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Questions & Answers about Я купил новое платье.
Why is the verb купил used instead of купила?
In Russian past tense, the verb agrees in gender and number with the subject. купил is masculine singular (used by a male speaker), while купила would be feminine singular (used by a female speaker).
Why is новое used instead of новый or новая?
Adjectives in Russian change endings to match the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify. платье is neuter singular and here in the accusative case. For neuter singular, adjectives take the -ое ending, so новое платье.
What case is новое платье in and why?
It’s in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb купил. For inanimate nouns, the accusative form is identical to the nominative form, so платье stays the same.
What aspect is the verb купил, and how would you express this in the imperfective?
купил is perfective past—indicating a completed action (“I bought”). The imperfective counterpart is покупал, which implies an ongoing or repeated action (“I was buying” or “I used to buy”).
Can you omit я in Я купил новое платье?
Yes. Russian is a pro-drop language, so you can say Купил новое платье and it will still mean “(I) bought a new dress.” Including я adds emphasis or clarity.
Why is the word order Я купил новое платье rather than Я новое платье купил?
Russian word order is flexible and often used for nuance or emphasis. The default neutral order is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO): Я купил новое платье sounds straightforward. Moving новое платье before купил might emphasize “new dress” or create a stylistic effect.
How is платье pronounced and where is the stress?
платье is pronounced [ˈpla-tʲɪ-je], with the stress on the first syllable: PLAH-tyeh.
Can you use a different verb instead of купил, like приобрёл?
Yes. приобрёл is a more formal synonym meaning “acquired” or “purchased.” Both are perfective past, but приобрёл sounds more official, while купил is everyday language.