Accusative of inanimate nouns in Russian: basics and application
How it works
In Russian, a noun can change in the accusative when it is the direct object of a sentence. For inanimate masculine and neuter nouns, the accusative form stays the same as the nominative. For example: ‹Я вижу стол›. With feminine nouns ending in ‹-а›, the accusative singular usually uses ‹-у›; with feminine nouns ending in ‹-я›, it usually uses ‹-ю›, for example: ‹Я читаю книгу›. Feminine inanimate nouns ending in ‹-ь› keep the same form in the accusative singular as in the nominative, for example: ‹Она открывает дверь› and ‹Мы покупаем тетрадь›. It is important to distinguish between animate and inanimate objects, since animate masculine nouns can have a different accusative form. In this exercise, we focus on inanimate nouns.
Inanimate masculine and neuter nouns remain unchanged in the accusative. Inanimate feminine nouns ending in ‹-а› usually take the ending ‹-у› in the accusative singular; those ending in ‹-я› usually take ‹-ю›. Feminine inanimate nouns ending in ‹-ь› remain unchanged in the accusative singular.
An example
Choose the correct accusative form: ‹Я покупаю (тетрадь).›
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50 Exercises
To the learning unit →Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: Russian. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.