Моя подруга ждет меня на остановке.

My friend is waiting for me at the bus stop.

Breakdown of Моя подруга ждет меня на остановке.

• я: I
• мой: my
• на: at
• подруга: the friend
• ждать: to wait
• остановка: the bus stop

Questions & Answers about Моя подруга ждет меня на остановке.

Why is the possessive adjective Моя used instead of Мой in this sentence?

The noun подруга is feminine. In Russian, possessive adjectives must agree in gender (as well as number and case) with the noun they modify. Since подруга (meaning "female friend") is feminine, the correct feminine form of "my" is Моя, not Мой which is used with masculine nouns.

How is the verb ждет conjugated and why is it used here?

Ждет is the third person singular form of the verb ждать (to wait). It is used here because the subject Моя подруга is singular. Russian verbs must agree with their subjects in person and number, so ждет correctly matches the singular subject.

What case is меня in and why is that form used?

Меня is in the accusative case. In this sentence, it functions as the direct object of the verb ждет. In Russian, the person or entity that is being waited for (i.e., the direct object of ждать) appears in the accusative case.

Why is the phrase на остановке used, and what does the case of остановке tell us?

The phrase на остановке indicates the location where the action is taking place, meaning "at the stop" (commonly referring to a bus stop). The preposition на can govern either the accusative or the prepositional case depending on context. When indicating location (answering "where?"), Russian uses the prepositional case, as shown by остановке.

How rigid is the word order in this Russian sentence compared to English?

Russian word order is more flexible than English thanks to its rich case system, which clearly marks the roles of words in the sentence. Although Моя подруга ждет меня на остановке follows the typical subject-verb-object (SVO) pattern, the cases provide clarity even if the order changes. However, using the natural order is a good starting point for learners.

When should one use the accusative versus the prepositional case with the preposition на?

The choice between the accusative and prepositional cases with на depends on whether you're expressing direction or location. Use the accusative case when indicating movement toward a destination (e.g., "I am going на остановку" – "to the stop"). Use the prepositional case when referring to a fixed location or where an action takes place (as in на остановке, meaning "at the stop").