From the deed to the person: -tel, -nik, -ist
A profession is handy to build from the deed. Someone works with meat — myasnik; teaches children — uchitel; drives a taxi — taksist. The tail of the word names the trade, and there are several tails: -tel, -nik, -ist, -ar. For example: “Моя сестра работает учительницей” — My sister works as a teacher. A rule from the Russian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A profession is handy to build from the deed. Someone works with meat — myasnik; teaches children — uchitel; drives a taxi — taksist. The tail of the word names the trade, and there are several tails: -tel, -nik, -ist, -ar.
A woman's deed takes its own tail: uchitel — uchitelnitsa, pevets — pevitsa, pisatel — pisatelnitsa. Each of the pair has its own shape, and the feminine is not guessed from the masculine.
Words in -ist befriend borrowed roots: taksist, pianist, zhurnalist. Home-grown words take -nik and -tel: myasnik, pisatel, uchitel.
Table
| What they do | A man | A woman |
|---|---|---|
| teaches children | uchitel | uchitelnitsa |
| sings on stage | pevets | pevitsa |
| writes books | pisatel | pisatelnitsa |
| sells in a shop | prodavets | prodavshchitsa |
| plays the piano | pianist | pianistka |
By example
- Моя сестра работает учительницейMoya sestra rabotaet uchitelnitseyMy sister works as a teacher
- Певица поёт в большом театреPevitsa poyot v bolshom teatreThe singer performs in a big theatre
- Писательница живёт у моря и пишет книгиPisatelnitsa zhivyot u morya i pishet knigiThe writer lives by the sea and writes books
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to name a person by what they do?
A profession is handy to build from the deed. Someone works with meat — myasnik; teaches children — uchitel; drives a taxi — taksist. The tail of the word names the trade, and there are several tails: -tel, -nik, -ist, -ar.
From a verb to a profession?
A profession is handy to build from the deed. Someone works with meat — myasnik; teaches children — uchitel; drives a taxi — taksist. The tail of the word names the trade, and there are several tails: -tel, -nik, -ist, -ar.
Pevitsa or pevets?
A woman's deed takes its own tail: uchitel — uchitelnitsa, pevets — pevitsa, pisatel — pisatelnitsa. Each of the pair has its own shape, and the feminine is not guessed from the masculine.
The feminine of professions?
A profession is handy to build from the deed. Someone works with meat — myasnik; teaches children — uchitel; drives a taxi — taksist. The tail of the word names the trade, and there are several tails: -tel, -nik, -ist, -ar.
What does it look like in a Russian example sentence?
“Моя сестра работает учительницей” (Moya sestra rabotaet uchitelnitsey) — My sister works as a teacher. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.