The direct object and the destination - and the animacy rule that makes бачу сябра look like a genitive because it is one.
I can use the accusative for objects, destinations and time, and apply the animacy rule.
Schau dir diese Beispiele an. Kannst du das grammatische Muster erkennen?
Учора я бачыў старога сябра.
Yesterday I saw an old friend.
Учора я бачыў стары горад.
Yesterday I saw the old town.
Кладу кнігу на стол, а яна ўжо на стале.
I am putting the book on the table, and it is already on the table.
Мы чакалі цябе цэлую гадзіну.
We waited a whole hour for you.
Achte auf die hervorgehobenen Teile. Was haben sie gemeinsam?
This is the part that surprises. For masculine and plural nouns, the accusative depends on whether the thing is alive:
| Type | Accusative looks like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine inanimate | the nominative | бачу горад |
| masculine animate | the genitive | бачу сябра |
| plural inanimate | the nominative | бачу сталы |
| plural animate | the genitive | бачу сяброў |
Feminine and neuter singulars have their own accusative and ignore the rule entirely: кнігу, акно.
Whatever the noun does, the adjective does with it: бачу старога сябра but бачу стары горад.
The same preposition with the accusative means motion and with the locative means position. By now this should be automatic:
The accusative also carries duration and days: чакаў гадзіну, у суботу, на Купалле.
Wende diese Grammatik in den Übungen des Kurses A2 an
ÜbungsaufgabenTypical errors: ignoring animacy and saying бачу сябар; and declining the noun while leaving the adjective in the nominative.
Ignoring the animacy rule
Бачу сябра and сяброў borrow the genitive; бачу горад and сталы match the nominative.
Leaving the adjective in the nominative
Бачу старога сябра, бачу стары горад - the adjective follows the noun.
Using the accusative for a position
Кладу на стол is motion; кніга на стале is position.
Using the Russian genitive form for an animate accusative
Сябра, сяброў, дзяцей - Belarusian forms.
Учора я бачыў старога сябра.
Yesterday I saw an old friend.
Animate, so the accusative borrows the genitive - and the adjective goes with it.
Учора я бачыў стары горад.
Yesterday I saw the old town.
Inanimate, so the accusative matches the nominative - the same verb, a different ending.
Кладу кнігу на стол, а яна ўжо на стале.
I am putting the book on the table, and it is already on the table.
The same preposition twice: accusative for the motion, locative for the position.
Мы чакалі цябе цэлую гадзіну.
We waited a whole hour for you.
Duration in the accusative: <em>цэлую гадзіну</em>.
На Купалле мы едзем на раку.
At Kupalle we go to the river.
Two accusatives after <em>на</em>: the festival and the destination.
Im Kurs üben
Wende diese Grammatik in den Übungen des Kurses A2 an