An introduction to Russian cases using nominative and accusative

One of the things that can initially worry students who are new to learning Russian is the Russian case system. Whilst it may appear complicated, once its function is understood, you will find it to be very logical and regular. Furthermore, the names of 6 cases may initially seem a little complicated, but you will learn them quickly without even realising it or consciously trying. The first thing that is essential to realise, is that in English we too have a case system, although it is less pronounced than it is in Russian. For example, if we take a very simple sentence 'I see the dog', we have an example of different cases. 'I' is the subject. 'I' is the one doing the action. 'See' is the verb, and 'dog' is the one being seen, the object. In English, the order of the words denotes who is doing is what, but in Russian, word order does not convey this. Thus, in Russian, we have to implement a case system, to clearly show who is doing what and to whom. In Russian, we call the subject, 'nominative' and the object, 'accusative'. Hence, if we take the example of 'I see the dog', in Russian it would be 'я вижу собаку'. Notice how the ending of the word 'собаку', from 'собака', in the nominative, to ' собаку', in the accusative. This ending shows that it is the dog that is being seen and it doesn't matter where the word is placed. For example, you can also say 'собаку я вижу' or put the words in any order, but because of the cases and the endings, it is clear who is doing what.