accusative anim sg 2

Russian Grammar: Animate Nouns in the Accusative Singular

In Russian, the Accusative Case is used to indicate the direct object of a sentence. A unique rule in Russian is animacy: nouns representing living beings (people and animals) often take different endings than inanimate objects.

1. Masculine Animate Nouns

For masculine animate nouns, the Accusative form is identical to the Genitive form. This applies to the nouns themselves and the modifiers (adjectives, pronouns) describing them.

• Full Adjectives: End in -ого (pronounced -ovo) or -его (pronounced -yevo).
• Possessives: мой (my) becomes моего; твой (your) becomes твоего.
• Pronouns: весь (all/whole) becomes всего.

Examples:

1. Это мой новый студент. (Eto moy novyy student) - This is my new student. [Nominative]
2. Я вижу моего нового студента. (Ya vizhu moyego novogo studenta) - I see my new student. [Accusative]

1. Твой брат здесь. (Tvoy brat zdes') - Your brother is here. [Nominative]
2. Ты любишь твоего брата? (Ty lyubish' tvoyego brata?) - Do you love your brother? [Accusative]

2. Feminine Animate Nouns

Feminine nouns follow a more standard pattern, regardless of whether they are animate or inanimate. The endings change to -у or -ю.

• Full Adjectives: End in -ую or -юю.
• Possessives: моя becomes мою; твоя becomes твою.
• Pronouns: вся (all/whole) becomes всю.

Examples:

1. Это твоя новая сестра. (Eto tvoya novaya sestra) - This is your new sister. [Nominative]
2. Я знаю твою новую сестру. (Ya znayu tvoyu novuyu sestru) - I know your new sister. [Accusative]

1. Вся семья дома. (Vsya sem'ya doma) - The whole family is at home. [Nominative]
2. Он любит всю семью. (On lyubit vsyu sem'yu) - He loves the whole family. [Accusative]

3. Neuter Animate Nouns

Animate neuter nouns are rare (e.g., дитя - child). They generally follow the masculine animate pattern for modifiers (using the Genitive style -ого or -его), though the noun itself might vary.

Examples:

1. Это моё дитя. (Eto moyo ditya) - This is my child. [Nominative]
2. Я вижу моё/моего дитя. (Ya vizhu moyo/moyego ditya) - I see my child. [Accusative]

4. Personal Pronouns and Questions

Personal pronouns change completely in the Accusative. The question word for animates is кого (whom), while for inanimates it is что (what).

• Я (I) → меня (me)
• Ты (You) → тебя (you)
• Он (He) → его (him)
• Она (She) → её (her)

Example:

1. Кто это? (Kto eto?) - Who is this? [Nominative]
2. Кого ты видишь? (Kogo ty vidish'?) - Whom do you see? [Accusative]

Note: The demonstrative pronoun это (this/it is) remains invariable when used as a pointer.