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.

Preposizioni che attivano il Accusativo

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.

Accusativo desinenze (singolare)
Genere	Gambo duro	Gambo morbido	Nota/esempio
Maschile	= nom. / = gen.	= nom. / = gen.	inanimate = nominative; animate = genitive
Femminile	-у	-ю / -ь	-ь nouns are unchanged (ночь -> ночь)
Neutro	= nom.	= nom.	окно, море (unchanged)

Frasi di esempio

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.

Pratica: di che caso si tratta?

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Я читаю книгу.

Ya chitayu knigu.

Why is «книгу» in this case?

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FAQ

When do you use the accusative case in Russian?

Use the accusative for the direct object of a transitive verb (читать книгу), for motion toward a place with в/на (идти в школу), and for duration of time (ждать неделю).

What is the animate accusative rule?

For masculine nouns and all plurals, the accusative equals the nominative for inanimate things but equals the genitive for animate ones (people, animals): я вижу стол (inanimate) but я вижу студента (animate).

What are the accusative endings in Russian?

Feminine -а/-я nouns take -у/-ю (книгу). Masculine inanimate and neuter nouns match the nominative, masculine animate nouns match the genitive, and feminine -ь nouns stay unchanged.

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