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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.
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Prepositions with Cases: A Complete Guide
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