Talking About Quantity in Russian: Useful Words and Expressions

Expressing quantity in Russian involves using numerals, counting words, and grammatical forms that agree with the noun they modify.

Words of quantity tell us how many or how much of something there is. But if you are learning Russian, there are some good news for you: we actually don’t use different words for countable and uncountable nouns. We just use ONE for both of them!

Look at the examples:

много яблок – many apples

много воды – much water

Easy, right? But there are many words and phrases used to express quantities and amounts in Russian. Here’s the list.

Basic quantity words

In Russian grammar, quantifiers are words used to indicate approximate or specific numerical amounts or quantities. They modify nouns and provide information about the quantity or number of something. Quantifiers can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

Here are some common quantifiers in Russian:

много – much/many

очень много – very much/many

слишком много – too much/many

немного (informal немножко) – not much, a little, some

несколько – several, more than one (for countable things, of course)

мало (informal маленько) – little/few

очень мало – very little/few

слишком мало – too little/few

чуть-чуть – a bit, very little (informal)

капля – a bit, very little (literally: drop)

часть – part, some (of)

весь (m.) / вся (f.) – all, whole

See Also: How to Describe Size in Russian

How to use quantity words in Russian

When talking about quantity, use the following strucrure:

много/немного/мало + noun in the genitive case

Exaple sentences:

У меня мало времени. – I have little time.

У неё мало друзей. – She has few friends.

Еды слишком мало. – There are too little food.

У меня мало времени. – I don’t have much time.

На улицах очень мало людей. – There are very few people on the streets.

Добавь чуть-чуть соли. – Add a little bit of salt.

Можно мне капельку молока? – Можно мне капельку молока?

У нас осталось немного молока. – We have a little milk left.

Умоляю вас дать мне немного воды. – I beg you to give me a little water.

We don’t actually use немного with countable nouns. You can say something like “Купи немного яблок” (Buy some apples), but “Купи несколько яблок” sounds much more natural.

Я купил несколько книг. – I bought several books.

Я знаю несколько языков и работаю переводчиком на фрилансе. – I speak several languages and work as a freelance translator.

У нас много денег. – We have a lot of money.

Он пьет много кофе. – He drinks a lot of coffee.

Не нужно устанавливать слишком много ограничений. – It is not necessary to impose too many restrictions.

Весь класс пришел на экскурсию. – The whole class came on the excursion.

Часть информации была утеряна. – Part of the information was lost.

To express approximate quantities, you can use phrases such as:

• около десяти человек – about ten people
• примерно полтора килограмма – approximately one and a half kilograms

To express fractions or parts of a whole, you can use the words “половина” (half), “треть” (third), “четверть” (quarter) etc. combined with the noun they modify.

• половина яблока – half an apple
• четверть стакана – a quarter of a cup

The word “большинство” [bol’shinstvo] in Russian is used to express the concept of “majority” or “most” in various contexts. Here are a few ways in which you can use it:

Большинство студентов поддерживает эту идею. (The majority of students supports this idea.)-

Этот кандидат получил большинство голосов из всех представленных. (This candidate received the majority of votes among all the candidates presented.)

Informal words for quantity

There are many informal words that mean “much” or “many”. For example:

дофига [dafiga]

дохрена [dahrina]

дофигища [dafigishcha]

дохренища [dahrenishcha]

They’re are slightly rude, so be careful using it.

Numerals

We also use cardinal numerals to express specific quantities. Numbers are followed by nouns in the genitive case when expressing an exact quantity or possession. For example:

• четыре книги (four books)
• пять яблок (five apples)
• У меня две машины. (I have two cars)

Russian has specific collective numerals that express quantities for groups or collections of objects. For instance:

• пара – a couple
• тройка – a group of three
• дюжина – a dozen

These words are also used with nouns in the genitive case.

Here’s the video version of this lesson:

By mastering the different quantifiers discussed in this article, you can effectively express various degrees of approximation or specificity when talking about quantities. Whether indicating small or large amounts, expressing a range, or referring to the entirety of something, quantifiers help to convey numerical information in a concise and accurate manner.

I hope this article has provided you with a comprehensive understanding of quantifiers in Russian grammar. Happy learning and communicating in Russian!