The Noun: Declensions

stasya | 25.01.2011 | 0

From the previous article you have found out more about cases and their main points, so the next question you would probably ask is:

How to change the nouns according to the cases?

Well, for this purpose there are four declensions. Declensions are actually groups of nouns gathered due to their specific endings and genders. The first and the second declension also are divided into three different groups: hard, soft and mixed.

It looks like this:

  1. I declension

    • hard group

    • soft group

    • mixed group

  2. II declension

    • hard group

    • soft group

    • mixed group

  3. III declension

  4. IV declension

I declension (Перша відміна)

Read more about the first declension here.

II declension (Друга відміна)

Read more about the second declension here.

III declension (Третя відміна)

Read more about the third declension here.

IV declension (Четверта відміна)

Example:

  1. -ат-, -ят- suffixes

    теля — теляти

    ягня — ягняти

    порося — поросяти

    курча — курчати

    Such neuter nouns with -а(-я) endings mostly mean little animals or names of undersized things.

  2. -ен suffix

    ім'я (a name) — імені

    плем'я (a tribe) — племені

    сім'я (seed) — сімені (there is also a word “сім'я” which means “a family”; they may be written the same way, but they have different stresses: “сім'я” (a family) and “сім'я” (seed))

    вим'я (udder) — вимені

    тім'я (a krone) — тімені

    These are all neuter nouns with “-ен” suffix. As you can see their special feature is an apostrophe before “-я” ending.

Read more about the fourth declension here.

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