Russian has masculine and feminine form for each word denoting nationality. In addition to masculine and feminine there is a plural form for each nationality.

Here is the list of some common words. Three forms are given (masculine - feminine - plural). Listen and repeat after speaker imitating the pronunciation as closely as you can:

Notes

             Masculine and Feminine Forms

• Note that many words denoting nationalities have the final -ец for a male person and final -ка for a female person: канадец - канадка, японец - японка.

             Memorize the words that are different: 

• The word for Chinese woman китаянка has the final element -янка.
• The words for Englishman and Englishwoman англичанин  - англичанка have the final -анин for a male and -анка for a female person.
• The words for Frenchman and Frenchwoman француз - француженка have the final -з for a male and -женка for a female person.
• The words for Russian man and Russian woman русский - русская have the final -ий for a male and -ая for a female person.

             Plural Forms

• Many plural forms for nationalities have the final element -цы: американцы, испанцы, etc.
• Note that the plural form французы has the final -ы, англичане has the final -е, русские has the final -ие. These forms are to be memorized as exceptions.

If you want to talk about your parents and grandparents national background you should use masculine forms for men and feminine forms for women. Listen and repeat after speaker:

You already know how to say "I was born and grown up". Now you can also say what is your nationality:

A male person will say:

A female person will say:

• Don't forget that verbs change their endings for gender in the past tense: Я родился и вырос (masculine forms) vs. Я родилась и выросла (feminine forms).
• If a verb has -ся at the end, it is spelled -ся after a consonant, and -сь after a vowel: родился, but родилась. This type of verbs will be discussed later on.
• Some verbs like вырос, for instance, have no -л in the past tense masculine forms, but they do have -ла, -ло, -ли in all other past tense forms. Such verbs are to be memorized as exceptions.

1. Use the texts below as the model for you own story. Read these texts aloud at least three times.

А.      Здравствуйте! Меня зовут Джон. Моя фамилия Кэмбл. Моя мама канадка. Она родилась и выросла в Канаде, в Торонто. Мой папа американец. Он родился и вырос в Нью-Йорке.

          Я канадец. Я родился и вырос в Канаде, в Оттаве. Сейчас я живу в Ванкувере.

 *Я живу в... - I live in...

Б.       Здравстуйте! Меня зовут Таня. Моя фамилия Соколова. Мой папа русский. Он родился и вырос в России, в Санкт-Петербурге. Моя мама украинка, она родилась и выросла в Киеве. 

          Я русская. Я родилась и выросла в России, в Санкт-Петербурге. Сейчас я живу в Москве.

2. Make up your own story. Tell what is your first name, what is your last name, where your parents were born and grown up, where you were born and grown up.

3. Write down your story on paper or type it on your computer, then read it aloud at least three times. 

4. Keep your story for future reference.

Memorize your story and retell it without looking at the paper or computer.