Metr tkani, litr moloka: after a measure the noun answers of what
After a measure word the neighbour changes: metr tkani, litr moloka, kilogramm yablok. The noun answers of what — that is the counting of-form. For example: “Купи литр молока и килограмм яблок” — Buy a litre of milk and a kilo of apples. A rule from the Russian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
After a measure word the neighbour changes: metr tkani, litr moloka, kilogramm yablok. The noun answers of what — that is the counting of-form.
The measure always goes first: polkilo syra, polstakana vody. The half, pol-, drags the same of-form. The spelling follows the next letter. Before l, a vowel or a capital it takes a dash: pol-litra. Anywhere else it is written solid: polchasa, poldoma. In our translit the dash is only a separator between the halves: pol-chasa, pol-litra, pol-doma.
With numbers the same: dva metra, pyat metrov, dvadtsat santimetrov. The measure bends itself, and the of-form still stands behind it: dva metra tkani, pyat metrov shnura.
The phrase is short and everywhere: butylka moloka, pachka soli, kusok khleba. Learn the pair — a measure plus the of-form — and the talk of weights and prices goes by itself.
Table
| Measure | Example | The question |
|---|---|---|
| litr | litr moloka | of what? |
| kilogramm | kilogramm yablok | of what? |
| pol- | pol-chasa | of what? |
| butylka | butylka vody | of what? |
| pachka | pachka soli | of what? |
By example
- Купи литр молока и килограмм яблокKupi litr moloka i kilogramm yablokBuy a litre of milk and a kilo of apples
- Пол-литра воды осталось в бутылкеPol-litra vody ostalos v butylkeHalf a litre of water is left in the bottle
- Метр ткани стоит дороже, чем раньшеMetr tkani stoit dorozhe, chem ransheA metre of fabric costs more than before
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
The word after metr and litr?
After a measure word the neighbour changes: metr tkani, litr moloka, kilogramm yablok. The noun answers of what — that is the counting of-form.
Metr tkani and not metr tkan?
After a measure word the neighbour changes: metr tkani, litr moloka, kilogramm yablok. The noun answers of what — that is the counting of-form.
Pol-litra: how it is written?
The measure always goes first: polkilo syra, polstakana vody. The half, pol-, drags the same of-form. The spelling follows the next letter. Before l, a vowel or a capital it takes a dash: pol-litra. Anywhere else it is written solid: polchasa, poldoma. In our translit the dash is only a separator…
Which words answer of what?
After a measure word the neighbour changes: metr tkani, litr moloka, kilogramm yablok. The noun answers of what — that is the counting of-form.
What does it look like in a Russian example sentence?
“Купи литр молока и килограмм яблок” (Kupi litr moloka i kilogramm yablok) — Buy a litre of milk and a kilo of apples. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.