пять и больше + Genitive Plural

Numerals Five and Higher

Level 3Sounds Like pâtʹ i bolʹše + roditelʹnyj množestvennogo

In the Nominative or Accusative cases, the number 5 and higher (including 11–19) requires the noun to be in the Genitive Plural.

How It Works

When you count items in Russian, the number itself acts as the 'boss' of the phrase if it is in the Nominative (subject) or Accusative (direct object) case.

1. The Rule of Five:
Any number ending in the digits 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 0 requires the noun and any modifying adjectives to be in the Genitive Plural. For these digits, the rule is universal. Unlike smaller numbers, for 5 and above, the Accusative case always looks like the Nominative, even for animate nouns.

  • пять столов (five tables)
  • десять новых машин (ten new cars)
  • вижу пять студентов (I see five students)

2. The 'Teen' Exception:
Numbers 11 through 19 are treated as a single block. While numbers ending in 1, 2, 3, or 4 usually take the Nominative or Genitive Singular, the 'teens' (11–14) are the exception and follow the пять и больше + родительный множественного rule, taking the Genitive Plural.

  • одиннадцать студентов (eleven students)
  • четырнадцать дней (fourteen days)

3. Compound Numbers:
In large numbers, only the last word determines the case. If the last word is 5–9 or 0, use the Genitive Plural.

  • двадцать пять рублей (twenty-five rubles)
  • сто восемь человек (one hundred eight people)

4. Syntactic Note:
This rule only applies when the whole phrase is in the Nominative or Accusative. If you use a different case (like the Dative or Instrumental), the number and noun will simply agree in that case, and the 'Genitive Plural' rule no longer applies.

Examples (5)

  1. В этой комнате пять окон.

    There are five windows in this room.

    Word by Word: In this room five windows [Gen. Pl.].

    The number 5 triggers the Genitive Plural of 'окно' (window).

  2. У меня есть двенадцать карандашей.

    I have twelve pencils.

    Word by Word: At me there are twelve pencils [Gen. Pl.].

    Numbers 11–19 always take the Genitive Plural.

  3. Билет стоит семьдесят рублей.

    The ticket costs seventy rubles.

    Word by Word: Ticket costs seventy rubles [Gen. Pl.].

    Numbers ending in 0 (like 70) trigger the Genitive Plural.

  4. В классе сидят тридцать восемь студентов.

    Thirty-eight students are sitting in the classroom.

    Word by Word: In class sit thirty eight students [Gen. Pl.].

    In compound numbers, the last digit (8) determines the case.

  5. Я купил шесть больших яблок.

    I bought six large apples.

    Word by Word: I bought six large [Gen. Pl.] apples [Gen. Pl.].

    Both the adjective and the noun must be in the Genitive Plural after the number 6.

Common Mistakes

  • Using Genitive Singular for the number 5.

    пять копейки
    пять копеек

    Learners often confuse the rule for 2, 3, 4 (Genitive Singular) with the rule for 5+ (Genitive Plural).

  • Applying the Genitive Plural rule to numbers like 22, 33, or 44.

    двадцать два столов
    двадцать два стола

    Look at the last digit, except for 11 to 14. Since 22 ends in 2, it follows the rule for 2, 3, 4 and takes the Genitive Singular.

  • Using the Genitive Plural in oblique cases (like after a preposition).

    с пятью книг
    с пятью книгами

    The 'Genitive Plural' rule only works in the Nominative and Accusative. In the Instrumental case (after 'с'), the noun must agree with the numeral in the Instrumental Plural.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

пять и больше + Genitive PluralLevel 3Numerals Five and Higher

Learn This First

To learn numerals five and higher, a learner must first understand the general concept of noun declension after numbers (already introduced with 2-4) and be familiar with plural noun forms, as this pattern specifically requires the genitive plural.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.