-у/-ю (винительный)
Feminine Accusative Ending У or Ю
In Russian, when a feminine noun (ending in -а or -я) is the direct object of an action, its ending changes to -у or -ю. This is the Accusative case.
How It Works
The Accusative case is primarily used for the direct object—the person or thing receiving the action of a verb. For feminine nouns ending in -а or -я, you must change the ending:
- -а becomes -у: мама → маму, книга → книгу.
- -я becomes -ю: неделя → неделю, песня → песню.
Important Nuances:
1. Animacy: Unlike masculine nouns, feminine nouns ending in -а/-я always take the -у/-ю ending, regardless of whether they are animate (people/animals) or inanimate (objects).
2. Masculine Exceptions: Nouns like папа (dad) or дедушка (grandpa) follow this declension pattern because they end in -а. However, adjectives describing them must still be masculine (e.g., 'я вижу твоего папу').
3. Motion: This ending is also used after the prepositions в and на when indicating direction or movement toward a place (e.g., в школу).
4. Stress Shifts: In some common words, the stress moves to the first syllable in the Accusative (e.g., водá becomes вóду, рукá becomes рýку), though the ending remains -у.
5. Soft Sign Nouns: Feminine nouns ending in -ь (like ночь or тетрадь) do not change in the accusative singular.
Examples (5)
- Я читаю книгу.
I am reading a book.
Word by Word: I read book.
The noun 'книга' (book) ends in -а, so it changes to -у because it is the object being read.
- Он ждёт субботу.
He is waiting for Saturday.
Word by Word: He waits Saturday.
'Суббота' (Saturday) changes to 'субботу' to show it is the object of the waiting.
- Мы любим нашу маму.
We love our mom.
Word by Word: We love our mom.
Both the possessive 'наша' and the noun 'мама' change their endings to the accusative form.
- Я вижу твою сестру.
I see your sister.
Word by Word: I see your sister.
The feminine noun 'сестра' changes its ending to -у. Note that for nouns ending in -а/-я, the ending is the same whether the person is alive or not.
- Она слушает русскую песню.
She is listening to a Russian song.
Word by Word: She listens Russian song.
'Песня' ends in -я (soft), so it changes to -ю. The adjective 'русская' changes to 'русскую'.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the noun in the Nominative case.
Я люблю мама.Я люблю маму.In Russian, you cannot leave a feminine -а/-я noun unchanged when it is the object of a verb; you must use the -у/-ю ending.
Applying the -у ending to feminine nouns ending in -ь.
Я вижу ночу.Я вижу ночь.Feminine nouns ending in a soft sign (-ь) do not change their form in the accusative singular.
Forgetting to change the adjective.
Я читаю новая книгу.Я читаю новую книгу.Adjectives must agree with the noun. If the noun is in the accusative, the adjective must be too (-ую/-юю).
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- Accusative direct object
This is the general rule for using the Accusative case to mark direct objects.
Level 2 - -а/-я (женский род)Feminine Noun Gender
This pattern explains the basic dictionary form (Nominative) of the nouns that use the -у/-ю ending.
Level 1 - -а/-я (мужской род)Masculine Nouns Ending in А or Я
Explains why masculine nouns like 'папа' use these feminine-style endings.
Level 1 - в/на + Accusative (Destination)Accusative Destination After В and На
Shows how the -у/-ю endings are used to indicate movement toward a destination.
Level 2 - Adjective agreement in oblique cases
Explains how adjectives change their endings to match the noun's case.
Level 2 - -ьGender of Soft-sign Nouns
Helps distinguish feminine nouns that do NOT change in the accusative.
Level 1
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Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice -у/-ю (винительный) in Bubblegum
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