Recognising feminine nouns
The main feminine signals are -а, -я, and feminine -ь.
- The soft sign does not itself mean 'feminine'. Compare masculine слова́рь and feminine тетра́дь. Learn a soft-sign noun with an agreement word: мой слова́рь, моя́ тетра́дь.
| Pattern | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| -а | кни́га, шко́ла, А́нна | highly productive feminine pattern |
| -я | неде́ля, зе́мля, Мари́я | soft or /j/-related stem |
| feminine -ь | ночь, дверь, тетра́дь | third-declension pattern |
Mini-check
1. Choose моя́ or мой: ___ дверь; ___ учи́тель. 2. Why must тетра́дь be learned with gender?
Apply this next
- Retrieve the rule without looking, then continue to the next lesson.