-u

Feminine Accusative in -u

Level 1

Feminine nouns ending in -a change to -u in the accusative singular: Mám sestru, Pijem kávu, Hľadám ulicu.

How It Works

When a feminine noun ending in -a is the direct object, the -a becomes -u:

  • sestra → Mám sestru. (I have a sister.)
  • káva → Pijem kávu. (I am drinking coffee.)
  • ulica → Hľadám ulicu. (I am looking for the street.)
  • Jana → Poznáš Janu? (Do you know Jana?)

It does not matter if the consonant before -a is hard, like in kniha, or soft, like in ulica or práca. Both take -u.

The words that go with the noun change too:

  • adjectives: nová → novú, krásna → krásnu (the ending stays short after a long syllable), cudzia → cudziu
  • pronouns: moja → moju, tá → tú

Feminine nouns that end in a consonant, like jeseň (autumn), dlaň (palm) or kosť (bone), do not change: Milujem jeseň.

A few masculine nouns for people also end in -a, like hrdina (hero) and kolega (colleague). They also take -u: Hľadám kolegu. They are still masculine, so they take masculine adjectives: nového kolegu.

Examples (6)

  1. Mám sestru.

    I have a sister.

    Sestra becomes sestru.

  2. Pijem kávu.

    I am drinking coffee.

    Káva becomes kávu.

  3. Hľadám ulicu.

    I am looking for the street.

    Ulica has a soft c, and it still takes -u.

  4. Čítam novú knihu.

    I am reading a new book.

    The adjective changes too: nová becomes novú.

  5. Poznáš Janu?

    Do you know Jana?

    Women's names in -a follow the same rule.

  6. Milujem jeseň.

    I love autumn.

    Jeseň is feminine but ends in a consonant, so it does not change.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the -a ending on the object.

    Mám sestra.
    Mám sestru.

    Sestra is the object of mám, so it changes to sestru.

  • Adding -u to a feminine noun that ends in a consonant.

    Milujem jeseňu.
    Milujem jeseň.

    Only feminine nouns in -a take -u. Nouns like jeseň keep their dictionary form.

  • Changing the noun but not the adjective.

    Mám dobrá kamarátku.
    Mám dobrú kamarátku.

    The adjective must match the noun: dobrá becomes dobrú.

How It Connects

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-uLevel 1Feminine Accusative in -u

Learn This First

Before Feminine Accusative in -u, learn The Accusative Case for Objects and Feminine Nouns. -u is how feminine -a nouns mark the accusative. The ending applies to feminine nouns in -a.

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Patterns that build on this one.