Russian cardinal numbers: How to form them and use them in a sentence?

In Russian, as in English, cardinal numbers are the forms of numbers that we use to count and do math. Some examples in Russian are:

• один (transcribed adeen, meaning “one”)

• три (transcribed tree, meaning “three”)

• триста шестьдесят пять (transcribed trEEsta sheesdeesYAt pyat, meaning “three hundred sixty five”)

To use cardinal numbers in Russian, you’ll need to know the basic number words and how to combine them into multi-word “compound” numbers (e.g. 736). But nouns in Russian are especially tricky because, like adjectives, numbers will often need to agree with the noun you quantify! For example, notice the two different the forms of the number один (meaning one) in the phrases below:

• Masculine noun:

  один день

  Transcription: adEEN den

  Translation: one day
• Feminine noun:

  одна девушка

  Transcription: adNA dyeVUSHka

  Translation: one girl
• Neuter noun

  одно дерево

  Transcription: adNO

  Translation: one tree

But one of the more surprising aspects of using numbers in Russian, is that, though the case of a number always reflects the grammatical role the noun plays in the sentence, the noun itself will often appear in a different case entirely: one determined by the number and not by the sentence context. Want to learn more? Read on!

In this post, we’ll first go through how to form Russian numbers, focusing first on the numbers 1-4, which are especially tricky. Then, we’ll briefly talk about the rules for assembling larger numbers. Finally, we’ll talk about how and when nouns or adjectives might take on special forms when they follow Russian numbers. Ready to have a look? Let’s do it!

When people hear the word cardinal, many things come to mind. If you are from Arizona or lived there for a while, your first association might be with the football team or a red bird with a prominent crest. If you are Roman Catholic, you might be associating the word with the Pope. But if you have ever studied a foreign language, or are a fellow linguist, then you most certainly think that cardinals, first and foremost, relate to numerals. We call these cardinal numbers.

A cardinal number is a counting number, a number that is used to indicate quantity (e.g., one or two of something). Cardinal numbers (e.g. “four”) get their name from the fact that they are the principal numbers, and all the other types of numbers, like ordinal numerals (e.g. “fourth”) or collective numerals (e.g “all four”), are derived from these.

All Russian cardinal numbers have several different forms. The form you use will depend on the number’s case, which is determined by the context in which the number is used in a sentence. The numbers 1-3 will also agree with the noun in some other features, which will be discussed below.

In Russian, you’ll need to look at the final digit of the number you are using to determine which set of grammar rules you should follow. There are three main patterns:

• numbers that end in 1

• numbers that end in 2, 3, or 4

• numbers that end in 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 0

In this section, we’ll go through each group of numbers and discuss the patterns you will need to follow. Let’s have a look!

When counting in Russian, you will use cardinal numbers most of the time, except that instead of один (transcribed adEEN, meaning “one”), Russians will generally use the word раз (transcribed ras, meaning “time”).

Russians, like many other people, use their fingers to count. Though in America, most people start counting “one” by putting up their pointer finger, most Russians count a little differently. Here are a couple of the most common ways to count on your fingers in Russia:

• Start with an open palm, then, one-by-one bend the fingers inward. Most Russians start with the pinkie first and end with the thumb.

• Start with a closed palm, then, one-by-one, bend the fingers outward. Most Russians start with the thumb and work towards the pinkie.

Here are five common phrases in Russian that use the cardinal numerals 1-5:

1. в один голос

   Transcription: v adEEN gOlas

   Translation: unanimously

   Literally: lit. in one voice

   Олимпийские чемпионки заявили в один голос, что не могут поверить в свой успех.

   Transcription: aleempEEyskeeye cheempeeOnkee zaeevEElee v adEEn gOlas shto nee mOgoot pavYEreet f svOy oospYEkh

   Translation: Female Olympic champions unanimously declared that they could not believe in their success.

   Literally: lit. Female Olympic champions declared in one voice that they could not believe in their success.
2. как дважды два

   Transcription: kak dvAzhdy dva

   Translation: easily

   Literally: lit. like two times two

   Я могу доказать это как дважды два.

   Transcription: Ya magOO dakazAt eta kak dvAzhdy dva

   Translation: I can prove it easily.

   Literally: lit. I can prove it like two times two.
3. с три короба

   Transcription: s tree kOraba

   Translation: a majorly unmet promise

   Literally: lit. the size of three boxes

   Он наобещал мне с три короба и ничего не сделал.

   Transcription: on naabeeshchAl mnye s tree kOraba ee neecheevO nee sdYElal

   Translation: He promised me all these things but did not do any of them.

   Literally: lit. He promised me the size of three boxes and didn’t do anything.
4. на все четыре стороны

   Transcription: na fsye cheetYrye stOrany

   Translation: wherever you want

   Literally: lit. to all the four corners

   Ты можешь идти на все четыре стороны.

   Transcription: ty mOzhesh eetee na fsye cheetYrye stOrany

   Translation: You can go whichever way you want.

   Literally: lit. Female Olympic champions declared in one voice that they could not believe in their success.
5. без пяти минут

   Transcription: bees peetEE meenOOt

   Translation: very close (to a goal)

   Literally: lit. five minutes till

   Он без пяти минут доктор.

   Transcription: on bees peetEE meenOOt dOktar

   Translation: He is almost a doctor.

   Literally: lit. He is five minutes till a doctor.

Here are three common “mistakes” Russian native speakers make when using numbers. See if you can hear these “in the wild!”

1. Incorrect declension of hundreds:

   Correct:

   ✅ около пятисот человек

   Transcription: Okala pyateesOt cheelavYEk

   Translation: around 500 people

   You may hear:

   около пятиста человек

   Transcription: Okala pyateestA cheelavYEk

2. Incorrect declension of years:

   Correct:

   ✅ в две тысячи двенадцатом году

   Transcription: v dvye tYseechee dveenAtsatam gadOO

   Translation: in twenty twelve (2012)

   Literally: lit. in the two thousand and twelfth year

   You may hear:

   в двухтысячном двенадцатом году

   Transcription: v dvookhtYseechnam dveenAtsatam gadOO

3. Incorrect declension of полтора (transcribed paltarA, meaning “one and a half”):

   Correct:

   ✅ в полутора километрах

   Transcription: f palOOtara keelamYEtrakh

   Translation: 1.5 km away

   You may hear:

   В полуторах километрах

   Transcription: f palOOtarakh keelamYEtrakh

Here is what we discussed in this post:

• Russian cardinal numbers change their forms depending on the case, number, and gender of the noun they quantify.

• There are three major grammar patterns:

  • Numbers ending in 1:

    The case of the noun, adjective, and number are all “as expected” except that all nouns are singular.

  • Numbers ending in 2, 3, 4:

    If you expect the noun to be nominative or accusative (inanimate):

    • the noun will be genitive singular

    • if the noun is masculine or neuter, the adjective(s) will be genitive plural

    • if the noun is feminine, the adjective(s) will be nominative plural

    In all other cases, the case and number of the noun/adjective(s) matches the case of the numeral.

  • Numbers ending in 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0:

    If you expect the noun to be nominative or accusative (inanimate), the noun and adjective(s) will be genitive plural.

    In all other cases, the case of the noun/adjective(s) matches the case of the numeral.

Since practice makes perfect, how about practicing what we discussed with the Russian cardinal numbers activities that are linked below? Let’s do it!