согласно + Dative

According to

Level 5Sounds Like soglasno + datelʹnyj

Согласно is the standard way to say 'according to' in formal, legal, or professional Russian. It is always followed by the dative case.

How It Works

The preposition согласно is a hallmark of the 'Official-Business' style (официально-деловой стиль).

1. Grammatical Requirement:
It governs the dative case. This is the most important rule to remember, as even native speakers frequently make mistakes here by using the genitive case instead.

  • Masculine/Neuter: -у / -ю (согласно договору)
  • Feminine: -е / -и (согласно инструкции)
  • Plural: -ам / -ям (согласно правилам)

2. Usage Context:
Use this pattern when you want to sound professional or cite an authority. It is common in:

  • Contracts: 'According to the agreement...'
  • Legislation: 'According to the law...'
  • Science/Reports: 'According to the results...'

3. Register Note:
Avoid using согласно in relaxed, everyday conversations. Saying 'According to my friend, the movie is good' using согласно would sound like you are reading a police report. In those cases, use the preposition по or simple attribution.

Examples (4)

  1. Согласно новому закону, налоги будут снижены.

    According to the new law, taxes will be reduced.

    Word by Word: According to new law, taxes will be lowered.

    Here, 'закону' is the dative form of 'закон'. This is a typical formal announcement.

  2. Мы действуем согласно утверждённому плану.

    We are acting according to the approved plan.

    Word by Word: We act according to approved plan.

    The adjective 'утверждённому' and noun 'плану' both show dative agreement.

  3. Согласно результатам исследования, гипотеза подтвердилась.

    According to the research results, the hypothesis was confirmed.

    Word by Word: According to results of research, hypothesis confirmed itself.

    In the plural, 'результатам' takes the standard dative plural ending -ам.

  4. Согласно инструкции, прибор нужно выключить.

    According to the instructions, the device must be turned off.

    Word by Word: According to instruction, device necessary to turn off.

    The feminine noun 'инструкция' changes its ending to -и in the dative case.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the genitive case instead of the dative.

    Согласно договора
    Согласно договору

    This is a very common error even among native speakers in bureaucratic settings. Modern standard Russian strictly requires the dative case (-у/-ю, -е/-и) after 'согласно'.

  • Using 'согласно' in casual conversation.

    Согласно маме, мы скоро пойдём гулять.
    По словам мамы, мы скоро пойдём гулять.

    Using 'согласно' with people in casual contexts sounds unnaturally stiff and robotic. Use 'по словам' (according to the words of) for people in daily life.

How It Connects

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

согласно + DativeLevel 5According to

Learn This First

To use 'согласно' correctly, a learner must be familiar with the dative case endings for nouns and understand the general concept of prepositional government in Russian.

Words in This Pattern

согласно