Possession, relationships, and part-whole reference
A genitive noun can specify whose entity, which entity, what kind, or how much of a substance.
- The head noun takes the case required by the wider sentence; the dependent genitive keeps its own relation. Я ви́жу кни́гу студе́нта: кни́гу is accusative, студе́нта is genitive.
- Order is not ownership alone: Russian noun + genitive covers many 'of' relations. Ask what reference relation the second noun contributes.
| Relation | Russian phrase | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| possession | кни́га студе́нта | the student's book |
| family/social relation | брат А́нны | Anna's brother |
| part-whole | центр го́рода | the city centre |
| content / measure | стака́н воды́ | a glass of water |
| attribute/reference | уро́к ру́сского языка́ | a Russian-language lesson |
Mini-check
1. Build: the centre of the city. 2. Identify both cases: Я чита́ю кни́гу бра́та.
Apply this next
- Retrieve the rule without looking, then continue to the next lesson.