Cases in RFL methodology

We all know the six cases of the Russian language. Some of us even remember the case questions! What did we need this information for? Why did we spend so much time memorizing them?
While I am telling you, think about the answer to these questions.

So, six cases. Twelve questions (actually more, but okay).
Helping (who?) my brother.

Ask (what?) about the exam.

Writing (with what?) a pencil.

Choosing a question automatically popped into our heads, we didn't make mistakes like "help a friend or a friend of a friend? who? or who?" We didn't need to be taught how to choose a question, it automatically popped into our heads.

It is this background knowledge that distinguishes us as native speakers from those who do not speak Russian.

It is this background knowledge of choosing the appropriate case question that distinguishes us as native speakers from those who do not speak Russian.

What is our goal in studying cases in the school program? Have you thought about it?
Here it is. It is important for us to master literacy: what we hear and what we write in case endings. In the museum or to the museums? By knowing the prepositional case endings, you can choose the correct letter. This is the goal of the school's case study program in school.

Now let's think about the foreigner. How should he choose the ending?

I told my friend about the new restaurant.

Told who? Or who? Or who?

In order to choose the right question, he must determine the meaning.

And here we come to the main point. RFL methodology works not with cases as such, but with case meanings. And there are many more values than there are cases. In this article, I will give the main case meanings of the Russian language.

The RFL methodology does not work with cases per se, but with case meanings.

Basic meanings of the nominative case

1. Subject in a sentence (Who? What?)

The most common and basic meaning of the nominative case, as it is used to indicate the active person or object in a sentence:

There's a book on the table. (What's on the table? A book.)
A boy is reading a book. (Who's reading? A boy.)

2. the nominal part of a compound predicate (Who? What?).

The nominative case is used after the verb to be or in equivalent constructions to indicate quality, profession, or condition:

My sister is a doctor. (What is she? A doctor.)
He's a good friend of mine. (Who is he? A friend.)

3. names and titles (Who? What?)

Used in headlines, captions, advertisements, and to indicate something:

Moscow is the capital of Russia. (What is Moscow? Capital.)
Pushkin is a great poet. (Who's Pushkin? A poet.)

Basic meanings of the genitive case

1. absence or negation (Who? What?)

The most frequent meaning, as the genitive case is commonly used in conjunction with the verb no and negative constructions:

I don't have a book. (No what? A book.)
There are no people in the street. (No who? People.)

2. Belonging (Whose? Whom? What?)

Very often used to express belonging:

It's Anna's book. (Whose book? Anna's.)
The car key is on the table. (The key to what? The car.)

3. Quantities and measures (Who? What?)

Used with numerals, words of quantity, and for measurement:

Two apples. (Two what? Apples.)
Lots of water. (Lots of what? Water.)
A kilogram of sugar. (A kilogram of what? Sugar.)

4. Use with prepositions (Who? What?)

The genitive case is used after certain prepositions such as for, of, without, about:

A gift for a friend. (For whom? A friend.)
He came from Moscow. (From what? Moscow.)
Tea without sugar. (No what? No sugar.)

5. Description or characterization (Who? What?)

Occurs less frequently than the previous values, but is important for indicating properties and qualities:

Cup of tea. (A cup of what? Tea.)
A book of wisdom. (Book of what? Wisdom.)

Basic meanings of the dative case

1. Specifying the addressee of the action (To whom? To what?)

The most frequent meaning, since the dative case is often used to indicate the recipient of an action:

I gave the book to a friend. (Gave it to who? A friend.)
She gave flowers to her mom. (Gave who? Mom.)

2. Age, condition, or feeling (To whom? To what?)

A very common meaning, especially in everyday speech to express age, feeling, or condition:

I'm 20 years old. (Who? Me.)
He's cold. (Who's cold? Him.)
We're having fun. (Who's having fun? Us.)

3. Specifying a goal or direction (Toward what?)

Used to indicate the direction of action or purpose, but less frequently than the first two meanings:

I went to the door. (Walked to what? The door.)
We're studying for an exam. (Preparing for what? An exam.)

4. Purpose (For whom? For what?)

Occurs less frequently than other meanings, but is important for indicating purpose or usefulness:

This book belongs to a student. (Belongs to whom? A student.)
The letter is addressed to the principal. (Addressed to whom? The principal.)

Basic meanings of the accusative case

1. Direct complement (Who? What?)

The most common meaning of the accusative case because it is used to indicate the object of an action:

I'm reading a book. (Reading what? A book.)
He loves his dog. (Loves who? The dog.)

2. Direction of movement (Where to? To whom? In what? To whom? On what? On what?)

A very common meaning, as it is often used with verbs of motion and the prepositions in and on:

I'm going to the store. (Going where? To the store.)
We went to the sea. (We went where? To the sea.)

3. An indication of the length of time (What?).

Used to express a period of time, but less frequently than direct complement and direction of motion:

He waited an hour. (Waiting for what? An hour.)
We've been studying all day. (Studying what? All day.)

4. Usage with prepositions (About whom? About what? Through whom? Through what?).

Less common in everyday speech, but important in formal contexts and with certain verbs:

We were talking about vacation. (Talked about what? Vacation.)
He jumped over the fence. (Jumped what? The fence.)

The main meanings of the subjective case

1. Accompaniment (With whom? With what?)

The most common meaning of the possessive case, as it often speaks of joint action:

I'm walking with a friend. (Walking with who? A friend.)
We're traveling with family. (Traveling with who? Family.)

2. A means or instrument of action (By what?)

A very common meaning, used to indicate a tool or method of performing an action:

I write with a pen. (What do I write with? A pen.)
We opened the door with a key. (With what? A key.)

3. Method or condition (By whom? By what?)

Often used to indicate a profession, role, manner, or condition:

He works as a teacher. (A what? A teacher.)
They're whispering. (What do they say? Whispers.)

4. Use with prepositions (Under whom/what? Over whom/what? Between whom/what?).

The frequency is lower than the other values because these prepositions are used less frequently:

The sun is shining over the city. (Shining over what? The city.)
We sat between the trees. (Between what? The trees.)

Basic meanings of the prepositional case

1. Place (Where? In what? In what? On what? On what?)

This is the most common meaning, as people often talk about location or place of action:

I live in Moscow. (Where do I live? In Moscow.)
The book is on the table. (Where is it? On the table.)

2. object of speech (About whom? About what?)

Very often used to discuss topics, ideas, people or subjects:

We're talking about a book. (What are we talking about? A book.)
He's thinking about family. (Thinking about who? Family.)

3. Time or condition (At what?)

It is used less frequently than place or object of speech meanings, but is still quite common in formal and literary contexts:

They built fortresses under the tsar. (Who built them? The Tsar.)
It was interesting in class. (Where was it interesting? In class.)

4. describe or characterize (In what way?)

Used to express state, confidence, doubt, and other qualities. Although this meaning is important, it is less common than the first three:

He's confident of success. (Confident of what? Success.)
I doubt his words. (I doubt what? His words.)

Итак, выше перечислены основные значения падежей в русском языке. Мы, как носители языка, с ними знакомы, просто не выносим их в отдельные категории, да и вообще, честно говоря, о них не думаем.
А тем, кто изучает РКИ, освоить падежи возможно только через данные значения. А сам падеж уже, честно говоря, вторичен. Важно только отношение определенного значения к конкретному падежу, и уже потом выбор падежного окончания. Я постаралась изобразить этот процесс на схеме.
В каком порядке изучать падежные значения?
Классическая методика РКМ рекомендует опираться на два фактора:
1. Частотность употребления
2. Сложность освоения
В зависимости от этих факторов, и определяется порядок освоения значений и падежей.
Об этом предлагаю поговорить в следующей статье.

Do you have experience teaching cases to children who don't speak Russian? Share it in the comments!