Breakdown of Отъезд директора десятого января.
директор
director
январь
January
десятый
tenth
отъезд
departure
Questions & Answers about Отъезд директора десятого января.
Why are we using десятого января instead of десятое января?
To say 'on a specific date', Russian changes the ordinal number (the 'tenth') into the Genitive case. Since date numbers act as neuter adjectives, десятое becomes десятого. The month is also in the Genitive case because it translates to 'of January', so январь becomes января.
Why is десятого spelled with a 'г' but pronounced like a 'в'?
The Genitive adjective endings -ого and -его are a special exception in Russian pronunciation. They are always pronounced as if they had a 'в' instead of a 'г', so this word sounds like 'десятово'.
Why does the word for director have an 'а' at the end (директора)?
It is in the Genitive case to show possession or relationship, which works like the English apostrophe-s. Отъезд директора literally translates to 'the departure of the director'.
Where is the verb 'is' in this sentence?
In the present tense, Russian almost always drops the verb 'to be' (is, am, are). The sentence literally reads 'Departure of the director [is] on the tenth of January.'
Learn Отъезд директора десятого января 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