Ordinal numerals as adjectives

Level 2Sounds Like porâdkovye čislitelʹnye kak prilagatelʹnye

Ordinal numerals (порядковые числительные) indicate the position of an object in a sequence. In Russian, they behave like adjectives: they change their endings to match the noun they describe.

How It Works

1. Formation and Declension
Most ordinal numerals are formed from cardinal numbers and end in -ый or -ой. They decline like hard-stem adjectives.

  • первый (first)
  • второй (second)
  • пятый (fifth)

2. The "Third" Exception
The numeral третий (third) is unique. It uses a soft sign in its declension (третий, третья, третье, третьи) and follows the pattern of possessive adjectives. Be careful not to forget the soft sign in oblique cases (e.g., третьего, третьей).

3. Compound Ordinals
In compound numbers like "twenty-first" (двадцать первый), only the very last word changes its form. The preceding words remain in their basic cardinal nominative form. This is a major difference from compound cardinal numbers where every word declines.

4. Common Uses
In Russian, ordinals are used for:

  • Dates: The day of the month is always an ordinal in the neuter (e.g., первое мая).
  • Floors: "On the fifth floor" uses the ordinal (на пятом этаже).
  • Transport: Bus or tram numbers are often treated as ordinals.
  • Hours: To say it is "between 12 and 1," Russians say "in the first hour" (в первом часу).

Examples (5)

  1. Это мой первый раз в Москве.

    This is my first time in Moscow.

    Word by Word: This my first time in Moscow.

    The ordinal 'первый' (first) is in the masculine nominative to match the noun 'раз' (time/occurrence).

  2. Мы живём на пятом этаже.

    We live on the fifth floor.

    Word by Word: We live on fifth floor.

    Here, 'пятый' changes to the prepositional case 'пятом' to match 'этаже' after the preposition 'на'.

  3. Сегодня первое мая.

    Today is May 1st.

    Word by Word: Today [is] first [of] May.

    Dates use the neuter ordinal 'первое' because it refers to the implied neuter noun 'число' (number/date).

  4. Она родилась в тысяча девятьсот девяносто четвёртом году.

    She was born in 1994.

    Word by Word: She was-born in thousand nine-hundred ninety fourth year.

    In compound years, only the last word 'четвёртом' declines into the prepositional case.

  5. Я читаю третью главу.

    I am reading the third chapter.

    Word by Word: I read third chapter.

    The ordinal 'третий' changes to the feminine accusative 'третью' to match 'главу'.

Common Mistakes

  • Declining every word in a compound ordinal number.

    в двухтысячном четырнадцатом году
    в две тысячи четырнадцатом году

    Only the final word of a compound ordinal should decline. The words 'две тысячи' should stay in the nominative.

  • Using a cardinal number instead of an ordinal for floors or dates.

    Я живу на пять этаж.
    Я живу на пятом этаже.

    In Russian, you don't live 'on five floor,' you live 'on the fifth floor.' Ordinals are required for positions in a sequence.

  • Forgetting the soft sign in the declension of 'третий'.

    после третего урока
    после третьего урока

    The numeral 'третий' is soft-stem and requires the soft sign (ь) before case endings like -его, -ему, etc.

How It Connects

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

Ordinal numerals as adjectivesLevel 2

Learn This First

To understand ordinal numerals, a learner must first be familiar with the concept of grammatical agreement in Russian. Since ordinal numerals behave exactly like adjectives, the learner needs to know how adjectives change their endings to match the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify. Additionally, familiarity with basic case usage (like the Prepositional for locations) is necessary to apply these numerals in common contexts.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.