Question 1

Why is the word for pairs written as пар without an ending?

Accepted Answer

The base word is пара (a pair), which is a feminine noun ending in -а. After numbers 5 and above (like пять), we need the genitive plural form. For most feminine nouns ending in -а, we drop the -а to make the genitive plural, leaving a zero ending. So, пара becomes пар.

Question 2

Why are both пар and туфель in the genitive plural case?

Accepted Answer

In Russian, numbers 5 and above force the next noun into the genitive plural. So, пять (five) changes пара (pair) into the genitive plural пар (of pairs). Then, the word pair acts like a quantity word, which also requires the genitive case for the things being counted. Therefore, shoes also goes into the genitive plural as туфель (of shoes).

Question 3

What is the dictionary form of туфель, and why does it have an е in this form?

Accepted Answer

The dictionary (singular) form is туфля (a shoe), which is feminine. To make it genitive plural, we drop the -я to create a zero ending. However, ending a word in -фль is very hard to pronounce, so Russian inserts a fill vowel (an е) between the consonants to make it easier to say, resulting in туфель.

Question 4

Is the stress on the first or second syllable in туфель?

Accepted Answer

The stress stays on the first syllable. A common mistake even among native Russian speakers is to stress the second syllable, but the dictionary form is туфля (stressed on the у), and the stress remains fixed there in all forms, including туфель.

Вчера она купила пять пар туфель.

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