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Questions & Answers about Я ищу выход.
Why is выход in the accusative case, and how can I recognize it?
The verb искать (“to look for”) is transitive and requires a direct object in the accusative case. Выход is an inanimate masculine noun whose accusative form is identical to its nominative, so you see выход rather than a different ending.
Why isn’t there a preposition before выход?
Because искать directly takes its object without a preposition. You simply say искать + Accusative (“to look for something”).
What does Я ищу выход mean literally, and can выход be metaphorical?
Literally, it’s “I am looking for an exit.” Metaphorically, выход often means “a way out” or “a solution” to a problem. Context tells you whether it’s a physical door or an abstract solution.
What tense and aspect is ищу, and how would I say I found a way out?
Ищу is first-person singular, present tense, imperfective aspect of искать. To say “I found a way out,” use the perfective verb найти:
Я нашёл выход (if you’re male)
Я нашла выход (if you’re female)
Can I drop the pronoun Я and just say Ищу выход?
Yes. Russian verb endings often show the subject, so Ищу выход is perfectly natural. Including Я adds emphasis or clarity.
How is Я ищу выход pronounced?
Phonetically:
YA ee-SHOO VY-hod
Stress falls on the second syllable of ищу and on вы of выход.
What is the infinitive of ищу and how do I conjugate it?
The infinitive is искать. Present-tense conjugation:
я ищу | ты ищешь | он/она ищет | мы ищем | вы ищете | они ищут
If I want to specify “exit from the building,” how would I say that?
Add из + Genitive to show origin:
Я ищу выход из здания
Here из (“from”) governs the genitive здания.
Is word order important in Я ищu выход, and can it change?
Basic Russian order is Subject–Verb–Object, like English. You can shift words for emphasis:
Выход я ищу (emphasizes выход)
But the standard, neutral order is Я ищу выход.