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Questions & Answers about Я запоминаю полезные слова.
What does the verb запоминаю mean and what aspect is it?
запоминаю is the first-person singular present tense of запоминать, which means “to memorize” or “to commit to memory.” It’s an imperfective verb, emphasizing the ongoing process. The perfective counterpart (completed action) is запомнить (e.g. я запомню – “I will memorize [completely]”).
Why is the object полезные слова in this form instead of полезных слов?
Because полезные слова is in the plural accusative case, required for the direct object of запоминаю. Since слово is an inanimate neuter noun, its accusative plural is identical to the nominative plural (слова), and the adjective полезные agrees in number and case. Полезных слов would be genitive plural (“of useful words”), which doesn’t fit here.
Can I drop the pronoun я and still be correct?
Yes. Russian verbs show person and number by their endings, so Запоминаю полезные слова still means “I am memorizing useful words.” You include я only for emphasis or clarity.
Is Я запоминаю полезные слова the same as Я помню полезные слова?
No. Запоминать refers to the act of memorizing (the learning process), while помнить means “to remember” (to already have something in memory). So я запоминаю = “I’m memorizing,” and я помню = “I remember.”
Could I use учить instead of запоминать here?
You could say Я учу полезные слова, which usually means “I’m studying/learning useful words,” but учить can imply repeated study or teaching someone, while запоминать specifically highlights the act of committing words to memory.
Where is the stress in запоминаю полезные слова?
The stress falls on:
- запоминáю – on the fourth syllable
- пóлезные – on the first syllable
- словá – on the second syllable
Why can’t I say Я полезные слова запоминаю?
You actually can say Я полезные слова запоминаю; Russian has flexible word order. Moving полезные слова to the front puts slight emphasis on what you’re memorizing. The core meaning remains the same due to case endings.
What’s the difference between imperfective запоминать and perfective запомнить in context?
Use imperfective запоминать (e.g. я запоминаю) when talking about an ongoing or habitual action. Use perfective запомнить (e.g. я запомню) to express that the action will be completed or has a one-time result.