accusative inanim pl

Russian Grammar: Inanimate Accusative Plural

In Russian, the Accusative case is used to indicate the direct object of a sentence (the thing being acted upon). When dealing with inanimate nouns (objects, concepts, and things that are not alive) in the plural, there is a very helpful rule: the form is exactly the same as the Nominative plural.

Because these forms are identical, if you already know how to make a noun plural, you already know how to use it as a direct object!

1. Masculine Nouns

Most masculine inanimate nouns end in -ы or -и in the plural. These endings remain the same in the Accusative.

• Стол (stol - table) → Столы (stoly - tables)
  Я вижу столы. (Ya vizhu stoly - I see the tables.)
• Музей (muzey - museum) → Музеи (muzei - museums)
  Мы любим музеи. (My lyubim muzei - We love museums.)

2. Feminine Nouns

Feminine nouns also typically end in -ы or -и in the plural. This form is used for both the subject and the direct object.

• Книга (kniga - book) → Книги (knigi - books)
  Она читает книги. (Ona chitaet knigi - She reads books.)
• Газета (gazeta - newspaper) → Газеты (gazety - newspapers)
  Они покупают газеты. (Oni pokupayut gazety - They buy newspapers.)
• Ночь (noch’ - night) → Ночи (nochi - nights)
  Я люблю тихие ночи. (Ya lyublyu tikhie nochi - I love quiet nights.)

3. Neuter Nouns

Neuter nouns change their endings from -о to -а, or from -е to -я. Again, the Accusative plural matches the Nominative plural.

• Окно (okno - window) → Окна (okna - windows)
  Я мою окна. (Ya moyu okna - I am washing the windows.)
• Письмо (pis’mo - letter) → Письма (pis’ma - letters)
  Он пишет письма. (On pishet pis’ma - He writes letters.)
• Море (more - sea) → Моря (morya - seas)
  Мы видим моря. (My vidim morya - We see the seas.)

Summary: For inanimate objects in the plural, you don't need to learn a new ending for the Accusative case. Just use the standard plural form!