Russian Grammar Explained: The Accusative Case – Кого? Что?
If you’re learning Russian, one of the most essential grammatical cases you’ll need to master early is the accusative case (винительный падеж). This case is all about who or what receives the action in a sentence. It answers the questions:
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Кого? – Whom?
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Что? – What?
You’ll need the accusative case whenever you talk about things you see, want, love, eat, read, and more — basically any verb where something or someone is being acted upon.
What Is the Accusative Case?
Think of the accusative as the “receiver of the action.”
In the sentence “I see a dog,” “dog” is the thing being seen — so in Russian, “dog” needs to be in the accusative case.
Let’s look at similar examples in English:
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I see a dog.
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She loves him.
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They read a book.
In all of these, the bolded word is what receives the action of the verb. Russian works the same way, except the form of the noun or pronoun changes depending on the case.
Why It Matters
The accusative is one of the most frequently used cases in Russian. Without using it correctly, your sentences will be unclear or grammatically incorrect. Understanding it also helps you master Russian word order, which can be more flexible than in English but relies heavily on case endings.
| Genus (Род) |
Nominativ (Именительный падеж) Кто? Что? |
Akkusativ (Винительный падеж) Кого? Что? |
Ending (Окончание) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maskulin (мужской род) |
клуб музей студент учитель |
клуб музей студента учителя |
– – → -а → -я |
| Feminin (женский род) |
сестра семья Мария роль |
сестру семью Марию роль |
→ -у → -ю → -ю – |
| Neutrum (средний род) |
окно море |
окно море |
– – |
Masculine nouns that refer to objects or things (like клуб – club or музей – museum) don’t change in the accusative. Just use the same form as in the nominative.
But if a masculine noun refers to a person or animal, like студент (student) or учитель (teacher), the accusative form changes – just like in the genitive. For example: Я вижу студента (I see the student), Ты знаешь учителя (You know the teacher).
Feminine nouns ending in -а or -я change to -у or -ю in the accusative. For example: мама → маму, Таня → Таню, семья → семью. You’ll use these when talking about people or things being acted on – like Я люблю маму (I love mom).
Feminine nouns ending in -ь, like роль (role) or дочь (daughter), don’t change at all in the accusative if they are not animate – just use them as they are: Я играю роль (I play the role).
Neuter nouns – those ending in -о or -е, like море (sea) or окно (window) – also stay the same in the accusative. So: Я вижу окно (I see a window), Они любят море (They love the sea).
Exampels
1. Я читаю журнал.
I’m reading a magazine.
Что я читаю?
2. Он смотрит фильм.
He is watching a movie.
Что он смотрит?
3. Мы строим дом.
We are building a house.
Что мы строим?
1. Я вижу студента.
I see the student.
Кого я вижу?
2. Ты знаешь профессора?
Do you know the professor?
Кого ты знаешь?
3. Она встречает брата.
She is meeting her brother.
Кого она встречает?
1. Я люблю маму.
I love mom.
Кого я люблю?
2. Он знает Таню.
He knows Tanya.
Кого он знает?
3. Мы приглашаем семью.
We’re inviting the family.
Кого мы приглашаем?
1. Она играет роль.
She is playing a role.
Что она играет?
2. Я пишу статью.
I am writing an article.
Что я пишу?
1. Я вижу окно.
I see the window.
Что я вижу?
2. Они любят море.
They love the sea.
Что они любят?
3. Мы покупаем молоко.
We are buying milk.
Что мы покупаем?
If the noun is alive (a person or animal), the accusative form follows the genitive pattern.
If the noun is feminine and animate (like дочь – “daughter”), it may follow the genitive pattern in the accusative. Often, context helps clarify.
Simple rule: Neuter nouns stay the same in the accusative.
Try it by yourself
Я вижу студента каждый день. (студент)
“Студент” is a masculine, animate noun. In Russian, masculine animate nouns take the genitive form in the accusative case. So, студент becomes студента. You use this form because the verb “видеть” (to see) requires the accusative, and the object (the student) is a living being.
Мы читаем книгу вместе. (книга)
“Книга” is a feminine noun ending in -а. Feminine nouns in the accusative case change their ending from -а to -у. Since “читать” (to read) requires the accusative, книга becomes книгу.
Ты знаешь учителя? (учитель)
“Учитель” is a masculine, animate noun. Like “студент,” the accusative follows the genitive: учитель → учителя. Animate masculine nouns require this change because they refer to living beings.
Они любят Марию очень сильно. (Мария)
“Мария” is a feminine noun ending in -я. In the accusative, -я becomes -ю. As the direct object of the verb “любить” (to love), Мария changes to Марию.
Мы покупаем молоко в магазине. (молоко)
“Молоко” is a neuter noun ending in -о. Neuter inanimate nouns do not change in the accusative. That’s why молоко stays the same.
Он рисует сестру на уроке. (сестра)
“Сестра” is a feminine noun ending in -а. In the accusative, -а becomes -у. The verb “рисовать” (to draw) requires the accusative, so сестра becomes сестру.
Кого любит мама? Она любит сын. (сын)
In this sentence, we are asking “Whom does mom love?” — the correct accusative question word is “Кого”. Although “сын” is the object, it stays in the sentence as is, while the missing part is the question word itself. So we insert “Кого” into the question: “Кого любит мама?” The noun “сын” is masculine and animate, and in the full version of this sentence (with the answer included), it would change to “сына.” But here, we’re only filling in the question word.