{"id":1671,"date":"2010-12-15T23:05:16","date_gmt":"2010-12-15T23:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=1671"},"modified":"2014-07-17T14:16:56","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T14:16:56","slug":"declension-of-russian-last-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/declension-of-russian-last-names\/","title":{"rendered":"Declension of Russian Last Names"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whoever said \u00ab\u0420\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u044f\u0437\u044b<\/span>\u043a–\u0432\u0435\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u0438 \u043c\u043e\u0433\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u0438\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [the Russian language is great and mighty] wasn’t kidding. Nothing illustrates this more than \u0441\u043a\u043b\u043e\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435 \u0444\u0430\u043c\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u0438\u0439<\/strong> [declension of last names]. There are complicated rules and just when you think you’ve got it, you find out there are a couple of exceptions.<\/p>\n

Russian last names typically end in \u00ab\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> [ov] (or \u00ab\u0435\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> [ev] if the stem is soft) or \u00ab\u0438\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [in]. We will examine declensions of the last name \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> [Bulgakov], the name of my favorite Russian writer, and \u00ab\u0411\u0443<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [Bunin], the first Russian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.<\/p>\n

This is how the name \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> declines if it refers to a man. (Yes, it is different if we’re talking about a female \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong>, a \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

Nominative: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong>
\nAccusative: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong>
\nGenitive: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong>
\nDative: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0443\u00bb<\/strong>
\nPrepositional: \u00ab\u043e \u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0435\u00bb<\/strong>
\nInstrumental: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u044b\u043c\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

Notice how in the instrumental case, the name declines like an adjective, not a noun. Before moving on to women’s names, \u00ab\u0411\u0443<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> would decline just like \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong>: using the order of cases above, the declension is as follow. \u00ab\u0411\u0443<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u00bb, \u00ab\u0411\u0443<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0430\u00bb, \u00ab\u0411\u0443<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0430\u00bb, \u00ab\u0411\u0443<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0443\u00bb, \u00ab\u043e \u0411\u0443<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0435\u00bb, \u00ab\u0411\u0443<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u044b\u043c\u00bb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Female names are when it gets complicated. If we are talking about a woman with the last name of \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong>, the declension is as follows:<\/p>\n

Nominative: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong>
\nAccusative: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0443\u00bb<\/strong>
\nGenitive: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0439\u00bb<\/strong>
\nDative: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0439\u00bb<\/strong>
\nPrepositional: \u00ab\u043e \u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0439\u00bb<\/strong>
\nInstrumental: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0439\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

Notice how this is different than the declension for men’s names. A woman’s last name declines like a noun only<\/em> in the accusative case–otherwise, it’s like an adjective.<\/p>\n

For the plural declension, if you are talking about two (or more) people with the last name in question, the rules are slightly different. To use \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> again:<\/p>\n

Nominative: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u044b\u00bb<\/strong>
\nAccusative: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0445\u00bb<\/strong>
\nGenitive: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430\u044b\u0445\u00bb<\/strong>
\nDative: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u044b\u043c\u00bb<\/strong>
\nPrepositional: \u00ab\u043e \u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0445\u00bb<\/strong>
\nInstrumental: \u00ab\u0411\u0443\u043b\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u044b\u043c\u0438\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

In every case except the nominative, the name declines like an adjective<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Adjectival names (like those ending in \u00ab\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [ski or<\/em> sky], such as \u00ab\u0414\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0435<\/span>\u0432\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [Dostoevsky]) are easy: they decline just like adjectives for men, women, and plural.<\/p>\n

Now, for the exceptions to these rules. Last names ending in a vowel do not decline, even if they are of Slavic origin. Therefore, \u00ab\u0422\u0438\u043c\u043e\u0448\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u043a\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [Tymoshenko] , \u00ab\u042e<\/span>\u0449\u0435\u043d\u043a\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [Yushchenko], and \u00ab\u0428\u0435\u0432\u0447\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u043a\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [Shevchenko] will not decline. This the kind of exception to a rule that we like, right?<\/p>\n

There is one more exception that needs to be addressed: names ending in a consonant other than \u00ab\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong>, \u00ab\u0435\u0432\u00bb<\/strong>, or \u00ab\u0438\u043d\u00bb<\/strong>. One such example of a name is \u00ab\u042f\u043d\u0443\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u0438\u0447\u00bb<\/strong> [Yanukovych], like \u00ab\u043f\u0440\u0435\u0437\u0438\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0442 \u0423\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [the president of Ukraine]. When talking about him, his name would decline according the rules for \u00ab\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong>, \u00ab\u0435\u0432\u00bb<\/strong>, or \u00ab\u0438\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> names. But when talking about a woman with that last name, such as \u00ab\u0436\u0435\u043d\u0430<\/span> \u042f\u043d\u0443\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u0438\u0447\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [Yanukovych’s wife], the name would not decline.<\/p>\n

Sorry if this post was a tad boring. Grammar isn’t the most fun thing to talk about sometimes, but it is important to learn it. For my next post, I’m thinking of writing about the city of \u00ab\u041b\u044c\u0432\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> [Lvov] (I haven’t been, but a commenter expressed an interest in learning about it) or the history of \u00ab\u041a\u0438<\/span>\u0435\u0432\u00bb<\/strong>, the city I last wrote about.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Whoever said \u00ab\u0420\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u044f\u0437\u044b\u043a–\u0432\u0435\u043b\u0438\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u0438 \u043c\u043e\u0433\u0443\u0447\u0438\u0439\u00bb [the Russian language is great and mighty] wasn’t kidding. Nothing illustrates this more than \u0441\u043a\u043b\u043e\u043d\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435 \u0444\u0430\u043c\u0438\u043b\u0438\u0439 [declension of last names]. There are complicated rules and just when you think you’ve got it, you find out there are a couple of exceptions. Russian last names typically end in \u00ab\u043e\u0432\u00bb [ov]…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":1686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,8],"tags":[7372,13036,507314,1237,1248,1674,1696],"class_list":["post-1671","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-language","tag-declension","tag-declension-of-last-names","tag-grammar","tag-russian-grammar","tag-russian-language","tag-1674","tag-1696"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1671"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6244,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671\/revisions\/6244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}