das  Russisch

B1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈʁʊsɪʃ/

🇷🇺 What does 'das Russisch' mean?

Das Russisch (noun, neuter) refers to the Russian language. It's the nominalization (Substantivierung) of the adjective 'russisch'.

Although language names in German are often used without an article (e.g., "Ich lerne Russisch" - *I am learning Russian*), the article 'das' is used when the language is treated as a specific concept or distinguished from other forms or variants (e.g., "Das Russisch Puschkins unterscheidet sich vom heutigen Russisch." - *Pushkin's Russian differs from today's Russian*), or when it acts as a clearly defined subject or object in a sentence.

🚨 Attention: Don't confuse it with the adjective 'russisch' (lowercase), which means 'Russian' referring to Russia or its culture (e.g., die russische Flagge - *the Russian flag*, russisches Essen - *Russian food*).

Article rules for der, die, and das

Language Structure: Grammar of Russisch

'Russisch' as the name of the language is a neuter noun (Neutrum) and is mostly used without an article. When an article is used, it's 'das'. It is normally only used in the singular.

Here is the declension with the definite article:

Note: The Genitive and Dative forms with -(en) are less common and can sound somewhat formal or archaic. Often, circumlocutions are used (e.g., "die Grammatik des Russischen" or "die Grammatik von Russisch" - *the grammar of Russian*).

Example Sentences 🗣️

1. Ich lerne Russisch. (*I am learning Russian.* - most common form, no article)
2. Das Russisch, das in der Schule gelehrt wird, ist standardisiert. (*The Russian taught in school is standardized.*)
3. Er interessiert sich für das Russisch des 19. Jahrhunderts. (*He is interested in the Russian of the 19th century.*)
4. Die Komplexität des Russischen ist bekannt. (*The complexity of Russian is well-known.* - Genitive)
5. Mit dem Russischen tut er sich noch schwer. (*He still struggles with Russian.* - Dative, rather rare)

In Conversation: When to use 'das Russisch'

Using 'das Russisch' is more specific than generally referring to the language:

• Distinction/Specification: When referring to a specific form or era of Russian: "Das Russisch der Dichter unterscheidet sich vom Alltagsrussisch." (*The Russian of the poets differs from everyday Russian.*)
• As a Sentence Element with an Article: When 'Russisch' acts as a clearly defined subject or object in the sentence and is further described: "Das Russisch ist eine faszinierende Sprache." (*Russian [as a specific entity] is a fascinating language.*)
• Comparison: When comparing it to other languages: "Das Deutsche ist einfacher als das Russisch(e)." (*German is easier than Russian.* - Also often used without an article or with a different phrasing: "Deutsch ist einfacher als Russisch.")

In everyday conversation, people usually just say: "Sprichst du Russisch?" (*Do you speak Russian?*), "Ich verstehe Russisch." (*I understand Russian.*), "Mein Lieblingsfach ist Russisch." (*My favorite subject is Russian.*)

Remember: das Russisch (the language) vs. russisch (adjective: relating to the nationality/culture).

Memory Aids for Russisch

For the article 'das': Think of 'das Alphabet'. Languages often have *das Alphabet*, and most language names used as nouns in German are neuter (das Deutsche, das Englische, das Russische). Just like data ('das Datum'), a language is a system, often neuter in German.

For the meaning 'language': 'Russisch' ends with '-isch', a common ending for adjectives related to origin (englisch, spanisch). When capitalized, *Russisch* becomes the noun for the language itself. Think: you speak the *Russisch* language.

Word Families: Similar & Opposite

Risk of Confusion ⚠️

• russisch (adjective): Means 'Russian', referring to Russia, Russians, or Russian culture (e.g., russischer Tee - *Russian tea*, russische Literatur - *Russian literature*). It's written in lowercase.
• der Russe / die Russin: Refers to a person from Russia (*the Russian man / the Russian woman*).

A Little Chuckle 😄

Warum lernen Skelette kein Russisch?

Weil sie keine Körper haben, um die schweren Fälle zu tragen! 😉

(Why don't skeletons learn Russian? Because they have no body to carry the heavy cases/declensions! - A pun on 'Fälle' meaning both 'cases' in grammar and 'cases/loads' to carry)

A Short Poem about 'das Russisch'

Kyrillisch schreibt sich's Wort für Wort,
Das Russisch klingt an manchem Ort.
Mal sanft, mal hart, mit reichem Klang,
Ein Sprachgefühl, ein Leben lang.
Von Puschkin bis zu uns'rer Zeit,
Voll Tiefe und voll Innigkeit.

(Cyrillic spells it word by word,
Russian sounds in places heard.
Sometimes soft, sometimes hard, with rich sound,
A feeling for language, lifelong profound.
From Pushkin down to our own time,
Full of depth and intimacy sublime.)

Riddle Time 🤔

Ich habe ein eigenes Alphabet,
werde von Millionen gesprochen, nah und fern.
Man lernt mich oft mit Fleiß und Schweiß,
mein Artikel ist 'das', wie jeder weiß.

Was bin ich?

(I have my own alphabet,
spoken by millions, near and far set.
Often learned with diligence and sweat,
my article is 'das', you can bet.

What am I?)

... Das Russisch (*Russian*)

Interesting Facts 💡

• Alphabet: Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet (das kyrillische Alphabet), which is based on the Greek alphabet with additional letters.
• Language Family: Russian belongs to the East Slavic group of the Indo-European language family (ostslawische Gruppe der indogermanischen Sprachfamilie).
• Distribution: It is one of the most spoken languages in Europe, the official language of Russia, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations.