:
**1. Basic Structure:**
* **Cardinal Numeral + Ordinal Suffix**
**2. Ordinal Suffixes:**
The suffixes are generally based on the endings of adjectives.
* **Masculine:** -ый (e.g., первый - first)
* **Feminine:** -ая (e.g., первая - first)
* **Neuter:** -ое (e.g., первое - first)
* **Plural:** -ые (e.g., первые - first)
**3. Examples:**
Let's look at the first few numbers:
* **Один (one):**
* Masculine: первый (pervyy)
* Feminine: первая (pervaya)
* Neuter: первое (pervoye)
* Plural: первые (pervyye)
* **Два (two):**
* Masculine: второй (vtoroy)
* Feminine: вторая (vtoraya)
* Neuter: второе (vtoroye)
* Plural: вторые (vtoryye)
* **Три (three):**
* Masculine: третий (tretiy)
* Feminine: третья (tret'ya)
* Neuter: третье (tret'ye)
* Plural: третьи (tret'i)
* **Четыре (four):**
* Masculine: четвёртый (chetvyortyy)
* Feminine: четвёртая (chetvyortaya)
* Neuter: четвёртое (chetvyortoye)
* Plural: четвёртые (chetvyortyye)
**4. Numbers 5 and above:**
For numbers five and higher, the formation is more straightforward. You take the root of the cardinal numeral and add the standard adjectival endings.
* **Пять (five):**
* Masculine: пятый (pyatyy)
* Feminine: пятая (pyataya)
* Neuter: пятое (pyatoye)
* Plural: пятые (pyatyye)
* **Десять (ten):**
* Masculine: десятый (desyatyy)
* Feminine: десятая (desyataya)
* Neuter: десятое (desyatoye)
* Plural: десятые (desjatyye)
* **Сто (one hundred):**
* Masculine: сотый (sotyy)
* Feminine: сотая (sotaya)
* Neuter: сотое (sotoye)
* Plural: сотые (sotyye)
**5. Compound Numbers:**
When forming ordinal numerals for compound numbers (e.g., twenty-first), only the last part of the cardinal number changes to an ordinal.
* **Двадцать один (twenty-one):**
* Masculine: двадцать первый (dvadtsat' pervyy)
* Feminine: двадцать первая (dvadtsat' pervaya)
* **Сто двадцать три (one hundred twenty-three):**
* Masculine: сто двадцать третий (sto dvadtsat' tretiy)
* Feminine: сто двадцать третья (sto dvadtsat' tret'ya)
**6. Pronunciation and Spelling Changes:**
You might notice some spelling and pronunciation shifts, especially with the softer vowels and consonant changes in the first few numbers. These are typical sound changes in Russian.
**7. Case Agreement:**
Like all adjectives, ordinal numerals must agree with the noun they modify in case.
* **Nominative:** первая страница (the first page)
* **Genitive:** первой страницы (of the first page)
* **Dative:** первой странице (to the first page)
* **Accusative:** первую страницу (the first page - direct object)
* **Instrumental:** первой страницей (by the first page)
* **Prepositional:** о первой странице (about the first page)
**Key Takeaways:**
* Ordinals are formed from cardinals with specific suffixes.
* They agree in gender, number, and case with the noun.
* The first few ordinals (первый, второй, третий) are irregular and have unique forms.
* For compound numbers, only the last numeral becomes ordinal.
Dasha decided to invite guests to her birthday and sat down to write invitations by hand. She ruined the very first card. At the top, she wrote...
July 23, 2026
Olga Kuropteva
blog
Prepositions with Cases: A Complete Guide
Mark grew up in an English-speaking country. He speaks Russian at home with his parents and understands almost everything. And yet, one evening at dinner...
July 23, 2026
Olga Kuropteva
blog
Colors in Russian. Table with pronunciation and facts
Emma, who is learning Russian while living in Boston, once complimented her friend's blue dress, but called it "синее" (a darker blue). Her friend gently corrected her, saying the dress was "голубое" (a lighter blue)...
July 15, 2026
Olga Kuropteva
blog
Vowel reduction, why we write one thing and say another
The word "milk." In writing, it has three 'o's in a row, one after another. Now say it out loud, without...
July 7, 2026
Olga Kuropteva
blog
Why good grades don't guarantee success and what soft skills have to do with it
«I don't have time to monitor my son. And without monitoring, he's not making progress.» That's what a mom from Chicago wrote to me. Her son...
July 6, 2026
Olga Kuropteva
blog
Games are returning to schools as a way to teach. Why are children increasingly being taught through points, levels, and rewards
Points for correct answers, levels just like in a video game, badges for perseverance, team tournaments instead of boring tests. Sounds like fun?...
July 3, 2026
Olga Kuropteva