Feminine Accusative -у/-ю

Feminine Accusative -у and -ю

Level 1Sounds Like vínavalʹny žanočaga rodu -u/-û

-а → -у and -я → -ю: кніга → Я чытаю кнігу, песня → Я слухаю песню.

How It Works

How to form it.

  • -а → -у: мама → маму, кава → каву, школа → школу, сястра → сястру
  • -я → -ю: зямля → зямлю, песня → песню, Марыя → Марыю, лекцыя → лекцыю

People and things alike. Unlike masculine nouns, these nouns change the same way whether they name a person or a thing: Я бачу сястру and Я бачу школу.

Masculine nouns in -а take -у/-ю too: Я бачу бацьку. Я люблю дзядулю. See masculine nouns in -а.

No change without -а/-я. Ноч, соль, восень and радасць keep their form: Перадай соль, калі ласка. (Please pass the salt.) Neuter nouns that end in -а or -я, like мора, слова and імя, do not change either: Я люблю мора. See the unchanged accusative.

The same ending for destinations. Going to a place also uses the accusative: Я іду ў школу. See the accusative for destinations.

Adjectives change too: новая кніга → новую кнігу. See adjective case endings.

Examples (6)

  1. Я слухаю музыку.

    I am listening to music.

    Word by Word: I listen music.

    Музыка → музыку.

  2. Мы бачым зямлю!

    We see land!

    Word by Word: We see land!

    Зямля ends in -я, so it takes -ю.

  3. Я вельмі люблю маму.

    I love my mom very much.

    Word by Word: I very love mom.

    Мама → маму: people change the same way as things.

  4. Ты ведаеш Марыю?

    Do you know Maria?

    Word by Word: You know Maria?

    Марыя → Марыю.

  5. Я бачу бацьку.

    I see Dad.

    Word by Word: I see dad.

    Бацька is masculine but ends in -а, so it also takes -у.

  6. Дзеці любяць зіму.

    Children love winter.

    Word by Word: Children love winter.

    Зіма → зіму.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the object in the dictionary form.

    Я люблю мама.
    Я люблю маму.

    A direct object in -а changes to -у.

  • Using -у after a noun in -я.

    Я слухаю песну.
    Я слухаю песню.

    Nouns in -я take -ю, which keeps the consonant soft: песня → песню.

  • Adding -у to a feminine noun with no ending.

    Я люблю восеню.
    Я люблю восень.

    Only feminine and masculine nouns in -а/-я change. Восень has no ending, so it stays the same.

How It Connects

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

Feminine Accusative -у/-юLevel 1Feminine Accusative -у and -ю

Learn This First

Feminine accusative needs the accusative and feminine nouns.