The Accusative I: Things
Warm-up
You've been using Ukrainian to talk about what things ARE (nominative case). Now it's time to talk about what you DO with things. When you see something, take something, or want something — you need the accusative case. It's one of the most common cases in Ukrainian, and once you master it, you'll sound much more natural!
Presentation
Understanding the accusative case is essential for basic communication in Ukraine. It allows you to move beyond simply identifying objects to actually interacting with them. In this specific lesson, we will focus exclusively on how typical inanimate objects behave as direct objects.
How It Works: Direct Objects
In Ukrainian, when something RECEIVES the action (the direct object), it changes form. This is the accusative case (знахідний відмінок). It answers the question: Що? /ʃt͡ʃɔ/ (What?)
The pattern for inanimate objects:
| Gender | Nominative | Accusative | IPA | Example |
| --------------------- | ---------- | ---------- | --- | ------------------------- |
| Masculine (inanimate) | стіл | стіл | /stil/ | Я бачу стіл. |
| Feminine -а | книга | книгу | /ˈknɪɦu/ | Я читаю книгу. |
| Feminine -я | земля | землю | /ˈzɛmlʲu/ | Ми любимо землю. |
| Neuter -о | вікно | вікно | /vʲiˈknɔ/ | Вона відкриває вікно. |
| Neuter -е | море | море | /ˈmɔrɛ/ | Ми бачимо море. |
Key insight: Only feminine nouns ending in -а/-я change their endings in accusative. Masculine inanimate and neuter nouns stay the same!
The accusative case is called знахідний /znɑˈxʲidnɪj/ from the word знаходити /znɑˈxɔdɪtɪ/ (to find).
You «find» the object of the action! This makes it one of the most frequently used cases in Ukrainian — you use it dozens of times every day.
Common Verbs That Take Accusative
These verbs need accusative case for their objects:
| Verb | Infinitive | I form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| бачити | бачити | бачу | to see | Я бачу книгу. |
| чути | чути | чую | to hear | Ти чуєш музику? |
| брати | брати | беру | to take | Він бере валізу. |
| давати | давати | даю | to give | Вона дає подарунок. |
| мати | мати | маю | to have | Ми маємо квитки. |
| читати | читати | читаю | to read | Я читаю газету. |
| показувати | показувати | показую | to show | Він показує документ. |
The iconic Ukrainian game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has a famous phrase: «Іди своєю дорогою, сталкер». But notice аномалію — that is accusative case: аномалію (from аномалія). The Zone teaches grammar!
Example Sentences
Let's see the accusative in action:
- Я бачу автобус. (I see the bus.)
- Вона читає книгу. (She reads a book.)
- Ми чуємо музику. (We hear music.)
- Він бере сумку. (He takes the bag.)
- Ти маєш паспорт? (Do you have a passport?)
- Я відкриваю вікно. (I open the window.)
- Вона дає подарунок. (She gives a gift.)
- Ми беремо валізу. (We take the suitcase.)
- Ти бачиш море? (Do you see the sea?)
- Він показує квиток. (He shows the ticket.)
- Я маю газету. (I have a newspaper.)
- Вона відкриває коробку. (She opens the box.)
When you are at the post office in Ukraine, you'll use these words constantly: «Я відправляю посилку» (I'm sending a parcel), «Покажіть паспорт, будь ласка» (Show your passport, please), «Ви маєте конверт?» (Do you have an envelope?). All accusative!
Mini-Dialogue 1: At the Post Office
— Добрий день! Я хочу відправити посилку.
— Будь ласка. Покажіть паспорт.
— Ось, будь ласка. Я також маю лист.
— Добре. Ви берете конверт?
— Так, дайте один конверт, будь ласка.
(Good day! I want to send a parcel. — Please. Show your passport. — Here you are. I also have a letter. — Good. Are you taking an envelope? — Yes, give me one envelope, please.)
Mini-Dialogue 2: Packing for a Trip
— Ти маєш валізу?
— Так, я беру сумку і валізу.
— Не забудь паспорт і квитки!
— Я вже маю паспорт. Де квитки?
— Вони в коробці на столі.
(Do you have a suitcase? — Yes, I'm taking a bag and a suitcase. — Don't forget your passport and tickets! — I already have my passport. Where are the tickets? — They're in the box on the table.)
Mini-Dialogue 3: Reading the News
— Що ти читаєш?
— Я читаю газету.
— А я маю цікавий журнал. Хочеш бачити?
— Так! Покажи журнал.
(What are you reading? — I'm reading a newspaper. — And I have an interesting magazine. Do you want to see? — Yes! Show me the magazine.)
Practice
Common Mistakes
❌ Wrong: Я бачу книга. ✅ Right: Я бачу книгу.
❌ Wrong: Вона читає газета. ✅ Right: Вона читає газету.
❌ Wrong: Ти маєш валіза? ✅ Right: Ти маєш валізу?
Remember: Feminine -а/-я nouns always change to -у/-ю in accusative!
Don't confuse nominative and accusative for feminine nouns:
- Це книга. (Nominative — subject)
- Я читаю книгу. (Accusative — object)
Case Transformations
Try forming accusative (Що?):
- газета → газету
- сумка → сумку
- посилка → посилку
- коробка → коробку
- валіза → валізу
Now try with masculine/neuter (no change):
- паспорт → паспорт
- квиток → квиток
- вікно → вікно
- документ → документ
Production
Real-Life Scenarios
Scenario 1: Traveling You are at Boryspil Airport. Practice saying:
- Я маю квиток.
- Я беру валізу і сумку.
- Покажіть паспорт, будь ласка.
Scenario 2: Reading You are at a café in Lviv. Practice saying:
- Я читаю газету.
- Ти маєш журнал?
- Я бачу цікаву книгу.
Scenario 3: Giving Gifts It is a birthday party in Odesa. Practice saying:
- Я даю подарунок.
- Вона бере коробку.
- Він відкриває конверт.
Cultural Insight
🎭 Ukrainian Traditions: Gift-Giving
When giving gifts in Ukraine, there are unwritten rules:
- Always give and take gifts with both hands: Дякую за подарунок!
- Flowers: only odd numbers (3, 5, 7...) for celebrations. Even numbers are for funerals.
- When you say «Я даю подарунок», you're participating in an important cultural act of generosity.
📋 Підсумок
In this module, you learned:
- ✅ How to form accusative case for inanimate objects
- ✅ Feminine -а/-я → -у/-ю (книга → книгу)
- ✅ Masculine and neuter stay the same (паспорт, вікно)
- ✅ Common verbs that take accusative: бачити, брати, мати, читати, показувати
- ✅ Real-life usage at the post office, airport, and in everyday conversation
Next step: Module 12 will introduce accusative for people!
Need More Practice?
External Review
🎯 Activities
Accusative Recognition
What is the accusative form of «книга»?
What is the accusative form of «паспорт»?
Which verb requires accusative case?
What is the accusative form of «вікно»?
Complete the sentence: «Я читаю ___»
Complete: «Він бере ___» (suitcase)
What is the accusative form of «море»?
Complete: «Вона дає ___» (gift)
What is the accusative form of «сумка»?
Complete: «Ти маєш ___?» (ticket)
What is the accusative form of «коробка»?
Complete: «Я відкриваю ___» (window)
Vocabulary Practice
Transform to Accusative
Grammar Rules
Feminine nouns ending in -а change to -у in accusative.
Masculine inanimate nouns change in accusative.
The verb «бачити» takes accusative case.
Neuter nouns change their endings in accusative.
Accusative answers the question «Що?» (What?)
The accusative form of «газета» is «газети».
The verb «мати» requires accusative.
Masculine nouns ending in consonants add -а in accusative.
Feminine -я nouns change to -ю in accusative.
The accusative of «вікно» is «вікна».
«Брати» uses accusative for the object.
All Ukrainian nouns change in accusative.
Gender and Accusative Changes
Change in Accusative (Feminine -а/-я)
No Change (Masculine/Neuter inanimate)
Complete the Sentences
Word Order Practice
Correct sentence order for: "I see the bus."
Correct sentence order for: "She reads a newspaper."
Correct sentence order for: "Do you have a passport?"
Correct sentence order for: "We take a suitcase."
Correct sentence order for: "He opens the window."
Correct sentence order for: "They give a gift."
Correct sentence order for: "I show the ticket."
Correct sentence order for: "Do you hear music?"
Correct sentence order for: "She closes the door."
Correct sentence order for: "We carry a bag."
Correct sentence order for: "I read an interesting magazine."
Correct sentence order for: "We send the parcel today."
Verb + Object Pairs
Longer Sentence Order
Correct sentence order for: "I read an interesting..."
Correct sentence order for: "She takes a big..."
Correct sentence order for: "Do you have a..."
Correct sentence order for: "I take a big..."
Correct sentence order for: "We open the window..."
Correct sentence order for: "We carry a big..."
Correct sentence order for: "She reads a Ukrainian..."
Correct sentence order for: "She sends a parcel..."
Correct sentence order for: "I have a new..."
Correct sentence order for: "He carefully opens the..."
Correct sentence order for: "I see my new passport."
Correct sentence order for: "I see a big white window."
📚 Vocabulary
| Word | IPA | English | POS | Gender | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| аномалія | /anɔmˈalija/ | anomaly | noun | ж | |
| валіза | /ʋalˈiza/ | suitcase | noun | ж | |
| відкривати | /ʋidkrɪʋˈatɪ/ | to open, to discover | verb | ||
| чути | /t͡ʃˈutɪ/ | to hear | verb |