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- Topic: Russian >
- "Мой брат ест рис и яблоки."
16 Comments
I do too, I always eat rice and apples ...they taste great together :-)
Slightly off-topic (came to mind since i mistook it for singular apple...)
How can you tell the difference between 'я́блоко' and 'я́блока' in spoken Russian?
The russian word "ect", when does it mean "eat" and when does it mean "have/has"?
Yep. For neuter nouns (молоко, яблоко) and inanimate consonant-ending masculine nouns like рис (not like папа), as well as ALL inanimate plurals, the Accusative is the same as the Nominative. It is pretty convenient for a learner, right? Animate consonant-ending masculine nouns use the Genitive form instead (this behaviour also extends to all animate plurals).
The only type of nouns that has a unique form here is -а/-я ending nouns, most of which are feminine (ма́ма, земля́, хи́мия, матема́тика, страна́, Ита́лия) but some are masculine or common gender (па́па, дя́дя, пья́ница, судья́):
- Я ем рис, я́блоки и лук. (same as the Nominative)
- Я пью сок и молоко́. (same as the Nominative)
- Я ем ка́шу. (dictionary form: "ка́ша")
- Я пью во́ду. (dictionary form: "вода́")
- Тролль ест мою́ сестру́ (dictionary form: сестра́; note that animacy does not matter).
- Тролль ест моего́ бра́та (same as the Genitive).
- Тролль ест хлеб и пьёт пи́во (Nominative: these are сок/молоко-type nouns).
- Драко́н ест э́льфов, люде́й и гно́мов. (all plural and animate, all in the Genitive form)
Again, here is the rule which nouns have Accusative the same as Nominative:
- PLURAL: all inanimate nouns
- SINGULAR: neuter nouns, including ten nouns like и́мя/вре́мя
- SINGULAR: inanimate consonant-ending masculine nouns (сок, рис, контро́ль, хлеб). Having a consonant at the end is the most typical masculine patterb: Russian does not have THAT many nouns like папа and дядя.
- SINGULAR: ь-ending feminine nouns (мышь, ночь, крова́ть etc.)
Now, the nouns that have Accusative the same as Genitive:
- PLURAL: all animate nouns
- SINGULAR: animate consonant-ending masculine nouns (брат, отец, челове́к, учи́тель)
This only leaves feminine(and masculine) а/я-nouns not covered—and these have a unique У/Ю ending
Ohh, that explains a lot, your examples are so helpful and illustrative, thanks a lot
It is supposed to be "Мой" with a "Й" in place of "Мои". "Мой" is used for masculine singular nouns, while "Мои" is used for plural nouns.
