The Russian Accusative Case: Endings & Examples
The accusative is the case of the direct object - the thing the action is done to. It is one of the first cases you need, because almost every sentence with a transitive verb uses it.
What the accusative case does
The accusative answers кого? / что? - "whom?" / "what?" as the target of an action. It marks the direct object: in «я читаю книгу» ("I read a book"), книга becomes книгу because the book is what gets read.
It also expresses motion ("where to?") with в and на - «я иду в школу» ("I am going to school") - and duration of time - «я ждал неделю» ("I waited for a week").
When to use it, and the animate rule
Use the accusative for the direct object of a transitive verb (читать, видеть, любить, делать). Use it after в and на when there is movement toward a place, and after за, через and про.
The key wrinkle is the animate rule. For masculine nouns (and all plurals), the accusative is identical to the nominative for inanimate things (стол -> стол) but identical to the genitive for animate ones - people and animals: «я вижу студента» ("I see the student"), not студент. Feminine -а/-я nouns have their own ending (-у/-ю), and neuter nouns never change.
Prepositions that trigger the Accusative
в / на (motion), за, через, про, под (motion)
Accusative singular endings
Feminine -а/-я nouns take -у/-ю (книга -> книгу). Masculine inanimate and all neuter nouns look like the nominative; masculine animate nouns look like the genitive. Feminine -ь nouns (ночь) do not change at all.
| Gender | Hard stem | Soft stem | Note / example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | = nom. / = gen. | = nom. / = gen. | inanimate = nominative; animate = genitive |
| Feminine | -у | -ю / -ь | -ь nouns are unchanged (ночь -> ночь) |
| Neuter | = nom. | = nom. | окно, море (unchanged) |
Example sentences
Я читаю книгу.
Ya chitayu knigu.
I am reading a book.
Я вижу студента.
Ya vizhu studenta.
I see the student.
Мы идём в школу.
My idyom v shkolu.
We are going to school.
Она любит музыку.
Ona lyubit muzyku.
She loves music.
Я жду подругу.
Ya zhdu podrugu.
I am waiting for a friend.
Он купил машину.
On kupil mashinu.
He bought a car.
Положи книгу на стол.
Polozhi knigu na stol.
Put the book on the table.
Я ждал неделю.
Ya zhdal nedelyu.
I waited for a week.
Practice: which case is it?
Practice: which case is it?
Я читаю книгу.
Why is «книгу» in this case?
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FAQ
When do you use the accusative case in Russian?
What is the animate accusative rule?
What are the accusative endings in Russian?
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Master the direct object
Almost every sentence needs the accusative. Daily Cyrillic drills it - including the animate rule - in real sentences with audio.
Read the full guide
- Russian Cases: All 6 Explained
The full overview of every case with endings tables and a drill.
- Nominative
The subject; the dictionary form
- Genitive
Possession, "of", absence, quantity
- Dative
The indirect object; "to / for" someone
- Instrumental
"With / by means of"; profession
- Prepositional
Location and topic ("about")
