Learn Hardcore Russian: У меня семь друзей.

In Russian, possession is commonly expressed using "У меня," which literally translates as "at me." This construction indicates that something belongs to the speaker. Unlike English, where the verb "to have" is used directly, Russian omits an equivalent verb in the present tense and instead uses a prepositional phrase with a pronoun in the genitive case to show ownership.

Why is the noun for "friends" rendered as "друзей" rather than the nominative plural "друзья"?

The numeral "семь" (seven) requires that the noun it describes appears in the genitive plural form. In Russian, when counting objects with numbers five and above, the noun takes the genitive plural. Therefore, "друзей" is the correct form to use after "семь" instead of the nominative plural "друзья."

What role does the numeral "семь" play in this sentence, and how does it affect the form of the noun that follows?

"Семь" is the numeral indicating the quantity of friends. According to Russian grammatical rules, numerals above four compel the following noun to take the genitive plural form. This is why the noun "friend" appears as "друзей" in this sentence.

Is it acceptable to include the verb "есть" in this sentence, such as in "У меня есть семь друзей"?

Yes, including "есть" is acceptable: "У меня есть семь друзей" is a valid sentence. However, in everyday Russian, the verb "есть" is often omitted when the context already makes possession clear. The shorter version, "У меня семь друзей," is perfectly natural and commonly used.