Neuter endings and -мя nouns
Regular neuters take -а/-я; -мя nouns expand the stem with -мен-.
- The ending in нет вре́мени is not the ordinary neuter -а/-я pattern. Treat -мя nouns as a small irregular family whose stem reappears in dative, instrumental, and prepositional forms.
- High-frequency pair: Learn нет вре́мени and значе́ние и́мени as complete phrases; both are common and expose the -мен- stem.
| Nominative | Genitive | Build |
|---|---|---|
| окно́ | окна́ | -о → -а |
| сло́во | сло́ва | -о → -а |
| мо́ре | мо́ря | -е → -я |
| по́ле | по́ля | -е → -я |
| зда́ние | зда́ния | -ие → -ия |
| вре́мя | вре́мени | stem вре́мен- + -и |
| и́мя | и́мени | stem и́мен- + -и |
Mini-check
1. Form: нет + окно́; без + вре́мя. 2. What stem appears in the genitive of и́мя?
Apply this next
- Retrieve the rule without looking, then continue to the next lesson.