Understanding Relative Clauses in Russian

What are Relative Clauses?

Relative clauses are useful constructions that allow you to provide additional information about a noun without starting a new sentence. They often begin with relative pronouns like "who," "which," or "that" in English.

Relative Pronouns in Russian

In Russian, relative clauses typically start with the word который (which/who). This word changes form to agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it refers to.

Forms of Который

• Который (he)
• Которая (she)
• Которое (it)
• Которые (they)

These forms need to further be declined to match the case required by the context of the sentence.

Constructing a Relative Clause in Russian

Let's look at how a sentence is structured using a relative clause. Consider the sentence: "The book that I read yesterday was interesting."

Here, которую is used because книга (book) is feminine and in the accusative case, as it serves as the direct object of the action.

Agreement in Relative Clauses

A crucial aspect of using relative clauses in Russian is ensuring that the relative pronoun agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case. This agreement is often one of the challenging aspects for learners.

Examples of Relative Clauses in Use

Common Mistakes to Avoid

While forming relative clauses in Russian, it's common for learners to overlook case requirements due to the implied meaning from their native language. Always pay close attention to the case demands of verbs and prepositions to ensure correct pronoun forms.