Place names and abbreviations
Proper nouns may be regularly declined, indeclinable, or governed by a naming convention; abbreviations reveal gender through their head word or lexicalisation.
- For indeclinable geographical names, agreement gender commonly follows the generic category: Тбили́си is masculine as a city; Миссиси́пи is feminine as a river in the relevant use.
- Editorial safety: Complex place-name agreement and official administrative names require a specialised reference; avoid inventing a decline-or-not rule from the final letter alone.
| Item | Behaviour | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Москва́ | regular feminine | из Москвы́; в Москве́ |
| Санкт-Петербу́рг | regular masculine | из Санкт-Петербу́рга |
| Со́чи / Тбили́си | indeclinable | в Со́чи; из Тбили́си |
| МГУ | indeclinable, masculine head универси́тет | ста́рый МГУ; в МГУ |
| ООН | indeclinable, feminine head организа́ция | ООН сообщи́ла |
| вуз | lexicalised and declined | в но́вом ву́зе |
| СМИ | plural abbreviation | росси́йские СМИ |
Mini-check
1. Form: from Moscow; in Sochi. 2. Why is ООН feminine?
Apply this next
- Retrieve the rule without looking, then continue to the next lesson.