In addition to the "have" construction, the genitive case in Russian can be used to link two nouns together in an "of" relationship. The genitive case form and its English equivalents are italicized in the example.
The genitive “of” possession is often expressed in English by the form "possessor + 's." Compare the genitive case forms and their English equivalents in the examples below. They are italicized.
In the Russian sentences, the genitive "of" forms all come:
Some foreign names, such as Caitlin and Tony, do not change endings for the genitive or other cases, because their dictionary forms do not fit into Russian declension patterns.
When trying to convey the idea of possession with "apostrophe 's" in Russian, convert the English apostrophe 's word into an "of" phrase first. The "of" phrase will be in the genitive in Russian.
Look at the family relationships given below and select the choice that conveys the same idea.
| 1. uncle | брат ма́тери | мать бра́та |
| 2. cousin | сын тёти | тётя сы́на |
| 3. brother-in-law | сестра́ му́жа | муж сестры́ |
| 4. sister-in-law | брат жены́ | жена́ бра́та |
| 5. niece | брат до́чери | дочь бра́та |
| 6. paternal grandmother | мать отца́ | оте́ц ма́тери |
Look at the English cues below and the select the Russian equivalent.
| 1. your uncle's son | дя́дя сы́на | сын дя́ди |
| 2. your aunt's son | сын тёти | тётя сы́на |
| 3. your uncle's daughter | дочь дя́ди | дя́дя до́чери |
| 4. your aunt's daughter | тётя до́чери | дочь тёти |
| 5. your mother's brother | брат ма́тери | мать бра́та |
| 6. your mother's sister | мать сестры́ | сестра́ ма́тери |
| 7. your father's brother | брат отца́ | оте́ц бра́та |
| 8. your father's sister | оте́ц сестры́ | сестра́ отца́ |
