In Russian, the number decides the form of the noun after it. That one rule runs through counting, your age, the clock and prices. In this numbers and time practice, each card shows the figure; you choose how to say it.
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The last digit decides: 21 behaves like 1, 22 to 24 like 2, and 11 to 14 like 5. лет is the special plural of год after 5+.
After 1, the noun stays in the nominative. After 2, 3 and 4 it is genitive singular. From 5 to 20 it is genitive plural.Numbers guide →
1I bought one ticket.Я купи́л оди́н …
3I have three brothers.У меня́ три …
7There are seven students in the group.В гру́ппе семь …
22twenty-two booksДва́дцать две …
Age
Age uses the dative: “to me is 30 years”. The word for years follows the counting rule: год, го́да, лет.Numbers guide →
21I’m twenty-one.Мне два́дцать оди́н …
34Mum is thirty-four.Ма́ме три́дцать четы́ре …
12My son is twelve.Сы́ну двена́дцать …
?How old are you?Ско́лько … лет?
Telling the time
ча́с means hour: оди́н час, два часа́, пять часо́в. “At” a time is в + the time. For half past, Russian counts towards the next hour.Dates and time guide →
The shaded half is “half of the third”. In everyday speech it is also said simply as два три́дцать (2:30).
3:00It’s three o’clock.Сейча́с три …
8:00Let’s meet at eight.Встре́тимся в во́семь …
2:30Half past two.Полови́на …
1:00The film starts at one.Фильм начина́ется в …
Dates and days
Days of the week take в + accusative. Dates use an ordinal number and the month in the genitive; “on” a date puts both in the genitive.Dates and time guide →
A date uses an ordinal (“eighth”), neuter because the hidden word is число́ (date), followed by the month in the genitive.
MonI’ll call on Monday.Я позвоню́ в …
WedThe meeting is on Wednesday.Встре́ча в …
1/5Today is the first of May.Сего́дня … ма́я.
9/5He was born on the ninth of May.Он роди́лся … ма́я.
Numbers in other cases
Numbers decline too. After a preposition that needs a case, both the number and the noun take that case, and the 1/2 to 4/5+ rule no longer applies.Numbers in every case guide →
2I spoke with two friends.Я говори́л с … друзья́ми.
3We were in three cities.Мы бы́ли в … города́х.
5Five to seven (6:55).Без … семь.
100It costs a hundred roubles.Э́то сто́ит сто …
How many, how much
Words of quantity, like ско́лько (how many), мно́го (a lot), ма́ло (few) and не́сколько (several), take the genitive: plural for things you count, singular for things you don’t.Numbers guide →
?How many cousins do you have?Ско́лько у тебя́ …?
∞We have a lot of time.У нас мно́го …
fewThere were few people in the hall.В за́ле бы́ло ма́ло …