Accusative case (знахідний)

The accusative marks the direct object: what or whom you see, buy, love. It answers кого? що? Ukrainian has seven cases; this is the one you need first.

Adjectives

Feminine: нова → нову (нову сумку). Masculine animate: нового (нового колегу). Everything else stays like the nominative.

Examples

• Я читаю книгу.I am reading a book.
• Ми чекаємо брата.We are waiting for my brother.
• Вона купила нову сукню.She bought a new dress.
• Ти любиш каву?Do you like coffee?
• Вона бачить брата.She sees her brother.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Я купила сукня.✓ Я купила сукню.A feminine direct object ends in -у, and English a book has no ending.
• ✗ Я бачу сестра.✓ Я бачу сестру.The accusative of a feminine noun in -а is -у, which English sister does not change.
• ✗ Він купив нового стола.✓ Він купив новий стіл.A thing keeps the nominative form, and only people and animals take the animate ending.
• ✗ Вона бачить старий колегу.✓ Вона бачить старого колегу.An animate masculine noun needs the adjective ending -ого, while English old stays the same.
• ✗ Я люблю мама.✓ Я люблю маму.The object of love is in the accusative, and мама becomes маму.