Free PDF Cheat Sheet

The Russian Cases Chart: All 6 Cases on One Page

A printable PDF reference with all six Russian cases — endings, when to use each, and example forms. Built for A2–B1 learners who keep getting stuck on case forms.

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1 Nom.

2 Gen.

3 Dat.

4 Acc.

5 Inst.

6 Prep.

All 6 Russian Cases

PDF · 304 KB · printable

The chart in numbers

6cases

3noun genders

2numbers (sg/pl)

Freeprintable

What each case does

The PDF gives you the endings table. This page gives you the “when to use which” in plain English.

1. Nominative — Именительный

Who? What? (subject)

The dictionary form. The subject of the sentence: Книга лежит — the book is lying.

2. Genitive — Родительный

Whose? Of what? Of whom?

Possession, absence, quantity. After numbers 2–4 (singular), 5+ (plural), and the word «нет» (there is no): нет книги — no book.

3. Dative — Дательный

To whom? To what?

Indirect object — the receiver. Also used with verbs like «нравиться» (to like) and «помогать» (to help): Я даю книгу другу — I give the book to a friend.

4. Accusative — Винительный

Whom? What? (direct object)

The thing the verb acts on directly: Я читаю книгу — I read the book. Also used for direction of motion.

5. Instrumental — Творительный

With whom? With what? By what means?

Instrument, accompaniment, profession. After «с» (with) and «быть» (to be) in past/future: пишу ручкой — I write with a pen.

6. Prepositional — Предложный

About whom? About what? Where?

Only used after specific prepositions: о/об (about), в/на (in/on for location), при (at, near): в книге — in the book.

How to actually learn cases

Russian cases scare beginners because most English-language textbooks teach them in the wrong order. They start with Nominative (correct), then jump straight to Genitive (rare in beginner speech), then Dative, leaving Accusative — the case you use 80% of the time in real conversation — for chapter five.

A more practical learning order is:

Nominative — you already know it (dictionary form).
Accusative — learn next, because every transitive verb needs it.
Prepositional — small set of fixed prepositions, very predictable.
Genitive — needed for “not” (нет) and quantities.
Dative — for indirect objects and «нравиться».
Instrumental — instrument and “to be” in past/future.

Don’t memorize the chart in isolation

The PDF is a reference, not a learning method. Use it to look up endings while you read and listen to real Russian. Cases stick when you see them in context — a noun in dative inside a sentence you understand — not when you drill empty endings.

If you’re at A2 or early B1 and cases feel like a wall, the B1 vocabulary book pairs every new noun with example sentences in 3–4 cases, so you absorb endings naturally instead of memorizing tables.