Breakdown of Каждое маленькое достижение радует меня.
маленький
small
каждый
every
меня
me
достижение
the achievement
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Questions & Answers about Каждое маленькое достижение радует меня.
Why are каждое, маленькое, and достижение all in the nominative neuter singular form?
In Russian, the subject of a sentence stands in the nominative case. достижение is a neuter noun, so its modifiers каждое (each/every) and маленькое (small/little) must match it in gender (neuter), number (singular), and case (nominative).
Why is меня in the accusative case here?
The verb радовать is transitive—it “pleases” someone. The one who is pleased is the direct object and takes the accusative case. Hence меня is the accusative form of я (I).
Why does the verb радует appear in the 3rd person singular?
Verbs agree with their subjects in person and number. Here the subject is каждое маленькое достижение (a single achievement), so радует is the present-tense, 3rd person singular form of радовать.
What is the difference between радует меня and радоваться мне?
радовать + Accusative is a transitive construction meaning “to delight/please someone.”
Example: Погода радует меня (“The weather pleases me”).
радоваться + Dative is its intransitive counterpart meaning “to be glad/rejoice.”
Example: Я радуюсь погоде (“I am glad about the weather”).
Can I invert the word order and say Меня радует каждое маленькое достижение? Does it change the meaning?
Yes, you can. Russian has relatively free word order. Starting with меня puts extra emphasis on “me,” whereas the original order emphasizes “every little achievement.” The core meaning (“every small achievement pleases me”) remains the same.
Is Каждые маленькие достижения радуют меня also correct? What do I need to change?
Yes. If you switch to the plural каждые маленькие достижения (“every small achievements”), you must also change the verb to plural: радуют меня. The plural version talks about small achievements as a group rather than each one individually.
Where does the stress fall in достижение, and how should I pronounce it?
The stress is on the third syllable: достиже́ние [da-sti-ZHE-ni-ye]. Make sure not to shift it to the first or second syllable.
Why isn’t there any preposition before каждое? Could I add one?
This is a straightforward subject phrase—no preposition is needed. Inserting a preposition (e.g. о каждом маленьком достижении) would change the meaning (“about each small achievement”) and require a different verb or construction.
Are there other ways to express the same idea instead of using радует?
Yes. You could say, for example:
• доставляет мне радость (brings me joy)
• приносит мне удовольствие (gives me pleasure)
• наполняет меня счастьем (fills me with happiness)
Each option carries a slightly different nuance but conveys the idea that small achievements make you happy.