Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th

Ordinal Numbers 1st to 10th

In Russian, ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) behave exactly like adjectives. They agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

The masculine dictionary forms for 1st to 5th are первый, второй, третий, четвёртый, and пятый.

My second son is a doctor, and the third is an engineer.
Мой второй сын — врач, а третий — инженер.
The fourth lesson is history, and the fifth is art.
Четвёртый урок — история, а пятый — искусство.

The masculine forms for 6th to 10th are шестой, седьмой, восьмой, девятый, and десятый. Notice that some end in -ый and others in -ой. The -ой ending simply means the stress falls on the final syllable.

June is the sixth month, and July is the seventh.
Июнь — шестой месяц, а июль — седьмой.
The eighth participant is a student, and the ninth?
Восьмой участник — студент, а девятый?

Gender and Number

Since ordinal numbers act as adjectives, their endings change for feminine, neuter, or plural nouns. Most follow standard hard adjective patterns:

  • Feminine: -ая (e.g., десятый → десятая)
  • Neuter: -ое (e.g., первый → первое)
  • Plural: -ые (e.g., второй → вторые)

The number третий (third) is an exception. It takes soft endings: третья (feminine), третье (neuter), and третьи (plural).

Is this already the tenth mistake or only the second?
Это уже десятая ошибка или только вторая?
The first building is a school, and the ninth is our hospital.
Первое здание — школа, а девятое — наша больница.
Where was the second watch, and where was the third?
Где были вторые часы, а где — третьи?

Ordinal numbers are frequently used to contrast positions in a list, often paired with the conjunction а (and/but).

The fourth candidate will answer tomorrow, and the seventh will answer the day after tomorrow.
Четвёртый кандидат ответит завтра, а седьмой — послезавтра.
The tenth question is difficult, but the fifth is easy.
Десятый вопрос — сложный, а пятый — лёгкий.
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