Лю́ди, ве́щи и вы́бор
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Use the accusative case correctly for plural animate nouns, distinguishing them clearly from inanimate plural nouns.
- Point to and identify people and things using э́тот, э́та, э́то, and э́ти, matched correctly to gender and number.
- Use personal, possessive, and demonstrative pronouns in the case forms required by the verbs and prepositions around them.
- Describe people and belongings using adjectives and pronouns that agree correctly in gender, number, and case.
- Ask and answer practical questions about people, possessions, and preferences.
- Read and write a short connected account describing several people, their things, and the choices they make.
This chapter continues to use only cases already active in your Russian, the nominative, genitive, prepositional, and accusative. It does not introduce a new case. Instead, it develops the accusative more fully, brings pronoun case forms fully into active use, and adds demonstratives so that you can refer precisely to people and things around you.
Communication Scenario
Тама́ра has settled into her new neighborhood and is now getting to know the other students at the language center. Серге́й introduces her to several friends and neighbors, and the conversation naturally turns to people, their belongings, and the small choices everyone is making, which book to buy, which friend to invite, which bag to take on a trip. As they talk, Тама́ра practices referring to specific people and things precisely, without repeating full names and nouns unnecessarily.
- You will identify and describe several people, using demonstratives and pronoun case forms.
- You will talk about belongings and choices, using the accusative case for both things and people.
- You will read and listen to short accounts in which someone chooses among people, friends, or objects.
Core Vocabulary
The nouns below name people and things you will identify, describe, and choose among throughout this chapter. Each entry gives the nominative singular, stress, gender, plural, and animacy, since animacy now directly affects the accusative endings you will use.
| Russian | Meaning | Gender | Plural | Animate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| друг | friend (male) | masculine | друзья́ | yes |
| подру́га | friend (female) | feminine | подру́ги | yes |
| сосе́д | neighbor (male) | masculine | сосе́ди | yes |
| сосе́дка | neighbor (female) | feminine | сосе́дки | yes |
| студе́нт | student (male) | masculine | студе́нты | yes |
| студе́нтка | student (female) | feminine | студе́нтки | yes |
| кни́га | book | feminine | кни́ги | no |
| су́мка | bag | feminine | су́мки | no |
| телефо́н | telephone | masculine | телефо́ны | no |
| подар́ок | gift | masculine | пода́рки | no |
| фотогра́фия | photograph | feminine | фотогра́фии | no |
| вещь | thing, item | feminine | ве́щи | no |
The verbs below carry the choosing and describing of this chapter. Each entry gives the infinitive, stress, aspect, and government pattern, so you always know which case follows.
| Russian | Meaning | Aspect | Typical pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| выбира́ть / вы́брать | to choose | imperfective / perfective | + accusative direct object |
| приглаша́ть / пригласи́ть | to invite | imperfective / perfective | + accusative animate direct object |
| знать | to know | imperfective | + accusative direct object |
| ви́деть / уви́деть | to see | imperfective / perfective | + accusative direct object |
| люби́ть | to love, to like | imperfective | + accusative direct object |
| показыва́ть / показа́ть | to show | imperfective / perfective | + dative recipient, + accusative object |
Every noun in these tables continues to carry the stress, gender, plural, and animacy information required by the Russian master instructions. Animacy now matters directly, since animate and inanimate nouns take different accusative endings, especially in the plural.
Pronunciation Focus
The animate accusative plural ending often looks identical to the genitive plural ending, and both are frequently unstressed. Reading these endings clearly, without swallowing the final syllable, helps a listener track whether you mean people or things.
- Practice saying friend́е́й, студе́нтов, and сосе́дей slowly, holding the final unstressed vowel long enough to be heard.
- Contrast an animate plural phrase such as я зна́ю студе́нтов with an inanimate plural phrase such as я зна́ю кни́ги, noticing how the ending itself carries the animacy information.
- Read the Model Dialogue below aloud once, paying attention to every plural accusative ending you encounter.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This section develops the accusative case you have already used for singular nouns, extending it to plural people, and brings pronoun and demonstrative case forms fully into your active Russian.
Animate accusative plural
- Серге́й хорошо́ зна́ет всех студе́нтов в гру́ппе.Sergei knows all the students in the group well.animate accusative plural = genitive plural
- А телефо́ны и су́мки лежа́т на столе́.And the phones and bags are lying on the table.inanimate plural, unaffected by animacy rule
Compare зна́ю студе́нтов, people, with зна́ю кни́ги, things. The verb and the sentence structure stay the same, but the ending on the plural noun changes because animacy changes.
Demonstratives: э́тот, э́та, э́то, э́ти
- Ты уже́ ви́дел э́ту фотогра́фию?Have you already seen this photograph?э́ту, feminine accusative
- Мы пригласи́ли э́тих студе́нтов на пра́здник.We invited these students to the celebration.э́тих, animate accusative plural
Pronoun case forms
- Ты меня́ ви́дишь? Да, я тебя́ ви́жу хорошо́.Do you see me? Yes, I see you well.меня́, тебя́, accusative pronouns
- Э́то пода́рок для него́, а э́то для неё.This is a gift for him, and this is for her.него́, неё, genitive after preposition для
The third-person pronouns он, она́, оно́, and они́ add an initial н when they follow a preposition, becoming него́, неё, and них. This pattern is required, not optional, and it applies across every case and every preposition already active in your Russian.
Пра́ктика — Practice: Complete each sentence with the correct accusative form, choosing between an animate and an inanimate ending as the noun requires.
- Тама́ра приглаша́ет ___ (подру́ги) на у́жин.
- Серге́й покупа́ет ___ (кни́ги) для рабо́ты.
- Мы хорошо́ зна́ем ___ (сосе́ди) в э́том до́ме.
- Она́ выбира́ет ___ (э́тот телефо́н), а не тот.
- Ты ви́дишь ___ (я) отсю́да?
Model Dialogue: Лю́ди, ве́щи и вы́бор
Context: Тама́ра and Серге́й are at the market, looking at gifts and talking about friends they might invite to a small gathering.
Notice how the dialogue moves between full nouns, demonstratives, and pronoun case forms, always referring to the same people and things without unnecessary repetition.
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, paying attention to which nouns and pronouns are animate.
- What gift options is Vlad considering?
- Whom has Vlad already invited, and whom has he not yet invited?
- Why does Vlad plan to invite his sister's friends?
- Find one sentence that uses the animate accusative plural, and identify the noun.
Speaking Practice
Управля́емая пра́ктика — Controlled practice: choose and explain
Working alone or with a partner, choose three items from the Core Vocabulary table and three people, real or imagined, and for each, form a sentence using выбира́ть, приглаша́ть, or знать with the correct accusative form.
Коммуникати́вное зада́ние — Communicative task: plan a small gathering
With a partner, plan a small gathering. Decide together whom you will invite and what gifts or things you will bring, using demonstratives and pronoun case forms naturally as you discuss your choices.
Самостоя́тельная пра́ктика — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing five people you know, using pronoun case forms and at least one demonstrative for each person, as though you were introducing them to a new acquaintance.
Reading Practice
Ве́чер у Анны — An evening at Anna's
А́нна реши́ла пригласи́ть друзе́й на небольшо́й ве́чер. Она́ до́лго выбира́ла, кого́ пригласи́ть, потому́ что у неё мно́го знако́мых, но ме́сто в кварти́ре ограни́чено. В конце́ концо́в она́ пригласи́ла свои́х са́мых бли́зких подру́г, а та́кже не́скольких сосе́дей, кото́рых она́ хорошо́ зна́ет. Пе́ред ве́чером она́ пошла́ на ры́нок и купи́ла не́сколько пода́рков, кни́гу для одно́й подру́ги и краси́вую súмку для друго́й. Она́ то́же нашла́ ста́рые фотогра́фии и реши́ла показа́ть их гостя́м. Когда́ го́сти пришли́, А́нна показа́ла им э́ти фотогра́фии, и все ве́село вспомина́ли о́бщих друзе́й и знако́мых. Ве́чер получи́лся тёплым и прия́тным, и А́нна была́ ра́да, что пригласи́ла и́менно э́тих люде́й.
Зада́ние по чте́нию — Reading task:
- Whom does Anna decide to invite, and why does she limit the number of guests?
- What gifts does Anna buy, and for whom?
- What does Anna show her guests, and how do they react?
- Find two sentences that use the animate accusative case, and identify each noun or pronoun involved.
Writing Workshop
Complete the following linked writing tasks in order. This workshop asks you to describe several people you know and the choices you make about gifts, invitations, or belongings.
Зада́ние 1 — People and things outline: Before writing, list at least four people and two things you will mention, noting for each person whether they are animate in the sentences you plan to write, and jotting a short phrase in Russian describing your relationship to them.
Зада́ние 2 — Мои́ друзья́ и мой вы́бор: Write a connected account of at least eight to ten sentences, describing several people you know and a choice you make involving them or their belongings. Use the animate accusative plural at least twice, a demonstrative at least twice, and at least three pronoun case forms.
- Review the Grammar and Sentence Patterns section above. Confirm the animate accusative plural ending, the demonstrative forms, and the pronoun case forms you plan to use.
- Complete your outline. Choose real or imagined people and things you can describe clearly.
- Draft your account in order. Introduce each person, describe your relationship, and explain your choice.
- Read your draft aloud once. Listen for clear, unstressed plural endings, as practiced in the Pronunciation Focus section.
- Check every accusative form against its noun or pronoun. Confirm that animate nouns and pronouns take the animate accusative form, and that inanimate nouns do not.
Спи́сок прове́рки — Final editing checklist:
- The account describes at least four people and two things clearly.
- The animate accusative plural appears correctly at least twice.
- A demonstrative, э́тот, э́та, э́то, or э́ти, appears correctly at least twice.
- At least three pronoun case forms appear correctly.
- Cyrillic, stress where genuinely needed, and `ё` are used correctly throughout.
- Punctuation, capitalization, and spelling rules follow Russian conventions.
Culture and Communication
Among many Russian-speaking families and friend groups, small gifts are commonly brought to gatherings, even informal ones, and the choice of gift often reflects the closeness of the relationship rather than its monetary value. Practices vary considerably by family, region, and generation, and no single gift-giving custom applies to every Russian-speaking community.
The fixed expression друг дру́га, meaning "each other," declines only in its second part, which takes whichever case the sentence requires, as in пи́шем друг дру́гу, "we write to each other," using the dative. Learn this expression as a formulaic unit for now, and treat its internal structure as receptive information rather than a pattern to generate freely.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: Writing Я зна́ю студе́нты when describing people you know, using the nominative plural form instead of the required accusative form.
Correction: Use the animate accusative plural, which matches the genitive plural: Я зна́ю студе́нтов. Reserve the nominative plural, студе́нты, for the subject of a sentence.
Error: Writing для его́ or с ей, omitting the required н on a third-person pronoun after a preposition.
Correction: Add the initial н whenever a third-person pronoun follows a preposition: для него́, с ней. This rule applies consistently across every preposition already active in your Russian.
Error: Applying the animate accusative plural ending to an inanimate noun, writing Я купи́л кни́г instead of the correct nominative-like plural form.
Correction: Inanimate plural nouns keep the nominative plural form in the accusative: Я купи́л кни́ги. Only animate plural nouns shift to the genitive-like form: Я пригласи́л друзе́й.
Chapter Review
Animate accusative plural
For people and other animate plural nouns, the accusative form matches the genitive plural form, across all genders.
Inanimate accusative plural
For things and other inanimate plural nouns, the accusative form matches the nominative plural form.
Demonstratives
э́тот, э́та, э́то, and э́ти agree with the noun in gender and number, and decline into the case the sentence requires.
Pronoun case forms
Personal pronouns decline like nouns, and third-person pronouns add an initial н after a preposition.
Listening
Follow a connected account of people, gifts, and invitations, tracking animacy in the accusative case.
Speaking
Describe people and things and explain choices, using demonstratives and pronoun case forms naturally.
Reading
Interpret a personal narrative describing several people and the choices made about them.
Writing
Compose a connected account describing people and things, applying accusative, demonstrative, and pronoun forms accurately.
Часть A — Понима́ние (Comprehension)
1. Return to the Model Dialogue, and answer these short questions.
- Whom does Тама́ра say she would invite to the celebration?
- What does Тама́ра say about her friend in the photograph?
Часть B — Пи́сьменная речь (Writing)
1. Write one sentence using the animate accusative plural to describe people you know.
2. Write one sentence using a demonstrative, э́тот, э́та, э́то, or э́ти.
3. Write one sentence using a pronoun in the accusative or genitive case.
Часть C — Чте́ние (Reading)
1. Return to Анна's evening, and summarize her choices in three of your own sentences in English.
Часть D — Говоре́ние (Speaking)
1. With a partner, or on your own, describe three people you know and one choice involving each of them.
Practical Performance Task: Что вы́брать?
Chapter 3 Practical Task
Что вы́брать: лю́ди, ве́щи и вы́бор на пра́здник
Complete the following connected tasks, in order. This task collects evidence of your control of the animate accusative case, demonstratives, and pronoun case forms in one connected performance, drawing only on vocabulary and grammar active in this chapter and recycled from Volume I and Chapter 2.
- Complete your people and things outline. Use the four prompts from the Writing Workshop above.
- Plan a small gathering with a partner, or plan it alone. Decide whom to invite and what gifts or things to bring.
- Describe your plan aloud, at least one minute long. Use animate accusative plurals, demonstratives, and pronoun case forms as you describe people and things.
- Answer at least two follow-up questions from your partner, or imagine two such questions. Practice responding quickly with the correct case form.
- Write your eight to ten sentence account from the Writing Workshop. Apply the final editing checklist.
- Reflect briefly in English or Russian. Note whether animacy in the accusative still feels automatic or still needs conscious checking.
| Criterion | What is checked |
|---|---|
| Content clarity | The learner clearly describes at least four people and two things. |
| Animate accusative control | The learner correctly applies the animate accusative plural to people. |
| Inanimate accusative control | The learner correctly keeps the nominative-like plural form for things. |
| Demonstrative control | The learner correctly uses э́тот, э́та, э́то, or э́ти, agreeing with the noun. |
| Pronoun control | The learner correctly uses pronoun case forms, including the initial н after prepositions. |
| Overall comprehensibility | The completed spoken and written account communicates clearly to a sympathetic listener or reader familiar with A2 to B1 Russian. |
This task is not one of the four cumulative unit assessments scheduled in Chapters 5, 10, 15, and 20. It provides practice and formative evidence for the people, things, and choices system this chapter develops.
Answer Key
Grammar Practice
- Тама́ра приглаша́ет подру́г на у́жин.
- Серге́й покупа́ет кни́ги для рабо́ты.
- Мы хорошо́ зна́ем сосе́дей в э́том до́ме.
- Она́ выбира́ет э́тот телефо́н, а не тот.
- Ты ви́дишь меня́ отсю́да?
Listening — Comprehension
- Vlad is considering a book or a beautiful framed photograph as a gift.
- Vlad has already invited his friends and some neighbors, but has not yet invited all the students from his group.
- Vlad plans to invite his sister's friends because she loves them very much.
- Sample answer: Я уже́ пригласи́л мои́х друзе́й uses the animate accusative plural, друзе́й.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Тама́ра says she would invite her female neighbors and Серге́й.
- Тама́ра says the friend in the photograph lives in another city, that she loves her very much, and that they often write to each other.
Reading
- Anna invites her closest friends and several neighbors she knows well, limiting the guest list because her apartment has limited space.
- Anna buys a book for one friend and a bag for another.
- Anna shows her guests old photographs, and everyone happily reminisces about mutual friends and acquaintances.
- Sample sentences: она́ пригласи́ла свои́х са́мых бли́зких подру́г and А́нна показа́ла им э́ти фотогра́фии.
Writing
Sample account: У меня́ есть не́сколько бли́зких друзе́й. Я о́чень хорошо́ зна́ю их, и мы ча́сто ви́дим друг дру́га. На сле́дующей неде́ле я хочу́ пригласи́ть мои́х подру́г и не́которых сосе́дей на небольшо́й ве́чер. Я уже́ вы́брал пода́рки, э́ту кни́гу для одно́й подру́ги и э́ти фотогра́фии, что́бы показа́ть всем. Ду́маю, они́ бу́дут ра́ды. Other accounts drawing accurately on this chapter's vocabulary and grammar patterns are also correct.
Looking Ahead
Что вы уже уме́ете — What you can do now
You can describe and identify people and things precisely, using demonstratives, pronoun case forms, and the animate accusative case, moving confidently between people and belongings in one connected conversation or account.