GrammarAccusative
Everything about the Russian Accusative case.
Accusative
In Russian the Accusative case answers to кого? (whom?) and что? (what?) and denotes the person or thing that is directly affected by an action.
Typical use
- Я читаю интересную книгу. - I am reading an interesting book.
- Он видит твоего кота. - He sees your cat.
- Она любит эту страну. - She loves this country.
- Мы знаем одну историю. - We know one story.
Direction of Motion (where to?)
The Accusative is also used to indicate direction (where someone is going). This is often contrasted with the Prepositional case, which indicates location (where someone already is).
| Motion (to where?) | Куда? | Accusative | Я иду в школу - I am going to school |
| Location (where at?) | Где? | Prepositional | Я в школе - I am at school |
- Он идёт к дому. - He is going to the house.
- Она идёт к парку. - She is going to the park.
We can even have a double Accusative:
- Я поставил вазу на стол. - I put the vase on the table.
The direct object being moved (ваза - vase) and where to (на стол - onto the table).
Time duration (How long?)
- Через неделю - In a week
- Неделю назад - A week ago
- Мы работали весь день. - We worked all day.
- Она болела всю неделю. - She was sick all week.
- Подождите одну минуту, пожалуйста. - Please wait for one minute.
Frequency (How often?)
"Every..." requires the Accusative:
- Каждый год - Every year
- Каждую среду - Every Wednesday
"x times per..." requires the Accusative:
- Раз в неделю - Once a week
- Два раза в месяц - Twice a month
Specific Points in Time (When?)
Days of the week: Use в + Accusative.
- В понедельник - On Monday
- В пятницу - On Friday
At a certain time: Use в + Accusative.
- В пять часов* - At five o’clock
- В эту минуту - In this minute
- Note that the rule about numbers can "win" over other rules, that's why часов is Genitive plural here.
Measurements (Price, Distance, Weight)
When answering "How much?" or "How far?", common measurement verbs often trigger the Accusative. стоить - to cost
-
Это стоит одну тысячу рублей*. - It costs 1,000 rubles. весить - to weigh
-
Арбуз весит пять килограммов*. - The watermelon weighs 5kg. проходить - to walk/pass
-
Мы прошли одну милю. - We walked one mile.
- In these examples the rule about numbers again wins and dictates the case of the noun. For одну милю it doesn't apply because the number 1 is weak and submissive.
Prepositions that govern the Accusative
Note that many of those prepositions can also govern different cases in different meanings, e.g. "в + Prepositional" if denoting a place.
| Preposition | Example |
|---|---|
| Directional Motion (Where to?) | |
| в (во) to / into | Я иду в парк. I am going to the park. |
| на to / onto | Мы едем на море. We are going to the sea. |
| за behind / beyond | Мяч укатился за забор. The ball rolled behind the fence. |
| под under | Кот прыгнул под кровать. The cat jumped under the bed. |
| через across / through | Мы перешли через улицу. We crossed the street. |
| о / об against | Он ударился об угол. He hit himself against the corner. |
| сквозь through | Свет светит сквозь окно. The light shines through the window. |
| Time-related | |
| через in [time] | Я приду через час. I will come in an hour. |
| за for / in the span of | Я сделал это за неделю. I did it in a week. |
| на for [a period of time] | Он уехал на месяц. He left for a month. |
| в on [day of week] | в пятницу. On Friday |
| в at [time] | в пять часов At five o’clock |
| в at [specific time] | в эту минуту In this minute |
| Other | |
| про about | Расскажи мне про свою семью. Tell me about your family. |
| несмотря на despite | Несмотря на дождь, мы пошли гулять. Despite the rain, we went for a walk. |
| включая including | Все были там, включая директора. Everyone was there, including the director. |
| играть в ... to play ... | Играть в футбол. To play football. |
| за for | Он заплатил за кофе. He paid for the coffee. Они благодарят за работу. They thank you for the work. |
Verbs that govern the Accusative (not full list)
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| читать / прочитать to read | Я читаю книгу. I am reading a book. |
| писать / написать to write | Он пишет письмо. He is writing a letter. |
| делать / сделать to do / make | Мы делаем задание. We are doing the task. |
| покупать / купить to buy | Она купила хлеб. She bought bread. |
| есть / съесть to eat | Я ем яблоко. I am eating an apple. |
| пить / выпить To drink | Ты пьёшь кофе? Are you drinking coffee? |
| ста́вить / поста́вить to put | Она поставила чайник на плиту. She put the kettle on the stove. |
| знать / узнать to know | Я знаю этот город. I know this city. |
| видеть / увидеть to see | Я вижу друга. I see a friend. |
| слы́шать / услы́шать to hear | Ты слышишь музыку? Do you hear the music? |
| понима́ть / поня́ть to understand | Я не понимаю это слово. I don't understand this word. |
| помнить to remember | Я помню твой адрес. I remember your address. |
| люби́ть / полюби́ть to love | Я люблю Москву. I love Moscow. |
| ненави́деть / возненави́деть to hate | Он ненавидит ложь. He hates lies. |
| встреча́ть / встре́тить to meet | Она встретила подругу. She met a friend. |
| ждать / подожда́ть to wait | Я жду автобус. I am waiting for the bus. |
Things to note
Animacy
Depending on if the object is a living thing (person, animal, plant) or an inanimate thing (book, table, car), they use different forms for the Accusative case.
| Category | Sub-type | Logic | Example sentence with Accusative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine SG | Inanimate | Nom | Я вижу новый телефон. - I see a new phone. |
| Animate | Gen | Я вижу нового друга. - I see a new friend. | |
| Feminine SG | -ую / -у | Я вижу красивую машину. - I see a beautiful car. Я вижу красивую кошку. - I see a beautiful cat. | |
| Neuter SG | Nom | Я вижу синее море. - I see a blue sea. Я вижу милое животное. - I see a cute animal. | |
| PLURAL (All Genders) | Inanimate | Nom | Я вижу новые столы. - I see new tables. |
| Animate | Gen | Я вижу новых друзей. - I see new friends. |
Remember: Animacy only matters for Masculine Singular and all Plurals. Feminine Singular always changes, and Neuter Singular never changes.
Usage with numbers
Note that the rule about numbers can "win" over other rules:
- Два года назад - Two years ago
Here the два is in Accusative but года is in Genitive because numbers 2, 3, 4 force Genitive Singular.
But for the number 1, which normally governs Nominative, this doesn't apply because the number 1 is weak and submissive. The noun will stay in Accusative:
- Мы знаем одну историю. - We know one story.
Declension Overview
Quick reference for nouns (see full rules and tables)
| Noun | Accusative Singular | Accusative Plural (Inanimate) | Accusative Plural (Animate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Inan: No change Anim: -а / -я брат → бра́та | Like Nom. Pl. столы́ → столы́ | Like Gen. Pl. бра́тья → бра́тьев |
| Feminine | -у / -ю кни́га → кни́гу неде́ля → неде́лю | Like Nom. Pl. кни́ги → кни́ги | Like Gen. Pl. сёстры → сестёр |
| Neuter | No change окно́ → окно́ | Like Nom. Pl. о́кна → о́кна | Like Gen. Pl. живо́тные → живо́тных |
Quick reference for adjectives (see full rules and tables)
| Adjective | Accusative Singular | Accusative Plural (Inanimate) | Accusative Plural (Animate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Inan: -ый / -ий (Nom) Anim: -ого / -его (Gen) но́вого / си́него | Like Nom. Pl. -ые / -ие | Like Gen. Pl. -ых / -их |
| Feminine | -ую / -юю но́вую / си́нюю | ||
| Neuter | -ое / -ее (Nom) но́вое / си́нее |
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