Inanimate Accusative Unchanged

Level 1Sounds Like vínavalʹny neadušaŭlënyh bez zmeny

Many objects need no new ending: Я купляю хлеб, Я люблю мора, Я люблю восень.

How It Works

No change here.

  • masculine things: Я купляю хлеб. (I am buying bread.) Я ведаю адказ. (I know the answer.)
  • neuter nouns: Я люблю мора. Адчыні акно.
  • feminine nouns with no ending: Я люблю восень. Перадай соль.
  • plural things: Я чытаю кнігі. Мы мыем вокны. (We are washing the windows.)

Alive or not? For masculine nouns, the key question is whether the noun names a person or an animal. Я бачу дом (a house: no change), but Я бачу брата (a brother: genitive form). See the animate accusative.

Feminine and masculine nouns in -а/-я always change, whether they are alive or not: Я бачу школу. See the -у/-ю accusative.

Loanwords like кіно and метро never change in any case: Я люблю кіно. See indeclinable nouns.

After не. With a negated verb, the object often goes into the genitive: Я не бачу стала. That is a separate pattern; see the genitive with negation.

Examples (6)

  1. Я купляю хлеб і малако.

    I am buying bread and milk.

    Word by Word: I buy bread and milk.

    Хлеб (masculine thing) and малако (neuter) both keep their form.

  2. Я ведаю адказ.

    I know the answer.

    Word by Word: I know answer.

    Адказ names a thing, so it does not change.

  3. Я люблю мора.

    I love the sea.

    Word by Word: I love sea.

    Мора is neuter, so it does not change, even though it ends in -а.

  4. Я люблю восень.

    I love autumn.

    Word by Word: I love autumn.

    Восень is feminine with no ending, so it does not change.

  5. Перадай соль, калі ласка.

    Please pass the salt.

    Word by Word: Pass salt, please.

    Соль keeps its form as the object.

  6. Я чытаю кнігі па-беларуску.

    I read books in Belarusian.

    Word by Word: I read books in-Belarusian.

    Plural things keep the nominative plural form.

Common Mistakes

  • Giving a masculine thing the animate -а ending.

    Я бачу стала.
    Я бачу стол.

    The genitive-looking ending -а is only for people and animals. A table does not change.

  • Adding -у to a neuter noun in -а.

    Я люблю мору.
    Я люблю мора.

    Мора is neuter; its -а comes from akanye. Neuter nouns do not change as objects.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Inanimate Accusative UnchangedLevel 1

Learn This First

The unchanged accusative needs the accusative and masculine and neuter nouns.