It can be difficult to understand when to use different noun and adjective endings in Russian. This lesson should clear up some of the basic rules.

Generally speaking:

Feminine nouns end with "а" or "я"

Masculine nouns end with a consonant

Neuter nouns end with "о" or "е"

Plural nouns end with "и" or "ы"

Adjectives have different endings. Generally speaking:

When a noun is feminine the adjective will end in "ая" or "яя"

When a noun is masculine the adjective will end in "ый" or "ой" or "ий"

When a noun is neuter the adjective will end in "ое" or "ее"

When a noun is plural the adjective will end in "ые" or "ие"

If you've studied language before, then you are probably familiar with the term "cognate". A cognate is a word that sounds the same in two different languages and also has the same meaning. An example of a Russian cognate with English is телефон, which means telephone.

There are also things called "false cognates". False cognates are words that sound the same, but have different meanings (and that makes them confusing). Our list of 13 confusing Russian words is full of Russian false cognates. So, make sure you know what these words really mean to avoid a lot of confusion and misunderstanding.

13 Confusing Russian Words

1. Смелый

Sounds like: "Smelly"

Means: Brave

2. Факт

Sounds like: "Fucked"

Means: Fact

3. Пьяно

Sounds like: "Piano"

Means: Drunk

4. Нормально

Sounds like: "Normal"

Means: OK

5. Банда

Sounds like: "Band"

Means: Gang (but it also sometimes used about a band of musicians)

6. Фабрика

Sounds like: "Fabric"

Means: Factory

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