Possessive Adjectives with -ин and -ын
In English, we usually add "'s" to show ownership (mom's, dad's). In Russian, you can express this by turning a person's title into a special possessive adjective. These are formed from nouns that end in -а or -я (usually family members or titles).
To form them, replace the -а or -я with the suffix -ин:
- мама → мамин (mom's)
- папа → папин (dad's)
- бабушка → бабушкин (grandma's)
- дядя → дядин (uncle's)
If the stem ends in -ц, use the suffix -ын instead:
- царица → царицын (empress's)
| This is mom's pendant; I always carry it with me. | Это мамин кулон, я всегда ношу его с собой. |
| In the museum, we saw the real empress's pendant. | В музее мы видели настоящий царицын кулон. |
Mixed Declension
Like all adjectives, these possessives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify (the thing being owned, not the owner).
They use a "mixed declension." In the Nominative case (and usually the Accusative), they take short endings (мамин, мамина, мамино, мамину). In other cases, they take standard long adjective endings (like мамином, маминой, маминым).
| My brother now lives in dad's old apartment. | Мой брат сейчас живёт в папиной старой квартире. |
| In grandpa's antique house, we found many interesting things. | В дедушкином старинном доме мы нашли много интересных вещей. |
| We didn't go there because of uncle's mistake. | Мы не поехали туда из-за дядиной ошибки. |
Accusative and Instrumental Cases
When talking about antiques (старинный) or an inheritance (наследство), you will often use these adjectives in the Accusative and Instrumental cases.
Remember that in the Accusative case, feminine nouns take an -у ending. The possessive adjective will match it with its own short ending (e.g., мамину).
| My brother received mom's apartment as an inheritance. | Мой брат получил мамину квартиру в наследство. |
| I agree with aunt's husband that grandma's pie is better. | Я согласен с тётиным мужем, что бабушкин пирог лучше. |
