Why the dictionary form changes in a sentence
Chechen nouns inflect for case, and singular–plural relationships do not follow one universal rule. Verbs and adjectives may display noun-class agreement. A form such as мотт or лам therefore cannot be pasted unchanged into every sentence. Learn the citation form first, then study its shape in a sourced example.
Keep Cyrillic as the anchor
Latin transliteration systems can represent the same sound differently. Latin variants help with search, but keeping modern Chechen Cyrillic as the anchor reduces ambiguity. The letter Ӏ is especially important: although it resembles the digit 1, it is a distinct Cyrillic character and part of the word.
How to learn the 12 words
Divide the words into people, place-and-nature, and everyday nouns. First work from Chechen to meaning, then shuffle the cards, and finally read each word inside a short sentence from a reliable source. Three sessions of four words make form changes easier to notice than one long memorisation session.
Next: numbers and phrases
This is not a complete dictionary; it is a manageable introduction to the script and to using a dictionary well. Next learn 1–20 as a separate sequence, then move to the short sentences in the essential-phrases guide. For each new word, record Cyrillic spelling, part of speech, inflection information and the example source as well as meaning.
