…
Breakdown of Нужно учить новые слова каждый день.
каждый
every
день
the day
новый
new
слово
the word
нужно
necessary
Questions & Answers about Нужно учить новые слова каждый день.
What does «нужно» mean in this sentence?
«Нужно» is an impersonal modal word meaning “it is necessary” or “one needs to.” There is no explicit subject. If you want to specify who needs it, you’d add a dative pronoun, e.g. «Мне нужно учить новые слова каждый день» (“I need to learn new words every day”).
Why is the verb «учить» in the infinitive form?
After impersonal modals like «нужно», the action is expressed by an infinitive. Infinitive + modal = “to have to do something.”
Why use the imperfective aspect «учить» instead of the perfective «выучить»?
Imperfective verbs (учить) describe repeated or ongoing actions—here: the habit of learning daily. If you used the perfective «выучить», it would imply completing the learning in one shot (e.g. “to learn all the words completely, once and for all”).
Why are «новые слова» in the accusative case?
«Слова» is the direct object of the transitive verb «учить», so it takes the accusative. Because «слова» is an inanimate plural noun, its accusative form is identical to the nominative («слова»). The adjective «новые» matches this form.
Can I swap the word order to emphasize something?
Yes. Russian word order is relatively flexible. For example:
- «Каждый день нужно учить новые слова.» (emphasizes frequency)
- «Нужно учить новые слова каждый день.» (neutral)
- «Нужно каждый день учить новые слова.» (a bit more focus on “every day”)
Why is it «каждый день» and not «каждого дня»?
With «каждый», you use the nominative form of the counted noun: «день». The phrase «каждого дня» would be a genitive construction and doesn’t combine with the adjective «каждый».
What’s the difference between «нужно» and «надо»?
They are near-synonyms and both mean “it is necessary.” «Надо» is a bit more colloquial, while «нужно» can sound slightly more formal. You can say either: «Нужно учить слова.» ≈ «Надо учить слова.».
How would I say “I have to learn new words every day” in a more personal way?
Add the dative pronoun «мне» to specify the person: «Мне нужно учить новые слова каждый день.» You can also use a personal modal verb like «должен/должна»: «Я должен учить новые слова каждый день.» (male speaker uses «должен», female «должна»).
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Russian grammar?”
Russian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning RussianMaster Russian — from Нужно учить новые слова каждый день to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions