Breakdown of У меня есть три рубля и четыре минуты.
и
and
меня
me
три
three
четыре
four
у
at, by
есть
is, there is, to have
минута
minute
рубль
ruble
Questions & Answers about У меня есть три рубля и четыре минуты.
Why do we use рубля and минуты instead of the regular plural forms for rubles and minutes?
In Russian, after the numbers 2, 3, and 4, you do not use the plural form of the noun. Instead, you must use the Genitive singular form. Even though we are talking about multiple rubles and minutes, grammar rules require you to express this as three of a ruble and four of a minute.
How do we form the Genitive singular for рубль (ruble)?
Рубль is a masculine noun that ends in a soft sign (-ь). To change it to the Genitive singular form, you drop the soft sign and add -я, giving you рубля.
And how does минута (minute) change to минуты?
Минута is a feminine noun ending in -а. To form the Genitive singular, you drop the -а and replace it with -ы, which makes минуты.
Do the numbers три and четыре change depending on the gender of the noun they are counting?
No. While the numbers 1 and 2 have different forms for masculine and feminine nouns, the numbers 3 (три) and 4 (четыре) stay exactly the same regardless of whether the noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter.
As a quick refresher, how does у меня есть mean I have?
Russian usually avoids the verb to have. Instead, it expresses possession by saying By me there is. У means by or at, меня is the Genitive form of I (я), and есть means is or exists.
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