Breakdown of У меня есть пара билетов на концерт.
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
меня
me
концерт
concert
у
at, by
есть
is, there is, to have
билет
ticket
пара
pair
Questions & Answers about У меня есть пара билетов на концерт.
Why does билет change to билетов here?
Билетов is the genitive plural form of the masculine noun билет (ticket). We use the genitive case after words that express quantity, like пара (a pair). Because билет ends in a hard consonant, we add -ов to make it genitive plural.
Why do we say на концерт instead of в концерт?
In Russian, we use the preposition на for public events or activities, like концерт (concert) or урок (lesson). Here it is in the accusative case because it indicates the destination or purpose of the tickets (tickets 'to' the concert). Since концерт is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative form looks exactly like its dictionary form.
Does пара strictly mean exactly two tickets, or can it mean 'a few'?
It can mean both! Just like 'a couple' in English, пара literally means 'a pair' (exactly two), but in casual conversation, Russians frequently use it to mean 'a few' of something.
Could I leave out the word есть and just say У меня пара билетов на концерт?
Yes, absolutely. In Russian, you can often drop есть when the focus is on what kind of things or how many things you have, rather than the mere fact that you possess them. Both versions are completely natural, but including есть slightly emphasizes that you do indeed possess the tickets.
Learn У меня есть пара билетов на концерт and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free