Breakdown of У меня нет хлеба для голубей.
хлеб
bread
меня
me
у
at, by
нет
there is no / is not present
для
for
голубь
pigeon
Questions & Answers about У меня нет хлеба для голубей.
Why does голубей end in -ей?
It is the genitive plural form of the noun голубь (pigeon). Because голубь ends in a soft sign (-ь), it takes the -ей ending in the genitive plural.
Why is голубей in the genitive case here?
It follows the preposition для (for). This preposition always forces the noun that comes right after it into the genitive case.
Why is the word for bread spelled хлеба in this sentence?
Хлеба is the genitive singular of хлеб. We use the genitive case here because of the word нет. Whenever you use нет to say you do not have something or something is absent, the thing that is missing must be in the genitive case.
If голубь ends in a soft sign, how do I know its gender, and does it matter here?
Голубь is masculine, which is something you just have to memorize for nouns ending in -ь. However, for this specific grammar rule, it actually does not matter! Both masculine and feminine nouns that end in a soft sign take the exact same -ей ending in the genitive plural.
Learn У меня нет хлеба для голубей 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