Learn Hardcore Russian: Я жду бабушку дома. - I am waiting for my grandmother at home.

In Russian, the direct object of a transitive verb like ждать (“to wait for”) takes the accusative case. Feminine nouns ending in -а form the accusative singular by replacing -а with -у. Hence бабушка → бабушку.

Why doesn’t ждать use the genitive case for бабушка, since some Russian verbs govern genitive?

Different verbs govern different cases. Ждать governs the accusative in affirmative sentences. The genitive after ждать appears only in negative constructions or poetic style (e.g. Я не жду бабушки, “I’m not waiting for grandmother”). In positive statements you always use accusative.

What kind of word is дома? Why isn’t there a preposition?

дома here is an adverb meaning “at home.” It’s derived from дом (“house/home”) and doesn’t require a preposition. Many Russian adverbs of place (e.g. внизу “below,” спереди “in front”) stand alone without prepositions.

Could I say в доме instead of дома? What’s the difference?

Yes. в доме uses the preposition в + prepositional case (в доме) and literally means “in the house (building).” дома as an adverb means “at home” in a broader, more idiomatic sense (usually one’s own home).

Whose home does дома refer to—mine (the speaker) or grandmother’s?

By default, дома refers to the speaker’s home (the place where I am waiting). To say “at grandmother’s house,” you’d use у бабушки (e.g. Я жду тебя у бабушки) or even у бабушки дома.

How do I say “my grandmother” in this sentence? Should I use моя бабушка?

In the accusative you’d say мою бабушку:
• Я жду мою бабушку дома.
Alternatively, Russian often prefers the reflexive possessive свой when the possessor is the subject:
• Я жду свою бабушку дома.

What tense/aspect is жду? How would I express “I will wait for grandmother at home”?

жду is present tense of the imperfective verb ждать, indicating an ongoing or habitual action.
To express future:
• Use perfective подождать for a one-time wait: Я подожду бабушку дома (“I will wait for grandmother at home”).
• Or use future imperfective for continuous action: Я буду ждать бабушку дома (“I will be waiting for grandmother at home”).

Can I omit the pronoun я and just say Жду бабушку дома?

Yes. Russian frequently omits subject pronouns when the verb ending clearly indicates person and number. Жду бабушку дома is perfectly natural in speech or informal writing.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Дома я жду бабушку? Does it change the meaning?

Word order in Russian is relatively flexible. Moving дома to the front (Дома я жду бабушку) shifts emphasis onto the location (“It’s at home that I’m waiting for grandmother”), but the core meaning remains the same.

Where is the stress in дома, and could it be confused with another form?

As the adverb “at home,” дома is stressed on the second syllable: [domá].
The plural noun “houses” is also spelled дома but stressed on the first syllable: [dóma]. Context and stress distinguish them.

How do I pronounce the consonant cluster жд in жду?

Pronounce ж like the “s” in “vision” (IPA [ʐ]) and д like the “d” in “dog” (IPA [d]). Blend them smoothly: жду [ʐdʊ], roughly “zh-doo.”