Breakdown of Масса этого пакета — двести граммов.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
грамм
gram
двести
two hundred
масса
mass
Questions & Answers about Масса этого пакета — двести граммов.
Why is it граммов (Genitive Plural) here? Doesn't the number 2 require the Genitive Singular?
While the isolated number два (two) takes the Genitive Singular (два грамма), the hundreds двести (200), триста (300), and четыреста (400) act differently. They require the noun that follows them to be in the Genitive Plural.
Since our current lesson is on oblique cases of hundreds, which case is двести in this sentence?
It is actually in the Nominative case! The subject of the sentence is масса (mass), and двести граммов is the predicate (telling us what the mass is). When stating a measurement or equation like this, the numeral stays in the Nominative case.
Why is there a dash before двести?
The dash replaces the present tense verb for is. In Russian, when you link a subject (масса) to a quantity or another noun and both are in the Nominative case, you must use a dash in writing.
Could I just say двести грамм instead of двести граммов?
Yes, you will hear двести грамм very often! In everyday spoken Russian, the plural ending is frequently dropped for units of measurement. However, граммов is the strict, grammatically correct Genitive Plural form that you should use in formal writing.
Learn Масса этого пакета — двести граммов 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