Requests is the fifteenth skill of the Russian language tree. It has 4 lessons. This skill teaches Russian Skill:Request and how to form and use the accusative case.
Grammar Notes[]
Direct vs. Indirect Object[]
- A direct object is the person, or thing, who directly receives the action stated in a verb. It answers to the questions "who?" or "what?". For example, in English:
- I see a cat
- A cat is the direct object of the verb I see. It answers to the question "what?". I see what? → A cat.
- An indirect object, instead, does not directly receive the action stated in a verb. It answers questions such as "to whom?", "to what?", "of what?", "about what?",... For example, in English:
- I think about you
- You is the indirect object of the verb. It answers to the question "about whom?". I think about whom? → About you.
Transitive vs. Intransitive Verbs[]
- Verbs who take direct objects are called transitive.
- I see in the example above is a transitive verb.
- Verbs who don't need a direct object are called intransitive.
- In the sentence I swim, swim is an intransitive verb; it has a meaning of its own without requiring a direct object.
- Some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive, depending on the context.
- Some verbs that are transitive in English are intransitive in Russian, and vice versa.
The Accusative Case[]
The Accusative case of a noun is the case of the direct object in a sentence. For example:
- Я вижу маму. = I see mom.
In this example, мама is the direct object of the verb вижу, so it is declined in the Accusative case: мама → маму.
The following table summarizes the formation of the Accusative Singular case in Russian.
| Nominative Singular Ending | Accusative Singular Ending | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine Animate
(Accusative = Genitive) |
Consonant | Consonant + а | брат → брата |
| -й | -я | чай → чая | |
| -ь | -я | учитель → учителя | |
| Masculine Inanimate | Accusative = Nominative | велосипед → велосипед | |
| Feminine | -а | -у | мама → маму |
| -я | -ю | змея → змею | |
| -ь | -ь | лошадь → лошадь | |
| Neuter | Accusative = Nominative | яблоко → яблоко | |
Notes on Accusative Formation[]
- For masculine nouns that represent animate objects (e.g. people or animals), the Accusative is the same as the Genitive.
- For masculine nouns that represent inanimate objects (e.g. things or abstract concepts), the Accusative is the same as the Nominative (the base form of the word, doesn't change).
- For neuter nouns, the Accusative is the same as the Nominative (the base form of the word).
- For feminine nouns that end in the soft sign ь, the Accusative is the same as the Nominative (the base form of the word).
- Other feminine nouns have the endings -у/-ю as shown in the table.
Accusative of Demonstratives and Possessives[]
It is important to remember that demonstratives (этот/эта/это/эти) and possessives (мой/тврй/нас/вас), when present, are declined in the same case of the noun they refer to. So, for example:
- Я вижу маму. = I see mom.
- Я вижу эту маму. = I see your mom.
Lessons[]
Lesson 1[]
- вижу = I see
- хочу = I want
- дайте = give [me] (imperative, 2nd person plural)
- камни = stones (plural of камень)
- маму = accusative of мама (mom)
- папу = accusative of папа (dad)
- воду = accusative of вода (water)
- мне = me, to me (dative of я)
Lesson 2[]
- хочешь = you want
- хочет = he/she wants
- чашка (f) = cup
- чашки = genitive of чашка (cup)
- чашку = accusative of чашка (cup)
- курицу = accusative of курица (chicken, hen)
- тарелки = genitive of тарелка (plate)
- тарелку = accusative of тарелка (plate)
- утку = accusative of утка (duck)
Lesson 3[]
- знает = he/she knows
- ложка (f) = spoon
- ложку = accusative of лошка (spoon)
- кошку = accusative of кошка (cat)
- собаку = accusative of собака (dog)
- девочку = accusative of девочка (girl)
- это = accusative of это (this, neuter)
- эту = accusative of эта (this, feminine)
Lesson 4[]
- знаю = I know
- читает = he/she reads
- книги = books
- книгу = accusative of книга (book)
- Нину = accusative of Нина (Nina)
- Юлию = accusative of Юлия (Yulia)
- нашу = accusative of наша (our, feminine)
- вашу = accusative of ваша (your, feminine, plural or formal "you")
- змею = accusative of змея (snake)
- корову = accusative of корова (cow)