их / ихний

Standard Их Versus Nonstandard Ихний

Level 4Sounds Like standartnoe ih — nestandartnoe ihnij

In standard Russian, их (their) never changes its form. However, in colloquial or uneducated speech, you will often hear ихний, which changes its ending to match the noun it describes.

How It Works

1. The Standard Form: их
The word их is technically the genitive form of the pronoun они (they). When used as a possessive, it is indeclinable. This means no matter what case, gender, or number the following noun is, их remains exactly the same.

  • их дом (their house - Nom.)
  • в их доме (in their house - Prep.)

2. The Nonstandard Form: ихний
The form ихний is considered просторечие (substandard/colloquial). It functions as a declinable adjective, changing its endings to match the noun:

  • Masculine: ихний
  • Feminine: ихняя
  • Neuter: ихнее
  • Plural: ихние

3. Sociolinguistic Context
Using ихний is one of the most famous markers of a lack of formal education in Russia. While it is linguistically 'logical' (because it matches the noun like other possessives), it is heavily stigmatized. You will hear it frequently in spontaneous speech, but you should avoid using it in professional or academic settings. In literature, authors use it to give characters a 'common' or provincial voice.

Examples (5)

  1. Я вчера видел их детей в парке.

    I saw their children in the park yesterday.

    Word by Word: I yesterday saw their children in park.

    This is the standard usage. 'их' does not change even though 'детей' is in the accusative case.

  2. Мы пойдём в их новый офис.

    We are going to their new office.

    Word by Word: We will-go into their new office.

    Standard usage: 'их' remains frozen, while the adjective 'новый' agrees with the noun.

  3. — Чьи это вещи? — Да это ихние.

    — Whose things are these? — Oh, they're theirs.

    Word by Word: — Whose these things? — Yes this their-plural.

    This is colloquial usage. 'ихние' is used as a declinable pronoun matching the plural 'вещи'.

  4. В ихнем доме всегда много гостей.

    In their house there are always many guests.

    Word by Word: In their-prep house always many guests.

    Nonstandard usage: 'ихнем' is declined in the prepositional case to match 'доме'.

  5. Поклажа-то стоит дешевле ихнего проезда.

    The luggage is worth less than their fare.

    Word by Word: Luggage-particle costs cheaper their-gen fare.

    A literary example (Dostoevsky) where the nonstandard form characterizes the speaker's social background.

Common Mistakes

  • Declining the standard 'их' as if it were an adjective.

    Я был в ихем доме.
    Я был в их доме.

    Learners sometimes try to add adjective endings to the short word 'их'. The standard form is always just 'их'.

  • Using 'ихний' in formal writing or exams.

    В ихней статье автор пишет...
    В их статье автор пишет...

    Using 'ихний' in an essay or business email is a stylistic error that signals a lack of proficiency in standard Russian registers.

How It Connects

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

их / ихнийLevel 4Standard Их Versus Nonstandard Ихний

Learn This First

To understand the distinction between standard 'их' and nonstandard 'ихний', a learner needs to be familiar with the standard indeclinable possessive 'их'. They also need to understand how regular adjectives and possessive pronouns (like 'мой' or 'наш') agree with nouns, as 'ихний' is a colloquial attempt to make 'их' follow those standard declension rules.

Words in This Pattern

их