Question 1

Why does школу end with -у instead of -а?

Accepted Answer

Russian marks direct objects with the accusative case. A feminine noun ending in -а (like школа) changes that -а to -у in the singular accusative. So школа → школу because it’s the object of строим.

Question 2

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” before школу?

Accepted Answer

Russian doesn’t have articles. Definiteness (the) or indefiniteness (a) is conveyed by context, not by separate words. You simply say школу and rely on surrounding sentences or shared knowledge.

Question 3

Is the pronoun Мы mandatory? Can I just say Строим школу?

Accepted Answer

The verb ending -им in строим already tells you it’s first-person plural (“we”). So yes, you can omit Мы: Строим школу still means “We are building a school.” Including Мы adds emphasis or clarity.

Question 4

What tense and aspect is строим, and how do you express “are building” in Russian?

Accepted Answer

Строим is present tense, imperfective aspect of строить (“to build”). Imperfective verbs cover both simple present and continuous actions in Russian. So Мы строим школу can mean either “We build schools (generally)” or “We are building a school (right now),” depending on context.

Question 5

Where is the stress in строим, and how do I pronounce the ы in Мы?

Accepted Answer

The stress in строим falls on the first syllable: STRO-im. Since the о is stressed, pronounce it clearly as [o]. The vowel ы in Мы is a back unrounded sound—somewhere between the “i” in “bit” and “u” in “put,” but with the tongue pulled slightly back. Aim for [mɨ].

Question 6

Can you show the full present-tense conjugation of строить?

Accepted Answer

Here’s how строить looks in the present, imperfective:  
• 1st sg (я): я строю  
• 2nd sg ты: ты строишь  
• 3rd sg он/она/оно: он строит  
• 1st pl мы: мы строим  
• 2nd pl/formal вы: вы строите  
• 3rd pl они: они строят

Question 7

How would I say “We will build a school” or “We have built a school”?

Accepted Answer

Use the perfective verb построить for completed actions:  
• Future one-time: Мы построим школу (“We will build a school.”)  
• Past completed: Мы построили школу (“We built (have built) a school.”)

Question 8

Can I change the word order in Мы строим школу for stylistic reasons?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Neutral order is Subject-Verb-Object: Мы строим школу. For emphasis:  
• Школу мы строим (emphasizes “school,” as in “It’s a school that we’re building”).  
• Строим мы школу (puts the act of building in focus, often with contrast or surprise).  
Russian word order is quite flexible; you shift elements to highlight different parts of the sentence.

Мы строим школу.

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