More uses of the genitive
The genitive doesn't just mean 'of' or 'whose'. It also shows what's missing, what you're counting, and what comes after a handful of common prepositions.
Negation: 'I don't have' and 'there is no'
To say you don't have something, replace есть with нет and put the thing in the genitive: У меня нет книги = I don't have a book (lit. 'at me there-is-no of-book'). У них нет дома = They don't have a house. The same applies to general absence: Дома нет молока = There's no milk at home.
Counting things
Numbers determine the case of what you're counting: - 1 → nominative singular: один стол. - 2, 3, 4 → genitive singular: два стола (two of-table). - 5+ → genitive plural: пять столов. For feminine: одна книга, две книги, пять книг.
Genitive plural — quick survey
Masculine: usually -ов / -ев. Стол → столов. Друг → друзей (irregular). Feminine -а: drop the -а. Книга → книг. Мама → мам. Neuter -о: drop the -о. Окно → окон (with vowel insertion). Слово → слов. Don't memorize this table whole — pick it up as you go.
Prepositions that take the genitive
Common ones: из (out of, from), от (from a person), у (at, owned by), без (without), для (for), около (near). Examples: из Москвы (from Moscow), от мамы (from mom), без сахара (without sugar), для тебя (for you).
