Maharashtra HSC Russian (MSBSHSE) key terms

A grammatical category of Russian nouns, pronouns and adjectives that shows their role in a sentence; Russian has six such categories, each with its own set of endings and typical prepositions.

The dictionary form of a Russian word, used for the subject of a sentence and for the noun in a predicate such as "Это книга". It answers the questions кто? and что?

The case expressing possession, absence and quantity, used after нет, после, у and numbers above one; it also follows prepositions such as без, из and от.

The case marking the indirect object, the person to whom something is given, said or addressed; it is required by verbs like помогать and by prepositions such as к and по.

The case of the direct object after transitive verbs and of motion after в and на when the destination is meant; for feminine nouns it differs from the nominative, e.g. книгу.

The case naming the instrument or means of an action, used after verbs like заниматься and after prepositions such as с, над and под; it answers the question кем? чем?

The case used only with prepositions, most often о/об for talking about something and в/на for location; it answers the questions о ком? о чём? где?

The pattern of changing noun, adjective and pronoun endings according to case and number. Russian nouns are grouped into three main patterns, and the ending depends on gender and stem.

The pattern of verb endings that marks person and number in the present or future tense. Russian verbs follow two main patterns, with different vowels in the endings.

The grammatical distinction between imperfective verbs, which present an action as ongoing or repeated, and perfective verbs, which present it as completed; the two usually form pairs such as делать and сделать.

One of a set of Russian verbs describing movement, which come in pairs distinguishing one direction at one time from repeated or general motion, for example идти and ходить, ехать and ездить.

A prefix added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning, as in по- + ехать giving поехать; prefixes are especially productive with verbs of motion and aspect pairs.

A short form of a Russian adjective used only in the predicate, e.g. он болен or она рада; it agrees with the subject in gender and number but has no case forms.

A word expressing number or order, such as два, пять, первый. Russian numerals govern the case of the noun that follows them, which changes with the value of the number.

A word that stands in place of a noun or adjective, such as я, он, этот, свой. Russian pronouns change by case, and some take different stems in oblique cases, e.g. я becomes меня.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as бить баклуши meaning to idle. Recognising such units is essential for reading idiomatic Russian prose.

A word with a meaning close to another word, such as храбрый and смелый. Questions often ask candidates to choose the synonym that fits a given context or to match pairs.

A word with the opposite meaning to another, such as горячий and холодный. Identifying opposites helps in vocabulary tasks and in understanding contrast inside a text.

The words and situation surrounding an expression, which determine its correct meaning. In this exam, unfamiliar vocabulary is usually meant to be guessed from the surrounding sentence rather than translated in isolation.

A word sharing the same root as another, such as лес, лесной and лесник. Spotting shared roots lets a candidate infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word from a known one.

The subject the whole passage is about, stated in one short phrase rather than as a detail. Questions usually ask for it separately from the main idea or the author's position.

The central point or message the author wants to convey, which may differ from the topic. It is usually expressed in a full sentence covering the whole text, not just one paragraph.

A short ordered outline of a passage, with one heading per logical part. Making such an outline is a standard step before retelling or summarising a Russian text.

A spoken or written reproduction of a text in one's own words, keeping the sequence of events and key details. It is often tested together with a plan and a concluding opinion.

An informal letter to a friend or relative, with a greeting, an opening reference to the correspondent, answers to their questions, a request for news and a closing formula. It uses informal address.

A structured piece of writing with an introduction, developed body paragraphs and a conclusion. In this exam it usually requires expressing and justifying a personal opinion on a set topic.

The name of the person being addressed, set off by commas in Russian, e.g. Дорогая Анна, ... . The choice between ты and вы and the correct case form both matter here.

A block of text separated by an indent, normally developing one idea. Clear paragraphing is part of the mark for written work, alongside grammar and vocabulary range.

The set of conventional polite formulas used in greetings, thanks, apologies and farewells, such as Здравствуйте, Спасибо and До свидания. Choosing the right register for the situation is part of the oral and written tasks.

The stress placed on one syllable of a Russian word, which can change meaning, as with мука and мука. Correct stress affects pronunciation, spelling of unstressed vowels and listening comprehension.

The rise and fall of the voice across a phrase. In Russian it distinguishes statements from questions and signals which word carries the important new information.

Nineteenth-century Russian poet and writer, author of the novel in verse Евгений Онегин and of prose such as Пиковая дама. His work is a standard reference point in Russian literature syllabi.

Russian novelist of the second half of the nineteenth century, author of Война и мир and Анна Каренина. His works are known for broad social panorama and moral questioning.

Russian writer and playwright of the late nineteenth century, known for short stories such as Хамелеон and for plays including Вишнёвый сад. His short prose is frequently used for reading tasks.

Rendering a text from Russian into English or Marathi, or the reverse, keeping the meaning and register rather than word-for-word order. Idioms and case-governed phrases rarely translate literally.