Welcome to the course!
This grammar explanation will be quite thorough, which is essential for understanding the Rusin language, especially if you do not speak any Slavic language, as you might not easily grasp the logic behind certain grammatical structures otherwise.
However, if you are already familiar with a Slavic language and understand how to use the verb "to be," determine noun gender, and other fundamental concepts explained here, feel free to skip ahead.
Conjugation of 'быти' (To Be)
The verb "to be" (быти) is essential for talking about existence or identity. Its present tense forms are used to say "I am," "you are," "he is," etc., or to indicate where something is located.
Singular:
- Я єм / йим (I am)
- Ти єс / єси / єш (You are, singular informal)
- Вон / Она / Оно єст / єсть / є (He/She/It is)
Plural:
- Мы сме / сьме / єсме (We are)
- Вы сте (You are, plural or singular formal)
- Они / Они сут (They are)
Examples: Я єм штудент (I am a student). Моя сестра єсть добра (My sister is good). Мы сме добры приятелї (We are good friends). Они сут ту (They are here).
How to Determine the Gender of a Word
Rusin nouns belong to one of three genders: Masculine, Feminine, or Neuter. Knowing the gender is crucial because it affects the endings of adjectives and other words used with the noun. Generally, the gender is evident from the noun's ending in its basic form (nominative singular):
- Masculine: Most nouns ending in a consonant are masculine (e.g., дом - house, стіл - table, учитель - teacher).
- Feminine: Most nouns ending in -а or -я are feminine (e.g., жена - woman, книга - book, земля - earth/land).
- Neuter: Most nouns ending in -о or -е are neuter (e.g., село - village, море - sea).
- Keep in mind: There are some exceptions to these rules, but they apply to the majority of words.
The Nominative Case: The Subject and Naming
The Nominative case is the basic form of a noun or adjective, primarily used for the subject of a sentence (who or what performs the action) or simply to name things. This is the form you will find words in dictionaries.
Nouns: Singular forms follow the gender rules described above. Plural forms vary based on gender.
- Masculine Examples: Sg: дом. Pl: домы.
- Feminine Examples: Sg: жена. Pl: жены.
- Neuter Examples: Sg: село. Pl: села.
Adjectives: Agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Adjectives have different endings for hard and soft stems.
- Hard Stem Examples: Singular: добрый (m), добра (f), добре (n). Plural: добры (all genders).
- Soft Stem Examples: Singular: синьый (m), синя (f), синє (n). Plural: сині (all genders).
Examples: Добрый дом є старый (A good house is old). Синє море є великоє (The blue sea is big). Красны жены говорят (Beautiful women are speaking).
Demonstrative Pronouns (Nominative) and Why Use Them
Demonstrative pronouns help us specify particular nouns, similar to using "this" or "that" in English. In the Nominative case, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to. Using them helps to clarify exactly which item you mean from a group.
- Singular: сей (m), ся (f), се (n) - (this) / тот (m), та (f), то (n) - (that)
- Plural: си (all genders) - (these) / ти (all genders) - (those)
- Examples: Сей дом є великый (This house is big). Та книга є моя (That book is mine). Се є наше село (This is our village). Ти люде сут веселы (These people are cheerful).