Questions & Answers about Я вижу открытый магазин.
What case is the noun магазин in, and why does its form look the same as in the nominative?
Магазин serves as the direct object of the verb вижу. In Russian, direct objects are in the accusative case; however, for inanimate masculine nouns like магазин, the accusative form is identical to the nominative. The adjective открытый is also declined to match магазин in gender, number, and case.
Why is there no article (such as a or the) before магазин in the sentence?
Russian does not use articles. Unlike English, where you would say an open store or the open store, Russian relies on context and word order to convey definiteness. Hence, Я вижу открытый магазин naturally omits any article.
How does the adjective открытый agree with the noun магазин?
In Russian, adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case. Since магазин is a masculine singular noun in the accusative case (which is identical to its nominative form for inanimate objects), открытый is also in its masculine singular form and properly inflected to match магазин.
Is it typical for Russian adjectives to come before the noun, as seen in открытый магазин?
Yes, it is standard in Russian for adjectives to be placed before the noun they describe, especially in everyday language. While adjectives can sometimes follow the noun for stylistic or emphatic reasons, the usual word order is adjective first, then noun.