Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| о́ба | óba | masculine, neuter, plural |
| о́бе | óbe | feminine, plural |
The word is used as a determiner to refer to each of two people or things. To express the conjunction "both… and…" (for example, both X and Y), use the construction и… и…
Which one should you use?
The form о́ба is used for masculine and neuter nouns, while о́бе is used specifically for feminine nouns.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes based on the gender of the nouns it refers to and the grammatical case. For masculine or neuter nouns, о́ба becomes обо́их in the genitive and accusative cases. For feminine nouns, о́бе becomes обе́их in the genitive and accusative cases.
How do you pronounce it?
óba
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use о́ба for all genders. However, you must use о́бе when referring to feminine nouns.
Did you know?
- If you refer to a mixed group of one man and one woman, you must use the masculine form о́ба regardless of who is mentioned first.
- The phrase 'both… and…' is expressed using и… и…, where the word for 'both' is completely omitted because the repetition of the conjunction implies it.
- The feminine form о́бе is used exclusively for feminine nouns, such as 'both sisters' or 'both streets'.
Example sentences for Russian are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Alexander and Olga are talking about two movies.
- Александр AleksandrТы видела эти два фильма?Ty videla eti dva fil'ma?Have you seen these two movies?
- Ольга OlgaДа, я смотрела о́ба.Da, ya smotrela oba.Yes, I watched both.
- Александр AleksandrКакой тебе понравился больше?Kakoy tebe ponravilsya bol'she?Which one did you like more?
- Ольга OlgaМне понравились о́ба фильма.Mne ponravilis' oba fil'ma.I liked both movies.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “both” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
