The genitive arrives, and it does three jobs at once: saying what you do not have, saying how much of something there is, and following the seven prepositions that always take it. Nothing, nobody, never and nowhere come with it, and Russian double negation stops being a mystery.
Say these aloud before you start. They come from earlier lessons.
The genitive answers two questions, Кого? and Чего?, and it does three jobs you will use every day: saying that something is absent, saying how much of something there is, and following seven prepositions. English has no case ending for any of this, but it has the meanings — "of", "’s", "some", "any" — so the idea is not new to you, only the ending is.
You have already been using the genitive for four lessons without being told. The меня in «У меня есть книга» is the genitive of я. The времени in «Сколько времени?» is the genitive of время. The дела in «Как дела?» is the nominative plural of дело, and «нет проблем» in your head right now is a genitive plural too. Today you get to see the machine instead of the chunks.
The one idea worth holding on to is this: the genitive is the case of absence and of an unspecified amount. «Есть книга» is nominative because one definite book is there; «нет книги» is genitive because no book at all is there. That single contrast explains most of what follows, including why много and нет govern the same case.
In the singular, masculine and neuter nouns add -а or -я: вопроса, ответа, места, слова, музея. Feminine nouns in -а add -ы or -и: работы, воды, книги, ошибки. Feminine nouns in -я and third-declension nouns in a soft sign add -и: России, Италии, жизни. Three shapes, and if you know the gender and the ending of the nominative you already know which one applies.
The choice between -ы and -и is not free. After г, к, х, ж, ш, щ or ч Russian spells -и and never -ы, so книга gives книги and ошибка gives ошибки, while работа gives работы and вода gives воды. You met this spelling rule in Lesson 1 with the plural; it is the same rule, and it applies to the genitive too.
The plural is less tidy, and it is honest to say so. Most masculines take -ов, -ев or -ей: вопросов, ответов, музеев, врачей. Most feminines and most neuters take no ending at all: книг, работ, проблем, мест, слов, дел. The third declension takes -ей: жизней, дверей, площадей. Two things go wrong often enough to deserve naming: a fleeting vowel appears where the ending would leave the word unsupported — ошибка becomes ошибок, деньги becomes денег — and the stress may move onto the ending. Lesson 12 gives you the complete map; today, learn the genitive plural of each new noun as part of the noun.
This is the construction the whole lesson exists for, and it is smaller than it looks. «У меня есть время» becomes «У меня нет времени». One word disappears, one word arrives, and the noun changes its ending. Nothing else moves — not the pronoun, not the word order, not the intonation.
The important restriction is that нет in this sense is present tense only. In the past Russian says не было, in the future не будет, and the noun stays in the genitive in both: «У меня не было времени», «У меня не будет времени». English collapses all three into "don’t have / didn’t have / won’t have", which is why learners keep saying *не было время.
нет also stands on its own, with no у меня in front of it, meaning "there is no" or "there are no": «Нет проблем», «Здесь нет метро», «Хлеба нет». And it has a colloquial twin, нету, which does exactly the same job in speech and is avoided in writing — «Денег нету». Recognise нету, produce нет.
Six words carry negation through a whole sentence: никто, ничто, никогда, нигде, никуда, and the forms of the first two. Every one of them has a stressed twin written with не — некого, нечего, некогда, негде, некуда — and the difference is not spelling, it is stress. If the first syllable carries the stress, the prefix is не- and the meaning is "there is nobody / nothing / no time / nowhere to …". If the stress sits further back, the prefix is ни- and the word simply negates.
The ни- words need a partner. Russian negates twice and both halves are compulsory: «Я ничего не знаю», «Она никого не знает», «Он никуда не идёт». Drop the не from the verb and the sentence is wrong, not merely casual. The single exception is a sentence that already contains нет — «У меня ничего нет» needs nothing more, because нет is the negation.
Two details finish the picture. With a preposition the ни splits off and the preposition goes in the middle: ни у кого, ни о чём, ни до чего. And ничего on its own, said with a shrug, means "never mind, it’s nothing" — you will hear it constantly. The stressed не- forms belong to an impersonal construction with a dative subject: «Мне нечего сказать», «Мне некогда».
Seven prepositions govern the genitive: из, с, от, до, у, для, без. Learn them as preposition-plus-noun chunks rather than as a list — из России, с работы, от врача, до вокзала, у меня, для тебя, без денег — and the case ending arrives for free with the chunk. This is the same way you learnt в Москве and на работе, and it works for the same reason. One exception worth knowing now: с has a second life with the instrumental, where it means "with" — с молоком, с братом. That is Lesson 10, and it is a different с with a different meaning.
Two of them, из and с, are the pair that causes almost all the mistakes, and there is exactly one rule. из mirrors в and с mirrors на: whichever preposition you use for "where" decides the one for "where from". в магазин — из магазина, в России — из России; на работу — с работы, на вокзале — с вокзала. There is nothing else to weigh up, and *из работы is simply not Russian.
The remaining five are each one idea. от is departure from a person or from a point — письмо от брата, она пришла от врача. до is a limit in space or time — до вокзала, до утра. для is "for" a person or a purpose — для меня, для детей. без is "without" — без молока, без проблем. And у is the one you already know: at someone’s place, and the possession construction у меня есть. Now you know which case it governs.
| Form | вопро́с (m) | рабо́та (f) | ме́сто (n) | жизнь (f, 3rd declension) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Кто? Что? — Nominative | вопро́с | рабо́та | ме́сто | жизнь |
| Кого? Чего? — Genitive singular | вопро́са | рабо́ты | ме́ста | жи́зни |
| много … — Genitive plural | вопро́сов | рабо́т | мест | жи́зней |
| The ending you add | -а / -я | -ы / -и | -а / -я | -и (sg), -ей (pl) |
This is the whole genitive in four columns. Singular: -а or -я for masculine and neuter, -ы or -и for feminine nouns in -а (write -и after г к х ж ш щ ч, so книги and ошибки but работы), and -и for third-declension nouns in a soft sign. Plural: -ов / -ев / -ей for most masculines, nothing at all for most feminines and neuters, -ей for the third declension. The genitive plural is the least predictable form in the noun system — learn it with the noun. Lesson 12 gives the complete map.
| Form | есть + Nominative — "I have" | нет + Genitive — "I haven’t got" |
|---|---|---|
| кни́га (f) | У меня́ есть кни́га. | У меня́ нет кни́ги. |
| вре́мя (n, -мя) | У меня́ есть вре́мя. | У меня́ нет вре́мени. |
| вода́ (f, uncountable) | У меня́ есть вода́. | У меня́ нет воды́. |
| де́ньги (plural only) | У меня́ есть де́ньги. | У меня́ нет де́нег. |
Only the noun changes. The у меня chunk you have been saying since Lesson 4 stays exactly as it was, and so does the word order. This construction exists in the present tense only: in the past and future Russian replaces нет with не было and не будет and keeps the genitive — У меня не было времени, У меня не будет времени.
| Form | го́род (m) | Росси́я (f) | рабо́та (f) | вокза́л (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Куда? — в / на + Accusative | в го́род | в Росси́ю | на рабо́ту | на вокза́л |
| Где? — в / на + Prepositional | в го́роде | в Росси́и | на рабо́те | на вокза́ле |
| Откуда? — из / с + Genitive | из го́рода | из Росси́и | с рабо́ты | с вокза́ла |
One pairing removes all the guesswork: из mirrors в, and с mirrors на. You went в город and на работу, so you come back из города and с работы. The preposition you chose for "where" decides the preposition for "where from" — there is no other rule to remember, and *из работы is simply not Russian.
| Form | the question word | ни- : "not any …" | не- : "there is no … to …" |
|---|---|---|---|
| who / what | кто / что | никого́ / ничего́ | не́кого / не́чего |
| where (location) | где | нигде́ | не́где |
| where to (direction) | куда́ | никуда́ | не́куда |
| when | когда́ | никогда́ | не́когда |
Listen for the stress, not the spelling — it is the only thing that tells these apart. If the first syllable carries the stress the prefix is не-, and the word belongs to an impersonal construction with a dative subject and an infinitive: Мне нечего сказать, Мне некуда идти, Мне некогда. If the stress sits further back the prefix is ни-, and the word simply negates — but then Russian needs a second не on the verb: Я ничего не знаю. With a preposition the ни splits off and the preposition goes in the middle: ни у кого, ни о чём, ни до чего.
Learn each word with its stress mark and its pronunciation. Nouns are given with their gender, animacy and their full six-case declension; verbs are given with their aspect and, where one exists, their partner verb.
| Russian | English | Gender / aspect | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| мно́го adverb | much, many, a lot | adverb | /ˈmnoɡə/ muh-NOH-guh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: много |
| ма́ло adverb | little, few, not much | adverb | /ˈmalə/ MAH-luh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: мало |
| не́сколько numeral | a few, several | numeral | /ˈnʲeskəlʲkə/ NYEH-skul-kuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: несколько |
| никто́ pronoun | nobody, no one | pronoun | /nʲɪˈkto/ nik-TOH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: никто |
| ничто́ pronoun | nothing | pronoun | /nʲɪˈʂto/ nih-CHTOH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: ничто |
| никогда́ adverb | never | adverb | /nʲɪkɐɡˈda/ nih-kug-DAH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: никогда |
| нигде́ adverb | nowhere, not anywhere | adverb | /nʲɪˈɡdʲe/ nig-DYEH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: нигде |
| никуда́ adverb | nowhere, to nowhere | adverb | /nʲɪkʊˈda/ nih-koo-DAH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: никуда |
| не́ту particle | there isn't, there aren't (colloquial) | particle | /ˈnʲetʊ/ NYEH-too | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: нету |
| из preposition | out of, from (inside) | preposition | /is/ EES | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: из |
| с preposition | off, from (a surface or an event) | preposition | /s/ S | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: с |
| от preposition | away from (a person or a point) | preposition | /ot/ OHT | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: от |
| до preposition | as far as; until | preposition | /do/ DOH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: до |
| у preposition | at, by (someone's place); у + genitive = possession | preposition | /u/ OO | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: у |
| для preposition | for (a person or a purpose) | preposition | /dlʲa/ DLYAH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: для |
| без preposition | without | preposition | /bʲes/ BYES | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: без |
| вре́мя neuter · inanimate | time | neuter · inanimate | /ˈvrʲemʲə/ VRYEH-myuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: время |
| де́ньги inanimate | money | inanimate | /ˈdʲenʲɡʲɪ/ DYEN-gih | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: деньги |
| рабо́та feminine · inanimate | work, job | feminine · inanimate | /rɐˈbotə/ ruh-BOH-tuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: работа |
| ме́сто neuter · inanimate | place; seat, spot | neuter · inanimate | /ˈmʲestə/ MYEH-stuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: место |
| слово́ neuter · inanimate | word | neuter · inanimate | /ˈslovə/ sluh-VOH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: слово |
| де́ло neuter · inanimate | matter, affair, business | neuter · inanimate | /ˈdʲelə/ DYEH-luh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: дело |
| жизнь feminine · inanimate | life | feminine · inanimate | /ʐɨznʲ/ ZHIHZN | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: жизнь |
| пробле́ма feminine · inanimate | problem | feminine · inanimate | /prɐˈblʲemə/ pruh-BLYEH-muh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: проблема |
| оши́бка feminine · inanimate | mistake, error | feminine · inanimate | /ɐˈʂɨpkə/ uh-SHIHP-kuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: ошибка |
| вопро́с masculine · inanimate | question | masculine · inanimate | /vɐˈpros/ vuh-PROHS | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: вопрос |
| отве́т masculine · inanimate | answer, reply | masculine · inanimate | /ɐˈtvʲet/ uh-TVYET | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: ответ |
| ско́лько adverb | how much, how many | adverb | /ˈskolʲkə/ SKOHL-kuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: сколько |
| нет particle | no; there is not | particle | /nʲet/ NYET | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: нет |
| кни́га feminine · inanimate | book | feminine · inanimate | /ˈknʲiɡə/ kuh-NEE-guh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: книга |
| вода́ feminine · inanimate | water | feminine · inanimate | /vɐˈda/ vuh-DAH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: вода |
| врач masculine · animate | doctor | masculine · animate | /vratɕ/ VRAHCH | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: врач |
| Росси́я feminine · inanimate | Russia | feminine · inanimate | /rɐˈsʲijə/ ruh-SEE-yuh | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Россия |
| вокза́л masculine · inanimate | railway station | masculine · inanimate | /vɐɡˈzal/ vug-ZAHL | Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: вокзал |
Each case is listed with the question word that selects it. Find the question you are answering and the ending follows.
| Form | вре́мя (n) | де́ньги | рабо́та (f) | ме́сто (n) | слово́ (n) | де́ло (n) | жизнь (f) | пробле́ма (f) | оши́бка (f) | вопро́с (m) | отве́т (m) | кни́га (f) | вода́ (f) | врач (m) | Росси́я (f) | вокза́л (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom · Кто? Что? | вре́мя | — | рабо́та | ме́сто | сло́во | де́ло | жизнь | пробле́ма | оши́бка | вопро́с | отве́т | книга | вода | врач | Росси́я | вокзал |
| gen · Кого? Чего? | вре́мени | — | рабо́ты | ме́ста | сло́ва | де́ла | жи́зни | пробле́мы | оши́бки | вопро́са | отве́та | книги | воды | врача | Росси́и | вокзала |
| dat · Кому? Чему? | вре́мени | — | рабо́те | ме́сту | сло́ву | де́лу | жи́зни | пробле́ме | оши́бке | вопро́су | отве́ту | книге | воде | врачу | Росси́и | вокзалу |
| acc · Кого? Что? | вре́мя | — | рабо́ту | ме́сто | сло́во | де́ло | жизнь | пробле́му | оши́бку | вопро́с | отве́т | книгу | воду | врача | Росси́ю | вокзал |
| instr · Кем? Чем? | вре́менем | — | рабо́той | ме́стом | сло́вом | де́лом | жи́знью | пробле́мой | оши́бкой | вопро́сом | отве́том | книгой | водой | врачом | Росси́ей | вокзалом |
| prep · О ком? О чём? | вре́мени | — | рабо́те | ме́сте | сло́ве | де́ле | жи́зни | пробле́ме | оши́бке | вопро́се | отве́те | книге | воде | враче | Росси́и | вокзале |
| Form | вре́мя (n) | де́ньги | рабо́та (f) | ме́сто (n) | слово́ (n) | де́ло (n) | жизнь (f) | пробле́ма (f) | оши́бка (f) | вопро́с (m) | отве́т (m) | кни́га (f) | вода́ (f) | врач (m) | Росси́я (f) | вокза́л (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom · Кто? Что? | времена́ | де́ньги | рабо́ты | места́ | слова́ | дела́ | жи́зни | пробле́мы | оши́бки | вопро́сы | отве́ты | книги | во́ды | врачи́ | — | вокзалы |
| gen · Кого? Чего? | времён | де́нег | рабо́т | мест | слов | дел | жи́зней | пробле́м | оши́бок | вопро́сов | отве́тов | книг | вод | враче́й | — | вокзалов |
| dat · Кому? Чему? | времена́м | де́ньгам | рабо́там | места́м | слова́м | дела́м | жи́зням | пробле́мам | оши́бкам | вопро́сам | отве́там | книгам | во́дам | врача́м | — | вокзалам |
| acc · Кого? Что? | времена́ | де́ньги | рабо́ты | места́ | слова́ | дела́ | жи́зни | пробле́мы | оши́бки | вопро́сы | отве́ты | книги | во́ды | враче́й | — | вокзалы |
| instr · Кем? Чем? | времена́ми | де́ньгами | рабо́тами | места́ми | слова́ми | дела́ми | жи́знями | пробле́мами | оши́бками | вопро́сами | отве́тами | книгами | во́дами | врача́ми | — | вокзалами |
| prep · О ком? О чём? | времена́х | де́ньгах | рабо́тах | места́х | слова́х | дела́х | жи́знях | пробле́мах | оши́бках | вопро́сах | отве́тах | книгах | во́дах | врача́х | — | вокзалах |
A dash means the form does not exist. Plural-only nouns such as де́ньги and су́тки have no singular, and indeclinable nouns such as ко́фе and метро́ keep one form in all six cases.
У меня́ нет вре́мени.
I haven’t got any time.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈna nʲet ˈvrʲemʲɪnʲɪ/
Say it oo mih-NYAH NYET VRYEH-mih-nih.
The sentence of the lesson. есть takes the nominative, нет takes the genitive, and the у меня chunk does not move at all. время is an -мя noun, hence времени.
У меня́ нет де́нег.
I haven’t got any money.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈna nʲet ˈdʲenʲɪk/
Say it oo mih-NYAH NYET DYEH-nikh.
деньги has no singular, so the genitive plural денег is the only form there is. The fleeting о appears because the ending is zero.
У нас мно́го рабо́ты.
We’ve got a lot of work.
IPA /ʊ nas ˈmnoɡə rɐˈbotɨ/
Say it oo NAHS muh-NOH-guh ruh-BOH-tih.
много governs the genitive. With an uncountable noun like работа that genitive is singular: работы, not работ.
У меня́ ма́ло вре́мени.
I haven’t got much time.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈna ˈmalə ˈvrʲemʲɪnʲɪ/
Say it oo mih-NYAH MAH-luh VRYEH-mih-nih.
мало behaves exactly like много — same case, same word order.
Ско́лько у тебя́ де́нег?
How much money have you got?
IPA /ˈskolʲkə ʊ tʲɪˈbʲa ˈdʲenʲɪk/
Say it SKOHL-kuh oo tih-BYAH DYEH-nikh?
сколько governs the genitive just like много. Read literally the order is "how much at you of money?" — Russian has no verb "to have" to put anywhere.
У меня́ мно́го книг.
I’ve got a lot of books.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈna ˈmnoɡə ˈknʲik/
Say it oo mih-NYAH muh-NOH-guh kuh-NEEKH.
With a countable noun много takes the genitive plural, and the genitive plural of книга drops its ending entirely: книг.
У меня́ не́сколько вопро́сов.
I have a few questions.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈna ˈnʲeskəlʲkə vɐˈprosof/
Say it oo mih-NYAH NYEH-skul-kuh vuh-PROH-suf.
несколько + genitive plural. The final в of вопросов devoices to [f] before the pause.
Я ничего́ не понима́ю.
I don’t understand anything.
IPA /ja nʲɪtɕɪˈvo nʲe pənʲɪˈmaju/
Say it YAH nih-chih-VOH NYEH puh-nih-MAH-yoo.
Russian negates twice and neither half is optional: ничего and the не on the verb. The г of ничего is pronounced [в].
У меня́ ничего́ нет.
I haven’t got anything.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈna nʲɪtɕɪˈvo nʲet/
Say it oo mih-NYAH nih-chih-VOH NYET.
With нет there is no second не — нет already carries the negation. This is the one place where double negation does not apply.
Я никого́ здесь не зна́ю.
I don’t know anyone here.
IPA /ja nʲɪkɐˈvo zdʲesʲ nʲe ˈznaju/
Say it YAH nih-kuh-VOH ZDYES NYEH ZNAH-yoo.
никого is the genitive of кто with the negative prefix. Double negation again, and the negative pronoun sits in front of the verb.
Я никогда́ не был в Москве́.
I have never been to Moscow.
IPA /ja nʲɪkɐɡˈda nʲe bɨl f mɐˈskvʲe/
Say it YAH nih-kug-DAH NYEH BIHL v muh-SKVYEH.
A woman says никогда не была. Russian has no perfect tense, so "have never been" is simply the past plus никогда. в Москве is the prepositional case of Lesson 5.
Он никуда́ не идёт.
He isn’t going anywhere.
IPA /on nʲɪkʊˈda nʲe ɪˈdʲot/
Say it OHN nih-koo-DAH NYEH ih-DYOHT.
никуда is the direction form, the negative twin of куда; нигде is the location form. идёт needs no stress mark because ё is always stressed.
Я нигде́ не рабо́таю.
I don’t work anywhere.
IPA /ja nʲɪˈɡdʲe nʲe rɐˈbotəju/
Say it YAH nig-DYEH NYEH ruh-BOH-tuh-yoo.
Я из Росси́и.
I’m from Russia.
IPA /ja ɪz rɐˈsʲijɪ/
Say it YAH iz ruh-SEE-ih.
из + genitive for "out of" a country, a town or a building — the mirror of в. Here the з stays voiced because России begins with a consonant.
Она́ из Ита́лии.
She’s from Italy.
IPA /ɐˈna ɪz ɪˈtalʲɪjɪ/
Say it uh-NAH iz ih-TAH-lih-ih.
Feminine nouns in -ия keep their -и- and add -и in the genitive: Италия — Италии. The same shape as Россия — России.
Мы идём из магази́на.
We’re coming from the shop.
IPA /mɨ ɪˈdʲom ɪz məɡɐˈzʲinə/
Say it MIH ih-DYOHM iz muh-guh-ZEE-nuh.
You go в магазин, so you come back из магазина. из always mirrors в; с always mirrors на.
Он идёт с рабо́ты.
He’s on his way home from work.
IPA /on ɪˈdʲot s rɐˈbotɨ/
Say it OHN ih-DYOHT s ruh-BOH-tih.
на работу — с работы. Because "at work" is на работе, "from work" is с работы, never *из работы.
Она́ пришла́ от врача́.
She’s come back from the doctor’s.
IPA /ɐˈna prʲɪʂˈla ɐt vrɐˈtɕa/
Say it uh-NAH prih-SHLAH ut vruh-CHAH.
от is departure from a person or from a point, not from inside a building — that is из. A man says пришёл, a woman пришла.
Письмо́ от бра́та.
A letter from my brother.
IPA /pʲɪsʲˈmo ɐt ˈbratə/
Say it pih-SMOH ud BRAH-tuh.
A noun phrase with no verb at all: the genitive after от says everything.
До вокза́ла далеко́.
The station is a long way off.
IPA /də vɐɡˈzalə dɐlʲɪˈko/
Say it duh vug-ZAH-luh duh-lih-KOH.
до + genitive is "as far as" in space and "until" in time: до утра, до вечера. The preposition is unstressed and reduces to [də].
Э́то для тебя́.
This is for you.
IPA /ˈɛtə dlʲa tʲɪˈbʲa/
Say it EH-tuh dlyuh tih-BYAH.
для + genitive is the ordinary "for" a person or a purpose. Informal ты form; the polite version is для вас.
Ко́фе без молока́, пожа́луйста.
Coffee without milk, please.
IPA /ˈkofʲe bʲez mɐlɐˈka pɐˈʐalujstə/
Say it KOH-fyuh biz muh-luh-KAH, puh-ZHAH-luy-stuh.
без + genitive, and молоко́ gives молока́ with the stress on the ending. Before the voiced м the з of без stays [з].
У него́ нет сестры́.
He hasn’t got a sister.
IPA /ʊ nʲɪˈvo nʲet sʲɪˈstrɨ/
Say it oo nih-VOH NYET sih-STRIH.
After a preposition the third-person pronouns gain an initial н: у него, у неё, у них. The genitive of сестра́ is сестры́, with the stress on the ending.
Нет пробле́м!
No problem!
IPA /nʲet prɐˈblʲem/
Say it NYET pruh-BLYEM!
The genitive plural of проблема is проблем, with no ending. This is the standard "no problem", and it is a genitive standing on its own with no noun to agree with.
У меня́ нет воды́.
I haven’t got any water.
IPA /ʊ mʲɪˈna nʲet vɐˈdɨ/
Say it oo mih-NYAH NYET vuh-DIH.
вода́ in the nominative but воды́ in the genitive: a feminine -а noun takes -ы, and the stress stays on the ending in both.
Де́нег не́ту.
There’s no money.
IPA /ˈdʲenʲɪk ˈnʲetʊ/
Say it DYEH-nikh NYEH-too.
нету is the colloquial twin of нет in exactly this use — the noun first, the negation last. It is very common in speech and avoided in writing; нет is always safe.
Tom runs into Anna in the street. They are friends, so they use ты.
Привет, Анна! Ты идёшь с работы?
Hi Anna! Are you on your way home from work?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Привет, Анна! Ты идёшь с работы?Привет! Да, я иду с работы.
Hi! Yes, I’m coming from work.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Привет! Да, я иду с работы.У тебя есть время? Я иду в кафе.
Have you got time? I’m going to a café.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: У тебя есть время? Я иду в кафе.Нет, у меня мало времени. У меня много работы.
No, I’ve got very little time. I’ve got a lot of work.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Нет, у меня мало времени. У меня много работы.Сколько у тебя работы?
How much work have you got?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Сколько у тебя работы?Много. И у меня нет денег.
A lot. And I’ve got no money.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Много. И у меня нет денег.Ничего! Завтра у меня нет работы.
Never mind! Tomorrow I’ve got no work.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Ничего! Завтра у меня нет работы.Завтра хорошо! Спасибо.
Tomorrow is good! Thank you.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Завтра хорошо! Спасибо.Ivan and Marina have only just met at the office, so they use вы.
Здравствуйте! Вы из России?
Hello! Are you from Russia?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Здравствуйте! Вы из России?Нет, я из Италии. А вы?
No, I’m from Italy. And you?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Нет, я из Италии. А вы?Я из Москвы. Вы работаете здесь?
I’m from Moscow. Do you work here?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я из Москвы. Вы работаете здесь?Да, я работаю здесь. А вы?
Yes, I work here. And you?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Да, я работаю здесь. А вы?Я тоже. У вас много работы?
So do I. Have you got a lot of work?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я тоже. У вас много работы?Да, много. Но у меня мало времени.
Yes, a lot. But I’ve got very little time.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Да, много. Но у меня мало времени.У вас есть вопросы?
Have you got any questions?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: У вас есть вопросы?Да, у меня несколько вопросов. Спасибо!
Yes, I have a few questions. Thank you!
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Да, у меня несколько вопросов. Спасибо!Tom and Anna are at home on a Sunday morning, looking in the fridge.
Анна, у нас есть хлеб?
Anna, have we got any bread?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Анна, у нас есть хлеб?Нет, у нас нет хлеба.
No, we haven’t got any bread.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Нет, у нас нет хлеба.А молоко?
And milk?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: А молоко?Молока тоже нет. И воды нет.
No milk either. And no water.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Молока тоже нет. И воды нет.У нас нет денег?
Have we got no money?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: У нас нет денег?Есть, но мало.
We have some, but not much.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Есть, но мало.Я иду в магазин. Что ты хочешь?
I’m going to the shop. What do you want?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я иду в магазин. Что ты хочешь?Хлеб, молоко и воду. Спасибо!
Bread, milk and water. Thanks!
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Хлеб, молоко и воду. Спасибо!Answer actively — try to recall the Russian before you look at any hint.
Choose the correct form of книга.
Choose the correct form of работа.
Choose the ending.
Choose the ending.
Choose the correct sentence.
Fill the gap with the genitive of время.
Fill the gap with the Russian for "nothing".
Fill the gap with the right preposition.
Translate into Russian.
Translate into Russian.
Translate into English.
Answer true or false.
Pair the prepositions.
Recall the English meaning, then rate how well you knew it.
Choose the correctly stressed form.
Play the audio and pick the match.
Choose the correct form of магазин.
Choose the correct form of брат.
Choose the correct form of вокзал.
Choose the correct form of молоко.
Choose the ending.
Choose the ending.
Choose the rule.
Translate into Russian.
Translate into Russian.
Translate into Russian.
Translate into English.
Keep the meaning of the chunk, change the construction.
Rewrite it to mean "I didn’t have time."
Put the words in order.
Choose the correct form of я.
Choose the correctly stressed form.
Play the audio and type what you hear.
Translate into Russian.
Say each sentence aloud three times: slowly, at normal speed, then from memory. Then swap one noun for another you know and put it into the genitive — that swap is the drill that makes the ending automatic. Say the ending loudly; the whole lesson lives in the last two sounds of the noun.
Before you move on, make sure you can do all of this without looking:
Go deeper: The genitive case · The genitive plural · Negative pronouns and adverbs · Negation · Prepositions and the cases they take · Case questions: кто, чего, кому
