Possession: 'у меня есть' — Russian Grammar

Russian has a verb for to have, (imét'imétʹ), but in everyday speech it is rarely used for owning things. Instead, Russian says "by me there is": the owner goes after the preposition у in the genitive case, and the thing owned is the subject.

The Pattern

(u menyá yest'u menjá jestʹ) - I have
(u tebyá yest'u tebjá jestʹ) - you have
(u negó yest'u negó jestʹ) - he has
(u neyó yest'u nejó jestʹ) - she has
(u nas yest'u nas jestʹ) - we have
(u vas yest'u vas jestʹ) - you have
(u nikh yest'u nix jestʹ) - they have

The pronouns (yegójegó), (yeyójejó) and (ikhix) take an н- after у. A noun owner is simply in the genitive: (u Ánny), (u moyegó brátau mojegó bráta).

У меня́ есть соба́ка и ко́шка.
U menyá yest' sobáka i kóshka.U menjá jestʹ sobáka i kóška.
I have a dog and a cat.
У тебя́ есть зонт?
U tebyá yest' zont?U tebjá jestʹ zont?
Do you have an umbrella?
У э́того младе́нца ми́лый нос.
U étogo mladéntsa mílyy nos.U étogo mladénca mílyj nos.
This baby has a cute nose.

When есть (yest') Is Left Out

(Yest'Jestʹ) is used when the question is whether the thing exists at all. When its existence is taken for granted and the sentence is really about what it is like, (yest'jestʹ) is dropped.

У меня́ больша́я семья́.
U menyá bol'sháya sem'yá.U menjá bolʹšája semʹjá.
I have a big family.
У неё краси́вое лицо́.
U neyó krasívoye litsó.U nejó krasívoje licó.
She has a beautiful face.
У меня́ аллерги́я на ара́хис.
U menyá allergíya na arákhis.U menjá allergíja na aráxis.
I'm allergic to peanuts.

Agreement

Because the thing owned is the grammatical subject, it stays in the nominative and the verb agrees with it, not with the owner.

У меня́ есть биле́ты на конце́рт.
U menyá yest' biléty na kontsért.U menjá jestʹ biléty na koncért.
I have tickets for a concert.

Past and Future

In the past, the form of (byt'bytʹ) agrees with the thing owned: (byl), (bylá), (býlo), (býli). In the future it is (búdet) or (búdut).

Сего́дня у меня́ был интере́сный разгово́р.
Segódnya u menyá byl interésnyy razgovór.Segódnja u menjá byl interésnyj razgovór.
Today I had an interesting conversation.
Мои́ ста́рые часы́ бы́ли у меня́ де́сять лет.
Moí stáryye chasý býli u menyá désyat' let.Moí stáryje časý býli u menjá désjatʹ let.
I had my old watch for ten years.
У вас бу́дет хоро́ший полёт.
U vas búdet khoróshiy polyót.U vas búdet xoróšij poljót.
You will have a good flight.

Not Having

The negative replaces (yest'jestʹ) with (net), and the thing that is missing goes into the genitive.

У меня́ нет де́нег.
U menyá net déneg.U menjá net déneg.
I have no money.
У тебя́ нет рабо́ты?
U tebyá net rabóty?U tebjá net rabóty?
Don't you have a job?

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Russian course

57 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 21. A few of them, with the words “Possession: 'у меня есть'” is about in bold:

У меня две машины, два велосипеда и три мотоцикла.
U menyá dve mashíny, dva velosipéda i tri mototsíkla.U menjá dve mašíny, dva velosipéda i tri motocíkla.
I have two cars, two bicycles, and three motorbikes.
Lesson 33
Здравствуйте, Доктор. У меня проблема.
Zdrávstvuyte, Dóktor. U menyá probléma.Zdrávstvujte, Dóktor. U menjá probléma.
Hello, Doctor. I have a problem.
Lesson 91
У неё медленная, дешёвая машина.
U neyó médlennaya, deshóvaya mashína.U nejó médlennaja, dešóvaja mašína.
She has a slow, cheap car.
Lesson 110

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