34 Unit 2: Изучáем рýсский язьíк
Accusative case
In a Russian sentence, the direct object of a verb goes into the accu-
sative case. In the following example, журна�л is the object of the verb
чита�ть and is in the accusative case:
Oн чита�ет журна�л
‘Не reads a magazine’.
There is no difference between the nominative and accusative singu-
lar forms of журна�л. This is also true of many nouns in the plural:
Фи�рма де�лает компью�теры ‘The firm makes computers’. Here
компью�теры is in the accusative plural although the form is the same
as the nominative plural. You may notice other examples of the accu-
sative case in the texts and exercises for this unit. However, only words
like журна�л, whose accusative form is the same as their nominative,
have been used in the accusative. There is a full explanation of the
accusative case in the next unit.Но and a
Но and a can both translate the word ‘but’. Но emphasises contrast,
whereas a is closer to ‘and’:
Пи�тер англича�нин, но тепе�рь oн в Москве�
‘Peter is an Englishman, but now he is in Moscow’.
Пи�тер инжене�р, а Мари�нa студе�нткa
‘Peter is an engineer, and Marina is a student’.Импровиза�ция / Improvisation
(Audio 1.19)- Здра�вствуйте. Вы говори�те пo-ру�сски?
- Reply that you are English but do speak Russian. Say that you are a
student in Moscow at the university, studying the Russian language.
Ask whether he/she is a student. - Нет, я нe стyде�нт(кa).
- Ask whether he/she is a businessman/woman and where does he/
she work.