The Accusative II: People
Warm-up
In Module 11, you learned the accusative case for things: я бачу книгу, я читаю газету. But what about people? Can you say «я бачу студент»? Not quite! When the direct object is a person or animal (we call these animate nouns), Ukrainian has a special rule.
Compare these two sentences:
- Я бачу стіл. (I see a table.) — inanimate, no change
- Я бачу студента. (I see a student.) — animate, changes to -а!
Why? Because Ukrainian wants to clearly mark who you're seeing, not just what. This is the animate-inanimate distinction, and it's your key to sounding natural.
Presentation
The Animate Rule: Accusative = Genitive
Here's the pattern that will save you hours of confusion:
For masculine animate nouns, accusative case = genitive case.
This means:
- If it's alive (person, animal): add -а or -я
- If it's not alive (object, thing): no change
Masculine Animate Nouns (People):
| Nominative (Хто?) | Accusative (Кого?) | IPA | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| студент | студента | /stuˈdɛntɑ/ | Я бачу студента. |
| друг | друга | /ˈdruɦɑ/ | Вона знає мого друга. |
| лікар | лікаря | /ˈlʲikɑrʲɑ/ | Ми чекаємо лікаря. |
| водій | водія | /vɔˈdijɑ/ | Я бачу водія. |
💡 Did You Know?
This animate-inanimate distinction exists in many Slavic languages, but Ukrainian keeps it especially clear. Russian has it too, but Polish extends it even to feminine nouns! In Ukrainian, only masculine nouns follow this rule — feminine animate nouns behave just like feminine inanimate ones.
Why does Ukrainian do this? Historically, the genitive case was used to mark the target or affected entity of an action. When you «see someone,» that person is affected by your gaze — so genitive made sense! Over centuries, this became the standard for all animate direct objects.
Masculine Nouns Ending in -о
Some masculine nouns end in -о (like тато, батько, Данило). For these, the accusative is -а:
| Nominative | Accusative | Example |
|---|---|---|
| тато | тата | Я люблю тата. (I love dad.) |
| Данило | Данила | Вона бачить Данила. (She sees Danylo.) |
Feminine Animate Nouns
Here's the good news: feminine animate nouns work exactly like feminine inanimate nouns. They follow the regular -а → -у pattern:
| Nominative | Accusative | IPA | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| подруга | подругу | /ˈpɔdruɦu/ | Я бачу подругу. |
| студентка | студентку | /stuˈdɛntku/ | Ми знаємо студентку. |
| лікарка | лікарку | /ˈlʲikɑrku/ | Він чекає лікарку. |
So you already know how to handle feminine animate nouns from Module 11!
Підсумок Table: Animate vs Inanimate
| Gender | Type | Nominative | Accusative | IPA | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Inanimate | стіл | стіл | /stil/ | Я бачу стіл. |
| Masculine | Animate | студент | студента | /stuˈdɛntɑ/ | Я бачу студента. |
| Feminine | Inanimate | книга | книгу | /ˈknɪɦu/ | Я бачу книгу. |
| Feminine | Animate | студентка | студентку | /stuˈdɛntku/ | Я бачу студентку. |
Practice
Тепер практикуймо знахідний відмінок з людьми! (Now let's practice the accusative with people!)
Pattern 1: Я бачу... (I see...)
- Я бачу друга. (I see a friend.)
- Я бачу подругу. (I see a friend — female.)
- Я бачу лікаря. (I see the doctor.)
- Я бачу вчителя. (I see the teacher.)
- Я бачу студента у бібліотеці. (I see the student in the library.)
- Я бачу водія біля автобуса. (I see the driver near the bus.)
Pattern 2: Вона знає... (She knows...)
- Вона знає цього студента. (She knows this student.)
- Вона знає цього чоловіка. (She knows this man.)
- Вона знає мою подругу. (She knows my friend — female.)
- Вона знає нашого директора. (She knows our director.)
- Вона знає того офіціанта. (She knows that waiter.)
- Вона знає мого колегу. (She knows my colleague.)
Pattern 3: Ми чекаємо... (We're waiting for...)
- Ми чекаємо лікаря. (We're waiting for the doctor.)
- Ми чекаємо офіціанта. (We're waiting for the waiter.)
- Ми чекаємо нашого друга. (We're waiting for our friend.)
- Ми чекаємо колегу. (We're waiting for a colleague.)
- Ми чекаємо вчителя біля школи. (We're waiting for the teacher near school.)
- Ми чекаємо гостя. (We're waiting for a guest.)
Pattern 4: Ти любиш... (You love...)
- Ти любиш свого друга. (You love your friend.)
- Ти любиш свою подругу. (You love your friend — female.)
- Ти любиш вчительку. (You love the teacher.)
- Ти любиш сусідку. (You love the neighbor.)
⚡ Pro Tip
Can't remember if accusative = genitive? Ask yourself: «Is it alive?» If yes (person, animal), then masculine nouns get -а/-я. If no (object, thing), masculine nouns stay the same.
Production
Mini-Dialogue 1: У Кав'ярні (At the Café)
Олена: Привіт, Андрій! Ти чекаєш когось? Андрій: Так, я чекаю друга. Він завжди спізнюється! Олена: Я теж чекаю подругу. Може, сядемо разом? Андрій: Добре! О, я бачу офіціанта. Давай замовимо каву. Олена: Чудова ідея! Я люблю каву тут. Андрій: Я теж! Ти знаєш того офіціанта? Олена: Так, я знаю його. Він мій колега з університету!
Translation: Olena: Hi, Andriy! Are you waiting for someone? Andriy: Yes, I'm waiting for a friend. He's always late! Olena: I'm also waiting for a friend (female). Maybe we can sit together? Andriy: Sure! Oh, I see the waiter. Let's order coffee. Olena: Great idea! I love the coffee here. Andriy: Me too! Do you know that waiter? Olena: Yes, I know him. He's my colleague from university!
Mini-Dialogue 2: На Вулиці (On the Street)
Марко: Вибач, ти знаєш цього чоловіка? Софія: Так, це наш сусід. Чому питаєш? Марко: Я бачу його кожного ранку біля метро. Софія: А, він водій! Він возить пасажирів до центру. Марко: Цікаво! Я також бачу там його дружину. Софія: Так, вона лікарка. Я знаю її добре. Марко: Вони дуже привітні люди. Софія: Так! Я люблю нашого сусіда та його дружину.
Translation: Marko: Excuse me, do you know this man? Sofia: Yes, that's our neighbor. Why do you ask? Marko: I see him every morning near the metro. Sofia: Ah, he's a driver! He takes passengers to the center. Marko: Interesting! I also see his wife there. Sofia: Yes, she's a doctor. I know her well. Marko: They're very friendly people. Sofia: Yes! I love our neighbor and his wife.
Mini-Dialogue 3: У Школі (At School)
Учень: Ти бачиш нашу вчительку? Учениця: Так, я бачу її там біля дошки. Учень: Я шукаю мого друга. Ти знаєш, де він? Учениця: Я бачила його в коридорі. Учень: Дякую! А ти чекаєш когось? Учениця: Так, я чекаю свою подругу. Ми разом йдемо додому.
Translation: Student (m): Do you see our teacher? Student (f): Yes, I see her there by the board. Student (m): I'm looking for my friend. Do you know where he is? Student (f): I saw him in the corridor. Student (m): Thanks! Are you waiting for someone? Student (f): Yes, I'm waiting for my friend. We're going home together.
🎬 Pop Culture Moment: The Witcher
In the Ukrainian dub of Netflix's «The Witcher,» when Geralt says «I'm looking for someone» («Я шукаю когось»), the accusative case is crucial. If he's looking for a person, it's когось (animate genitive-accusative). If he's looking for a thing, it's щось (neutral). The case system helps distinguish between searching for people vs things — very handy for a monster hunter!
Cultural Insight
Professions and Gender in Ukrainian
Ukrainian is very precise about gender in professions. Unlike English, where «teacher» and «doctor» are gender-neutral, Ukrainian creates distinct feminine forms:
- лікар (male doctor) vs лікарка (female doctor)
- вчитель (male teacher) vs вчителька (female teacher)
- студент (male student) vs студентка (female student)
This precision extends to the accusative case. When you say «я бачу лікарку,» everyone knows it's a female doctor without any ambiguity.
🌍 Real World Usage
In modern Ukraine, professions like лікарка, вчителька, and директорка are fully standard and widely used. The Soviet era tried to suppress feminine forms (calling all female doctors «лікар»), but independent Ukraine has revived and normalized them. Using the correct feminine form is both grammatically correct and culturally respectful.
Common Verbs with Animate Objects
These verbs typically take people as objects (accusative case):
- бачити (to see) — Я бачу друга.
- знати (to know) — Вона знає студента.
- чекати (to wait for) — Ми чекаємо лікаря.
- любити (to love) — Він любить подругу.
- шукати (to search for) — Я шукаю вчителя.
In this module, you learned the animate accusative — how Ukrainian marks people and animals as direct objects.
Key Rules:
- Masculine animate nouns → accusative = genitive (add -а/-я)
- студент → студента
- друг → друга
- Feminine animate nouns → same as inanimate (add -у/-ю)
- подруга → подругу
- студентка → студентку
- Inanimate nouns → no change for masculine, -у/-ю for feminine (Module 11)
Why it matters: This distinction helps Ukrainian clearly mark who is affected by an action, making sentences precise and unambiguous.
You can now:
- Say «I see the doctor» — Я бачу лікаря.
- Say «She knows my friend» — Вона знає мою подругу.
- Distinguish between people and things in the accusative case.
Need More Practice?
External Review
🎯 Activities
People in Your Life
Animate vs Inanimate
Animate (Who? - Хто?)
Inanimate (What? - Що?)
Accusative Endings
Which form is correct for "I see a female friend"?
Which form is correct for "I see a brother"?
Which form is correct for "I see a mother"?
Which form is correct for "I see a father"?
Which form is correct for "I see an uncle"?
Which form is correct for "I see a teacher"?
Which form is correct for "I see a sister"?
Which form is correct for "I see a son"?
Which form is correct for "I see a daughter"?
Which form is correct for "I see a grandfather"?
Which form is correct for "I see a grandmother"?
Which form is correct for "I see a friend" (male)?
Animate Accusative Rules
Masculine animate nouns in accusative case end in -а or -я.
Feminine animate nouns have special accusative endings.
«Я бачу студента» is correct.
«Я знаю лікар» is correct.
«Вона чекає подругу» is correct.
Inanimate masculine nouns change in accusative case.
The animate-inanimate distinction only affects masculine nouns.
«Він бачить водія» is correct.
«Ми чекаємо вчитель» is correct.
Accusative = genitive for masculine animate nouns.
«Я люблю директор» is correct.
«Ти знаєш мою сусідку» is correct.
Complete with Animate Accusative
Sentences in Context
Sentences with Animate Objects
Correct sentence order for: "I see the student..."
Correct sentence order for: "She knows my friend well."
Correct sentence order for: "We're waiting for the..."
Correct sentence order for: "Do you see the..."
Correct sentence order for: "He loves his teacher."
Correct sentence order for: "I'm looking for our driver."
Correct sentence order for: "We know this director."
Correct sentence order for: "She sees the neighbor..."
Correct sentence order for: "Are you waiting for..."
Correct sentence order for: "I love my colleague."
Correct sentence order for: "We see the passenger..."
Correct sentence order for: "He knows this student..."
More Complex Sentence Order
Correct sentence order for: "I see my friend..."
Correct sentence order for: "We're waiting for our..."
Correct sentence order for: "She knows this..."
Correct sentence order for: "Do you see that..."
Correct sentence order for: "He really loves his neighbor."
Correct sentence order for: "I'm looking for our..."
Correct sentence order for: "We know this driver well."
Correct sentence order for: "She sees the waiter..."
Correct sentence order for: "I see our friendly neighbor."
Correct sentence order for: "She knows this new teacher."
Correct sentence order for: "We wait for our director there."
Correct sentence order for: "Do you see that waiter here?"
📚 Vocabulary
| Word | IPA | English | POS | Gender | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| возити | /ʋɔzˈɪtɪ/ | to transport, to carry | verb | ||
| данило | /danˈɪlɔ/ | Danylo (name) | noun | ч | |
| дошка | /dˈɔʃka/ | board, chalkboard | noun | ж | |
| коридор | /kɔrɪdˈɔr/ | corridor, hallway | noun | ч | |
| пасажир | /pasaʒˈɪr/ | passenger | noun | ||
| привітний | /prɪʋˈitnɪj/ | friendly, welcoming | adj | ||
| спізнюватися | /spˈiznjuʋatɪsja/ | to be late (imperfective) | verb | ||
| сусідка | /susˈidka/ | neighbor (female) | noun | ж | |
| учениця | /ut͡ʃɛnˈɪt͡sja/ | pupil, student (female) | noun | ж |