PEACE

Usage

Pronouns are words that are used as substitutes for nouns. They do not name objects, their characteristics or quantity but only refer to them. There are nine types of pronouns in Russian.

Let's take a look at the Russian personal pronouns.

• я (I)
• мы (we)
• ты (you - singular; thou*)
• вы (you - plural)
• он (he)
• онб (she)
• ону (it)
• они (they).

*In Russian, as in many other languages, ты (thou) is used generally among people very familiar with each other, or by superiors to inferiors.

The Person

As you may know, the first person grammar term refers to someone who is the author of the narration. Therefore я, мы are the first person pronouns; they refer to the speaker.

Я стал медленно взбираться на холм.
I started to climb the hill slowly.
(я refers to someone who is actually saying this sentence)

In addition, the pronoun мы refers to people who perform an action along with the speaker.

Мы все йли яблоки: и я, и Миша, и Толя, и Дима.
We were all eating apples: I and Misha and Tolya and Dima.
(мы refers to all people who were performing an action)

The second person describes someone who was addressed by the utterance. In other words, it is the person you are talking to. Therefore ты, вы are the second person pronouns; they refer to one ore more interlocutors.

Лйна, ты тбк хорошу поёшь.
Lena, you sing so well.
(ты substitutes for Lena, the person being addressed)

Когдб ты пойдёшь в густи к дрэгу.
When will you visit a friend?
(вы substitutes for the person addressed)

The third person pronouns он, она, оно, они refer to the person or thing being talked about.

Он заинтересовблся игруй.
He became interested in the game.

Онб былб единственным ребёнком в семьй.
She was the only child in the family

Они встбли и поздорувались.
They stood up and greeted.

Declension

All personal pronouns change by cases.

Я, ты, мы, вы

Он, она, оно, они

The personal pronouns do not change by number, they belong to either singular or plural number. я, ты, он, она, оно are always singular. мы, вы, они are always plural.

All personal pronouns are used in all six cases.

The nominative:
Мать спрашивает: «Кто это?»
Сын отвечает: «Это я, ты, он, она (singular), мы, вы, они (plural)»

The Genitive:
Мать спрашивает: «У кого есть книга?»
Ребёнок отвечает: «У меня, у тебя, у него, у неё есть книга (singular), у нас, у вас, у них есть книга (plural)»

The Dative:
Кому мать даёт книгу?
Мне, тебе, ему, ей (singular), нам, вам, им (plural) даёт мать книгу.

The Accusative:
Кого спрашивает мать?
Меня, тебя, его, её (singular), нас, вас, их (plural) спрашивает мать.

The Insturmental:
Кем довольна мать?
Мной, тобой, им, ей, ею (singular), нами, вами, ими (plural) довольна мать.

The Prepositional:
О ком думает мать?
Обо мне, о тебе, о нём, о неё (singular), о нас, о вас, о них (plural) думает мать.