Пациент ждёт врача.

Because Russian ждать works differently from English to wait for.

In Russian, ждать usually takes its object directly, without a preposition:

• ждать врача = to wait for the doctor
• ждать автобус = to wait for the bus
• ждать друга = to wait for a friend

So in Пациент ждёт врача, врача is the object of ждёт, and no separate word for for is needed.

Because it is the direct object of the verb ждёт, so it goes into the accusative case.

The dictionary form is врач. In this sentence, it changes to врача.

A very important detail: врач is a masculine animate noun, and for masculine animate nouns, the accusative singular looks the same as the genitive singular.

So:

• nominative: врач = doctor
• accusative: врача = doctor, as the object

That is why you see врача after ждёт.

Here, it is best understood as accusative singular because it is the object of ждать.

It just happens that for masculine animate nouns, the accusative form is identical to the genitive form.

So:

• Я вижу врача. = I see the doctor.
• Пациент ждёт врача. = The patient is waiting for the doctor.

In both sentences, врача is accusative.

The dictionary form is ждать, which means to wait.

ждёт is the 3rd person singular present tense form:

• я жду = I wait / I am waiting
• ты ждёшь = you wait / are waiting
• он/она ждёт = he/she waits / is waiting

So Пациент ждёт врача literally has the structure:

• Пациент = patient
• ждёт = waits / is waiting
• врача = doctor

ждёт is pronounced roughly like zhdyot.

A few useful points:

• ж sounds like the s in measure
• дё gives a dyo-like sound
• ё is always stressed

So the stress is:

• пацие́нт
• ждёт
• врача́

Full pronunciation pattern: пацие́нт ждёт врача́

Also, in normal Russian writing, ё is often written as е, so you may see ждет. But the correct pronunciation is still ждёт.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Russian present tense often covers both:

• Пациент ждёт врача. = The patient waits for the doctor.
• Пациент ждёт врача. = The patient is waiting for the doctor.

In real-life context, this sentence will often be understood as is waiting for the doctor.

Russian has no articles, so there is no direct equivalent of the or a/an.

That means Пациент ждёт врача can potentially correspond to:

• The patient is waiting for the doctor
• A patient is waiting for a doctor
• The patient waits for the doctor

Which one sounds best depends on context.

Russian usually shows definiteness through context, not through articles.

Yes. Russian word order is more flexible than English.

The neutral order here is:

• Пациент ждёт врача.

But you could also say:

• Врача ждёт пациент.

This still means basically the same thing, but the emphasis changes.

Very roughly:

• Пациент ждёт врача. = neutral, plain statement
• Врача ждёт пациент. = emphasis on the doctor

So word order in Russian often affects focus and style, not just grammar.

Not necessarily.

врач is grammatically masculine, but it can refer to a doctor of either sex.

So врача here could mean:

• a male doctor
• a female doctor

The exact meaning depends on context.

This is common in Russian: some job titles are grammatically masculine even when they refer to women.

Usually, пациент refers to a male patient, because it is a masculine noun.

For a female patient, Russian often uses:

• пациентка

So if you specifically mean a woman, Пациентка ждёт врача would be more natural.

However, in formal or medical language, masculine forms can sometimes be used more generally, depending on context.

Yes. It is completely normal and complete.

Russian often does not need a separate pronoun if the subject is already given as a noun.

Here:

• Пациент is the subject
• ждёт is the verb
• врача is the object

So the sentence is fully complete as it stands: Пациент ждёт врача.