За поку́пками
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Name common items of clothing and goods, using correct gender.
- Ask for and buy an animate object, such as a pet, using the correct accusative form.
- Describe clothing and goods using adjectives of color, size, and quality in active agreement forms.
- Point to a specific item using э́тот, э́та, э́то, and э́ти.
- Compare two items using colors, sizes, or qualities, and say which one you prefer.
- Refer back to an item already mentioned without repeating its name.
Communication Scenario
After their café order in Chapter 8, Anna and Nikolai walk to a small clothing shop that Nikolai mentioned earlier. Anna is looking for a new jacket, and Nikolai wants to buy a gift for a friend's birthday. Inside, they describe what they are looking for, point to specific items, compare two jackets, and ask the seller for help, the four tasks at the center of this chapter.
- Every new pattern in this chapter answers one question, which one, what is it like, or how does it compare with another one.
- Accusative animacy appears only with animate direct objects, extending the accusative pattern for inanimate objects already active since Chapter 7.
- Demonstratives and comparison build directly on adjective agreement from earlier chapters, letting learners point at, describe, and compare real items in a shop.
Core Vocabulary
The nouns and adjectives below are productive vocabulary for this chapter. Each noun entry shows stress, gender, animacy, and the accusative singular form, since accusative animacy is active in this chapter.
| Nominative | Gender | Animacy | Accusative singular | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ку́ртка | feminine | inanimate | ку́ртку | jacket |
| руба́шка | feminine | inanimate | руба́шку | shirt |
| пла́тье | neuter | inanimate | пла́тье | dress |
| костю́м | masculine | inanimate | костю́м | suit |
| су́мка | feminine | inanimate | су́мку | bag |
| пода́рок | masculine | inanimate | пода́рок | gift |
| Nominative | Gender | Accusative singular | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| друг | masculine | дру́га | friend (male) |
| подру́га | feminine | подру́гу | friend (female) |
| сын | masculine | сы́на | son |
| кот | masculine | кота́ | cat |
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| кра́сный, си́ний, чёрный, бе́лый | red, blue, black, white |
| большо́й, ма́ленький | big, small |
| дорого́й, дешёвый | expensive, inexpensive |
| хоро́ший, плохо́й | good, bad |
| краси́вый | beautiful |
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| разме́р | size |
| цвет | color |
| ка́сса | cash register |
| чек | receipt |
| подходи́ть | to fit, to suit |
| нра́виться | to be pleasing to (someone) |
Food, drink, prices, and quantity vocabulary from Chapter 8, along with vocabulary from Chapters 1 through 7, remain fully productive and are recycled throughout this chapter.
Pronunciation Focus
The masculine adjective ending -ый, as in краси́вый, and the ending -ой, as in дорого́й, sound different because the stress falls in a different place. When the ending is unstressed, as in краси́вый, pronounce it as a quick, reduced -ый. When the ending itself carries the stress, as in дорого́й, pronounce it fully and clearly.
- Practice ма́ленький and большо́й side by side, noticing that the second word's stress falls directly on the ending.
- Remember that a final -г, -б, or -д at the end of a word devoices, so друг ends in a sound close to English k.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
Accusative Animacy
Use a special accusative form for animate direct objects, people and animals, that is different from the nominative form.
- Никола́й покупа́ет пода́рок для дру́га.Nikolai is buying a gift for a friend.друг → дру́га, masculine animate accusative
- Ты ви́дишь моего́ кота́?Do you see my cat?кот → кота́, masculine animate accusative
- Я люблю́ подру́гу и сы́на.I love my friend and my son.подру́га → подру́гу; сын → сы́на
Compare Я ви́жу ку́ртку, an inanimate object, where the accusative form looks like the pattern from Chapter 7, with Я ви́жу дру́га, an animate object, where the accusative form is different from the nominative. This chapter activates accusative animacy only for the specific nouns listed above, not for every person or animal noun a learner might want to use.
Adjective Agreement in Active Forms
Use an adjective that agrees with its noun in gender and number to describe clothing and goods.
- Э́та ку́ртка о́чень краси́вая.This jacket is very beautiful.feminine adjective agreement, predicative use
- Я хочу́ большо́й пода́рок для сы́на.I want a big gift for my son.masculine accusative agreement, inanimate noun
- У неё но́вая су́мка и ма́ленький костю́м.She has a new bag and a small suit.feminine and masculine agreement side by side
Demonstratives: э́тот, э́та, э́то, э́ти
Point to a specific item using the correct form of "this" or "these."
- Ско́лько сто́ит э́тот костю́м?How much does this suit cost?masculine demonstrative
- Э́то пла́тье мне не подхо́дит.This dress does not fit me.neuter demonstrative
- Э́ти ту́фли о́чень дороги́е.These shoes are very expensive.plural demonstrative
Comparison
Compare two items using a simple comparative frame.
- Э́тот костю́м деше́вле, чем тот костю́м.This suit is cheaper than that suit.formulaic comparative + чем
- Кра́сная су́мка лу́чше, чем чёрная су́мка.The red bag is better than the black bag.formulaic comparative
The word тот, meaning "that," appears in this chapter only inside comparison sentences with э́тот... тот..., and is not yet an independently active demonstrative. Learners should recognize and use тот in this fixed comparative frame without applying its full case pattern.
Object Reference
Refer back to an item already mentioned without repeating its name every time.
- Вот но́вый костю́м. Ты хо́чешь его́?Here is a new suit. Do you want it?masculine object pronoun его́
- Я ви́жу ту́фли. Ско́лько они́ сто́ят?I see the shoes. How much do they cost?plural subject pronoun они́, recycled from earlier chapters
Error: Saying Мне нра́вится ку́ртка. Я хочу́ купи́ть ку́ртку.
Correction: After the noun has already been named once, replace it with его́, её, or их: Мне нра́вится ку́ртка. Я хочу́ купи́ть её.
Model Dialogue: В магази́не оде́жды
Context: Anna and Nikolai enter a small clothing shop after the café. A seller helps them.
Notice that Anna and the seller compare the two jackets using доро́же/деше́вле and краси́вее, and that both speakers use её to refer back to items already named, exactly as in the Grammar section above.
Listening Practice
If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text to speech tool to read the passage below aloud, or read it aloud to yourself slowly.
- Which two colors of suit does the speaker mention?
- Which suit is more expensive?
- What gift does the speaker buy, and for whom?
Speaking Practice
Управля́емая пра́ктика — Controlled practice: at the shop
With a partner, take turns playing the customer and the seller. The customer points to a specific item using э́тот, э́та, э́то, or э́ти, and describes it with one color adjective and one quality adjective.
Коммуникати́вное зада́ние — Communicative task: which one is better
With a partner, compare two items of clothing using доро́же, деше́вле, лу́чше, or ху́же, and say which one you prefer, using её or его́ to refer back to it.
Самостоя́тельная пра́ктика — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing a gift you want to buy for a friend or family member, naming the item, its color, its size, and one reason you like it. Listen back and check your adjective agreement.
Reading Practice
Но́вая су́мка для ма́мы — A new bag for mom
Меня́ зову́т Ири́на. Сего́дня я хочу́ купи́ть пода́рок для ма́мы, потому́ что ско́ро её день рожде́ния. В магази́не я ви́жу мно́го су́мок, ма́леньких и больши́х, чёрных и кра́сных. Мне нра́вится э́та кра́сная су́мка, она́ не о́чень дорога́я. Продаве́ц говори́т: "Э́та су́мка лу́чше, чем та чёрная су́мка, потому́ что она́ но́вая." Я покупа́ю кра́сную су́мку для ма́мы. Ду́маю, ма́ме она́ то́же понра́вится.
Зада́ние по чте́нию — Reading task:
- Why is Irina shopping today, and for whom?
- What colors of bag does Irina see in the shop?
- Why does the seller say the red bag is better than the black one?
Writing Workshop
Complete the following linked writing tasks in order.
Зада́ние 1 — Complete the sentence: Write the correct form of the adjective or demonstrative to match the noun.
Зада́ние 2 — Shopping description: Write six to eight sentences describing a shopping trip. Use at least one animate accusative noun, two adjectives in active agreement, one demonstrative, one comparison, and one object pronoun referring back to an item.
- Review the vocabulary tables above. Confirm the gender, animacy, and accusative form of each noun you plan to use.
- Complete the agreement exercise. Check each ending against the Grammar section.
- Draft your description. Decide which item you will compare and which pronoun you will use to refer back to it.
- Read your description aloud once. Listen for correct adjective and demonstrative endings.
- Check your comparison sentence. Confirm you used доро́же, деше́вле, лу́чше, or ху́же correctly with чем.
Спи́сок прове́рки — Editing checklist:
- Every adjective agrees with its noun in gender and number.
- Every demonstrative agrees with its noun in gender and number.
- Every animate direct object uses the correct accusative animate form.
- The comparison uses доро́же, деше́вле, лу́чше, or ху́же with чем.
- No vocabulary or grammar from outside Chapters 1 through 9 has been used.
Culture and Communication
Asking a seller directly for an opinion, as Nikolai does with Каку́ю руба́шку вы сове́туете?, is a normal and polite way to shop in many everyday settings. A seller's comparison of two items, as in the Model Dialogue, is a common and helpful part of the shopping interaction, not an aggressive sales tactic.
Clothing sizes, typical shopping locations, and shopping habits differ across Russian-speaking regions and among Russian-speaking communities outside the Russian Federation. Do not assume that every region uses the same size system or the same kind of shop, the examples in this chapter describe one common pattern, not a universal one.
Common Mistakes
Error: Saying Я ви́жу друг instead of Я ви́жу дру́га.
Correction: Masculine animate nouns take a special accusative form that matches the genitive form, not the nominative form. Review the vocabulary table above before writing or speaking.
Error: Saying краси́вый су́мка instead of краси́вая су́мка.
Correction: Match the adjective's ending to the noun's gender and number: краси́вая су́мка, краси́вое пла́тье, краси́вые ту́фли.
Error: Saying Я хочу́ купи́ть ку́ртку a second time after the jacket has already been named.
Correction: Once a noun has been introduced, refer back to it with его́, её, or их: Я хочу́ купи́ть её.
Chapter Review
Часть A — Понима́ние (Comprehension)
1. Return to the Model Dialogue, and answer these short questions.
- Which jacket does Anna decide to buy, and why?
- What gift does Nikolai buy, and for whom?
Часть B — Пи́сьменная речь (Writing)
1. Write four sentences describing an item of clothing, including one adjective and one demonstrative.
2. Give the accusative singular form of друг, подру́га, and ку́ртка.
Часть C — Чте́ние (Reading)
1. Return to the reading passage, and list every item of clothing mentioned along with its color.
Часть D — Говоре́ние (Speaking)
1. With a partner, compare two items in a shop and say which one you prefer, using at least one comparison word.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 9 Practical Check
В магази́не: A Shopping Interaction
Complete the following connected tasks, in order, treating them as one full shopping interaction.
- Read the Model Dialogue and the reading passage. Answer the comprehension questions above before continuing.
- Describe at least two items of clothing or goods. Use adjective agreement correctly for gender and number.
- Point to one specific item. Use э́тот, э́та, э́то, or э́ти correctly.
- Compare two items. Use доро́же, деше́вле, лу́чше, or ху́же with чем.
- Buy a gift for a person. Use one animate direct object in the correct accusative form.
- Write your six to eight sentence description from the Writing Workshop. Apply the editing checklist.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Clothing and goods vocabulary | The learner names clothing and goods accurately, using correct gender. |
| Accusative animacy accuracy | The learner forms the animate accusative correctly for the nouns active in this chapter. |
| Adjective agreement accuracy | The learner matches adjective endings to noun gender and number in active forms. |
| Demonstrative accuracy | The learner uses э́тот, э́та, э́то, and э́ти correctly to point to specific items. |
| Comparison accuracy | The learner compares two items using доро́же, деше́вле, лу́чше, or ху́же with чем. |
| Object reference | The learner refers back to an already-named item using его́, её, or их instead of repeating the noun. |
This checkpoint uses only material introduced in this chapter together with recycled material from Chapters 1 through 8. No item on this rubric requires a system that has not yet been taught.
Answer Key
Listening — Comprehension
- The speaker mentions a black suit and a blue suit.
- The black suit is more expensive.
- The speaker buys a small red bag as a gift for a friend.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Anna decides to buy the blue jacket, because it is cheaper than the red one, even though she thinks the red one is more beautiful.
- Nikolai buys a white shirt for his friend.
Writing
- 1. э́та ку́ртка. 2. краси́вое пла́тье. 3. больша́я су́мка. 4. э́ти ту́фли. 5. дешёвый костю́м.
- Sample answer: Я ищу́ но́вую ку́ртку. Мне нра́вится э́та си́няя ку́ртка. Она́ деше́вле, чем чёрная ку́ртка. Я хочу́ купи́ть её. Ещё я покупа́ю пода́рок для дру́га, кра́сную су́мку. Other combinations using this chapter's vocabulary and patterns are also correct.
- друг → дру́га; подру́га → подру́гу; ку́ртка → ку́ртку.
Reading
- Irina is shopping because her mother's birthday is coming soon, and she wants to buy her a gift.
- Irina sees small and big bags, in black and red.
- The seller says the red bag is better because it is new.
Looking Ahead
Что вы уже уме́ете — What you can do now
You can describe clothing and goods with correctly agreeing adjectives, point to specific items using э́тот, э́та, э́то, and э́ти, buy a gift for a person using the animate accusative, compare two items using доро́же, деше́вле, лу́чше, or ху́же, and refer back to an already-named item without repeating it.