Genitive case

The genitive case seems to be one of the most difficult ones because it expresses more than three meanings. Let’s take a look. Is genitive really so awful?

1. Genitive usually expresses possession:

магазин профессора [magazean professora]— professor’s shop;

книга друга [kniga drooga] — friend’s book

платье сестры [plat'je sestry] — sister's dress

чашка мамы [chashka mamy] — mother's cup

2. Genitive expresses absence of something or somebody. So you can identify genitive by words «нет» or «без» which often stay before word (or word combination in genitive).

У меня нет телефона [oo myenia net telefona] — I don't have a telephone

У тебя нет подруги [oo tebia net podroogi] — You don't have a femail friend

У нее нет времени [oo neyo net vriemenea] —She has no time

У них нет денег [oo neakh net deneg ] — They have no money

Я не могу жить без машины, хорошей книги и без доброго совета [Ya ne magoo zheat' bez masheany, kharoshej kneagea i dobrova soveta] — I can not live without a car, without a good book and kind advice

3. With verbs of motion genitive expresses direction «Where from?», «From which direction?».

— Откуда ты? [atkuda ty?] — Where you from?

— Я из Германии, из Берлина [Ya eaz Germaneai, eaz Berleana] — I am from German, from Berlin

— Откуда ты так поздно? [Atkuda ty tak pozdna?] — From where you are so late?

— От подруги, Марии. Я была у нее в гостях и не заметила как прошло время [ot podroogi, Mareayi. Ya byla oo neyo: v gostiakh i ne zametila kak proshlo vryemia] — I was on hir place (as a guest) and did not mention how the time went