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    Accusative Case (Винительный падеж)

    The accusative case marks direct objects and destinations in Russian. It answers "who?" or "what?" after transitive verbs.
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    When to Use Accusative

    1. Direct Object

    Я читаю книгу.
    I am reading a book.
    Она покупает хлеб.
    She is buying bread.

    2. Direction/Destination

    Иду в магазин.
    Going to the store.
    Лечу в Москву.
    Flying to Moscow.
    Accusative Endings
    Singular forms below; plural follows one shared animacy rule for every gender

    Masculine

    masculine

    Endings:

    Animate: = Genitive (consonant/-й/-ь nouns: -а/-я)
    Inanimate: = Nominative for consonant/-й/-ь nouns

    Examples:

    вижу учителя / вижу стол
    I see a teacher / I see a table

    Feminine

    feminine

    Endings:

    Animate: -а → -у, -я → -ю; -ь stays -ь
    Inanimate: -а → -у, -я → -ю; -ь stays -ь

    Examples:

    встречаю маму / читаю книгу
    I meet Mom / I read a book

    Neuter

    neuter

    Endings:

    Animate: = Nominative for regular -о/-е nouns
    Inanimate: = Nominative for regular -о/-е nouns

    Examples:

    читаю письмо / вижу окно
    I read a letter / I see a window

    Plural · all genders

    Animate accusative = genitive plural: вижу студентов / кошек / животных (I see students / cats / animals).

    Inanimate accusative = nominative plural: вижу столы / книги / окна (I see tables / books / windows).

    Do not apply one set of genitive endings to every plural noun: the forms vary by declension.

    Key Questions Answered by Accusative

    Questions:

    Кого? (Whom?) - for animate objects
    Что? (What?) - for inanimate objects
    Куда? (Where to?) - for directions

    Examples:

    Кого вы видите? → Вижу учителя.
    Whom do you see? → I see the teacher.
    Что ты читаешь? → Читаю газету.
    What are you reading? → I'm reading a newspaper.
    Animate vs. Inanimate Rule

    Animate Nouns (одушевлённые)

    People, animals, mythical beings:

    • • студента (student - masculine animate)
    • • кошку (cat - feminine animate)
    • • девочку (girl - feminine animate)

    Inanimate Nouns (неодушевлённые)

    Objects, concepts, plants:

    • • стол (table - masculine inanimate = nominative)
    • • книгу (book - feminine inanimate)
    • • окно (window - neuter = nominative)
    Memory Tips
    • Accusative = direct object (what receives the action)
    • Masculine singular animate = genitive for consonant/-й/-ь nouns (студент → студента, учитель → учителя). Masculine nouns in -а/-я follow their own declension: папа → папу.
    • Inanimate masculine consonant/-й/-ь nouns and regular singular neuter -о/-е nouns = nominative; feminine -а/-я → -у/-ю, but -ь stays -ь (мышь → мышь).
    • Plural, every gender: animate = genitive plural; inanimate = nominative plural. Don’t say вижу студенты; say вижу студентов.
    • For destinations, use в/на + accusative: иду в школу; for location use в/на + prepositional: я в школе.

    Practise accusative forms, then compare destination and location prepositions.

    Build complete object phrases

    The animacy and plural rules above apply to the whole object phrase, not just its noun. First identify number and declension. In singular -а/-я nouns, replace those endings with -у/-ю regardless of animacy. For masculine consonant/-й/-ь nouns, ask whether the object is animate: keep the nominative for things, but use the genitive form for people and animals.

    If needed, swipe sideways to see all columns.

    Dictionary formsAccusative formsReason / English
    неделя / неделинеделю / недели-я → -ю; inanimate plural unchanged; week / weeks
    тетрадь / тетрадитетрадь / тетрадиFeminine -ь unchanged; inanimate plural unchanged; notebook / notebooks
    словарь / словарисловарь / словариMasculine inanimate; dictionary / dictionaries
    учитель / учителяучителя / учителейAnimate: genitive singular / plural; teacher / teachers
    герой / героигероя / героевAnimate -й noun; hero / heroes

    Follow the source stem: неделя → недел- + ю; учитель → учител- + я. Do not add another ending to the full dictionary form: учителья is wrong. A final -ь alone cannot determine the result: feminine тетрадь stays тетрадь, while masculine animate учитель becomes учителя.

    Adjectives and possessives change too

    Feminine adjectives change -ая → -ую and -яя → -юю: Я покупаю новую книгу (I am buying a new book); Я вижу синюю сумку (I see a blue bag). Even with an unchanged feminine noun, modifiers change: моя новая тетрадь → Я вижу мою новую тетрадь (I see my new notebook).

    Compare мой новый словарь → Я вижу мой новый словарь (I see my new dictionary) with мой новый учитель → Я вижу моего нового учителя (I see my new teacher). In plural: мои новые словари → Я вижу мои новые словари (I see my new dictionaries), but мои новые учителя → Я вижу моих новых учителей (I see my new teachers). Animate plural nouns and their agreeing modifiers use genitive plural forms.

    Duration, direction, and “about”

    How long versus how much later

    A bare accusative time expression can measure duration: Я работал всю неделю (I worked all week); Мы ждали целый час (We waited a whole hour). Неделя becomes неделю and вся becomes всю; час and целый look unchanged because they are masculine inanimate. Plural duration works too: Мы жили там долгие годы (We lived there for many long years). No preposition is required for this meaning.

    Через + accusative gives an interval before an event: Я вернусь через неделю (I will return in a week). Compare Я буду работать неделю (I will work for a week): one says when, the other how long. Я прочитал книгу за неделю (I read the book in a week) measures time taken to complete it, not a delay before starting.

    Prepositions choose the construction

    Через also means “across/through”: Мы идём через парк (We are walking through the park). Про + accusative means “about,” especially in conversation: Мы говорим про новую школу (We are talking about the new school). The more neutral о/об takes prepositional instead: Мы говорим о новой школе. Similar English meanings do not guarantee the same Russian case.

    Check yourself

    Complete each phrase before revealing the explanation.

    1. Я вижу ___. (моя новая тетрадь)

    Я вижу мою новую тетрадь. “I see my new notebook.” Feminine -ь stays unchanged, but the possessive and adjective take feminine accusative forms.

    2. Я встречаю ___. (мои новые учителя)

    Я встречаю моих новых учителей. “I am meeting my new teachers.” The plural object is animate, so all agreeing words use genitive plural forms.

    3. “I will return in a week”: неделю or через неделю?

    Я вернусь через неделю. Через marks a delay until the return. Bare неделю would measure duration, as in Я буду работать неделю (“I will work for a week”).

    4. Complete “I see her” and “I am talking about her”: Я вижу ___; я говорю про ___.

    Я вижу её; я говорю про неё. The direct object is её; after про the personal pronoun adds н. With о the alternative is Я говорю о ней, using prepositional.

    Targeted practice