Learn Hardcore Russian: Я защищаю друга.

In Russian, masculine animate nouns take an accusative form that is identical to their genitive form. Since друг is a masculine animate noun and it serves as the direct object of the verb, its accusative form becomes друга.

What is the form and meaning of the verb защищаю?

Защищаю is the first person singular present tense form of the imperfective verb защищать. It means “I defend” or “I protect”, indicating an ongoing, habitual, or general action rather than a completed one.

Why is the imperfective aspect used here instead of the perfective?

The imperfective aspect, shown by защищаю, emphasizes an action as ongoing or habitual. If you intended to describe a one-time, completed action, a perfective form like защитил would be used. In this sentence, the focus is on the general act of defending, making the imperfective the appropriate choice.

How rigid is the word order in Я защищаю друга, and can it be rearranged without changing the meaning?

Russian has a flexible word order due to its rich case system. While Я защищаю друга follows the common subject-verb-object structure, you can rearrange the words for emphasis or stylistic reasons without losing clarity. The case endings clearly indicate the roles of the words, so the meaning remains intact.