Kilo Lingo
Russian grammar Part of Chapter 4

CEFR A2

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Test yourself (16 questions)

Jobs in Russian: Кем вы работаете? and был врачом

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

In Russian a job needs no is and no a: , he's a doctor. But once a verb of being, becoming or working appears, the job goes into the instrumental case: . And to ask what someone does, you ask as whom: ?

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Tap the right form.

  1. He is a doctor.

  2. He was a doctor.

  3. I work as a teacher.

The whole system on one screen

Colour marks the instrumental ending:

instrumentalWhat do the colours mean?
RussianEnglish
.He's a doctor.
.He was a doctor.
.He'll be a doctor.
.I work as a teacher.
.I want to become a doctor.
?What do you do?

One rule: no verb, nominative; a verb of being, becoming or working, instrumental.

Он врач: the present, with no verb

In the present Russian drops is and has no a, so a job is just a noun after the person:

  • . - I'm a doctor.
  • ? - Are you a student?
  • . - She's an engineer.
Four people in their work clothes: a woman doctor with long hair and a bow, in a white coat with a stethoscope; a man teacher with glasses, a moustache and a tie, pointing at a board and holding a book; a man cook with a moustache, in a chef's hat and apron, holding a frying pan with an egg; a man police officer with a moustache, in a blue uniform and cap.
  1. .
  2. .
  3. .
  4. .

Она врач, she's a doctor. Он учитель, he's a teacher. Он повар, he's a cook. Он полицейский, he's a police officer.

Many job words serve for a woman as they are: , . Some have an everyday feminine form, and for those the feminine is what people say:

ManWomanEnglish
teacher
doctor
cook

Был врачом: the past and the future

Colour marks the instrumental ending:

instrumentalWhat do the colours mean?

Bring back, in the past or the future, and the job moves into the instrumental:

TenseExampleEnglish
present .He's a doctor.
past .He was a doctor.
future .He'll be a doctor.
add был, and врач becomes врачом
  • , . - When I was a student, I lived in Moscow.
  • . - She was a teacher.

The instrumental marks a role someone has for a time. You will also hear the nominative, , in casual speech, but for a job the instrumental is the standard and the safer habit.

Работать and стать: working as, becoming

Colour marks the instrumental ending:

instrumentalWhat do the colours mean?

Two everyday verbs take the instrumental for a job: (to work as) and (to become):

  • . - I work as a teacher.
  • . - Mum works as a doctor.
  • . - I want to become a doctor.
  • . - She became a teacher.

and are ordinary past tenses, so they agree with the person: a man , a woman .

Кем вы работаете? Asking what someone does

Colour marks the instrumental ending:

instrumentalWhat do the colours mean?

The question uses , the instrumental of : as whom do you work?

QuestionAnswer
? .
? .
?.

? (what do you do?) asks how someone spends their time, at work or not, and its answer is in the instrumental too: , I do sport.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
. . takes the instrumental
? ?as whom:
. (now) .no verb: nominative
(my job) . + instrumental

is right for speaking in your role ( , ..., as a doctor, I'd say...), but sounds like I work the way a doctor does. To name your job, use the instrumental.

What to do next

  1. Say what you do, and what you did before: ..., ...
  2. Ask a friend ?
  3. Do the drill below, and see the instrumental case for its other jobs.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/4

Tap the right form.

  1. He is a doctor.

  2. He was a doctor.

  3. I work as a teacher.

  4. What do you do? (your job, polite)

Build the word

0/3

Build the instrumental.

  1. врач (Он был ___.)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

  2. учитель (Я работаю ___.)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

  3. студент (Я был ___.)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/2

Tap the mistake.

Complete the story

0/3

Choose the right form for each gap.

A family of doctors

Я , а мой брат работает . Он хочет стать .

Gap 1 of 3

Matching

0/4

Match each job to its English.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say what your job is in Russian?
plus the job, with no verb and no article: , I'm a doctor; , I'm a teacher. Or use with the instrumental: , I work as a doctor. Both are everyday Russian.
Why is it and not ?
Because after a job or role normally goes into the instrumental: , he was a doctor. In the present disappears, so the job stays nominative: . The nominative after is heard too, especially in casual speech, but the instrumental is the standard form for a job.
How do you ask what someone does for a living in Russian?
?, literally as whom do you work, or ? to a friend. The answer comes back in the instrumental: . ? (what do you do?) asks about work or how someone spends their time.
Is there a feminine form of ?
Not in standard Russian: a woman is too, . Some jobs do have a feminine form, such as and , and the feminine form is the everyday one for a woman. In formal or official use the masculine job word is used for a woman too.
What does mean?
To become, and it takes the instrumental: , I want to become a doctor; , she became a teacher. Its past tense agrees with the person, for a man and for a woman.