Describing Traits with the Genitive
When describing an inherent characteristic of a person or object—such as beauty, stature, or character—Russian frequently uses the Genitive case.
Follow the noun with the specific trait and a modifying adjective, putting both into the Genitive. It translates directly to "of a [trait]."
| A girl of unusual beauty arrived from the capital. | Девушка необычной красоты приехала из столицы. |
Keep two rules in mind: first, the trait must have an adjective. You cannot just say a girl "of beauty"; it must be "of unusual beauty." Second, the adjective agrees with the Genitive trait noun, not the subject.
| He is a person of short stature and a nasty character. | Он человек невысокого роста и скверного характера. |
Shapes, Sizes, and Formats
This pattern also describes the physical properties of objects, such as shape (форма) or format (формат).
| We rented a tent of unusual shape for two days. | Мы арендовали палатку необычной формы на два дня. |
| I took a book of square format for a week. | Я взял книгу квадратного формата на неделю. |
Whether an object is square or oval, huge or tiny, the pattern is identical. Just match the Genitive ending to the gender of your trait noun (e.g., feminine Genitive for форма, masculine Genitive for формат).
| This is a tiny notebook of a square format. | Это крошечная тетрадь квадратного формата. |
| This is an oval table of a tiny size. | Это овальный стол крошечного размера. |
Breeds, Intellect, and Levels
You can apply this structure to virtually any distinctive category, like an animal's breed (порода), a person's intellect, or a professional's level of expertise.
| I almost bought a dog of an unknown breed. | Я чуть не купил собаку неизвестной породы. |
| We have a dog of a rare breed and outstanding intelligence. | У нас есть собака редкой породы и выдающегося ума. |
| We need a high-level specialist from this company. | Нам нужен специалист высокого уровня из этой компании. |