Я купил новую тетрадь.

I bought a new notebook.

Breakdown of Я купил новую тетрадь.

• я: I
• купить: to buy
• новый: new
• тетрадь: the notebook

Questions & Answers about Я купил новую тетрадь.

Why is the verb купил in this form?

• купил is the masculine past‐tense form of the perfective verb купить (“to buy”).
• In Russian, past‐tense verbs agree with the subject’s gender and number.
• A male speaker says купил, a female speaker would say купила, and plural subjects would use купили.

Why is новую used instead of новый or новая?

• тетрадь is a feminine noun, so its adjective must match in gender, number, and case.
• Here новую is feminine, singular, accusative.
• The nominative form is новая, the accusative feminine singular of новая is новую.

Why does тетрадь look the same in this sentence as in the dictionary (nominative) form?

• тетрадь is an inanimate feminine noun ending in a soft sign.
• In Russian, inanimate feminine nouns have the same form in nominative and accusative.
• So тетрадь (nom.) → тетрадь (acc.).

How do you pronounce тетрадь, and where is the stress?

• Pronunciation: [tʲɪˈtradʲ]
• Stress falls on the second syllable: те-ТРадь.

Why aren’t there any articles (a/the) before “new notebook”?

• Russian has no articles.
• Indefiniteness (a notebook) is understood from context or word order; definiteness (the notebook) can be clarified with demonstratives (эта тетрадь) or context.

Can you omit я in Я купил новую тетрадь?

• Yes. Russian verbs carry person and number information.
• Simply saying Купил новую тетрадь still means “I bought a new notebook,” but adding я emphasizes the subject or clarifies who did it.

What is the difference between купил and покупал?

• купил is perfective: it describes a completed action (“bought”).
• покупал is imperfective: it describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past (“was buying,” “used to buy”).
• For a one‐off completed purchase, use купил.

How would the sentence change if a woman said it?

• The verb must agree in feminine: Я купила новую тетрадь.
• Everything else stays the same.

How can you say “I bought myself a new notebook”?

• Add the reflexive dative себе:
  • Я купил себе новую тетрадь. (male speaker)
  • Я купила себе новую тетрадь. (female speaker)