Ordinal numerals

Ordinal numeral is the part of speech which denotes the order of an object, its place in a list. We use an ordinal numeral when we count objects, people and phenomena. If you can count and know cardinal numerals, most often you will be able to tell what object in succession we are talking about by the composition of a word.

Один - первый [adin - p'ervyy] - one - the first
Два - второй [dva - ftaroy] - two - the second
Три - третий [tri - tr'etiy] - three - the third
Четыре - четвёртый [chityr'e - chitvyortyy] - four - the fourth
Пять - пятый [p'yat' - p'yatyy] - five - the fifth
Шесть - шестой [sh'est' - shistoy] - six - the sixth
Семь - седьмой [s'em' - sid'moy] - seven - the seventh
Восемь - восьмой [vosim' - vas'moy] - eight - the eighth
Девять - девятый [d'ev]yat' - div'yatyy] - nine - the ninth
Десять - десятый [d'es'yat' - dis'yatyy] - ten - the tenth

If we are talking about the list of objects (animate or inanimate), we use an ordinal numeral before the word denoted the object in order to mark its place.

В четыре года я прочитал свою первую книгу - I read my first book when I was four.
Моя сестра получает второе образование - My sister gets the second education.
В прошлом году мы завели третью собаку - Last year we adopted the third dog.

Ordinal numbers are similar to adjectives: they answer the same questions (какой, какая, какое, какие - what) and we decline them in the same manner.

The fourth - Четвёртый [chitv'yortyy], четвёртого [chitv'yortava], четвёртому [chitv'yortamu], четвёртый [chitv'yortyy] (четвёртого), четвёртым [chitv'yortym], о четвёртом [a chitv'yortam].

Ordinal numerals can be compound - when an ordinal number is very big e.g. a year, we decline only last word. The following example shows this. Also pay your attention to the fact that we decline an ordinal numeral according to the noun which we use with this numeral.

На смену две тысячи семнадцатому году придёт две тысячи восемнадцатый год - Two thousand and eighteen will replace two thousand and seventeen.