Adjectival Pronouns: Usage, Example Sentences and Explanations
Adjective pronouns (определительные местоимения) are words that indicate certain (generalized), but not specific, characteristics of an object.
In Russian, the adjective pronouns include the following pronouns: сам, самый, весь, всякий, каждый, иной, любой, другой, and the obsolete pronouns всяческий, всяк.
The list is not exhaustive and unambiguous, different linguists may include different units in this list.
Such words change in number, gender and case like adjectives.
Now let’s look at each word separately.
Весь
The word “весь” is an adjective in Russian, which means “whole” or “entire.” It has different forms depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun it modifies.
Here are the forms of “весь” in Russian:
- Masculine singular: весь (the whole)
- Feminine singular: вся (the whole)
- Neuter singular: всё (the whole)
- Plural: все (all, everyone)
Remember to also consider the cases when using “весь”:
| masculine | feminine | neuter | plural (for all genders) | |
| Nominative | весь | вся | всё | все |
| Genitive | всего | всей | всего | всех |
| Dative | всему | всей | всему | всем |
| Accusative | весь/всего | всю | всё | все/всех |
| Instrumental | всем | всей | всем | всеми |
| Prepositional | (обо) всём | (обо) всей | (обо) всём | (обо) всех |
These forms are used in Russian to agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify. Remember to decline “весь” accordingly to ensure grammatical accuracy in your sentences.
Here are some examples of how to use “весь” in different situations:
Я работал весь день. – I worked the whole day.
Я прочитал всю книгу. – I read the whole book.
Вся комната была убрана. – The whole room was cleaned.
Он выучил все правила. – He learned all the rules.
Все ученики пришли на урок. – All the students came to the lesson.
Они обсудили все варианты. – They discussed all the options.
“Все” and “всё” can also be used on their own without being attached to a noun.
Все is referring to all or everyone:
- Все пришли на вечеринку. (Everyone came to the party.)
- Они сделали все задания. (They did all the tasks.)
Всё can be is used as a standalone pronoun meaning “everything” or “all” when referring to a group of things or a situation.
- Всё будет хорошо. (Everything will be fine.)
- Я знаю о тебе всё. (I know everything about you.)
- Они потеряли всё из-за этой стихии. (They lost everything in this disaster.)
- Я так устал, что хочу забыть обо всём. (I’m so tired that I want about everything.)
These standalone forms of “вся” and “всё” are used to emphasize or generalize the idea of entirety or completeness.
See Also: Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives in Russian
Каждый
The word “каждый” is an adjective pronoun that translates to “each” or “every” in English. It is used to refer to every individual item or person within a group.
It has different forms in Russian depending on the gender and case of the noun it modifies. “Каждый” is usually used in the singular.
Masculine Singular:
- Nom: каждый (каждый студент – every student)
- Gen: каждого (у каждого студента – of every student)
- Dat каждому (каждому студенту – to every student)
- Acc: каждого (вижу каждого студента – I see every student)
- Instr: каждым (с каждым студентом – with every student)
- Prep: каждом (о каждом студенте – about every student)
Feminine Singular:
- Nom: каждая (каждая женщина – every woman)
- Gen: каждой (у каждой женщины – of every woman)
- Dat: каждой (каждой женщине – to every woman)
- Acc: каждую (вижу каждую женщину – I see every woman)
- Instr: каждой (с каждой женщиной – with every woman)
- Prep: каждой (о каждой женщине – about every woman)
Neuter:
- Nom: каждое (каждое слово – every word)
- Gen: каждого (у каждого слова – of every word)
- Dat: каждому (каждому слову – to every word)
- Acc: каждое (вижу каждое слово – I see every word)
- Instr: каждым (с каждым словом – with)
- Prep: каждом (о каждом слове – about every word)
Example sentences:
Каждый студент получил задание. – Every student received an assignment.
Каждый говорит что хочет. – Everyone says what they want to say.
Каждый is used in the plural when we talk about time intervals.
Я не могу покупать новый автомобиль каждые полгода. – I can’t buy a new car every 6 months.
Днём автобусы ходят каждые тридцать минут. – During the day, there’s a bus every thirty minutes.
Объём промышленной продукции удваивается каждые 9-10 лет. – The value of factory output has been doubling every 9 or 10 years.
Also, the plural is used in expressions like “каждые 10 километров” (every 10 kilometers), “каждые 5 килограмм” (every five kilos), etc.
See Also: Forming Plural Nouns in Russian
Любой, всякий
Любой emphasizes the idea of “any” in a general or unrestricted sense. It is often used when there is an unlimited or wide range of options.
Я могу пойти в любой магазин. – I can go to any shop.
Любой человек может вступить в клуб. – Any person can join the club.
It also means “any” or “every,” but with a connotation of variability or diversity. It is used to refer to a variety of different things or people.
Мне встречались всякие люди. – I have met all sorts of people.
Всякий человек имеет свои сильные и слабые стороны. – Every person has their own weaknesses.
Всякий раз, как я вижу его, он одет по-разному. – Every time I see him, he is dressed differently.
In some contexts, “любой” and “всякий” can be used interchangeably, but they a slightly different nuance. “Всякий” can sometimes imply a sense of uniqueness or variety within a group, while “любой” tends to be more general and unrestricted.
The pronouns “каждый,” “любой,” and “всякий” can often be interchangeable in some sentences because they all have a similar meaning of “one of all such.”
Любой/каждый/всякий человек заслуживает счастья. – Every/any human being deserves to be happy. (the meaning is the same no matter which pronoun you choose to use)
Другой, иной
The adjective pronouns “другой” and “иной” are used to describe something or someone as different, alternative, or another.
У меня есть другая машина. – I have another car.
Он выбрал другую профессию. – He chose a different profession.
Попробуй другой вариант. – Try another option.
Он смотрит на мир иными глазами. – He sees the world with different eyes.
Необходимо привлекать индивидуальных инвесторов, иными/другими словами, – население. – Individual investors or, in other words, the population should be attracted.
The pronoun “другой” can also have the meaning of “next” in certain contexts.
For example:
- “В следующий раз” (Next time)
- “На другой день” (On the next day)
- “Другой автобус придет через полчаса” (Another bus will come in hour)
In these cases, “другой” is used to refer to something that will come or happen after the current or previous occurrence.
Here is a declension table for the words “другой” and “иной” in Russian:
| masculine | feminine | neuter | plural | |
| Nominative | другой, иной | другая, иная | другое, иное | другие, иные |
| Genitive | другого, иного | другой, иной | другого, иного | других, иных |
| Dative | другому, иному | другой, иной | другому, иному | другим, иным |
| Accusative | другой/другого, иной/иного | другую, иную | другое, иное | другие/других, иные/иных |
| Instrumental | другим, иным | другой, иной | другим, иным | другими, иными |
| Prepositional | (о) другом, ином | (о) другой, иной | (о) другом, ином | (о) других, иных |
As you can see, the declension here is like regular adjectives. The same applies to the pronouns любой, другой, всякий, каждый and самый.
See Also: 100 Common Russian Adjectives with Examples in Context
Сам
The word “сам” is to indicate the person or object that performs the action. It is often used to express the idea of self-reliance or independence.
Он сам пошёл в магазин. – He went to the store himself.
Я сам приготовил обед. – I cooked lunch myself.
Дети сами убрали свои игрушки. – The children cleaned up their toys themselves.
Мне пришлось делать всё самому. – I had to do everything myself.
| masculine | feminine | neuter | plural | |
| Nominative | сам | сама | само | сами |
| Genitive | самого́ | само́й | самого́ | сами́х |
| Dative | самому́ | само́й | самому́ | сами́м |
| Accusative | самого́ | саму́ | само́ | сами́х |
| Instrumental | сами́м | само́й | сами́м | сами́ми |
| Prepositional | (о) само́м | (о) само́й | (о) само́м | (о) сами́х |
Самый
The adjective pronoun ‘самый’ is used as an intensifier. It is usually paired with the demonstrative pronouns ‘этот’ and ‘тот’ and placed before the noun to emphasize that it is precisely that specific object or person.
A: Это Валерий Леонтьев? (Is that Valery Leontiev?)
B: Он самый! (That’s him!)
Other examples:
Этот самый человек оказался моим предком. – This very person turned out to be my ancestor.
На этой фотографии тот самый айсберг, решивший судьбу знаменитого корабля. – This photo shows the very iceberg that decided the fate of the famous ship.
Это тот самый случай, когда важнее результата становится сам процесс. – This is one of those situations where the process leading to the result is more important than the result itself.
We have looked at all the adjectival pronouns. These are words that have the features of both adjectives and pronouns simultaneously. To memorize their declension, focus primarily on adjectives with similar endings.
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