Town, Region and Country
Village, city, country - and at last an explanation for those endings you have been memorising: what actually happens to a Russian word when you say you are IN the place.
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Those endings finally explained 🏙️
You have already met Russian phrases where the word changed shape and you were told to learn the whole thing: **на поезде**, by train. The ending was there; the reason was not. **Here is the reason.** When a Russian word says where something is, its **ending changes**. English puts a small word in front and leaves the noun alone; Russian alters the noun itself. This module teaches that on **six words**, and no further, so you finish with something you can actually use.
Where you live 🗂️
Five words to learn, plus **парк (park)**, which Russian borrowed and you can already read:
Match each word to its meaning
- город (gorod)
- деревня (derevnya)
- страна (strana)
- улица (ulitsa)
- city or town
- village
- country
- street
Saying you are IN it 📍
For every word in this module, saying you are **in** the place means putting **-е** on the end. город becomes **в городе** - in the city. деревня becomes **в деревне** - in the village. страна becomes **в стране** - in the country. магазин becomes **в магазине** - in the shop. **The little word in front is usually в.** But **streets take на**: **на улице**, in the street. That is not a rule you can work out - it is simply how Russian says it, so learn it with the word. **And the honest limit**: this is one ending on six words. Russian nouns change in several other ways, for other jobs, and none of those is taught here. What you have is enough to say where you are, and enough to see why на поезде looked the way it did.
How do you say "in the city"? ❓
город (gorod) is city. Which of these means "in the city"?
- в городе (v gorode)
- в город (v gorod)
- на городе (na gorode)
- городе (gorode) on its own
The rule 📝
To say where something is, Russian changes the _____ of the word. For every word in this module you add _____: город becomes _____, and деревня becomes _____. The little word in front is usually в, but streets take _____ instead.
Which word has changed? ✍️
An interactive activity.
Order them by size 🪜
An interactive activity.
Which are correct? ✅
Select the TWO that are correctly formed.
- в магазине, for "in the shop"
- на улице, for "in the street"
- в улице, for "in the street"
- в страна, for "in the country"
Use it 🧭
An interactive activity.
Naming it, or being in it ↔️
The same word, doing two different jobs. English changes nothing; Russian changes the end.
The summary 🖊️
A city is _____ and a village is _____. A country is _____ and a street is _____. And to say you are in one of them, put в in front and add _____ to the end of the word - except for streets, which take на.
Your turn ✍️
An interactive activity.