ложка [-šk-], gp ложек [-ž'k]
кухня, gp кухонь
овца, gp овец
сестра, gp сестёр
but, for instance, звезда, gp звёзд; битва, gp витв, because [d] and [v] are not among the consonants before which a vowel is inserted.
§10. DECLENSION OF NOUNS
First Declension. Nouns of the First Declension have the following endings. Our example shows the stem [yam-] "pit."
| Sn | [-a] | яма |
| a | [-u] | яму |
| g | [-i] | ямы |
| d | [-je] | яме |
| i | [-oy] | ямой |
| l | [-je] | яме |
| Pn | [-i] | ямы |
| g | [-] | ям |
| d | [-am] | ямам |
| i | [-amji] | ямами |
| l | [-ax] | ямах |
The is has also a longer form in [-oyu]: ямою, рукою or рукой.
Most nouns of this declension are F. A few, denoting persons, are M: судья "judge." All those that denote only male persons are M: дядя "uncle." A few that denote persons are M or F, according to the sex: сирота "orphan": этот сирота "this (male) orphan," эта сирота "this (female) orphan." Adjectives that modify a M noun of this declension in as form have the gs form (as though the noun belonged to declension 2): ns мой дядя "my uncle," gs моего дяди, as он встретил моего дядю "he met my uncle."
Special Features of Spelling. On stems that end in [iy] the ds and ls ending is written -и: армия, stem [armjiy-], dls армии. When the inserted vowel in the gp comes before й and is unstressed, it is written и: гостья "female guest," stem [gostjy-], gp гостий.
Irregularities. Some nouns of this declension which stress the endings in the S forms, nevertheless shift the stress to the stem in the as form; in the dictionary we indicate this by giving the as: голова a голову: this means that the gs is головы, dls голове, is головой.
Quite a few nouns of this declension have irregularities of stress in the np or the gp or both; in all such cases we give the np, gp, and dp; the ip and lp go like the dp: голова, a голову, P головы, голов, головам.
Irregular forms occur especially in the gp; the dictionary cites them: война, gp войн (no vowel insertion); басня, gp -сен (hard [n] instead of soft [nj] at the end of the gp form).
Second Declension. Nouns of the Second Declension have the following endings. As an example we take the stem [fakt-] "fact."
| Sn | [-] | факт |
| g | [-a] | факта |
| d | [u] | факту |
| i | [-om] | фактом |
| l | [-je] | факте |
| Pn | [-i] | факты |
| g | [-of] | фактов |
| d | [-am] | фактам |
| i | [-amji] | фактами |
| l | [-ax] | фактах |
The as of inanimates is like the ns; the as of animates is like the gs: я знаю этот факт "I know this fact," but, with человек "person, man," я знаю этого человека "I know this person, this man."
All nouns in this declension are M.
Special Features. On stems that end in [iy] the ls ending is written with -и: гений "genius," ls гении.
Stems ending in a soft consonant other than й, and stems ending in ж, ш have the ending [-ey] in the gp: руль, gp рулей; автомобиль, gp автомобилей; нож, gp ножей; карандаш, gp карандашей; but музей, gp музеев; край, gp краёв.
Irregular Forms. Some nouns fail to insert a vowel in the ns form: блеск, рубль. Some insert a vowel other than the usual one: сон, gs сна, np сны, and so on. This appears sufficiently in the ns form given in the dictionary.
Most nouns that denote divisible substances have a second gs form with the ending [-u], used when a part or quantity of the substance is involved: чай "tea," gs чая (as, цвет чая "the color of tea"), but стакан чаю "a glass of tea," дайте мне чаю "give me some tea." Some other nouns have this second gs form in special phrases: берег "shore, bank," gs берега, but с берегу "down from the bank." This is indicated in the dictionary thus: чай /g -ю/.
Some nouns have a second ls form with the ending [-u], always stressed. This form is used after one or both of the prepositions в and на, either always or optionally or in special phrases: лес "wood, forest," ls лесе (о лесе "about the woods"), but в лесу "in the woods." This is indicated by the phrase between slanted lines: лес, P -а, -ов /в лесу/.
Some nouns have the np ending [-а] and stress the P endings; for these we give the np and gp: город, P -а, -ов; адрес (P -а, -ов), optionally regular.
Third Declension. Nouns of the Third Declension have the following endings; all except ns, np, and gp are the same as in the Second Declension. As an example we take the stem [bljud-] "dish."
| Sn | [-o] | блюдо |
| g | [-a] | блюда |
| d | [u] | блюду |
| i | [-om] | блюдом |
| l | [-je] | блюде |
| Pn | [-a] | блюда |
| g | [-] | блюд |
| d | [-am] | блюдам |
| i | [-amji] | блюдами |
| l | [-ax] | блюдах |
Note that the ns ending when unstressed sounds like the gs and np: [bljuda]; the difference appears under stress: окно "window," gs окна. Similarly after soft consonants: ns поле "field" [polja] sounds just like gs поля, but ns ружьё [ružyo] "gun" differs from gsружья [-žya]. After soft consonants and ж, ц, ш, the ns ending [-o], being written е, looks like the ls, though the two differ in sound: ns поле, сердце
