у + Genitive + будет
Future Possession with У
To say someone 'will have' something in Russian, use the construction: у + [Person in Genitive] + будет/будут + [Object in Nominative].
How It Works
In Russian, future possession is expressed using the preposition у. The rules change depending on whether the sentence is affirmative or negative:
1. Affirmative Possession:
• The Possessor: Follows у and must be in the Genitive case. Personal pronouns like его, её, and их gain an 'н' (у него, у неё, у них), but possessive pronouns modifying a noun do not (у его друга).
• The Verb: Use будет for singular objects or будут for plural objects. The verb agrees with the object, not the possessor.
• The Object: The thing possessed is the subject and stays in the Nominative case.
2. Negative Possession:
• The Verb: Always use the fixed form не будет. It does not change for plural objects.
• The Object: The thing not possessed must change to the Genitive case.
Examples (5)
- У меня будет новый телефон.
I will have a new phone.
Word by Word: By me will be new phone.
In an affirmative sentence, the verb 'будет' agrees with the singular subject 'телефон'.
- У нас завтра будут гости.
We will have guests tomorrow.
Word by Word: By us tomorrow will be guests.
The verb 'будут' is plural to agree with the plural subject 'гости'.
- У него скоро будет отпуск.
He will have a vacation soon.
Word by Word: By him soon will be vacation.
Note the 'н' added to the personal pronoun 'него' after the preposition 'у'.
- У его брата будет машина.
His brother will have a car.
Word by Word: By his brother will be car.
The 'н' prefix is not added to 'его' here because it is a possessive pronoun modifying 'брата', not a personal pronoun.
- У тебя не будет времени завтра?
Won't you have time tomorrow?
Word by Word: By you not will be time tomorrow?
In negative sentences, the verb is always 'не будет' and the object 'время' changes to the genitive 'времени'.
Common Mistakes
Using the Nominative case for the object in negative sentences.
У меня не будет машина.У меня не будет машины.In negative possession, the object must be in the Genitive case, and the verb is always the singular 'не будет'.
Adding 'н' to possessive pronouns modifying a noun.
У него сестры будет праздник.У его сестры будет праздник.The 'н' prefix is only for personal pronouns (at him). When 'его', 'её', or 'их' act as possessive adjectives (his sister), the 'н' is not added.
Making the verb agree with the person instead of the object.
У нас будем собака.У нас будет собака.In affirmative sentences, the verb must agree with the object (собака - singular), not the people (у нас).
How It Connects
Learn This First
To express future possession, you combine the existing 'у + Genitive' construction with the future tense form of the verb 'to be' (будет). You must already be comfortable with the genitive case (especially for pronouns) and the basic concept of the Russian 'to have' construction in the present tense.
- у + Genitive + естьPossession with У and Есть
This pattern is the present tense equivalent of the possession construction. Understanding how 'у' governs the genitive case to show possession is fundamental before changing the tense.
Level 1 - будет + Nominal PredicateFuture Copula with Nominal Predicates
The word 'будет' is the third-person singular future form of 'быть'. Learners need to recognize this form as the future marker for existence and states.
Level 3 - Oblique personal pronouns
Since possession often involves people (e.g., 'у меня', 'у него'), the learner must know the genitive forms of personal pronouns used after the preposition 'у'.
Level 2
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice у + Genitive + будет in Bubblegum
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