Re: Cases, again

Yes, and when you ask :
- Skol'ko let ? (how many years ?)
you can get an answer like:
- Tri goda (three years).

--- Henrik Theiling <theiling@...> wrote:
> Hi!
>
> Michael Poxon <m.poxon@...> writes:
> > case for what may appear to be non-grammatical
> reasons. I believe Russian
> > nouns go into the genitive after the number 5 for
> instance - so you have
> > "two men" but "five of men".
>
> Almost, but to add more confusion, the situation is
> slightly more
> complicated :-))):
>
>    1 + the case the phrase is in
>           : odna komnata (nom)   - one room
>           : odnu komnatu (acc)   - one room
>           : odni komnati (gen)   - of one room
>           : ...
>
>    2..4  + genitive singular
>           : dve komnati (gen.sg.) - two rooms, lit.:
> 'two of a room'
>
>    5.. + genitive plural
>           : pjat' komnat (gen.pl.) - five rooms,
> lit.: 'five of rooms'
>
> And:
>    21, 31, etc.         ~ 1
>    22..24, 32..34, etc. ~ 2.. 4
>    25..,   35..         ~ 5
>
> Of course, this is in full sync with your point. :-)
>
> **Henrik

=====
Philippe Caquant

"He thought he saw a Rattlesnake / That questioned him in Greek: / He looked
again, and found it was / The Middle of Next Week. / "The one thing I regret',
he said, / "Is that it cannot speak !' " (Lewis Carroll)

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