The Verb
(Transitive and
Intransitive)
Transitive and
intransitive verbs
Russian verbs
fall into transitive and intransitive. Transitive verbs take an object in the
accusative without a preposition:
читать
(to read)
что?(what?)
книгу (a
book)
Винот
читает
книгу.
Vinod is reading
a book?
Что
читает
Винот?
What is Vinod
reading?
объяснить
(to explain)
что? (what?)
слово (a word)
Преподователь
объяснил
слово.
The
lecturer
explained
the
word.
Что
объяснил
преподователь?
What did the lecturer explain?
построить (to build)
что?
(what?)
дом (a house)
Эти
инженеры
построили
этот дом.
These engineers
constructed the house.
Что
эти
инженеры
построили?
What did these
engineers construct?
слушать
(to listen)
кого?
(to whom?
профессора
(to the speaker)
Студенты
слушают
профессора.
The students
listen to the professor.
Кого
слушают
студенты?
Whom do the
students listen?
выслушать
(to listen)
кого?
(to whom?)
его
(to him)
Зрители
слушают
певца.
The audience
listens to the singer.
Кого
слушают
зрители
Whom does the
audience listen to?
Verbs which
cannot be followed by the questions
кого?
whom?,
что?
what? are
intransitive;
идти
(to
go)
Они
идут
в
школу.
They are going to
the school.
работать (to
work)
Они
работают
на
заводе.
They are working
in a the factory.
All verbs with
the particle -ся are intransitive:
бороться (to
fight),
заниматься (to study),
встречаться (to meet).
An object in the
accusative without a preposition is called a direct object.
The object of a
transitive verb may be in the genitive (without a preposition) and not in the
accusative when the action affects not the whole object but only part of it:
Дайте мне,
пожалуйста, масла
и хлеба.
Give me some
butter and bread please.
Купите
бумаги,
тетрадей, карандашей.
Buy some papers,
notebooks and pencils.
Возьмите с
собой в поход
сахару,
шоколаду,
чаю,
консервов,
соли, крупы.
Take some sugar,
chocolate, tea, tinned food, salt and cereals on your hike.
The object of a
transitive verb may be in the genitive (without a preposition) and not in the
accusative when used with не:
Ученик
выучил урок. (without the negative particle)
The pupil learned
his lesson.
Ученик
не выучил
урока.
The pupil did not
learn his lesson:
Вчера я принес
учебника
русского
языка.
(without the negative particle)
I brought the
Russian text-book yesterday.
Сегодня я
не принес учебника русского языка.
I did not bring
the Russian text book today.
Студенты
выполнили все
задания.(without the
negative particle)
The students have
fulfilled all the assignments.
Студенты
не выполнили всех заданий.
The students have
not fulfilled all the assignments.