Which one is correct? ✅
У НЕГО есть сестра – У ЕГО есть сестра
У ЕГО сестры есть кошка – У НЕГО сестры есть кошка
У НЕЁ есть брат – У ЕЁ есть брат
У ЕЁ брата есть собака – У НЕЁ брата есть собака
To write or not to write the letter H with Russian Pronouns? This is one of the frequently asked questions by Russian learners as they often confuse the situations when this letter has to be used.
Below you will find a very detailed explanation on the artificial letter Н usage consisting only of three tips.
Tip #1
📌 The “artificial” letter Н is used only with the Personal Pronouns and not with the Possessive Pronouns.
Reminder:
👉 Personal Pronouns – он, она, они
👉 Possessive Pronouns – его дом, её брат, их дети
Tip #2
📌 The “artificial” letter Н is used only with the Personal Pronouns that start with a vowel: ЕГО, ЕЁ, ИХ (Gen.,Acc.); ЕМУ, ЕЙ, ИМ (Dat.); ИМ, ЕЙ, ИМИ (Inst.). Basically we are talking about three Personal Pronouns – он, она, они – in their declined forms.
Tip #3
📌 The “artificial” letter Н is added to the Personal Pronouns mentioned above only if they follow a Preposition: у Него, к Нему, у Неё, к Ней, у Них, к Ним
Please compare:
👉 Я даю ему ключ (no preposition – no letter Н)
👉 Я иду к нему в гости (letter Н is added to the Personal Pronoun ЕМУ that follows a preposition)
🔥 And now it’s time to test your knowledge ✅❎. Please translate the sentences below into Russian :
1. I know him for a long time
2. He has a sister
3. His sister has a child
4. I asked her about it
5. I bought this book for her
6. We brought a present for her sister
Are you done? ✅
Then please check if your translation was correct:
1. Я знаю его давно (no preposition – no letter Н for the Personal Pronoun)
2. У него есть сестра (Personal Pronoun follows a Preposition – there is a letter Н)
3. У его сестры есть ребёнок (no letter Н with Possessive Pronouns)
4. Я спросил(а) её об этом (no preposition – no letter Н for the Personal Pronoun)
5. Я купил(а) эту книгу для неё (Personal Pronoun follows a Preposition – there is a letter Н)
6. Мы привезли подарок для её сестры (no letter Н with Possessive Pronouns)
We hope that now you are ready to answer the question “To write or not to write the letter Н with Russian Pronouns?”. If so, please rate and share this post.
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