Iz shersti or sherstyanoy: what a thing is made of
The material is named by iz plus the of-form: iz shersti — of wool, iz metalla — of metal, iz plastika — of plastic. A sweater of wool is sviter iz shersti, and the form answers of what. For example: “Это свитер из чистой шерсти” — This is a sweater of pure wool. A rule from the Russian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The material is named by iz plus the of-form: iz shersti — of wool, iz metalla — of metal, iz plastika — of plastic. A sweater of wool is sviter iz shersti, and the form answers of what.
More often the preposition is skipped and an adjective stands in: sherstyanoy sviter, steklyannaya banka, plastikovyy konteyner. Both ways are right; the adjective is shorter, the preposition more visible.
The adjective grows by a tail: sherst — sherstyanoy, steklo — steklyannyy, metall — metallicheskiy, bumaga — bumazhnyy. The tail comes with the word; no rule derives it.
The same iz answers where from: ya iz Moskvy, drug iz Odessy. Material and origin share one frame.
Table
| Material | Made of | Its adjective |
|---|---|---|
| sherst | iz shersti | sherstyanoy |
| steklo | iz stekla | steklyannyy |
| kozha | iz kozhi | kozhanyy |
| metall | iz metalla | metallicheskiy |
| plastik | iz plastika | plastikovyy |
| bumaga | iz bumagi | bumazhnyy |
By example
- Это свитер из чистой шерстиEto sviter iz chistoy sherstiThis is a sweater of pure wool
- Крышка у банки металлическаяKryshka u banki metallicheskayaThe lid of the jar is metal
- Я хочу сумку из натуральной кожиYa khochu sumku iz naturalnoy kozhiI want a bag of genuine leather
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 say what a thing is made of?
The material is named by iz plus the of-form: iz shersti — of wool, iz metalla — of metal, iz plastika — of plastic. A sweater of wool is sviter iz shersti, and the form answers of what.
The of-form after iz?
The material is named by iz plus the of-form: iz shersti — of wool, iz metalla — of metal, iz plastika — of plastic. A sweater of wool is sviter iz shersti, and the form answers of what.
Sherst or sherstyanoy: which one when?
The same iz answers where from: ya iz Moskvy, drug iz Odessy. Material and origin share one frame.
Iz stekla: why not iz steklom?
The material is named by iz plus the of-form: iz shersti — of wool, iz metalla — of metal, iz plastika — of plastic. A sweater of wool is sviter iz shersti, and the form answers of what.
What does it look like in a Russian example sentence?
“Это свитер из чистой шерсти” (Eto sviter iz chistoy shersti) — This is a sweater of pure wool. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.