Asking "Where?"
To ask where something is, use где (where). To reply that something is "here", use здесь. Just like in the previous lesson, you do not need a word for "is".
Noun Gender
Every Russian noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter. You can almost always tell a noun's gender by its last letter.
Gender determines which pronoun to use. Unlike English, inanimate objects aren't automatically "it": in Russian, a park is a "he", a song is a "she", and an apple is an "it".
Masculine Nouns
Masculine nouns usually end in a consonant or й. Replace them with он (he/it).
Feminine Nouns
Feminine nouns usually end in а or я. Replace them with она (she/it).
Neuter Nouns
Neuter nouns usually end in о or е. Replace them with оно (it).
Here is a quick cheat sheet for noun endings in the nominative (dictionary) form:
| Gender | Typical Endings | Pronoun | Examples |
|---|
| Masculine | Consonant, й | он | парк, чай |
| Feminine | а, я | она | сестра, песня |
| Neuter | о, е | оно | яблоко, море |
Putting It All Together
Notice how the pronouns perfectly match the noun endings when linking ideas with и (and):
