Tools That Only Exist in the Plural
Many tools and implements in Russian are "pluralia tantum"—nouns that only exist in the plural form (like "scissors" or "pliers" in English). Even when referring to a single tool, they take plural endings in all cases.
| vise | тиски |
| pliers | плоскогубцы |
The Prepositional Case
Plural-only nouns take standard plural Prepositional endings (-ах or -ях).
| The part is lying on the workbench in the vise. | Деталь лежит на верстаке в тисках. |
| Remind the workers about the rake and the pitchfork. | Напомни рабочим о граблях и вилах. |
The Genitive Case
In the Genitive case, plural-only tools take one of three typical plural endings, depending on spelling and stress:
- -ов / -ев: плоскогубцы (плоскогубцев), щипцы (щипцов), тиски (тисков)
- Zero ending: кусачки (кусачек), опилки (опилок), вилы (вил)
- -ей: грабли (граблей)
| I cannot cut this without wire cutters or pliers. | Я не могу это резать без кусачек или плоскогубцев. |
| My hands hurt from the heavy vise and pliers! | У меня болят руки от тяжёлых тисков и плоскогубцев! |
The Instrumental Case
Because these are tools, you will often use the Instrumental case to describe what you are working with. The endings are -ами or -ями.
| In the village, they work with a rake and a pitchfork. | В деревне работают граблями и вилами. |
| The hot metal is lying on the scales, grab it with the tongs! | Горячий металл лежит на весах, бери его щипцами! |
The Dative Case
In the Dative plural, the endings are simply -ам or -ям.
| Go to the vise and bring me those new pliers. | Подойди к тискам и принеси мне те новые плоскогубцы. |
| He doesn't trust the scales because of a mistake. | Он не доверяет весам из-за ошибки. |
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